What are some good brands and sizes/models that you guys recommend? Dont need a giant smoker but want something zi could make a few racks of baby backs on or a few butts or chickens at a time. Traeger keeps popping up when I search but man they are high$

Pit Boss. Much less expensive than Traeger with all the same features

Been running a green mountain grills daniel Boone for 8 years now and never replaced anything. Use it at least once,usually twice a week. Having said that, the pit boss has caught my eye at Walmart at a really good price point.

I don’t have a Pitboss but a couple of my friends do and they are awesome. I’ll be getting one for sure.

Same here. I also have the Daniel Boone model (midsize) as does my son-in-law. We both have the wifi model that allows monitoring and adjusting the profile/settings from just about anywhere.

I can only attest to Traeger. I've had mine probably 15 years or so. I've had to replace a few components over the year, but other than that it's been great. Customer service has always been top notch IMO. If I've had an issue, I can call and actually talk to a technician that can quickly diagnose the problem and send me the part.

Check that, more features and better built than Traeger.

Got the PitBoss Austin(1000 cu/in) from Walmart 4-5 months ago. Did a little shopping before buying, Walmart in Prattville was best bang for the bucks $495, Academy had the 820 for $50 less, and Lowes had the 1100 for $599. They are putting a few accessories on them now, but last trip to Walmart they were 492 I think. I use mine to grill with 95% of the time, at least 4+ times a week. Did have a temp issue tripping out on excessive heat, sent an email explaining the problem and 7-10 days later a new temp probe, no cost and no more issues as of now. I use the 40lb bag of competition pellets, been pleased with mine but will also so I was a gas griller in previous life, so you might not be satisfied with the smoking performace of a pellet grill, but I'm not a Pit Boss Master Cooker either.

How many times can you grill on a bag of pellets?

I'm trying to figure that out, but it seems like a lot. My old gas grill is on its last legs, and I was planning to buy another gas grill. But I had to go to Walmart this past Saturday and they had the Pit Boss marked all the way down to $222, so I bought one. I've used it twice and it does a good job. I'm thinking that a bag of pellets will be about like a tank of gas, but that may not be right.

Depends on how hot and how long you're cooking.

fyi - zgrills is the parent company that makes grills for traeger. they're a little less expensive than traegers.

"These grills are made by the same Chinese factory that made Traeger’s for several years..."

Go on ahead and get a fast eddy’s Pg500.

There’s a bunch of forums dedicated to pellet smokers. Check them out and you’ll find plenty of information about each brand.

Like you, I’ve wanted one, just have not bought one yet. If I had the money, the pg500 would be in the running. Obviously much more expensive than the mentioned brands, but it’s made in the USA and supported by folks here too.

MAK grills, Yoder, and several other well made brands out there too.

I got a Camp Chef Smoke Pro DLX and I have been nothing but pleased with it so far.

May be a dumb question but do you have to store these inside or under a roof since they are electric?

I would at least get a cover for it and keep it unplugged when not in use. I imagine it would be fine for a while, but it would eventually catch up with it if it was out in the weather all the time. Mine are both under covered decks/patios.