Hello fron Ft Lauderdale

[NU2SMOKE]

Good Morning and Happy fathers day to all the dads here.
My name is Philip. As my screen name implies I am new 2 smoking. I have limited experience on a Masterbuilt elec smoker my wife gave me 5 years ago (aint she awesome) and I have had a lot of fun with it to various degrees of success and destroying lots of various proteins...lol
Well today for fathers day my wife and kids have given me the gift of buying a new grill/smoker and I am hoping you guys/gals can help me make up my mind.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Welcome aboard Philip, jump in, the smokin' is fine.

BTW, there's a thread for veterans/active to share their military experience and then Mike will give you a banner under your name.

As for help on what to buy some discussion about what you like to prepare, how, and for how many/how often. Over buying for size/power/features is an American tradition and we'll all be happy to help you to excess.

 

[dsandersus]

Welcome Phillip! My wife gave me a similar gift, MES approx. 9 years ago and it’s been a staple in our outdoor cooking. We too have butchered a meat or two, and not in a good way but live and learn right? We picked up the RT-590 Stampede and let me tell you, it does not disappoint! Just know there will be some subtle differences in the amount of smoke in comparison. The pellet smokers, in my opinion give you a “cleaner” smoke than the MES. We’ve had ours since Monday and have cooked with it every day since.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Good Morning @Uncle Bob ....funny.... I actually have an Uncle named Bob... LOL

As I mentioned i currently use an elec smoker and can confidently say I have chicken pretty much mastered on it. From whole chickens Spatch cocked to thighs(armadillo eggs), leg quarters and every other part.

I have done quite a few pork shoulders and recently have gotten them to where my family is saying how great they are. The beginning ones were not all that good. I know I know...how can you screw that up but somehow I did.

I have tried ribs a half dozen times with varying degrees of success from just ok to threw them in the trash.

And my greatest epic FAIL a whole packer brisket....it went horribly wrong. If interested I will post exactly what I did and maybe you guys could tell me where it went sideways one me. That was 55.00 in the trash.

I am looking at 3 different grills and keep coming back to rec tec and am leaning towards the bull. I do like to entertain guests whenever I can and I do have the room for it. I am also looking at the Grila Silverback 1300 and the Traeger Timberline. Please dont throw me out just yet!!

Thank you

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Welcome Phillip! My wife gave me a similar gift, MES approx. 9 years ago and it’s been a staple in our outdoor cooking. We too have butchered a meat or two, and not in a good way but live and learn right? We picked up the RT-590 Stampede and let me tell you, it does not disappoint! Just know there will be some subtle differences in the amount of smoke in comparison. The pellet smokers, in my opinion give you a “cleaner” smoke than the MES. We’ve had ours since Monday and have cooked with it every day since.

Thank you for your response and nice to meet you! Gotta love the wives that feed our obsessions...LOL
I can say that me and the family like the "smoke" flavor but not the bitterness that can come with too much. I like the idea that the pellet smokers seem to be ...gentler with the smoke...I could always change pellets or add more if wanted. I would be looking forward to not having to tend to the smoker every 30 min or so during a very long cook like I am now.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Good stuff Philip. Anything you've learned to do well on the MES should carry over to the pellet unit, with likely better control of temp/time. Ribs are often the go to for a first time cook because they are pretty easy to get right especially with good time/temp control. Brisket...………..even the most grizzled smoker, if honest, will admit to being challenged from time to time. But again, control, particularly if you choose a unit with a PID controller, will give you a much better shot at success. I see you've been searching around this site, good on you, you've likely seen some of the other guys successes. As for your non RT choices, I've seen where Grilla has a loyal following that are very much like we RT folks when it comes to affection for our chosen brands. Traeger were the pioneers in pellet grills, but when you go beyond the impulse buyer who sees them in most of the big box retailers, let's just say there's not much satisfaction with riding on historical laurels rather than cost/features/reliability that more motivated companies provide.

 

[dsandersus]

We spent a better part of 3 years “debating” on moving on from the MES. We looked at GMG, Traeger, Pit Boss, Grilla, RecTec, Louisiana Grill. But just in the last few months we narrowed our choice down to Grilla and RT. It was tough but ultimately we decided to join the RT family / mafia. Wasn’t based on quality, cook size, as both are very comparable it came down to the culture we saw in its members. We got the “warm fuzzies” and that was all she wrote.

My 2 pennies.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Good stuff Philip. Anything you've learned to do well on the MES should carry over to the pellet unit, with likely better control of temp/time. Ribs are often the go to for a first time cook because they are pretty easy to get right especially with good time/temp control. Brisket...………..even the most grizzled smoker, if honest, will admit to being challenged from time to time. But again, control, particularly if you choose a unit with a PID controller, will give you a much better shot at success. I see you've been searching around this site, good on you, you've likely seen some of the other guys successes. As for your non RT choices, I've seen where Grilla has a loyal following that are very much like we RT folks when it comes to affection for our chosen brands. Traeger were the pioneers in pellet grills, but when you go beyond the impulse buyer who sees them in most of the big box retailers, let's just say there's not much satisfaction with riding on historical laurels rather than cost/features/reliability that more motivated companies provide.

Bob you are very correct sir on your assessment of the Traeger following. I was originally drawn to them from seeing one in HD and thought this is great. My wife offered to buy it right there and then but I like to research big purchases and I am happy that I did. The Traegers look nice but from what I have been reading is hit or miss with the quality and longevity.
Grila fans are definitely loyal and love them but again something keeps me coming back to the REC TEC .

 

[NU2SMOKE]

We spent a better part of 3 years “debating” on moving on from the MES. We looked at GMG, Traeger, Pit Boss, Grilla, RecTec, Louisiana Grill. But just in the last few months we narrowed our choice down to Grilla and RT. It was tough but ultimately we decided to join the RT family / mafia. Wasn’t based on quality, cook size, as both are very comparable it came down to the culture we saw in its members. We got the “warm fuzzies” and that was all she wrote.

My 2 pennies.

I guess the way everybody keeps on raving about the customer support after the sale is what has me coming back to the Rec Tec. I did put in an email to Grila with a question and yet to receive a response (2 days now). I also sent Rec Tec a similar email and had a response within an hour....hmmm It does like you say give a sense of the "WARM & FUZZIES" like you say.

I see you've been searching around this site, good on you, you've likely seen some of the other guys successes.

Yes Bob I have been intensly reading thru the different pages trying to glean all the info I can because who better to ask the actual owners. There was one post from @Grilltreats about his one year anniversary with his RT-700 and that he is still raving about it...THAT SAYS ALOT!