I just got a Austin xl a month ago for $300 on clearance. I only bought it because my neighbor talked me into it. I'm really glad they did. It's awesome! I'd do it again.
Camp Chef owner here and love mine. I do appreciate the in depth and non bias review though. A few small tweaks to any of theses smokers goes a long way to cure some of there pit falls. Nomex tape/seal around the lid will help seal in the heat and reduce the loss of smoke and heat through the lid. The temp probes are all junk. Replace with a good blue tooth type and your much better off. The last recommendation is using a thermal blanket when it’s cold. It takes less time to heat up, recovers quicker and it will use fewer pellets. Warranty/customer service is what sold me on the Camp Chef and they are a local company to me here in Utah. Great review!
20 seconds in and I subscribed. I watch several cooking channels and for 292 subs, you are far beyond where other Chanel’s were during their beginning stages. Your content is on point. Your attention to detail is great and your quality is beyond a beginner you tuber. Keep it up man. I done hit the sub button and the notification bell. Bring on the content!!
Great review. I’m adding a pellet grill to my gas and to my charcoal grill. A man can’t ever have too many grills. The same goes for coolers full of beer.
Camp chef all the way for me gives a great smoke flavor and never gave me a issue. I have had mine for 3 years and never had to replace anything or call customer service amazing product.
This video helped a lot in my decision making process. I've pulled about 100lbs+ of bbq off of it so far and have zero complaints. One thing I think you missed on the review is the slide-away plate on the Austin XL that exposes the fire pot for searing. You don't have to wait on it to come to temp for steaks, just slide the plate and grill away
A lot of my research points to this being one of the best grills out there. Looking to get my first pellet grill soon. About how many racks of ribs can you fit in this one? Looks like around 6?
@@jakesneed3146 with the top grate in I can get 5-6 baby back or 4 St Louis racks rolling without issue. They've got the pro series out now that's retiring the Austin XL, I'd spring for that one as it addresses some of the missing creature comforts on the Austin.
I own a GMG grill and I can also attest that its fantastic. They are also without a doubt the finest company I've ever dealt with as far as customer service is concerned. They will go the extra mile to make and keep you happy as a customer. I couldn't recommend them enough.
Excellent review, I like how you got straight to the point at the beginning... It made me want to watch the rest of the video instead of wishing you would say what you wanted to say the whole time!! Excellent content.
Good to hear I got the "right" one. I got my Pit Boss Classic 700 on clearance at Walmart for $222 (reg $396) and I love it. Just made smoked brisket tacos for Cinco De Mayo.
I have a Pit Boss Classic and have been using it pretty consistently (3 or 4 times a week) since July 2020 and I absolutely have to say it is the best grill I have ever used in my life. I have used gas and charcoal but I don't think I could ever go back to it. The one thing I have noticed about this grill and I would imagine, all pellet grills is you NEED TO KEEP IT CLEAN. Clean out the ash pot, clean out the drum, scrape out the drum, clean and scrape your heat deflector and of course your grill grates. It's a small investment, and if you want consistency, you need to seriously take the time to clean it at LEAST every 3 cooks unless you have a longer cook, do it EVERY time. I had 2 flame outs and both were my fault. The first one, I left the pellets in the hopper for a few days which is a no no and there was some moisture in the air which I am guessing caused the issue and the next example was when I let it go too many cooks before cleaning the ash / burn pot. I have not had an issue since but a suggestion for those reading this is, get a blue tooth thermometer and put one probe in the meat and the other in the grill so you can monitor the grill for a flame out.
Dude, thank you so much for this video! You put so much time, energy, thoughtfulness and money into this comparison it’s unbelievable. I just purchased the Austin XL and I watched this video afterwards. You confirmed that I made the right decision. I paid $397 on the Walmart app even though it was advertised for $447 at the store. SCORE!!
Great review. I have a rectec, but over time I have come to realize that Pit Boss and Z Grills make a great product. Also, wifi connectivity and built in thermometers are over rated. After a few years I guarantee your onboard meat thermometers will go bad. I use a Thermapen Smoke for accurate temps and it's all I use now. Bottom line? Go get a knob dial pellet grill and don't waste extra money on brand names or fancy digital readouts. Plus, as long as your grill is keeping within 10-15 degrees throughout a long cook, you will have no issues with the final product. That said, if $ is no object, go buy a Yoder YS640 and don't look back.
I did buy the larger Camp Chef and have always found it reaches desired temp in 10 mins or less and keeps it within about 5 degrees - better than our electric oven.
What a fantastic review and thorough review. I have been using a Traeger Texan (and the lil Texan) for 6 years. I won many KCBS bar b q competitions with them. I now only have the large Traeger and it is too big and i have too many problems with it, so I have been eyeing some of the smaller Pit Boss grills. Thanks for your wonderful information.
It seemed like the GMG scored really high in most areas. I think by yours criteria it should have won but that's just my observation as it was the most consistent in all categories.
I would agree 100% the Austin XL is a beast. 1.5 years with no issues. Countless one and two hour smokes and about 8 Texas sized briskets. I bought mine on sale for 385 at Wal-Mart.
Great comparison. So great, that 2 years later this thing is now over $900.00. I will probably still get it based off of this man's video. I have been watching vids of pellet smokers for week. This is the best that I have seen.
I have the tailgater and love it. I have an inverter to hook it up to the truck battery. I work on the road and we live in a 5th wheel most of the time it's great for storage in the camper.
Best review I've seen posted. I went with the Camp Chef. The feature of the ash cleaning system and the slide and grill feature was a big portion of my decision. The real deal maker was the side kick option the Camp Chef has. Turns the pellet grill into a complete cooking system .
Thank you for the great review of all of these grills. I recently purchased the Green Mountain for reasons other than you have specified in your blog. It seems the biggest negative from your review is the relatively small hopper capacity of this model. I do understand that accessories are beyond your scope, but I bought the daniel boon for the accessory pizza oven that adds another 130.00 to the price. A huge advantage to the pizza oven is that you can use it to sear up to 700+ degrees(not to mention the awesome pizzas that you can make). I replaced the pizza stone with a 1/2" piece of plate steel I have seasoned like you would a cast-iron skillet. by turning the temperature up to the highest setting I can get around 900 degrees f on my metal plate. that will indeed sear a heck of a good steak!
Absolute great choice!! Where I’m at, the Daniel Boone isn’t as cheap as in this video but my good friends and family members have GMG and love theirs.. Great grills, great quality, with good support and fantastic accessories!! I’d take a GMG DB out of this list any day of the week…
Thank you so much for saying what was the winner then going into why it was the winner. That made the video much easier to watch and helped me with my decision. You rock!
I love my GMG...the temps always stay super consistent and ironically the only issues I've had was when I used a bag of Traeger pellets where I had a flare-up and wild temp swings...never using those shit pellets again. After getting some grill grates I have been doing reverse searing and it works great. After the low and slow smoke stage, I take the meat off and crank it to 450 or 500 and the grill grates give a searing surface that reaches 600 to 650 to lock in a great finishing sear...highly recommend the interlocking cast aluminum Grill Grates. I'm also getting some smoke tubes to crank up some heavy smoking....such a great time to own a pellet grill.
I just found your channel. I'm a painter here in the Treasure Valley and I'd recognize that siding and landscape anywhere. You're the third youtuber I know from the valley. Also I bought the pit boss before I found this channel so yay!!
I just bought the Zgrills 10002e for 499. Heard great things about it and its consistent temps. Also over 1000 sq inches of cooking space on 3 levels is what sold it for me. Looking forward to putting it together once it arrives and beginning my smoking.
I have a GMG Boone and I love it. It does great, even in the winters when its 0 F or below. Thermal jacket for it will help keep the temp steady and quicker in the winter. I actually bought an Austin XL for a friend's housewarming gift today. Can confirm it is incredibly heavy.
I have that exact Z Grill you reviewed. It’s an absolute tank and for the $ you can’t beat it. However, I don’t get near the same smoke flavor or bark as I do on my Weber Smokey Mountain or BGE. But it sure is fun/easy to use.
Picked up a smaller Pit Boss 440D2 for only $100 on clearance. Cooks plenty of food for us but sure a bigger one would of been nice. But for $100, i wont complain,...... thats pretty damn cheap. Did some pork ribs and a loin at the same time on our patio in Vegas where its 110 degrees today and the temp held steady on smoke temp of 180 and 225 when i turned it up.
I have the camp chef for that reason. The cleanup and pellet swapping is insanely convenient. I haven’t really had any temp issues when smoking in warmer weather (50 degrees or warmer) but it definitely can struggle a bit inn colder days. All in all I’ve been very happy with it though. Many people don’t realize that there are brands other than Traeger in the pellet grill market though when in fact many of those other brands have thoroughly surpassed Traeger.
Pit Boss does make a great pellet grill. I never expect them to give me the same bark and smoke flavor as a stick burner. But, for convenience and ease of use, you can't go wrong with a Pit Boss. I love mine.
My first pellet grill was ZGrill, I just bought a Pitboss Pellet/Gas combo………will assemble this weekend and update. Very happy with Z grill 0 issues hope for the same with my Pitboss!
This is a great video for me I have the GMG Daniel Boone , In my opinion it’s amazing . I hear what your saying on the steak sear Fortunately I have a gas grill next to the smoker that lends a hand to give that nice mouth watering smoked meats those great grill marks we all love.
Look into getting some Grill Grates. Got some a few months back and they work great for getting the finishing sear with beautiful grill marks...I guess you have a gas grill anyway but if you ever want to do smoking and searing on the pellet grill those things are money.
Nice! My dad's controller went out recently on his (he left it plugged in but not all all winter) and found a cool wifi-enabled controller for his Austin XL. Now he's loving his even more. I've been using my Pit Boss from this video a bunch and I still love it.
@@BackfireVLOGS My Auston XL controller went out after three months of use. After contacting them they sent me a new one without any questions, and in a very timely fashion. You can't beat a good product with great customer service at an excellent price point. Thanks for the review and keep them coming.
Gmg's customer service is over the top minor issue after 2 years talked to tech, had it figured out , part 2 days later and up and cooking again at no charge , local west coast folk's also really awesome service!! Goes along way as far as the product happy factor , oh and it cooks amazing also!
I’m going to roll with the Z GRILL!! The Z Grill has two grease catchers that make cleaning EASY! Especially if you cover them with foil! Plus it was in 2nd place in most categories and maintains a consistent temperature
@@rameysavoie7442 I’m still using a DIY smoker from a old metal barrel lol. I’m about to buy a Z Grill for my best friend as a wedding gift though. I can’t find any Z Grills in stores. I wanted to see one in person before buying one
Best grill comparison video I have seen. It includes criteria that others don't, like the types and sizes of wheels, which is important depending on the ground surfaces you are working with. Great job!
Thanks for review. I have a Traeger litl Tex I cook on 3 times a week for 5 years. I have family and friends who ask what to get. I strongly recommend pellet grills, but not traeger.
Traeger seems to have the highest marketing budget so when I was looking to get a pellet grill that was naturally where I looked first but after doing more research...Traegers are expensive and aren't really that highly rated when compared to other brands so I went with a GMG. So glad I did...especially after seeing this video.
Great video. Threw a subscribe down. Whats sad is that I put this in the search bar and it took me clicking on several other videos until I found THIS good review of under $500 pellet smokers. Keep it up.
Green mountain is in a class of their own at this price point. Better controller, better materials, better warranty, better customer service. All it takes is a little internet searching to see the customer satisfaction is way higher on green mountain than any of these other smokers.
For 150 more the pit boss 1150 pro has front shelf side shelf and bottom shelf, easy clean out, probe storage, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, pellet hopper clean out, 4 probe ports (port 1 will turn the grill down to smoke (180°f) when the temperature you set is reached. Sear plate that you can open and close with the lid closed, And 5 year warranty
Based off of what you said I would think the Green mountain grill is the best it got to temperature in good time and had perfect readout temp and only off by 2.2 if it was off..it could reach the higher searing temps..sure it used the second most pellets but it obviously uses pellets needed to reach and maintain temps accurately. I wouldn't mind having to add pellets after 7 hrs to get to a complete 10 hour smoke. Had the good wheel setup like the pitboss. assembly time is best on gmg but that's a one time thing so not hugely important but is nice when excited to start using a newly bought product...it never came in last was in the top in the topics I would think matter most getting to holding and reading temperatures Only place it came in 4th was pellet capacity, usage, and how long before it needs to be filled up the pitboss came in last in 4 different categories
Part of the issue with temps on the Austin XL is in the design. There's an air gap under the diffuser that sends hot air from the fire box almost straight into the temperature probe. Same basic deal on the 1150 Pro that I have. I've never had any real issue with it though. I would rather have it consistently UNDER the temp I set it at (where I can just kick it up 10 or 20 degrees to compensate) then going OVER temp and cooking hotter than I want it. One nice thing with the Pit Boss 1150 Pro is the ash cleanout. The whole fire box removes right from the bottom of the grill for easy cleaning. Although you still really need to vacuum out the bits of ash from inside as well. At the end of the day, the best smoker is the one you have. Flame on!
After 20 + years of using stick burners I now love my pellet smokers best guess I am getting lazy lol sad to say both of my Austin xl smokers were destroyed in the Dec tornado in In and KY NOW TRYING TO REBUILD great video
Very good review. There are so many pellet smokers out there now it is hard to decide which one to get. The only issue I see with the pit boss is no stainless grates.
I own the Pit Boss Austin XL and love it. I did a lot of research and reading and talking with some guys at work when I made my decision to buy the Pit Boss.
FYI, Costco has the Louisiana Grills SL700 pellet grill for $299 right now. 700 square inches of grilling surface from Traeger is $1,000. The SL700 is a Costco exclusive, but it is comparable to the Louisiana Grills LG700 that is slightly different configuration and sells for $650 at places like Ace Hardware. The SL700 was previously $499 at Costco online and $399 in store. They recently reduced the prices to $399 online and $299 in store. Get one at $299 before they are gone because it is likely not coming back at that price.
I was going to buy the smaller Pitt boss at Walmart, when I got there they didn’t have them .they had the Austin XL on clearance for 289.00. I fell into the preverbal outhouse and came out smelling like a rose. I’m super happy with the Austin XL.
I have the Pitboss 700fb it’s a workhorse. I had to replace the burn pot igniter and temperature sensor. Customer service reliability makes it a fantastic smoker
I enjoyed your video. You did a great job in explaining the differences in the smokers and definitely helped me make my decision. *In comparing pellet consumption in terms of lbs. of pellets/per smoker/per hour at a given temperature, it would be more informative if you did some additional mathematics. Figure out the pellet consumption in lbs. of pellets at a given temperature per hour per volume of cooking space. (Not the square inch measurements of the grilling surface, but the cubic inch area measurement of the cylindrical cooking chamber of each smoker). It's just a suggestion. The information obtained would make it easier to see best vs. worst in terms of pellet consumption.
Having been a long-time user of Traeger+, I recently made the switch to Asmoke and I couldn't be happier! The Asmoke Essential is a game-changer, offering precise temperature control within 5°F, and the convenience of remote adjustments and monitoring. What sold me was the ASCA™ technology, promising better cooking results and easier cleaning. The portability is a big plus too, as I enjoy grilling during camping trips. The unique smoky flavor that the wood pellets impart to my food is unbeatable. The fact that they're environmentally friendly and available in different flavors is a bonus. I wholeheartedly recommend Asmoke to anyone looking for a versatile, efficient, and high-quality pellet grill. #Asmoke
Although I can not speak for the rest, I can say owning a Traeger 22 elite which is similar to the tailgater(folding legs) your results are spot on. I think this line was created to give people a taste of pellet grilling then motivate them to move up the Traeger family. But, now with so much completion out there I find I find I'm looking to other brands for more features and value. The big advantage for Traeger is warranty, customer service and support, although other companies are improving quickly in this respect aswell.
Just bought a pit boss Austin xl and obviously it’s 2 years since this video but it was on sale at Walmart for $397 i couldn’t pass it up and I can’t wait to try it out
I have a treager for over three years now. When I was comparing pellet grills. I picked treager bc of the metal quality. The metal was mutch thicker than pit boss. I will get another treager but I do have friends that have a green mountain and I really like them too.
I love that you told us your favorite ride up front that makes your video better and I'm not going to enjoy the rest of the video to learn how you came to that conclusion and if it agrees with what my needs are but nonetheless nice job
*Dude, Great testing my man* Thanks for the effort and sharing.. While I disagree with your choice, I appreciate the fact that you went so scientific on it.. Great info.. I personally got rid of my Austin XL (as my second pellet grill) because it was a pain in winter and way to big for smaller cooks. Used sooo many pellets and I was not happy with the smoke results of it.. I cleaned it nicely and gave it to my Brother in Law for his Birthday.. He has had nothing but problems with it since, replacing part after part and still had issues yesterday again trying to smoke some pork loin low n slow.. I now hate that grill because of it lol Well it just sucks giving someone a present and then have it break down like that all the time.. So, as someone who is an avid smoker on pellets, I generally don’t look as much at the price as I do at features and practicality.. weirdly enough, my daily is a Traeger Tailgater, but severely modified after years and years of using it.. But I’d never buy a new one for full price.. I picked mine up used for super cheap a long time ago.. and that’s the thing, the Tailgater is probably the oldest of this bunch and they’ve been making them for many many years now with same specs and everything.. Only now in 2021 they came out with an updated model. But the original Tailgater has no business in this class of grills imo, as it’s a portable one and way overpriced and an underspec’d grill that rides off of its name. That being said, I love mine! It’s super super quick to heat up, smoke in 2 mins or less, maintains temp good enough and gosh does it create a beautiful savoury flavour, especially compared to both my Traeger Pro 34 and definitely compared to my Austin XL.. I have yet to get that flavour out of any of my other grills, yes, I had 5, including a Pitboss Vertical.. Can’t have enough grills, like everrr haha.. I built a giant frame, ideas off of Pinterest, took the Tailgaters legs off and built it into the frame onto a cabinet and it is now a dream machine, lacking only wifi/BT. I still use my Traeger Pro34 occasionally but that one is the least impressive in my line up, similar to the Austin XL, and it’ll probably be sold soon as it’s already an older unit as well and the new Ironwood series and Timberlines look very nice.. *Oh wait, how can I not talk about my Coleman Cookout??? Sigh* That’s literally my favorite right now! Smoked two beautiful Turkeys today, and it had the fam drooling over it. Think about it, 1000sq inches(advertised), tall cooking chamber like the GMG DB, but unlike any grill in this line up, the Cookout has an actual insulated cooking chamber, mostly found on really expensive grills.. Their dual wall cooking chamber with exhaust is absolute money! Great electronics too, only missing Wifi/BT but added a Timer with Alarm, which I really appreciate.. Fit and finish on the Coleman is on par with the better brands, unlike my Pitboss which was thinner steel material, bent and not fitting properly when assembling.. By far better quality on the Coleman (surprise).. Now, of course the Coleman isn’t perfect, but at this time, other than my custom daily Tailgater, I’ll take it over anything else that’s out there under 700-800 (where I live).. It has some impressive features for its price range.. Thanks again for this very informative video.. Appreciate the effort and may those pellets Rest In Peace! It was all *In the name of science* lol Stay healthy everyone and remember: *GO SMOKE SOMETHING*
The Pitt Boss is a great smoker. I’ve owned one for a couple years now. Two things, I’ve notice about a 25 degree deference from far left to far right. Two, be prepared to make some repairs. I’ve had to replace the motor and an auger. Not to bad to replace them.
Here for the skittles....no but seriously its nice to see "unpopular" brands reviewed here. That Green Mountain grill seems worth the price. However the Pitboss says that model is a "dealer exclusive"?
Thank you for making a video that actually provides critical performance information... Most other videos and articles simply regurgitate product description or owner manual information I can find on my own. Question: I am surprised at how the pit boss actually didn't use MORE pellets compared to the others... I mean, obviously used more, but not significantly more than the green mountain, for example, whereas the green mountain has a much less cooking surface. So, my question to you is, could you do a little math for me and compare the rate at which each grill consumes pellets and compare that to both A) The cooking surface area and B) The approximate volume of the grill? I'm curious to see if there is a correlation to the volume of space that the grill is trying to heat, or if maybe one girl or another just figured out a more efficient way of heating. Thank you!
I hated that side shelf on mine lol. Hard to keep clean with the Chimney above it and it was super noisy, with everything falling through the holes etc. But when I placed a perfectly cut piece of maple into it, it became a nice shelf and could be used as cutting board etc.. mine had front shelf too, which was far far more valuable and practical..
@@ZackofAllTradesct I really like front shelf over side shelf.. or both I guess.. 🤣💪 But that being said, I bought a stainless kitchen cart on wheels the other day that has 4 shelves and a stainless top.. Now my grill shelves are all folded in and the cart is next to it every grill out.. love it..
I would like to see a comparison like this , of the Yoder ys640 and other high end pellet grills. Would there be major differences to warrant the huge price. Nice video presentation.
Great info brother. Thank you. I have three Stick Burners and I am looking to expand into the pellet world and see if I can make it taste as good so thank you.
When the garage opened with the smoker "smoking" that was epic sir
That was Boss!
My old El Camino did the same thing haha
I just got a Austin xl a month ago for $300 on clearance. I only bought it because my neighbor talked me into it. I'm really glad they did. It's awesome! I'd do it again.
Camp Chef owner here and love mine. I do appreciate the in depth and non bias review though. A few small tweaks to any of theses smokers goes a long way to cure some of there pit falls. Nomex tape/seal around the lid will help seal in the heat and reduce the loss of smoke and heat through the lid. The temp probes are all junk. Replace with a good blue tooth type and your much better off. The last recommendation is using a thermal blanket when it’s cold. It takes less time to heat up, recovers quicker and it will use fewer pellets. Warranty/customer service is what sold me on the Camp Chef and they are a local company to me here in Utah. Great review!
Wrong ! Sealing the lid hinders the performance of the smoker and lessens smoke flavor to the food. There is a lot of ignorance in these responses.
20 seconds in and I subscribed. I watch several cooking channels and for 292 subs, you are far beyond where other Chanel’s were during their beginning stages. Your content is on point. Your attention to detail is great and your quality is beyond a beginner you tuber. Keep it up man. I done hit the sub button and the notification bell. Bring on the content!!
The fact that you put do many hours into this alone deserves a like! Keep up the good work brother!
Great review. I’m adding a pellet grill to my gas and to my charcoal grill. A man can’t ever have too many grills. The same goes for coolers full of beer.
Truth.
*Facts*
Had to sell my Austin XL and my Vertical because apparently 5 is too many for one marriage 🤣
LOL! 🤣
Your wife is named Austin XL, I can understand why you got rid of her.
@@MidgetPunter *haha good one*
Excellent reviews. Let’s get this channel noticed. No ads. No sponsors. Just pure honest opinions.
YES... Love that!!!
Really great video, tons of research and data went into this. You have a great demeanor and delivery. Well done!
If you like to drink beer while you smoke then the Camp Chef is for you. Just remember that extra beer you'll get during the start up 🍻 CHEERS!!!!!!
Camp chef all the way for me gives a great smoke flavor and never gave me a issue. I have had mine for 3 years and never had to replace anything or call customer service amazing product.
This video helped a lot in my decision making process. I've pulled about 100lbs+ of bbq off of it so far and have zero complaints. One thing I think you missed on the review is the slide-away plate on the Austin XL that exposes the fire pot for searing. You don't have to wait on it to come to temp for steaks, just slide the plate and grill away
Yes he missed the sear feature I never have to get my P.B. that hot to sear.
Love mine … best first decision for a pellet smoker .
A lot of my research points to this being one of the best grills out there. Looking to get my first pellet grill soon. About how many racks of ribs can you fit in this one? Looks like around 6?
@@jakesneed3146 with the top grate in I can get 5-6 baby back or 4 St Louis racks rolling without issue. They've got the pro series out now that's retiring the Austin XL, I'd spring for that one as it addresses some of the missing creature comforts on the Austin.
I’ll check that one out for sure. Been looking at all of them on the market pretty hard and this brand keeps coming out near the top.
I own a GMG grill and I can also attest that its fantastic. They are also without a doubt the finest company I've ever dealt with as far as customer service is concerned. They will go the extra mile to make and keep you happy as a customer. I couldn't recommend them enough.
Excellent review, I like how you got straight to the point at the beginning... It made me want to watch the rest of the video instead of wishing you would say what you wanted to say the whole time!! Excellent content.
Good to hear I got the "right" one. I got my Pit Boss Classic 700 on clearance at Walmart for $222 (reg $396) and I love it. Just made smoked brisket tacos for Cinco De Mayo.
I have a Pit Boss Classic and have been using it pretty consistently (3 or 4 times a week) since July 2020 and I absolutely have to say it is the best grill I have ever used in my life. I have used gas and charcoal but I don't think I could ever go back to it. The one thing I have noticed about this grill and I would imagine, all pellet grills is you NEED TO KEEP IT CLEAN. Clean out the ash pot, clean out the drum, scrape out the drum, clean and scrape your heat deflector and of course your grill grates. It's a small investment, and if you want consistency, you need to seriously take the time to clean it at LEAST every 3 cooks unless you have a longer cook, do it EVERY time.
I had 2 flame outs and both were my fault. The first one, I left the pellets in the hopper for a few days which is a no no and there was some moisture in the air which I am guessing caused the issue and the next example was when I let it go too many cooks before cleaning the ash / burn pot. I have not had an issue since but a suggestion for those reading this is, get a blue tooth thermometer and put one probe in the meat and the other in the grill so you can monitor the grill for a flame out.
How is it holding up? Is it the 700 classic?
Dude, thank you so much for this video! You put so much time, energy, thoughtfulness and money into this comparison it’s unbelievable.
I just purchased the Austin XL and I watched this video afterwards.
You confirmed that I made the right decision. I paid $397 on the Walmart app even though it was advertised for $447 at the store. SCORE!!
I just bought one too! I picked up for a steal for $250 since it was a display
Have a pit boss 700- never had an issue! Key with all pellets- clean, clean, clean otherwise you will have flames, clogged augers, problems
Great review. I have a rectec, but over time I have come to realize that Pit Boss and Z Grills make a great product. Also, wifi connectivity and built in thermometers are over rated. After a few years I guarantee your onboard meat thermometers will go bad. I use a Thermapen Smoke for accurate temps and it's all I use now.
Bottom line? Go get a knob dial pellet grill and don't waste extra money on brand names or fancy digital readouts. Plus, as long as your grill is keeping within 10-15 degrees throughout a long cook, you will have no issues with the final product.
That said, if $ is no object, go buy a Yoder YS640 and don't look back.
I did buy the larger Camp Chef and have always found it reaches desired temp in 10 mins or less and keeps it within about 5 degrees - better than our electric oven.
What a fantastic review and thorough review. I have been using a Traeger Texan (and the lil Texan) for 6 years. I won many KCBS bar b q competitions with them. I now only have the large Traeger and it is too big and i have too many problems with it, so I have been eyeing some of the smaller Pit Boss grills. Thanks for your wonderful information.
It seemed like the GMG scored really high in most areas. I think by yours criteria it should have won but that's just my observation as it was the most consistent in all categories.
I would agree 100% the Austin XL is a beast. 1.5 years with no issues. Countless one and two hour smokes and about 8 Texas sized briskets. I bought mine on sale for 385 at Wal-Mart.
Great comparison. So great, that 2 years later this thing is now over $900.00. I will probably still get it based off of this man's video. I have been watching vids of pellet smokers for week. This is the best that I have seen.
I have the tailgater and love it. I have an inverter to hook it up to the truck battery. I work on the road and we live in a 5th wheel most of the time it's great for storage in the camper.
Best review I've seen posted. I went with the Camp Chef. The feature of the ash cleaning system and the slide and grill feature was a big portion of my decision. The real deal maker was the side kick option the Camp Chef has. Turns the pellet grill into a complete cooking system .
Camp Chef is clearly the best of the group.
Really appreciate these reviews. I’m in the market for my first pellet grill and looks like Pit Boss.
Thank you for the great review of all of these grills. I recently purchased the Green Mountain for reasons other than you have specified in your blog. It seems the biggest negative from your review is the relatively small hopper capacity of this model. I do understand that accessories are beyond your scope, but I bought the daniel boon for the accessory pizza oven that adds another 130.00 to the price. A huge advantage to the pizza oven is that you can use it to sear up to 700+ degrees(not to mention the awesome pizzas that you can make). I replaced the pizza stone with a 1/2" piece of plate steel I have seasoned like you would a cast-iron skillet. by turning the temperature up to the highest setting I can get around 900 degrees f on my metal plate. that will indeed sear a heck of a good steak!
Absolute great choice!! Where I’m at, the Daniel Boone isn’t as cheap as in this video but my good friends and family members have GMG and love theirs.. Great grills, great quality, with good support and fantastic accessories!!
I’d take a GMG DB out of this list any day of the week…
Thank you so much for saying what was the winner then going into why it was the winner.
That made the video much easier to watch and helped me with my decision.
You rock!
I love my GMG...the temps always stay super consistent and ironically the only issues I've had was when I used a bag of Traeger pellets where I had a flare-up and wild temp swings...never using those shit pellets again.
After getting some grill grates I have been doing reverse searing and it works great. After the low and slow smoke stage, I take the meat off and crank it to 450 or 500 and the grill grates give a searing surface that reaches 600 to 650 to lock in a great finishing sear...highly recommend the interlocking cast aluminum Grill Grates. I'm also getting some smoke tubes to crank up some heavy smoking....such a great time to own a pellet grill.
My Pitboss Austin Xl is coming on the 27th and just stumbled across your channel and I'm glad it's the winner 🏆 👍
Spoiler alert! Also thanks :-)
One of the best pellet grill reviews I’ve watched.
Great job on the review(s). Almost got the Austin XL, but left with The Classic on sale for $300. It's a great grill and I'd buy Pit Boss again.
So... You have the Classic?
And you like it? For Clarification.
Great video. High quality and extremely well done.
I just ordered a Pit Boss 700 series. My first smoker. I'm excited to try it out.
I just found your channel. I'm a painter here in the Treasure Valley and I'd recognize that siding and landscape anywhere. You're the third youtuber I know from the valley. Also I bought the pit boss before I found this channel so yay!!
Nice! Yeah, it’s pretty recognizable if you’re from around here
I just bought the Zgrills 10002e for 499. Heard great things about it and its consistent temps. Also over 1000 sq inches of cooking space on 3 levels is what sold it for me. Looking forward to putting it together once it arrives and beginning my smoking.
I have a GMG Boone and I love it. It does great, even in the winters when its 0 F or below.
Thermal jacket for it will help keep the temp steady and quicker in the winter.
I actually bought an Austin XL for a friend's housewarming gift today.
Can confirm it is incredibly heavy.
Nice! I’d take a GMG DB over an Austin XL any day.. (having owned the Austin XL)
I have that exact Z Grill you reviewed. It’s an absolute tank and for the $ you can’t beat it. However, I don’t get near the same smoke flavor or bark as I do on my Weber Smokey Mountain or BGE. But it sure is fun/easy to use.
Picked up a smaller Pit Boss 440D2 for only $100 on clearance. Cooks plenty of food for us but sure a bigger one would of been nice. But for $100, i wont complain,...... thats pretty damn cheap. Did some pork ribs and a loin at the same time on our patio in Vegas where its 110 degrees today and the temp held steady on smoke temp of 180 and 225 when i turned it up.
I wonder if a thermal blanket would help with the camp chefs heating issue? I love the idea of easy cleaning for the ashes and the pellets.
I have the camp chef for that reason. The cleanup and pellet swapping is insanely convenient. I haven’t really had any temp issues when smoking in warmer weather (50 degrees or warmer) but it definitely can struggle a bit inn colder days. All in all I’ve been very happy with it though.
Many people don’t realize that there are brands other than Traeger in the pellet grill market though when in fact many of those other brands have thoroughly surpassed Traeger.
Pit Boss does make a great pellet grill. I never expect them to give me the same bark and smoke flavor as a stick burner. But, for convenience and ease of use, you can't go wrong with a Pit Boss. I love mine.
My first pellet grill was ZGrill, I just bought a Pitboss Pellet/Gas combo………will assemble this weekend and update. Very happy with Z grill 0 issues hope for the same with my Pitboss!
This is a great video for me I have the GMG Daniel Boone , In my opinion it’s amazing .
I hear what your saying on the steak sear Fortunately I have a gas grill next to the smoker that lends a hand to give that nice mouth watering smoked meats those great grill marks we all love.
Look into getting some Grill Grates. Got some a few months back and they work great for getting the finishing sear with beautiful grill marks...I guess you have a gas grill anyway but if you ever want to do smoking and searing on the pellet grill those things are money.
Thanks for the great video, I wasn't surprised. I've had a Pit Boss 820 for 6 years and it's still producing great food.
Nice! My dad's controller went out recently on his (he left it plugged in but not all all winter) and found a cool wifi-enabled controller for his Austin XL. Now he's loving his even more. I've been using my Pit Boss from this video a bunch and I still love it.
@@BackfireVLOGS My Auston XL controller went out after three months of use. After contacting them they sent me a new one without any questions, and in a very timely fashion. You can't beat a good product with great customer service at an excellent price point. Thanks for the review and keep them coming.
Gmg's customer service is over the top minor issue after 2 years talked to tech, had it figured out , part 2 days later and up and cooking again at no charge , local west coast folk's also really awesome service!! Goes along way as far as the product happy factor , oh and it cooks amazing also!
I’m going to roll with the Z GRILL!! The Z Grill has two grease catchers that make cleaning EASY! Especially if you cover them with foil! Plus it was in 2nd place in most categories and maintains a consistent temperature
My thought as well
Did you go with the Z? Im about to buy one I think
@@rameysavoie7442 I’m still using a DIY smoker from a old metal barrel lol. I’m about to buy a Z Grill for my best friend as a wedding gift though. I can’t find any Z Grills in stores. I wanted to see one in person before buying one
Same here, I camt find them anywhere
@@rameysavoie7442 I’ve seen some on Offer Up but I haven’t physically gone to see them yet. Plus I don’t want a used one
Best grill comparison video I have seen. It includes criteria that others don't, like the types and sizes of wheels, which is important depending on the ground surfaces you are working with. Great job!
Really appreciate this kind of reviews man!
Thanks for review. I have a Traeger litl Tex I cook on 3 times a week for 5 years. I have family and friends who ask what to get. I strongly recommend pellet grills, but not traeger.
Let me add, I am not interested in upgrading, I am perfectly happy with my Traeger. I just recognize the limitations of the traeger for the money.
Traeger seems to have the highest marketing budget so when I was looking to get a pellet grill that was naturally where I looked first but after doing more research...Traegers are expensive and aren't really that highly rated when compared to other brands so I went with a GMG. So glad I did...especially after seeing this video.
@@WolvesHart79 good on you. Hope you use it a lot and enjoy. Traeger website and forums do have some of the best recipes
Great video. Threw a subscribe down. Whats sad is that I put this in the search bar and it took me clicking on several other videos until I found THIS good review of under $500 pellet smokers. Keep it up.
Green mountain is in a class of their own at this price point. Better controller, better materials, better warranty, better customer service. All it takes is a little internet searching to see the customer satisfaction is way higher on green mountain than any of these other smokers.
For 150 more the pit boss 1150 pro has front shelf side shelf and bottom shelf, easy clean out, probe storage, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, pellet hopper clean out, 4 probe ports (port 1 will turn the grill down to smoke (180°f) when the temperature you set is reached. Sear plate that you can open and close with the lid closed, And 5 year warranty
I like that you did the research on pellet consumption
Based off of what you said I would think the Green mountain grill is the best it got to temperature in good time and had perfect readout temp and only off by 2.2 if it was off..it could reach the higher searing temps..sure it used the second most pellets but it obviously uses pellets needed to reach and maintain temps accurately. I wouldn't mind having to add pellets after 7 hrs to get to a complete 10 hour smoke. Had the good wheel setup like the pitboss. assembly time is best on gmg but that's a one time thing so not hugely important but is nice when excited to start using a newly bought product...it never came in last was in the top in the topics I would think matter most getting to holding and reading temperatures
Only place it came in 4th was pellet capacity, usage, and how long before it needs to be filled up the pitboss came in last in 4 different categories
Part of the issue with temps on the Austin XL is in the design. There's an air gap under the diffuser that sends hot air from the fire box almost straight into the temperature probe. Same basic deal on the 1150 Pro that I have. I've never had any real issue with it though. I would rather have it consistently UNDER the temp I set it at (where I can just kick it up 10 or 20 degrees to compensate) then going OVER temp and cooking hotter than I want it. One nice thing with the Pit Boss 1150 Pro is the ash cleanout. The whole fire box removes right from the bottom of the grill for easy cleaning. Although you still really need to vacuum out the bits of ash from inside as well.
At the end of the day, the best smoker is the one you have. Flame on!
After 20 + years of using stick burners I now love my pellet smokers best guess I am getting lazy lol sad to say both of my Austin xl smokers were destroyed in the Dec tornado in In and KY NOW TRYING TO REBUILD great video
Very good review. There are so many pellet smokers out there now it is hard to decide which one to get. The only issue I see with the pit boss is no stainless grates.
I own the Pit Boss Austin XL and love it. I did a lot of research and reading and talking with some guys at work when I made my decision to buy the Pit Boss.
Am looking to buy one to smoke Beef Jerky...
Would this have enough area to smoke a lot of Beef Jerky?
@@judichristopher4604 yes, it has roughly 1100 square inch with the upper rack
@@JT-eh6xg
Good to know.
Thank you for your replay.
The Pellet/Gas Combo PitBoss has my
eye for my next grill.
I have one for our mountian camp. And love it. I have a treager at home. Pit boss hands down better. Love the sear function
FYI, Costco has the Louisiana Grills SL700 pellet grill for $299 right now. 700 square inches of grilling surface from Traeger is $1,000. The SL700 is a Costco exclusive, but it is comparable to the Louisiana Grills LG700 that is slightly different configuration and sells for $650 at places like Ace Hardware. The SL700 was previously $499 at Costco online and $399 in store. They recently reduced the prices to $399 online and $299 in store. Get one at $299 before they are gone because it is likely not coming back at that price.
Great video man! If you produce content like this for even a short time, you'll take off.
Thanks!
lol, he has another channel with over 100k subs he knows what he's doing!
I was going to buy the smaller Pitt boss at Walmart, when I got there they didn’t have them .they had the Austin XL on clearance for 289.00. I fell into the preverbal outhouse and came out smelling like a rose. I’m super happy with the Austin XL.
Detailed and articulate review. Thanks for taking the time to do this, Good info.
I have the Pitboss 700fb it’s a workhorse. I had to replace the burn pot igniter and temperature sensor. Customer service reliability makes it a fantastic smoker
After 20 + years of using stick burners I now love my pellet smokers best guess I am getting lazy lol great video
The GMG Davey Crockett has wifi control and is way under $400. Love mine.
Can you fit a turkey in it? I've been looking at that one
@@aaronmcneal1698 small turkey. It has deceivingly a lot of space
Excellent review! I really appreciate you giving your conclusion up front.
I enjoyed your video. You did a great job in explaining the differences in the smokers and definitely helped me make my decision. *In comparing pellet consumption in terms of lbs. of pellets/per smoker/per hour at a given temperature, it would be more informative if you did some additional mathematics. Figure out the pellet consumption in lbs. of pellets at a given temperature per hour per volume of cooking space. (Not the square inch measurements of the grilling surface, but the cubic inch area measurement of the cylindrical cooking chamber of each smoker). It's just a suggestion. The information obtained would make it easier to see best vs. worst in terms of pellet consumption.
@ JustPassingThrough. GREAT REQUEST. 🤔
Ask, and it will be given to you!
I got my treager jr 20 in 2014 and it's still going. That's 6 years of weekly use. And I paid around 300 at Costco. It's great for the family of 4.
I'm running an OG Traeger Lil tex from 2004. Replaced the hot rod once.
This was incredibly useful. Thank you for putting so much effort into this. Much appreciated
Well his tests are flawed. You should not have listened!!
Having been a long-time user of Traeger+, I recently made the switch to Asmoke and I couldn't be happier! The Asmoke Essential is a game-changer, offering precise temperature control within 5°F, and the convenience of remote adjustments and monitoring. What sold me was the ASCA™ technology, promising better cooking results and easier cleaning. The portability is a big plus too, as I enjoy grilling during camping trips. The unique smoky flavor that the wood pellets impart to my food is unbeatable. The fact that they're environmentally friendly and available in different flavors is a bonus. I wholeheartedly recommend Asmoke to anyone looking for a versatile, efficient, and high-quality pellet grill. #Asmoke
Green mountains looking real good 👌🏾 keep doing gods work
Although I can not speak for the rest, I can say owning a Traeger 22 elite which is similar to the tailgater(folding legs) your results are spot on. I think this line was created to give people a taste of pellet grilling then motivate them to move up the Traeger family. But, now with so much completion out there I find I find I'm looking to other brands for more features and value. The big advantage for Traeger is warranty, customer service and support, although other companies are improving quickly in this respect aswell.
Traeger SUCKS! It’s built like a dam beer can!
Just bought a pit boss Austin xl and obviously it’s 2 years since this video but it was on sale at Walmart for $397 i couldn’t pass it up and I can’t wait to try it out
Thanks for all the input after all the wonderful info you have swayed me to get a camp chef .
I have a treager for over three years now. When I was comparing pellet grills. I picked treager bc of the metal quality. The metal was mutch thicker than pit boss. I will get another treager but I do have friends that have a green mountain and I really like them too.
I love that you told us your favorite ride up front that makes your video better and I'm not going to enjoy the rest of the video to learn how you came to that conclusion and if it agrees with what my needs are but nonetheless nice job
ok. this is a legit comparison. my dude did the peep test. nice! also, for reference, i own an ausitn XL
Very in depth video. Thank you for doing this.
Thanks for time you put into this!
*Dude, Great testing my man*
Thanks for the effort and sharing..
While I disagree with your choice, I appreciate the fact that you went so scientific on it.. Great info..
I personally got rid of my Austin XL (as my second pellet grill) because it was a pain in winter and way to big for smaller cooks. Used sooo many pellets and I was not happy with the smoke results of it..
I cleaned it nicely and gave it to my Brother in Law for his Birthday.. He has had nothing but problems with it since, replacing part after part and still had issues yesterday again trying to smoke some pork loin low n slow.. I now hate that grill because of it lol
Well it just sucks giving someone a present and then have it break down like that all the time..
So, as someone who is an avid smoker on pellets, I generally don’t look as much at the price as I do at features and practicality.. weirdly enough, my daily is a Traeger Tailgater, but severely modified after years and years of using it.. But I’d never buy a new one for full price..
I picked mine up used for super cheap a long time ago.. and that’s the thing, the Tailgater is probably the oldest of this bunch and they’ve been making them for many many years now with same specs and everything..
Only now in 2021 they came out with an updated model.
But the original Tailgater has no business in this class of grills imo, as it’s a portable one and way overpriced and an underspec’d grill that rides off of its name.
That being said, I love mine! It’s super super quick to heat up, smoke in 2 mins or less, maintains temp good enough and gosh does it create a beautiful savoury flavour, especially compared to both my Traeger Pro 34 and definitely compared to my Austin XL.. I have yet to get that flavour out of any of my other grills, yes, I had 5, including a Pitboss Vertical..
Can’t have enough grills, like everrr haha..
I built a giant frame, ideas off of Pinterest, took the Tailgaters legs off and built it into the frame onto a cabinet and it is now a dream machine, lacking only wifi/BT.
I still use my Traeger Pro34 occasionally but that one is the least impressive in my line up, similar to the Austin XL, and it’ll probably be sold soon as it’s already an older unit as well and the new Ironwood series and Timberlines look very nice..
*Oh wait, how can I not talk about my Coleman Cookout??? Sigh*
That’s literally my favorite right now!
Smoked two beautiful Turkeys today, and it had the fam drooling over it.
Think about it, 1000sq inches(advertised), tall cooking chamber like the GMG DB, but unlike any grill in this line up, the Cookout has an actual insulated cooking chamber, mostly found on really expensive grills..
Their dual wall cooking chamber with exhaust is absolute money!
Great electronics too, only missing Wifi/BT but added a Timer with Alarm, which I really appreciate..
Fit and finish on the Coleman is on par with the better brands, unlike my Pitboss which was thinner steel material, bent and not fitting properly when assembling.. By far better quality on the Coleman (surprise)..
Now, of course the Coleman isn’t perfect, but at this time, other than my custom daily Tailgater, I’ll take it over anything else that’s out there under 700-800 (where I live).. It has some impressive features for its price range..
Thanks again for this very informative video.. Appreciate the effort and may those pellets Rest In Peace! It was all *In the name of science* lol
Stay healthy everyone and remember: *GO SMOKE SOMETHING*
This is how a review shootout should be. Tell me the winner and why and where others fell short
Great video. Great pace to the video and good info. I think I’ll go pit boss.
The Pitt Boss is a great smoker. I’ve owned one for a couple years now. Two things, I’ve notice about a 25 degree deference from far left to far right. Two, be prepared to make some repairs. I’ve had to replace the motor and an auger. Not to bad to replace them.
Did Pitt Boss cover your repairs under warranty?
What happened to the chicken with the skittles!!!??? I wanna see the result! 🤣
The flavor was interesting. The whole thing had a sweet, fruity flavor actually. Not bad, but not my favorite either.
I was looking into the Z Grill. Looks like it was in the top half of all the tests, so I may try it out.
Here for the skittles....no but seriously its nice to see "unpopular" brands reviewed here. That Green Mountain grill seems worth the price. However the Pitboss says that model is a "dealer exclusive"?
Excellent video. As others have said, you have a winsome personality and great communication skills.
Love my treater tailgater. Just the right size for me
I'd never hear of a pellet grill before tbh! Looks interesting. Really good video.
Seriously? Lol 😂
Good job man. I will now buy a pellet grill, but the Z,,, traeger is overrated
The only problem: “best” does not equal “most popular”, and vice-versa.
Got The Landmann from Sams Clud and is pretty much the Pit Boss but got it for $300 plus free shipping. Awesome grill and is over 1100 sq. inches!
Thank you for making a video that actually provides critical performance information... Most other videos and articles simply regurgitate product description or owner manual information I can find on my own. Question: I am surprised at how the pit boss actually didn't use MORE pellets compared to the others... I mean, obviously used more, but not significantly more than the green mountain, for example, whereas the green mountain has a much less cooking surface. So, my question to you is, could you do a little math for me and compare the rate at which each grill consumes pellets and compare that to both A) The cooking surface area and B) The approximate volume of the grill? I'm curious to see if there is a correlation to the volume of space that the grill is trying to heat, or if maybe one girl or another just figured out a more efficient way of heating. Thank you!
I keep eyeballing that tray / shelf on the Pit Boss. That would be nice.
I hated that side shelf on mine lol. Hard to keep clean with the Chimney above it and it was super noisy, with everything falling through the holes etc.
But when I placed a perfectly cut piece of maple into it, it became a nice shelf and could be used as cutting board etc.. mine had front shelf too, which was far far more valuable and practical..
@@meals24u I have a Camp Chef. They are around $1,000..... No shelf... haha
@@ZackofAllTradesct I really like front shelf over side shelf.. or both I guess.. 🤣💪
But that being said, I bought a stainless kitchen cart on wheels the other day that has 4 shelves and a stainless top.. Now my grill shelves are all folded in and the cart is next to it every grill out.. love it..
Can't have a best pellet grill without Recteq Bullseye. $399 and will do everything!!!!
I would like to see a comparison like this , of the Yoder ys640 and other high end pellet grills. Would there be major differences to warrant the huge price. Nice video presentation.
Awesome reviews. Thank you for doing the work!
Excellent review, answered all my questions and then some. I like the Z-Grill for my needs.
Enjoyed the video, thanks.
Great info brother. Thank you. I have three Stick Burners and I am looking to expand into the pellet world and see if I can make it taste as good so thank you.