smokers Can someone recommend a good smoker ?

My dad has been using pellet for several years now. He usually just cooks himself a steak sometimes cooks for a group like when my family comes over. He started with a traeger thing worked great until it didn't. The issue is with pellet cookers is you don't know when they will break down, but it's always on the middle of a cook. We replaced the lightning rod twice and the fan motor. Last time it broke he bought the biggest pitboss that lowes sold. It's heavier duty than traeger and gets hotter (his traeger was an older model) the sliding sear grate is nice, but because of it the heat is not evenly distributed. He likes it, I would definitely consider a pit boss for myself.
 
What model? I have some lowe's credit. :D
 
I just came across this one and it sounds tempting!
Screenshot_20200611-102132_Chrome.jpg


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Masterbuilt-Gravity-Series-560-Digital-Charcoal-Grill-Smoker/811864559
 
Gargoyle91 said:
I just came across this one and it sounds tempting! Screenshot_20200611-102132_Chrome.jpg

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Masterbuilt-Gravity-Series-560-Digital-Charcoal-Grill-Smoker/811864559
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I've seen them recently they look interesting. I'm on an email list for a guy Kosmos Q he's been playing with one of those. I've been working on building myself a gravity fed smoker closer to a stumps style. It's taking me way too long since I just never get a chance to work on it. If you get one id be interested in your review.
 
Az, so that sear plate is in the main cooking chamber right? You just removed the grates to open it and put them back?
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Az, so that sear plate is in the main cooking chamber right? You just removed the grates to open it and put them back?
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Yes it's the main chamber, there it's a slider that you can move even with the grate on. It essentially just opens a hole right above the firebox for direct heat.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Az, so that sear plate is in the main cooking chamber right? You just removed the grates to open it and put them back?
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, Here is the main chamber with the grates removed:
 
Wq5WKCU.jpg

 
Then you grab that little indentation and slide it open like so:
 
HapM5ex.jpg

 
The Lowe's special model has a rod that attaches to that lip and can be pulled and pushed to open/close from the outside.
 
I have seen some jury-rigged modifications where you drill a hole into that metal lip and attach a hook to it, then drill a hole into the side of the smoker, and slide a rifle cleaning rod through the hole and attach it to the plate. Voila! Redneck engineering.
 
I don't really feel it necessary though. I just put on some heat resistant gloves, lift the grate and slide the cover over (its only at 225 when I'm smoking anyways) and put the grate back in place. Its not a huge cooking area on my little one, but its big enough that I can smoke and then reverse-sear two solidly sized ribeyes.
 
Wow that's cool! Perhaps a gamechanger.
 
Can drippings be an issue getting inside there? Or easily cleaned? 
 
Nope not going to drill anything. So is this made to slide open to sear? Or is that there for another purpose? 
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Wow that's cool! Perhaps a gamechanger.
 
Can drippings be an issue getting inside there? Or easily cleaned? 
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I haven't noticed anything in the firebox itself, but everything can be cleaned up pretty easily. Thing gets screaming hot in there, so I don't imagine any drippings lasting long. You're really only searing meat for half a minute. Juices from tomatoes or peppers or what not, I fairly sure, are disintegrated into ash before it hits the firebox.
 
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