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!
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.
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!!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 .
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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 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 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 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!!
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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
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
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
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 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.
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
I was going to buy a pitboss Austin xl but my only issue was is that I'm a hank Hill lol propane all the way 😅 would this grill be good enough to replace my gas we grill all year spring summer fall winter live in Minnesota it get gets cold in the winter yes we grill still lol we love our burgers and brats I'm a newbie to smoking so it's either the Lexington or Austin xl need some advice what can you guys help me with thanks for any help appreciate it
Love that you guys did this! I am so used to your other channel I didn’t even know it was Backfire at first as it wasn’t Gun related. What did you all end up doing with the smokers?
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.
*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*
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.
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"?
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.
Ok, so here's my question for you... I like the Pit Boss, but would probably go for the smaller version you mentioned. Whatever I get will replace my gas and be my only grill... is the Pit Boss adequate for all around grilling as well as smoking (I understand searing could be an issue)? Thanks!
Hey, I personally found my Austin XL to be too big for a daily. I used mine for bigger cooks but I’m always fouling my drip pan/heat shield/baffle.. I never have flare ups that way but also don’t have the ability to sear.. I don’t sear often anyway but I’ll sometimes smoke things on pellets and then fire up the griddle and sear em off after.. I liked my Austin XL, but it wasn’t a practical daily for me. I have it to my brother in law for his Birthday and he’s had nothing but problems with it.. I wouldn’t blame that only on Pitboss because that can happen to any manufacturer out there.. I currently own two Traegers and a Coleman, and love my Coleman Cookout as a bigger smoker (for two giant turkeys today for example), and use the Tailgater as my daily, though I’ve severely modified and customized my tailgater.. I have owned many pellet grills and they are an essential part of my family life.. I haven’t used my trusty gas grill in two years now and my Charcoal Grill is sitting covered for 4 years now. I use pellets for everything man! Pizza, Bread Buns, your usual smoked bbq, vegetables, you name it.. Just gotta have the right grill.. If I had to choose one overall grill, I’d go with the GMG Daniel Boone. The company has great support and a fantastic product with the option to buy a lot of great accessories that allow you to grill very hot and sear, pizza oven, rotisserie, etc… Their accessories are superb and so far I’ve yet to see another company match them in that department with bringing it all together like that.. Hope that helps my friend! Look at the features you need and buy according to that, because at the end of the day, we all cook different, and we all consider different things practical.. You can’t really go wrong with most pellet grills from my experience *Stay Blessed*
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.
When the garage opened with the smoker "smoking" that was epic sir
That was Boss!
My old El Camino did the same thing haha
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.
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.
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!
Excellent reviews. Let’s get this channel noticed. No ads. No sponsors. Just pure honest opinions.
YES... Love that!!!
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.
Really great video, tons of research and data went into this. You have a great demeanor and delivery. Well done!
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!
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.
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!!!!!!
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*
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.
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.
Have a pit boss 700- never had an issue! Key with all pellets- clean, clean, clean otherwise you will have flames, clogged augers, problems
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.
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?
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.
One of the best pellet grill reviews I’ve watched.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Really appreciate these reviews. I’m in the market for my first pellet grill and looks like Pit Boss.
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.
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 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.
Thanks for all the input after all the wonderful info you have swayed me to get a camp chef .
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!
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 :-)
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
Detailed and articulate review. Thanks for taking the time to do this, Good info.
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.
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
After 20 + years of using stick burners I now love my pellet smokers best guess I am getting lazy lol great video
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
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.
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.
Curious to see different results with the new camp chef gen 2 controller.
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…
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.
Awesome reviews. Thank you for doing the work!
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 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 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
Excellent video. As others have said, you have a winsome personality and great communication skills.
Watched the entire video; like/ comment. Thank you so much for providing the winner at the beginning.
Good reviews
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
Excellent review! I really appreciate you giving your conclusion up front.
Great video. Great pace to the video and good info. I think I’ll go pit boss.
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!
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.
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.
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
Very in depth video. Thank you for doing this.
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.
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!
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
Excellent review, answered all my questions and then some. I like the Z-Grill for my needs.
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
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
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?
@@JudiChristopher yes, it has roughly 1100 square inch with the upper rack
@@JT-eh6xg
Good to know.
Thank you for your replay.
Enjoyed the video, thanks.
Excellent intro getting right to it!
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 like that you did the research on pellet consumption
Thank you for sharing valuable information!
If you can get a zgrill for $200, would you reccomend it?
Excellent review.
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.
Really appreciate this kind of reviews man!
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
Green mountains looking real good 👌🏾 keep doing gods work
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!!
I was going to buy a pitboss Austin xl but my only issue was is that I'm a hank Hill lol propane all the way 😅 would this grill be good enough to replace my gas we grill all year spring summer fall winter live in Minnesota it get gets cold in the winter yes we grill still lol we love our burgers and brats I'm a newbie to smoking so it's either the Lexington or Austin xl need some advice what can you guys help me with thanks for any help appreciate it
Love that you guys did this! I am so used to your other channel I didn’t even know it was Backfire at first as it wasn’t Gun related.
What did you all end up doing with the smokers?
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.
Can you smoke a whole big turkey in there without a spatchcocking it?
Picked up the Austin XL for $250 at Walmart, love it
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*
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!
Excellent review!
Great Review, Great Information, Great Job! New Subscriber!
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.
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"?
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.
Wait...is smoked Peeps and actual thing?
Oh hell yea there a thing
great review and enjoyed watching your video.
ok. this is a legit comparison. my dude did the peep test. nice! also, for reference, i own an ausitn XL
Great video, helping me a lot!
Nice review👍
What’s the best over $500? Just curious if your thoughts change or just buy the larger grill within that brand?
Ok, so here's my question for you... I like the Pit Boss, but would probably go for the smaller version you mentioned. Whatever I get will replace my gas and be my only grill... is the Pit Boss adequate for all around grilling as well as smoking (I understand searing could be an issue)? Thanks!
Hey, I personally found my Austin XL to be too big for a daily. I used mine for bigger cooks but I’m always fouling my drip pan/heat shield/baffle.. I never have flare ups that way but also don’t have the ability to sear.. I don’t sear often anyway but I’ll sometimes smoke things on pellets and then fire up the griddle and sear em off after..
I liked my Austin XL, but it wasn’t a practical daily for me. I have it to my brother in law for his Birthday and he’s had nothing but problems with it.. I wouldn’t blame that only on Pitboss because that can happen to any manufacturer out there..
I currently own two Traegers and a Coleman, and love my Coleman Cookout as a bigger smoker (for two giant turkeys today for example), and use the Tailgater as my daily, though I’ve severely modified and customized my tailgater.. I have owned many pellet grills and they are an essential part of my family life.. I haven’t used my trusty gas grill in two years now and my Charcoal Grill is sitting covered for 4 years now.
I use pellets for everything man! Pizza, Bread Buns, your usual smoked bbq, vegetables, you name it.. Just gotta have the right grill..
If I had to choose one overall grill, I’d go with the GMG Daniel Boone. The company has great support and a fantastic product with the option to buy a lot of great accessories that allow you to grill very hot and sear, pizza oven, rotisserie, etc… Their accessories are superb and so far I’ve yet to see another company match them in that department with bringing it all together like that..
Hope that helps my friend!
Look at the features you need and buy according to that, because at the end of the day, we all cook different, and we all consider different things practical.. You can’t really go wrong with most pellet grills from my experience
*Stay Blessed*
Yes the smaller pit boss does everything…. Have owned 700 3+ years with little to no issues
Were any of the grill using PID controllers ?
2 things a must ash clean out an direct heating you did not mention.
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!