Need help with new grill/smoker selection

https://www.recteq.com/products/rt-590-wood-pellet-grill?variant=41419004936349&gclid=Cj0KCQiA64GRBhCZARIsAHOLriKSxgKjD_2DGisSwObIAhDarjDr0Jr0NyTf-y-rAh5DMiGkApnEcgYaApz2EALw_wcB

You can get the recteq 590 to 600 and with searing plates that takes it to 700

Why not the gravity fed charcoal cookers? They get to 700+ don’t they?

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Why not the gravity fed charcoal cookers? They get to 700+ don’t they?

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This is a consideration too. I love cooking with charcoal. I just want to be sure I upgrade where I can smoke and not have it be super complicated. I’m definitely not a purist like some of you experts.

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I’m definitely not a purist like some of you experts.

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I've never used either, but I would assume the Chargriller model cooks a little more even due to the shape and airflow. I do know a couple of people with the Masterbuilt grills/smokers and they have been extremely happy with them for a while now.

I own a Rec Tec 700 at home. Up at work we bought a big Camp Chef. I love both of those pellet grill/smokers but they exceed your budget.

At the camp I have a Z Grill 7002E. Bought it about 2-3 years ago direct from ZGrill and for about $575 I got the grill, cover, thermal blanket for cold weather use, and 75 pounds of oak pellets all delivered right to my front door. Putting it together wasn’t all that hard. Bang for the buck that ZGrill cooks just as good as my Rec Tec 700 or that Camp Chef. I'm sure ZGrill has newer more advanced models but that 7002E has performed well and is sturdy.

I’ve owned a Green Big Egg but sold it to my neighbor when I moved. It worked great. Only reason I sold it was we couldn’t fit it on the moving truck. When I bought my XL Green Egg about 10 years ago they were about $1,000. I’m sure they are more then that now. Green Egg, Primo, or Kamado Joe all work good. My neighbor bought a pretty good size ceramic grill/smoker from somewhere like Costco for about $600 to $700. I don’t know who the manufacturer is but best I can tell it’s every bit as good as that Green Egg I had.

The ceramic grill can get hot so searing was outstanding. One thing I didn’t like was if you accidentally got your grill too hot it was hard to get them back down to a lower temperature. On the pellet grill you control the temperature by turning a knob. Set it and forget it.

The more I think about it far as ease of use, cleanup, and bang for the buck, I’d take a look at ZGrill online and see what kind of package deal you can get with the accessories. I don’t even use that Wifi stuff on my big Camp Chef. Pellet grills can get up in that 450 to 500 degrees and as low as 180 degrees all with the twist of turning a knob. If you want to sear something buy those sear grates for pellet grills as an extra accessory. They work great. Pellet grills are just too easy and I don’t like thick heavy smoke in my meats anyway. I hope this was helpful and good luck in finding that perfect grill/smoker that suits your needs best.

I have the 1050 in the cart now. About to pull the trigger


The only thing I don't like is the griddle that comes with the 800 doesn't come with the 1050

I called Masterbuilt and they said they were making a griddle for the 1050 but it’s not out yet due to supply chain issues, etc. The way I looked at it was for $100 more, I got an extra 250 square inches of cooking space and I can buy the griddle attachment later.

I have a recteq 590, and have had exactly zero problems in 2 years of owning it. Can’t speak to any other brand as to that’s the only “smoker” I’ve owned outside of a masterbuilt electric.

ETA: if I had it to do over again, I’d probably go gravity fed charcoal route, but all masterbuilt had available at the time was the smaller 560. So I went with the RT.