Pellet grills are basically designed to do that. I have wifi on mine so I can keep an eye on it if I want to but there's not really anything that can happen when you have a metal plate between the fire source and the meat.

I used to have a BGE and left it alone a few times but anytime you have potential grease coming off the food right onto the flame you can have a runaway and there are plenty of ceramic cookers that have cracked so I wouldn't really trust that.

Gas grills as long as you are cooking indirectly you will be fine also.

I've never owned an electric smoker so I can't help you there.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
I might start my Traeger at 1800 for a 14 hour smoke on some pork belly but I am subconsciously aware of it throughout the night.

Translastion: LS1 is dreaming of pork belly throughout the night

I’m usually left unattended.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
I might start my Traeger at 1800 for a 14 hour smoke on some pork belly but I am subconsciously aware of it throughout the night.

Translastion: LS1 is dreaming of pork belly throughout the nigh

That is a Tuesday for me...

I leave my Camp Chef pellet grill unattended overnight. It’s located on concrete and as far away from my house as the cord allows. My house is covered in Hardie plank so the worst that can happen is my grill can burn down. There are WiFi controllers that allow you to monitor remotely

So it seems like folks are saying the pellet grills and BGE are good to go for the most part.
So I am clear on the BGE. How about some suggestions for pellet grills. Want a good one but don’t want or need some crazy super expensive kind of thing.

Go read the bge/komodo joe thread before you land on the bge.

Black92, I have smoked on a BGE (large size) for almost 20 years now. That "grill" is truly a study in wonder. The BGE really can do nearly anything.

HOWEVER...if you are looking for something you can leave and not think about while cooking then I humbly suggest you look into the Cookshack Amerique smoker. www.cookshack.com

I've had one for about 5 years now and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy using it. While smoking on the BGE was very rewarding it also felt somewhat labor intensive even with a temperature controller. The Cookshack, while expensive, is amazingly simple and produces food equal to my best efforts on the BGE.

I feel as though I have the best of both worlds owning a BGE and the Amerique by Cookshack.

I have something similar. A Masterbilt or something like that. An electric smoker that you can leave unattended.

I would often start a pork butt at midnight. Apply wood chips for a couple of hours and then go to bed leaving the smoker on. The unit keeps itself at temperature automatically.

quote:

Originally posted by rsbolo:
Black92, I have smoked on a BGE (large size) for almost 20 years now. That "grill" is truly a study in wonder. The BGE really can do nearly anything.

HOWEVER...if you are looking for something you can leave and not think about while cooking then I humbly suggest you look into the Cookshack Amerique smoker. www.cookshack.com

I've had one for about 5 years now and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy using it. While smoking on the BGE was very rewarding it also felt somewhat labor intensive even with a temperature controller. The Cookshack, while expensive, is amazingly simple and produces food equal to my best efforts on the BGE.

I feel as though I have the best of both worlds owning a BGE and the Amerique by Cookshack.

If you’re looking for a good pellet grill, get the RECTEC.

The entire cooking chamber is stainless steel. All the hardware is large stainless steel.

The only powder coated carbon steel is the skirt, the legs, and the lower tray. The Traegers and Green Mountain grills are powder coated steel. My old Traeger lasted 9 years but it was a rust bucket by the time I handed it down to my daughter.

The Rec Tec has a ceramic igniter that’s supposed to last longer than the Traeger heat rod. My old Traeger was only able to reach temps of 475 on a hot summer day. I received my Rec Tec in December, I think and was able to reach temps of 575 in the winter. I also like the fact that the Rec Tec has a light in the cooking chamber.

I have the RT-700 Bull but they make a smaller unit for the less serious BBQ-er.

To me, it was the best quality pellet grill that was not 100% US made. The controller is made in the US, the main body is MIC. If I wanted a 100% US made grill of the same size, I would have had to buy a MAK 3-star general which would have cost $6,500.

Tony.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: benny6,

My dad's got a electric cabinet smoker. He turns it on and just goes to sleep. Wakes up to good meat.

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
My dad's got a electric cabinet smoker. He turns it on and just goes to sleep. Wakes up to good meat.

Neighbor would put ribs in a Lowes electric smoker, set the timer, go bay fishing. I bought three.

Here's my Rec-Tec the day I put it together.











We cook everything on it from bacon for breakfast, to bavette steak, pulled pork, turkey and pizza.

Their trial blazer model (340sq in of cooking area) is $600 and a good starter grill. My RT-700 (702sq in of cooking area) was $1,200.

Tony.

Go to Sam's Club and buy a roasted chicken for $5.

I had a BGE with an IQ temp controller, then I went to a GMG (green mountain grill) pellet smoker and havent looked back, when its real cold outside it burns through pellets fast so an insulator blanket is rec'd for those colder days of the year. It has an app you can set alarms for time, meat temp, grill temp etc. I will start a brisket before bed, refill the hopper in the morning( I did have to cut a hole in a bucket and rest it on top of the hopper filled with even more pellets to make it through a day at work without the alarm going off) then let it smoke all day at work and viola, fresh brisket for dinner. I bought it locally from a great store that assembled and delivered same day.

I have left my Big Green Egg for up to 12 hours on a slow cook at 225 degrees. Somebody was home but I was not there watching it. I use a digi-Q temperature controller to hold the temperature but there is really no way for the fire to get out of that thing with the lid closed.



q

I have a Weber smoker(looks like a black R2D2) that uses charcoal...I leave it alone all the time. It’s on the back patio and doesn’t complain. Haha

You guys with your fancy temp controlled internet monitored gadgets!!!

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
Pellet grills are basically designed to do that. I have wifi on mine so I can keep an eye on it if I want to but there's not really anything that can happen when you have a metal plate between the fire source and the meat.

I've had the feed system jam up on my pellet smoker before, where you have to crawl under the smoker and bang on the underside of the feed tube with a hammer. (No shit... That's the recommended fix.)

I've also had it go on unexplained high temperature runs.

So I don't leave mine unattended, partially for extra safety, and mostly to keep an eye out for temp anomalies that need to be addressed. I use Weber remote thermometer probes feeding data to my phone. One probe for the meat, and one for ambient temp.

quote:

Originally posted by sig77:
I wouldn’t hesitate to leave my electric smoker for a couple hours. I run errands quite often. It is basically an oven that burns wood chips. Food tastes great.

https://www.smokin-it.com/

I have one of these, and absolutely LOVE it! It really is a "set it and forget it" smoker. It seems to very similar to the "Cookshack" mentioned by rsbolo.

quote:

Originally posted by sig77:

https://www.smokin-it.com/

Sig77: Overall, how would you rate your smoker? I have an older propane smoker on last leg. Do you recommend the Smoke it?
THANKS