Thanks Ron, I trust your input.
Wayne,
Thanks for the vote of confidence, and I appreciate all the input you have given and will give on the LRE. I don't think it's been mentioned how great and easy wood pellet grills/smokers are and I'm thinking you likely have a pretty good idea. Have you ever tasted food prepared on one? I know I already written info in this thread, and to be honest, I over studied buying pellet grills for almost a month without a clear choice. Along the way and of course in the rearview mirror, here were and are general and specific info.
Here's my list of likes:
1st, it's ALMOST set it and forget it; it's so easy it allowed me to cook while I was laid up recovering from surgery last year.
2nd, there is a nice variety of pellet flavors, both individual and blends, that give a nice variety of flavors. It's amazing how apple and pecan make poultry taste great AND hickory and mesquite for beef and pork. I like the blends to.
3rd, many are pretty reliable, not sure there is a clear leader here, just many have improved reliability and are in it for the companies in the game for the long haul.
4th, whatever you get, recommend integrated temperature probes, nice feature to get meat exactly perfect.
5th, sturdy shelves (folding is better), nice to set meat and food on when preparing and removing food.
6th, sliding plate for grilling. I like cooking steaks, chops on fire. It's close, so don't walk away when using this feature
7th: Cleaning, initially it thought having ash cleanout port was a big discriminator, but happy for me, rated that further down the list. Reason, I mentioned earlier using my Traeger in the RV that I completely clean it every time I use it, due to not wanting any nasty grease or odors in the basement.
Something I noticed comparing my Traeger to my Pit Boss is the differences in the gauge of the metal. I think lighter is better for my Traeger Tailgator as it still is a little effort to get in and out of my RV basement, but it is a great pit. The metal gauge on my Pit Boss is heavier, which from a man guide checklist, is good. My Pit Boss has rear wheels, but not on the front. I went to my local Northern Tools and purchased the tripod furniture leg rollers and have them on the front. some advertise availability of pricey blankets for insulating while cooking in cold climates. I have a clean furniture moving blanket I lay over them when cooking in the cold. Just saves pellets and shortens cooking time in the cold.
Finally, you can make your head hurt comparing features, problems, price and value. I was in a gridlock myself when Lowes advertised $100 off mine last year, which made the decision easy(ier). That and another 10% off military discount made it a DEAL. So, my point is there DEAL was what made my Pit Boss the clear choice for purchase. Just like when I purchase trucks and everything else, it's the DEAL that drives the purchase.
Anhoo, good luck picking yours. Cheers, Ron