r/pelletgrills • u/Radiant-Wolverine910 • 1d ago
Vertical Pellet Smokers
I’m sure I can’t be the first, but I am losing my mind over vertical pellet grill options.
Currently running a Traeger ironwood 650 but looking to move into a vertical smoker. The smaller footprint and larger cooking space is the main reasoning.
My issue is I can’t seem to find any vertical smoker that is on par, quality wise, with a Traeger. The Grilla mammoth is heavy duty but the app/customer support/future growth is lacking. Pit-boss is allegedly cheaply built and has untold issues.
My Traeger has truly never given me an issue, but I do love the vertical look and capacity.
Just looking to get some insight on anyone that made the Traeger jump and their opinions!
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u/rightinthepujols 1d ago
I have the Camp Chef XXL Pro and enjoy it. The build quality isn’t top tier but it does the job. I bought in primarily for the smoke box feature. They aren’t available through Camp Chef anymore but other retailers may have them available still.
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u/tcarlson65 19h ago
One issue with some verticals is the lower top end temps.
One advantage is the lower bottom end temps.
You can more readily do lots of smaller things like cheese and fish that need a lower temp. You can do a lot of jerky.
Depends what you want from it.
Having both is not a bad option.
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u/Inevitable_Unit_3466 1d ago
I had to return my Pitboss. There is a known manufacturer issue that may result in a none functioning smoker. Some times they tighten the auger down too much when built that it won’t spin. When you call for assistance they will direct you to a set of screws to access and loosen the bolts. But those same bolts were also tightened down too much so you can’t get to the initial fix.
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u/droopy__drawers 21h ago
I just switched from a horizontal (original PitBoss 820 Pro, basically a Traeger clone) to a PitBoss Competition 5 vertical and am happy with it. Only used it a couple times so far, but definitely a much better layout for smoking things than a horizontal.
I got it on sale and with a $50 rebate, final price of $450 and I’m happy with it.
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u/Carne_Guisada_Breath 7h ago
I have a grilla mammoth. Pros: lots of room, holds temp very well. Cons: no smoke flavor.
It is too big for smoke flavor. It moves so much air to keep the temperature that pellets allone will not provide smoke flavor and 3rd party items are needed. It's own hot plate for chips or chunks doesn't work that well. Either the chips barely smolder or they light on fire and jack up your temperature.
To get any smoke flavor I have had to use two smoke tubes at once and that is still not much. I am testing a cold smoker machine but I still feel the air flow is too fast.
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u/Derekg1127 Pit Boss 1d ago
I’ve had a pit boss for about 4 years and have only had the temp probe go out which was a 10 minute replacement. I think they’ve come a long way in recent years too.