Summertime cookouts are all about the smoke. These days, you can’t call your backyard gathering a barbecue without ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and brisket to go along with your burgers and hot dogs.
Pros:
- Wi-Pellet Wifi Technology
- Cooking chamber made entirely of stainless steel
- Dual meat-probes that plug directly into the grill’s controller
Pros:
- Auto start-up and shut down with LED control.
- Porcelain-coated grates make for easy cleanup.
- Includes a flam broiler for direct flame grilling.
If you’re a lover of all things barbeque, then one of the best ways to get that delicious smoky flavor you crave is by investing your hard-earned money into a pellet grill. Pellet grills are a great way to wood-fire food safely and easily without having to do so much as set the temperature and let the grill do the rest of the work.
If you have never tried using a pellet grill for your backyard cooking pleasure, you’re missing out on making grilling a lot easier for yourself. These jack-of-all-trades grills are usually so versatile they can do everything from baking cornbread to searing steaks, and they do it all with ease. If you want to smoke ribs, these grills can do it, then just crank up the heat closer to dinner and throw an apple pie on the grill for dessert.
The tastes of summer are always best prepared over a wood fired-grill like those that Pit Boss and REC TEC create. For the best BBQ flavor this grilling season, get the REC TEC RT-700.
Brand Overviews
As 2 of the most recognizable brands in the world of grilling, Pit Boss and REC TEC are all about creating lasting memories around a delicious meal. Both companies realize the importance of the backyard barbeque and strive to be the grill that makes your dreams come true.
Pit Boss
Photo by Pit Boss Grills (@pitbossgrills)
In 1999, Dan Thiessen and his sons Jeff and Jordan co-founded a company called Danson, Inc. The Pit Boss brand became one of Danson, Inc.’s better-known brands fairly quickly, making a name for itself due to its products’ craftsmanship and durability.
Pit Boss has a vast line of grills that covers any number of needs. The Pit Boss Tailgater model is a popular portable grill while the Pit Boss Austin XL offers a huge grilling surface for any pitmaster’s needs. The company takes pride in listening to customer and employee feedback and then creating excellent products that people love.
Danson Inc.’s grilling popularity was validated in 2017 when it was awarded with EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. Today, Pit Boss grills are widely regarded as the absolute best value for your dollar that you can find.
Pit Boss constantly strives for improvement by paying attention to customer feedback and continuing to innovate on its pellet grill products. The brand’s family-style approach to its business means that it strives to create communities that love barbequing, outdoor cooking, and neighborhood block parties. See how this brand compared to Traeger too.
REC TEC
Photo by REC TEC Nation (@rectecnation)
REC TEC is a relatively newer brand that was founded in 2009 by long-time buddies Ron Cundy and Ray Carnes in Augusta, Georgia. They have dedicated their business model to the belief that high-quality products at affordable prices are not only the right thing to do, it’s the ethical thing to do.
Since the company’s inception, the pair have committed themselves to making sure their love of grilling has been transferred into their products. They want to provide quality products to consumers and their families so that when memories are made, their long-lasting and dependable grills are included in them. REC TEC strives to take grilling to the next level with every new product it brings to the market.
The company uses social media to show off what they call the REC TEC Lifestyle. To Ron and Ray, grilling isn’t just a way to prepare food; it’s about bringing family and friends together to share a meal and make great memories. They consider customers to be extended family and love to help them whenever they can. Check out how is Rec Tec compared to Camp Chef and to other popular brand Traeger.
Brand Comparisons
Pellet grills have certainly come a long way. With the introduction of Wi-Fi capabilities on most models, you’re able to set the temperature on your grill within 5°F increments, which greatly reduces any errors in cooking.
Pellet grills weren’t really the portable choice before, but now, many models can go tailgating, RVing, or camping. With internal meat probes, easy cleanout systems, and greater portability, pellet grills are easy to use, move, and cleanup, even if they need generators for on-the-go cooking.
Some of the specific abilities that you should consider before making your choice between REC TEC and Pit Boss are temperature control, temperature range, cooking area, and warranty.
Temperature Control
The 2 aspects of temperature control that you should consider are the precision with which you can set the temp, and how consistently the grill maintains it. Fortunately, with both of these grills, maintaining temperature is easy.
Both brands use stainless steel to retain heat and digital panels to set the temperature. All users have to do is make sure there are enough pellets in the hopper and the grill does the rest.
Temperature Range
Temperature range is important because it speaks directly to the grill’s versatility. Since most cooking ranges for smoking are very low, you want to find a grill that’s capable of lower temperature stability, especially around the 200°F to 225°F range. If you want to be able to sear, the grill has to be able to crank its temperature up to at least 450°F.
The temperature ranges on both these brands are impressive. Some of Pit Boss’ models span from 150°F to 600°F, making smoking or charring a cinch. The temperature ranges on the REC TEC models aren’t quite as broad, but they still manage to do the job just fine.
Cooking Area
The cooking area of grilling really boils down to personal preference. If you have a small family then smaller grills and smokers may be your best bet since you don’t need a lot of cooking area. If, however, you’re planning on inviting over family, friends, and the entire neighborhood over for potlucks regularly, aside from knowing how to maximize your grilling space, it may be worth investing in larger grills with a lot more cooking space and versatility.
Both these brands have some impressive numbers when it comes to cooking space. REC TEC’s larger models start with a whopping 1,054 sq. in. of cooking space which is great for cooking for crowds, but its smaller options are terrific for portability.
Warranty
Another overlooked aspect of pellet grills is the warranty that comes with them. You want to make sure that the pellet grill you choose has a solid warranty. This is the company’s way of standing by their product and showing the consumer that the brand believes it’s putting the best product available on the market.
REC TEC models have a 30-day, no-questions return policy, and a 6-year warranty. Pit Boss, on the other hand, puts a 5-year warranty across the board on their grills, but they are careful to exclude certain aspects from their warranty like rust or oxidation.
FINAL VERDICT
Pit Boss and REC TEC both are top-quality brands that focus on the love of grilling and the memories that grilling creates. The companies themselves are very different, but each manages to bring family, friends, and neighbors together in very similar ways.
While both brands create exceptional grills and smokers, it’s clear that the REC TEC Grills RT-700 is the most versatile grill on the market. While the price point is a bit higher than most, every dollar spent is accounted for with the technology, craftsmanship, and love that was put into this grill by Ron Cundy and Ray Carnes.