Looking to buy a smoker...Traeger?

Traeger used to be the leader in pellet grills. A couple years ago they sold out and now they have moved the operation to China. The quality has plummeted as they found numerous ways to cheapen them; lower quality parts, lighter gauge metal, not reliable, etc.

There are many makers of pellet grills now, and several well built, USA manufacturers. A couple that come to mind are Green Mountain pellet grills, and MAK pellet grills. MAK grills have recently won their fourth (four years in a row) Vesta award at the international BBQ trade show.

MAK grills are superbly made, they are head and shoulders above others. But they are not cheap. A "One Star" goes for about $1,395.00 and the "Two Star" goes for around $2,300.00. You would have to be pretty serious about smoking meats to justify buying one, but the do sell quite well.

Making me hungry just thinking about it...