Rufus picks: a pellet grill for a long holiday smoke
Meet the crew · Up past the lake · Black bear, pitmaster
Rufus’s story
Rufus lives up past the lake and only comes down to the river once a year, the week before the holidays, pulling a smoker on a sled. He says about nine words a day. Most of them are “not yet.”
- Has fallen asleep in the same lawn chair next to every brisket he has ever smoked. He always wakes up exactly when it’s done.
- Can tell the temperature of a grill by standing next to it. He still checks with a thermometer, “because the meat doesn’t care what I think.”
- Makes a sound like a happy earthquake when someone hands him food. Gerzsi hands him food a lot.
🎯 Rufus’s hobby, and his rival
Hobby: Low and slow. A turkey, a ham, a pork shoulder, anything that takes all day. He says the fire does the work and you just keep it steady.
Rival: the Duke of Smoke, a living cloud from outer space who runs his grill from a phone. In The Last Kitchen they face off in a twelve-hour brisket challenge. Rufus thinks the Duke is a nice young fellow who should hover next to his grill more. Meet the villains →
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Rufus’s pick: the grill that holds steady all day
“Big hopper. Steady fire. Then go take a nap,” says Rufus.
| Pellet grill | What the testers said | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Traeger Woodridge Pro · Check price on Amazon | AmazingRibs: Best Value Gold Medal. Smoked BBQ Source and Taste of Home: best for beginners. 24 lb hopper, steady on long cooks. | Weak at searing |
| Weber Searwood 600 · Check price on Amazon | Smoked BBQ Source and Taste of Home: best overall. Heats and recovers fast, sears hotter. | Shelves cost extra |
Rufus’s pick: the Traeger, for turkeys and hams that cook all day. If you also want to sear steaks on the same grill, the Weber. (Yes, that’s the Duke’s grill. Rufus doesn’t hold it against the grill.)
This year Gerzsi finally asked Rufus the big question: why does Rufus’s turkey come out juicy and Gerzsi’s comes out like bark? Rufus didn’t answer. He tapped the grill’s controller with one claw, pointed at the hopper full of pellets, and went back to sleep in his lawn chair for nine hours.
Gear in this story: jump to the picks →
Chef Tamás translated: “He’s saying the fire does the work. You just keep it steady.” Then he added the part Rufus never says out loud: “And the number decides, not the clock. 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.” Rufus opened one eye, nodded, and went back to sleep.
Rufus’s guide: Best Pellet Grills for a Holiday Turkey and Ham, with the three tested picks and how much pellet a long smoke really uses.
Rufus is made up, like everyone on the river except Chef Tamás. The gear and the test results are real.
🛒 Shop the story
Affiliate links. Rated by AmazingRibs, Smoked BBQ Source, Taste of Home and Bob Vila.
