Dilemma: 009-2 or PG500

They're different units but the PGs are great. Since you're not looking for a "mass producer" the PG is ideal for smoking & grilling. I have a 1000 and since getting it I got rid of my gas weber & haven't taken the cover off of my charcoal grill. The 1000 is insulated therefore gets to temp faster and uses less pellets. With a return guarantee, get one and try it out. Let us know how it works out.
And welcome to the FEPG CLUB!

Sorry for your loss, I know it was hard to part with such a nice setup. I'd go with the PG. I just love how pellet fires transform food. Wise Joe has a point about the insulation on the 1000 vs the 500, the 500 will use more pellets and may become an issue if you do a lot of long cooks.

Right now I have a FEC 100, but My next smoker will be some sort of PG, either Char broiler, 500 or 1000. All I have now is a FEC and I refuse to cook with propane and don't feel good about having a charcoal grill on our covered deck. I'm relegated to cooking steak in the front-yard fire pit. But I have read, (and I can imagine) how great steak, burgers and chicken would be on one of the PGs.

That was a sweet setup in your old house. I know your new one will be equally as nice. Make sure you keep us abreast of your decision and post some pics when you get unpacked and get your outdoor area settled.

I have a PG500 and absolutely love it for short smokes and grilling. I use it on average about 4-5 times a week. I also got rid of my Weber gasser. For longer smokes (butts & etc,), it will use a bunch of pellets, so I use my FEC100 for those. I bought the 500 rather than the 1000 because of its looks and price. In the winter when it's colder, yes the pellet consumption is a little more since it is uninsulated. If you go with the 500, I recommend the front shelf as an extra - very glad I spent the extra few bucks!!, and no, since the doors swing upward at an angle when they open, they do not sweep-off the shelf.

Thanks Joe M, Chaplain Bill, and olysmokes for your helpful replies. Anyone know how long a pork butt takes on the 500, and how many pounds of pellets would be required? (In my 009, an 8# butt might take as long as 20 hours.) And, at a weight of 300+ pounds, how is home delivery managed?

A pork butt on PG500 should take about same time as it would in other smoker - it all depends on size of butt and temp cooked at. The outside air temp will have some affect on how many pellets you will use. I think the PG500 specs call for pellet usage of 1.2 to 2 pounds per hour at 400*. It will use a less pellets per hour at 235* than at 400*. I have never monitored actual pellet usage, I just check the hopper to be sure it has enough pellets in it.
As for home delivery, mine came via Fed-Ex freight with lift-gate truck, and driver used his pallet jack to deliver it right to my garage door. Very simple.
If you do go with a pellet grill, stock-up on pellets, especially if you use yours a lot like I do.
Another upgrade I would make at time of ordering is to swap-out the smoker side grill from the standard plated one to the stainless steel one. You can soak & scrub clean the stainless steel one for many years without any fears of damaging it or rust issues.

Thanks, olysmokes. Very helpful information.

I have progressed from a Smokette to an FEC100 and lastly a PG1000.

I cook for one to four folks and find the PG a perfect size.

The PG will do it all and I love it.

The PG500 is very versatile smoker/grill and will produce steaks so good that you will be dissatisfied/disappointed with any future trips to a steakhouse. Pellet consumption is not too bad if you are smoking for a long time at low temps, but during bitterly cold weather, I usually use my SM025 instead. The smoke flavor is a little more subtle than what you will get from the electric smoker, but you can supplement the smoke by adding a water pan and using a "amazin tube smoker".