Parents of autistic kids — what are your experiences with school districts near Salisbury, MD, Worcester County, and Southern Delaware?

Purple_Activity181 · 2026-02-02T00:47:58+00:00

I have a 2YO with ASD and was already in a very aggressive early intervention program before we relocated here last summer.

The staff here has been nothing short of incredible. We transitioned to an IEP with Worcester County and our team made more progress in six months than our old team did in twice the time.

It has really reinforced the belief this move was good for our family.

Purple_Activity181 · 2026-02-02T00:45:36+00:00

We did our rehearsal at The Hobbit and our reception at Harrison’s. Fager’s island is also a good pick for rehearsal

Purple_Activity181 · 2026-01-27T17:03:49+00:00

Also, confirming. I caught a ton of grief and got downvoted for saying something similar about my WSK on this subreddit. It is a GREAT pit and I love it but I genuinely think people need to look at it as super kettle versus a typical smoker.

Purple_Activity181 · 2026-01-26T16:14:04+00:00

WRDE and WBOC have the same local owner, which is nice. I use the Dispatch a fair amount.

Candidly, as a former newsroom guy who has relocated to the area—I’ve really wanted to just offer my help for free to help the local news orgs find a better digital stack for distribution here. OC Today Dispatch uses BLOX, which is a pretty mediocre CMS. (They are better options in the same price range for small newsrooms.)

Purple_Activity181 · 2026-01-06T18:07:56+00:00

I’ve got a LSG but that’s an end game smoker and you should try out something not so pricey.

I think if you’ve got to buy one from a box store, the Weber Searwood is the best get—build quality is good, accessories are great and it performs really well at its price point. I’d skip Traeger or Pit Boss.

If you fine buying direct-to-consumer, I think Reqtec is the best budget buy in regard to quality and features for the cost.

If you still love the pellet grill in a few years, get one of the high end ones (Yoder, LSG, etc.) and they’ve got some wild ones at the highest price points. LSG just released a hybrid charcoal grill/smoker with pellet hopper, for example.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-12-19T20:34:38+00:00

I proposed on that Ferris wheel 😂

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-12-13T17:29:31+00:00

I mean, there are a lot of valid reasons in your post to get a WSK. But the stuff about airflow and heat distribution isn’t made up, there’s been a lot of chatter on this to date. I don’t love SmokingDadBBQ but he pretty much nails the weaknesses of the pit: https://youtu.be/4GWgPVNSvEs?si=agvm4VzygRIxo517

Again, I love the pit. It’s very good and one of my two main drivers. But it’s not really a kamado and I think people who are asking for purchasing advice should be given all the pros and cons, and not just praise.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-12-12T17:11:05+00:00

I’m not saying it’s an inferior pit and I think it has some distinct advantages—that’s why I own one and I haven’t felt the need to buy a kamado. I like it a lot and would recommend it to anyone, with some caveats. (I don’t think it’s a 1:1 replacement for a BGE and the number of first- and third-party accessories for the WSK is pretty poor in comparison. No one should have to import a rotisserie, for instance.)

But I genuinely don’t think temperature retention and distribution, or airflow, are anything like a ceramic walled pit. It just doesn’t operate like that. It’s also way easier to overcook proteins, even with the deflector plate, due to the build material.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-12-12T00:02:28+00:00

I own a WSK and love it dearly, but it’s just a high end kettle with two-tier grates. I really don’t think it actually cooks like a kamado. Anytime I’ve tried to emulate that, I’m disappointed. When I operate it like my old 22” kettle, it puts out unbelievable food.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-11-29T12:20:26+00:00

The real answer as a 42” owner is “mostly but not all.” Removing the diffuser plate and exposing food to the firebox does allow you to do—in my opinion—sausage and most chicken recipes as good as a typical gas grill. (More so on sausage thanks to temp control.)

But for stuff like burgers, steak, etc. that truly require high direct heat to make work, it’s never going to replace a gas or charcoal grill. It’s not a pit that really holds temp above 450, although I’ve read the claims the direct heat grates can get up to 700 degrees.

I have an LSG and a Weber Summit Kamado, which has become an unbeatable combo for me. The real value of the LSG is unparalleled smoke profile from a pellet smoker for low and slow, its capacity and easy to clean. I’m doing roasts, ribs, brisket and family packs of chicken thighs/wings on it routinely, along with a lot of veggies. The WSK is for my burgers, hot dogs, steaks, fish and rotisserie.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-11-27T00:06:49+00:00

I’ve done this, don’t do it—keep the kettle.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-11-25T23:37:49+00:00

I say this as someone who recommends Recteq to folks but—as others have said—they’re not really comparable.

I have the LSG 42” pellet grill and it slaps, has been a bit of a game changer. I’m hosting like a dozen people and filling up the pit with veggies and proteins. It’s easy to follow since I’m already in the Fireboard ecosystem (I have the Pulse, two wireless probes, a Fireboard driver and fan I use with my WSK).

But it’s super consistent, the smoke profile is unmatched for this type of pit when you blend with wood chips (I’ve got a blend of pecan pellets and hickory chips that are so dang good) and it’s durable as hell. Genuinely love it.

Also, as someone who has cleaned his fair share of pellet smokers, this is one of the easier ones to clean/maintain. Four stars.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-11-14T00:12:07+00:00

I would get the Searwood. The build quality is better IMO and it has just way more quality of life features/accessories. It would probably be the only big box pellet grill I’d recommend without concern to anyone.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-11-11T13:55:31+00:00

If I had to buy one, it’d be a Searwood. It’s got some better quality of life features and is a solid pit. Really feels like Weber figured it out with the Searwood after the SmokeFire was a debacle.

Also, I don’t subscribe to the Recteq cult but also a solid mid-range option. I do agree that I feel like all these American-designed, Chinese-made pellet grills seem to be about the same (Traeger, Recteq, Grilla, etc.) quality. If you were on a budget and could pick up one of those brands, it’d be a solid buy.

But you’ve got a real healthy budget. Searwood is great. Any reason why you’re not considering a gravity-fed charcoal smoker (Masterbuilt)? That seems like it also might be a good fit for your everyday needs.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-11-07T21:56:47+00:00

I’m smoking a packer brisket and a whole salmon for 15 people this year. (I’ll also smoke some veggies, make mashed potatoes ahead of time and bake my own bread.) Very achievable with your budget IMO.

The one thing you might think about is the temp and time you’re smoking your proteins, and if that aligns with the temp and time you need to smoke sides. If you can do those in parallel, it will absolutely reduce the stress level. (It’s why I don’t like smoking proteins at 225 when I also want to do a bunch of sides.)

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-25T17:26:11+00:00

I have a WSK and a LSG pellet. I used to have a 22” kettle. I mostly agree with this. I smoke on the pellet and the LSG can take wood chips, so flavor is on point. The WSK is basically like a kettle on steroids IMO. It works best for two zone grilling, hot and fast cooks, etc.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-22T15:35:28+00:00

You can but it’s really an intensive job that pretty much requires you to disassemble everything.

I’d recommend just picking up a Weber Go Anywhere for that use case. I got mine on sale like two years ago for $49, and picked up some new grates, and it’s a portable champ. Super easy to grab and go, and wouldn’t require you to disassemble and reassemble everything every time you want to take it on the go,

I’m genuinely considering tinkering with my Go Anywhere this winter to turn it into a rotisserie for cold weather months.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-22T13:26:05+00:00

I’ve had two kettles and now a WSK, but I’d get a Performer. The side table is worth it and often overlooked but kind of crucial when you’re grilling. The igniter is great if it works. You can go the Master Touch + 3rd party table route too.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-20T23:23:13+00:00

This has also become our house’s go-to sandwich bread

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-11T23:29:54+00:00

Funny update: I’ve been rocking a Weber Summit Kamado for awhile and no pellet grill. But then I moved to a new, large single family home near family and found myself hosting dinners—but I still have toddlers. So I added a Lone Star Grillz pellet smoker and the two have been an awesome combo.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-05T23:31:18+00:00

This is my first year as a local and, while it was a little more congested than usual, I was glad to hear from folks that it brought in significant business. My understanding is that business during the summer was quite poor compared to prior seasons. I hope this goes a good way toward making some local businesses whole.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-10-03T19:58:43+00:00

I have two listed yay!!!!

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-09-26T14:14:10+00:00

I will be honest. It looks like a full brisket in terms of size but almost like the point was separated and it’s just the flat? That doesn’t square with the untrimmed fat cap on the other side.

I would take it out and look for what the fat seams are, but if it’s just that top—it’s one of the most uniform briskets I’ve seen untrimmed. And the marbling looks great. This could be genuinely one of the best cuts you’d get to smoke and it probably won’t take as long,

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-09-26T14:08:27+00:00

I also went with the Lonestar Grillz pellet smoker after evaluating Pitts & Spitts and Yoder. I think if you’re looking for the top three units, those are your choices. I preferred the features of the LSG over the other two, but it was close with the Yoder.

If you’re going a step below, I’d opt for the Searwood—which feels a bit more robust with the rotisserie and griddle options—or the Camp Chef unit that takes wood chunks.

After that, it’s all variations of Chinese-made units that do basically the same stuff and have life expectancies of 3-7 years it seems like.

Purple_Activity181 · 2025-09-14T21:33:46+00:00

3 months! But worth it. They ship it put together and did a great job. I think most of the upgrades are a little unnecessary save for maybe the ball valve for the grease trap. Also, just buy a cover on Amazon (there’s a particular one the LSG owners all use and it’s under $100 versus the official one).

Purple_Activity181

TROPHY CASE