Serious Discussion On Pellets

txschutte said:

Just stars, Shiner, and sweet blue. It was good.

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Best quote I have seen in a long time. Well said... Very well said...

barbefunkoramaque said:

Then... I find that there is a HUGE tissy about it.

So please, feel me in. Last time I commented on this I was told, quite abruptly I might ad, that people can and DO win contests with this.

So... as one all wood guy... to other, whatever you guys use. Please, talk to me. No insults, no reason to get all upset, really.... what's the deal? Why is this considered a joke by some.

I have NOT tasted BBQ from this type of machine. I actually CAN tell electric and Gas NTTAWWT.

Once again.... don't be insulting (unless its toward me) because a friend of yours here could use one....

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Donnie,
I have quoted your origonal post with edits to get this back to your question, as I understand it.
To paraphrase it---"How much and what kind of smoke flavor???"
Hope I got it right.
Here is my take.

I have cooked on stick burners, charcoal and chunk burners, electrics, gas rigs, and pellet poopers.
"Smoke intensity or flavor" is simply a function of three things:

Type of wood. A hickory log is exactly the same as a pure hickory pellet. Just bigger and less pure/clean.

Amount of smoke. This is normally a function of temp, airflow, and wood quality on any cooker.

And finally, time in the smoke. This is a function of temp.

On pure sticks, I cook hot (300 plus) like you do.
Lots of flavor as you know.
We have won our share of "brass and cash" cooking that way.

The same "lots of smoke flavor" results at middle range temps (230-300?)with sticks or charcoal/chunks for a moderate cooking time.
Once again, our share of "brass and cash" cooking that way.

Now, if you blend the two and cook with pure sticks or a lot of chunks and take them down at the low temp range (200-225?) you get a whole bunch of really intense smoke flavor.

A lot of folks are used to really smoky flavored BBQ.
That is what they have always cooked or been served.
Others consider that intense smoky flavor to be "too much"--just a matter of taste.

Enter the Pellet Pooper. :lol:
They use pure wood--no change there.
But, they burn in a small "firepot" that is fueled by pellets and augmented with a blast of air.
Simply a "Forge" fire type situation.
Very efficient--in fact too efficient at times.
If I put a butt or brisket in my FEC or Traeger and cook it at 350 (like I did on a stick burner), it has little smoke flavor compared to a stick burner--for sure.

Now, since I understand a pellet pooper, I will normally cook at a low temp for an hour or (many hours). This gets me back to the smoke flavor I want.
Two things happen--
1. A longer time "in the smoke" and that is good no matter what you are cooking on (to a point).
2. The firepot is less efficient at low temps resulting is a lot more "smoke" being produced.

After a "smoke" period, I just bump to higher temps and finish the cook.

Will a pellet pooper ever produce the intense smoke flavor of a stick burner run at the low to mid 200's---never.

But, it is a fine smoke flavor for most of us.
For lack of a better name, I consider it to be a gentle but pleasing smoke flavor.
And Friends, Family, and Judges seem to agree :lol:

CHIT--I just ran on forever!
Sorry--just important to me for folks to understand.

I now own two pellet machines, each for a different purpose and with two different personalities.
My life is so much simpler now, compared to my days of sticks or charcoal/chunks. :grin:

Just works for me.

TIM

Who was your last enlish teacher, I'm tellin! :wink:

Started with Pellet Cooker

I started with a pellet cooker and loved it. After a while I wanted the ability to add more smoke flavor and found two ways to do it. Cook on smoke for a while and then increase to finish, or cook with mesquite which will provide more smoke flavor.

Recently I bought a BGE and have a blast cooking on it and having the ability to really smoke different pieces of meat that can handle the extra flavor. But when it comes to making pulled pork or brisket, I put them on the pellet cooker before I go to bed and can sleep as long as I want with no worries. I had about 80 people at my 4th of july party and was able to serve a ton of bbq and party with everyone all night cause I wasnt up all night BBQing the night before.

When I am cooking for the fun of it I use the BGE, when I am cooking because I want some good bbq and don't have the time to dedicate, I use the egg.

Who cares what every one thinks!

It's your money that you use to buy a cooker with.........

You pay your money and make your choices, so as long as you are happy^^^^:mrgreen:

Look this is easy. I can't afford either a pellet cooker or a stick burner so they both suck. :mrgreen:

Seriously I have never tasted food from a pellet cooker and look forward to the experience. I have always cooked with charcoal and chunks (BGE & UDS). I love the rock solid temps on the egg so i image the FEC's etc are awesome in that regard. I love the over the coals profile of the UDS but you can get too much color on your product in a heart beat if you are not careful.

Go to Hill Country in NYC and you will be blown away but how good the que is and I think they use propane with sticks for flavor. I really think it's how well you use the tools you have. A great cook with enough time in can master any of these. It's all good.

Donny, I dig how you are trying to get people to think and discuss this stuff.

The_Kapn said:

For lack of a better name, I consider it to be a gentle but pleasing smoke flavor.

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I always try to describe it and just say 'Cleaner/Lighter smoke flavor'..

but thats a great choice of words right there kapn used.