Pellet cookers-Smoke flavor

dirtydingus · 10-08-2013, 11:56 AM

Amongst all the pellet cookers on the market, is there one or more brands out there that give your food a better smoke flavor than the other? Maybe, they're all the same, I don't know. Help me decide.

nucornhusker · 10-08-2013, 12:00 PM

I have noticed a better smoke flavor with Yoders than other pellet brands I have used. I haven't used all pellet cooker brands, but Yoders are designed to give more smoke flavor than other brands. Plus the are built here in the USA and built much heavier and solid than other brands.

dano · 10-08-2013, 12:13 PM

There are going to be some differences between some of the different brands...Not that it's good or bad...just different. All of the pellet grills rely on a duty cycle to burn the pellets. Traeger for example has a longer duty cycle which mean the pellets drop for a long period of time(about 15 seconds) and then there is a longer idle time where the pellets are not dropping (varies depending on setting). Some other brands like Yoder, Memphis, and Louisiana have shorter cycles (3-5 seconds or so) and have tighter idle times. I have noticed that the shorter duty cycles put out a little more even smoke where the longer cycles have more smoke and the beginning of the cycle and then lessen as time goes on before the next cycle.

Fwismoker · 10-08-2013, 12:16 PM

I don't care what anybody says pellet cookers don't produce much smoke flavor at higher temps...any of them, lower temps is different.

I'd add on a smoke generator if you wanted more flavor and do cooks at say 275 and up.

unixadm · 10-08-2013, 12:19 PM

That's a good point and you're right. The hotter the fire or the more fuel that's required to maintain a pit temperature, the less smoldering you get which is where most of the smoke comes from. I have found that 250 and below for smoking on a pellet cooker to be the sweet spot. However even will cooking hotter than that, for example grilling - I've still noticed a nice subtle smokiness to pretty much anything I've cooked.

I'd give my nod to Yoder and Woodmaster. I've owned pellet cookers from both and they both produced a nice smoke ring with a great flavor.

dano · 10-08-2013, 12:21 PM

Agree with the comments above. Higher the temp the less smoker you get from what I have experienced.

sparky' · 10-08-2013, 12:23 PM

the mak 1 star smokes a lot. even at higher temps.

DickQ · 10-08-2013, 08:11 PM

The brand pellets you use make a big difference in flavor as well. I like BBQ'rs Delight

rookiedad · 10-08-2013, 09:34 PM

heres my invention. i would make a smoker with two hoppers. one for hardwood fuel like oak to burn and bring the smoker up to temp, then at some degree of height above the fire pot i would have a smoke pot where flavor wood would be augered down into on a regular basis based on average smoldering time as per the temp of the pot. this would give regulated heat with consistant smoke at any temperature.

veryolddog · 10-08-2013, 09:45 PM

Many folk subsidize the smoke in their pellet smokers with alternate devices such as a tube smoker from Amazing Smokers and place flavored pellets in there to enhance the flavor of the their food results. You may want to take a look at these devices and see if there is a fit.

Ed

cowgirl · 10-08-2013, 10:42 PM

I'm happy with the smoke output on my Memphis Pro.

ajstrider · 10-09-2013, 06:59 AM

Your brand choice in pellets affects the smoke flavor more than brand of grills I believe. The Yoder ideally has a better smoke flow through the smoker due to the firepit on the side rather than in the middle like most others. The Yoder seemed to be more of a pellet hog than my other pellet smokers too, and more pellets burned should mean more smoke flavor. Someone mentioned the temperature part, this is true, but since a pellet smoker has an induced air flow it cooks faster at a given temperature due to better heat transfer. The best temperature tends to vary a bit between smokers.

Charcoal_Addict · 10-09-2013, 09:09 AM

You always have to accept some trade-off. A pellet grill is user friendly substitute for an offset Grill. You're not going to get off-set quality from a pellet cooker but you will still get pretty impressive eats and more time to enjoy the game.

luke duke · 10-09-2013, 09:20 AM

My Klose pellet smoker puts off plenty of smoke regardless of the temperature I am cooking at. I use oak pellets that are approximately 12"x4"x4" each.

peeps · 10-09-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luke duke

My Klose pellet smoker puts off plenty of smoke regardless of the temperature I am cooking at. I use oak pellets that are approximately 12"x4"x4" each.

10-08-2013, 11:56 AM	#1
dirtydingus On the road to being a farker Join Date: 05-25-13 Location: Blair Ne	Pellet cookers-Smoke flavor Amongst all the pellet cookers on the market, is there one or more brands out there that give your food a better smoke flavor than the other? Maybe, they're all the same, I don't know. Help me decide. __________________ KCBS MASTER JUDGE---Weber Kettle--Hunsaker(HILLBILLY TRASHCAN)X 2, Humphreys QPP

10-08-2013, 12:00 PM	#2
nucornhusker Babbling Farker Join Date: 08-29-11 Location: Lincoln, NE	I have noticed a better smoke flavor with Yoders than other pellet brands I have used. I haven't used all pellet cooker brands, but Yoders are designed to give more smoke flavor than other brands. Plus the are built here in the USA and built much heavier and solid than other brands. __________________ Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller

10-08-2013, 12:16 PM	#4
Fwismoker somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 08-22-13 Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana	I don't care what anybody says pellet cookers don't produce much smoke flavor at higher temps...any of them, lower temps is different. I'd add on a smoke generator if you wanted more flavor and do cooks at say 275 and up. __________________ Change the way you rotisserie for the BETTER![COLOR="Red"][B]Cajun Bandit Kits for your WSM or Weber Kettle Now Available![/B][/COLOR] Visit [COLOR="Red"]OctoForks[/COLOR] in Sales & Ventures Website & Blog: [url]www.octoforks.com[/url]

10-08-2013, 12:23 PM	#7
sparky' Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 04-30-11 Location: northern california	the mak 1 star smokes a lot. even at higher temps. __________________ PBC, Cobb grill, Weber Mastertouch, Gosun solar cooker.

10-08-2013, 08:11 PM	#8
DickQ Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 09-30-09 Location: Farmington, NY	The brand pellets you use make a big difference in flavor as well. I like BBQ'rs Delight __________________ Dick's BBQ KCBS/CBJ [url]www.bbqdicks.com[/url] Custom built 6 rack rotisserie stick burner Custom built pellet burn insulated vertical Custom built charcoal gravity feed vertical Backwoods Party Weber 22" WSM Weber kettle BBQ Gurus

10-08-2013, 12:13 PM	#3
dano is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 02-09-11 Location: Audubon, PA	There are going to be some differences between some of the different brands...Not that it's good or bad...just different. All of the pellet grills rely on a duty cycle to burn the pellets. Traeger for example has a longer duty cycle which mean the pellets drop for a long period of time(about 15 seconds) and then there is a longer idle time where the pellets are not dropping (varies depending on setting). Some other brands like Yoder, Memphis, and Louisiana have shorter cycles (3-5 seconds or so) and have tighter idle times. I have noticed that the shorter duty cycles put out a little more even smoke where the longer cycles have more smoke and the beginning of the cycle and then lessen as time goes on before the next cycle.

10-08-2013, 12:19 PM	#5
unixadm Take a breath! Join Date: 09-20-12 Location: Elk Grove, CA	That's a good point and you're right. The hotter the fire or the more fuel that's required to maintain a pit temperature, the less smoldering you get which is where most of the smoke comes from. I have found that 250 and below for smoking on a pellet cooker to be the sweet spot. However even will cooking hotter than that, for example grilling - I've still noticed a nice subtle smokiness to pretty much anything I've cooked. I'd give my nod to Yoder and Woodmaster. I've owned pellet cookers from both and they both produced a nice smoke ring with a great flavor.

10-08-2013, 12:21 PM	#6
dano is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 02-09-11 Location: Audubon, PA	Agree with the comments above. Higher the temp the less smoker you get from what I have experienced.

10-08-2013, 09:34 PM	#9
rookiedad is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 07-21-05 Location: patchogue, n.y.	heres my invention. i would make a smoker with two hoppers. one for hardwood fuel like oak to burn and bring the smoker up to temp, then at some degree of height above the fire pot i would have a smoke pot where flavor wood would be augered down into on a regular basis based on average smoldering time as per the temp of the pot. this would give regulated heat with consistant smoke at any temperature. __________________ Phil Better Days Barbeque Backwoods Party 3 WSMs 22" Weber Kettle Smokey Joe

10-08-2013, 09:45 PM	#10
veryolddog On the road to being a farker Join Date: 09-20-13 Location: New Braunfels	Many folk subsidize the smoke in their pellet smokers with alternate devices such as a tube smoker from Amazing Smokers and place flavored pellets in there to enhance the flavor of the their food results. You may want to take a look at these devices and see if there is a fit. Ed

10-08-2013, 10:42 PM	#11
cowgirl somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-18-07 Location: Oklahoma Name/Nickname : jeanie	I'm happy with the smoke output on my Memphis Pro. __________________ jeanie Lifetime member of the Society for the Preservation of Authentic Royal Magical Rare Kaskaskian Peppers (Thanks Ash :)) RIP Ash, you are missed http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/

10-09-2013, 06:59 AM	#12
ajstrider is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 09-02-12 Location: Kentucky	Your brand choice in pellets affects the smoke flavor more than brand of grills I believe. The Yoder ideally has a better smoke flow through the smoker due to the firepit on the side rather than in the middle like most others. The Yoder seemed to be more of a pellet hog than my other pellet smokers too, and more pellets burned should mean more smoke flavor. Someone mentioned the temperature part, this is true, but since a pellet smoker has an induced air flow it cooks faster at a given temperature due to better heat transfer. The best temperature tends to vary a bit between smokers. __________________ Weber Summit Charcoal Grill and 22” WSM. Former user of pellet grills and XL BGE

10-09-2013, 09:09 AM	#13
Charcoal_Addict On the road to being a farker Join Date: 05-28-12 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	You always have to accept some trade-off. A pellet grill is user friendly substitute for an offset Grill. You're not going to get off-set quality from a pellet cooker but you will still get pretty impressive eats and more time to enjoy the game. __________________ Super fast Red Themapen, Weber Platinum, Kamado Joe Big Joe, Maverick ET-732

10-09-2013, 09:20 AM	#14
luke duke is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-16-10 Location: Dallas, TX	My Klose pellet smoker puts off plenty of smoke regardless of the temperature I am cooking at. I use oak pellets that are approximately 12"x4"x4" each.