Pellet Cookers, yay or nay?

[bearohs]

I am in the same position you are in. I travel for a living and get a few days a week to be home.

I currently run a traeger lil tex, ortech controller with grill grates. I live in FL and we don't have much cold weather to deal with , so insulation isnt an issue.

6 years later I am finally moving up to a Superior Smokers SS2. Only because of the food quantity and ability to "hard smoke". I used a great pellet that isnt available in retail and still couldnt achieve the smokey flavor I wanted.. NOW mind you this is after 6 years of being in bbq and getting more refined fickle tastes.

If you are looking for an easy cooker, its a no brainer.

If you are calling yourself a bbq snob, and think your palet is getting too refined, its likely not for you.

I myself think the pellet grills are awesome for what they are. I would suggest NOT owning a green mountain, as their grease drip system sucks, and they rust really quick in Florida. Paint vs Powder coat. Also cook on high end pellets, and get grill grates..

 

[jasonjax]

I am in the same position you are in. I travel for a living and get a few days a week to be home.

I currently run a traeger lil tex, ortech controller with grill grates. I live in FL and we don't have much cold weather to deal with , so insulation isnt an issue.

6 years later I am finally moving up to a Superior Smokers SS2. Only because of the food quantity and ability to "hard smoke". I used a great pellet that isnt available in retail and still couldnt achieve the smokey flavor I wanted.. NOW mind you this is after 6 years of being in bbq and getting more refined fickle tastes.

If you are looking for an easy cooker, its a no brainer.

If you are calling yourself a bbq snob, and think your palet is getting too refined, its likely not for you.

I myself think the pellet grills are awesome for what they are. I would suggest NOT owning a green mountain, as their grease drip system sucks, and they rust really quick in Florida. Paint vs Powder coat. Also cook on high end pellets, and get grill grates..

Oy! Depending on your choice of cooker I assure you that you can put as much "smoke" as you want using various methods to enhance smoke flavor.

A good example is my FEC100 which I added some expanded metal near the firebox to be able to burn wood chunks for additional smoke. I can add as much as I want.

I personally feel the " You can't get good wood smoke" mantra from a pellet grill is BS given that I have owned multiple types of cookers and can impart a ton of smoke flavor from any of them with a bit of ingenuity.

 

[J-Rod]

Agree with bludawg and fwi.

Personally I don't want any (outdoor)cooker in which I must rely on electricity or special fuel to operate, but that's just me. I'll add another vote for a UDS. It's still wood and fire without any babysitting and if chit hits the fan and you got no power you can still cook. Even if I ran out of coal I can still fuel it with wood/embers. Not knocking anyone into pellet cookers just my opinion.

 

[SITM BBQ]

I think for home use they are great. Just don't believe in them for competition as I think a fire should have to be tended in comp, but then that's just my opinion as they are legal.

 

[nucornhusker]

I've owned a lot of different cookers, as you can see in my sig. I thinned my collection down to two that I use all of the time, one pellet, and one ceramic charcoal. Both smoke, and both grill. I use the Yoder the most, and I really like the product that comes off of it both smoked and grilled. For high heat cooks like pizza, burgers and steaks, I use my KJ because it is in a more convenient location on my deck. But for smoking, I use the Yoder almost exclusively as it is easy and the end product is fantastic with the right amount of smoke flavor. Anything I do high heat in the Yoder turns out amazing as well. My KJ is on my deck and easy to get to, so that's why it handles much of the grilling duties. When I had my YS640 on my deck, it got used more than the KJ did. If there is anything new I am cooking that I am trying for the first time, it goes in the Yoder because I know I won't char anything or screw it up. And if you like jerky, it is almost too easy in a pellet cooker and not needing to tend a very low temp fire is great. You get very consistent results from pellets.

Plus, buying pellets in bulk is very affordable and you can get very high quality pellets for less than some lower quality ones that are in many stores.

 

[Tonybel]

I wanted one a few months ago. But my wife said that's not real smoking-cooking because I have to "plug" in my cooker. Needless to say no pellet cooker for me. Now that I think about she's right.

 

[jimbloomfield]

We have two MAK pellet grills, two drum smoker, a Hasty Bake and a WSM . We use use the MAK grills the most,almost every night.as far as set and forget the pellet grill is good for that . The drum smokers are just as good in my opinion. For temps over 325 on a weekday. The pellet grills get the work. When smoking turkey breast which we like it pour on the smoke the WSM is the easiest for us. They are all tools. If you get a pellet grill you will like it. Which is what someone told me before we took the plunge.

 

[MattG]

I have a Treager XL and it cooks some great Q. I have a few different smokers/grills I use them all for different things. What I love about my Treager is that It will get hot enough to cook hot dogs and hamburgers. It's always with me when I'm vending and it has also won me some money in competitions. The only thing that I do not like about my Treager is that it's not insulated so burn through a good bit of pellets when I'm cooking Hot and Fast. Asking about Pellet vs Wood/Charcoal will spark up just as many remarks as asking what kind of Wood/Charcoal Smoker should I buy. I suggest cooking with a few different cookers. Pellet and Wood/Charcoal. There is bound to be brethren close enough to you that has a smoker that you can check out.

 

[jasonjax]

Personal preference ftw.

The folks who get a bit "preachy" about electricity make my chuckle a bit though. Hey, to each his own, but come on... Do you start your own fires from rubbing some sticks together or make your own lump charcoal or smelt your own iron ore into metal for your UDS or dry all your own herbs grown in your garden for a rub or draw and filter all your own water to make your sauces.

Technology is part of our lives. Are you on a website now accessed via millions of dollars worth of equipment to make this site work or did you get all your ideas from sanscrit or writings on papaya paper?

Anyways the gist of this conversation is make your own informed decision based on your needs and wants period. You can make awesome as "authentic" BBQ as you want on a multitude of cookers whether they be energized by wood logs, wood pellets, compressed coals made of wood product, charcoal with various binders, natural lump, home fired lump from your own kiln, chunks of wood cut from oak, hickory, peach, cherry, apricot, apple, pecan, mesquite, maple, olive, you name it ...........

Stepping off proverbial soap box.

 

[stephan]

+1 I agree with Jasonjax

 

[martyleach]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. I have a MAK pellet grill and multiple other smokers. I got the pellet grill so my wife would let me get rid of the gasser, which I hated. It is now our go to for chicken thighs, wings and pork butts. I thought it was going to be narrow in it's range of use but I was wrong. I have also cooked great ribs on it. We really enjoy the pellet "grill". However, I'm sure if I had a stickburner I would get more smoke flavor. I just don't want to be an all night babysitter....

 

[landarc]

I want a pellet cooker, I can see so much benefit to it. I won't be giving up my WSM, UDS or kettle to get one. I want it all.

 

[Sammy_Shuford]

See my Sig,
there is a reason the Yoder YS640 is listed first.