I own both. I have a Yoder 480 pellet smoker and a Yoder Cheyenne backyard wood smoker. What can I say? I like Yoder quality and consistency.
There is a definite difference in smoke intensity between the two. Obviously, the wood smoker places more smoke on the food being cooked.
I use the wood smoker for cooks between 5 and 8 hours. I cook chicken, ribs, etc. within that time period. I use the pellet smoker for very long cooks like pork butt and brisket. The major reason that I do this is because I can leave the pellet smoker unattended for 18 to 24 hours except for one refill of pellets until the meat is ready to remove. With the wood smoker, I have to check fuel and air flow every hour in order to keep the temperature where I like to cook the meat.
Look, I am 71 years young. I enjoy the PROCESS of wood smoking and the result, but I am not going to stay up all night and beat the crap out of myself just to have a $9.00 pork butt or a $20.00 brisket. With the consistent temperatures that are provided by the pellet smoker, I can always have a very moist and juicy result.
Smoke can be enhanced, if you wish, on the pellet smoker, but not like a wood smoker, using an AMNPS tube filled with burning pellets. I do use this on occasion.
Just a note: the pellet smoker is very much like a convection oven with a little smoke from the burning pellets.
I hope that this experience will help you in your thinking.
Ed
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