Considering a LSG. Question about the taste of the food versus from a Vertical Drum Smoker?

[Bigfish8]

I currently perform my low and slow cooks on a Stainless Steel Vertical Drum Smoker that I made using a Big Poppa Kit. Previously I owned a Blaz'n Pellet Grill. Loved the set it and forget it convenience of the pellet grill but I always felt the food had an oven cooked taste to it (best way that I can describe it). The drum lacks the convenience of the pellet grill but the food I have cooked tastes much better. Neither the Blaz'n or the Drum produce much depth of smoke flavor unless I use wood chunks in the drum basket. I ended-up giving the Blaz'n to my son and the set-it and forget it convenience is perfect for him.

Have any of you switched from a Vertical Drum Smoker to a LSG Pellet Grill? If you have would you please comment on the differences in the taste of the food produced on both grills?

Thanks in advance.

[barelfly]

LSG FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Foods gonna be great!


And, no, I haven’t cooked on one…I Just love the LSG stuff!

[Baltimorelger]

I just got my LSG. I’ve only done two cooks (strip loin and chicken breasts). So far I’ve been really impressed with the smoke profile (substantially stronger than my grilla og). I haven’t done a side by side cook with my offset, but I imagine it would make a strong case for itself.

[STEbbq]

I am fairly certain if smoke flavor is critical, the LSG will
do better than a barrel smoker. The challenge is, of course, whether you want to go to the difficulty of sourcing, prepping and storing wood as well as the feeding the smoker every 30-45 minutes for the length of a cook to generate that slightly sweet smoke flavor or if you will be satisfied with the less work involved with the barrel smoker.

[Jerod Broussard]

He is in the pellet section.

[STEbbq]

Ah, well the LSG pellet is a special case and may very well deliver enough smoke flavor with ease of use too. I will defer to actual LSG owners in this case.

[tenphases]

If you weren't happy with your previous pellet and a drum made you happy the LSG pellet probably won't make you happy. A happy medium may be an LSG vertical cabinet with an act, damn bear as easy and the intensity of the smoke will fall somewhere between your barrel and your pellet

[Bigfish8]

You have expressed my largest concern. It is hard to explain but the meat cooked on the drum would be similar, at least to me, to a steak cooked on a charcoal grill versus one cooked on a gas grill. I own a Weber Summit Kamado and a gas grill in addition to the drum. Low and slow on the Kamado produces good que but not equal to the drum. The food produced on the drum is not smokey but it is flavorful, moist and just tastes good. That is what I would like to duplicate in an LSG.

[fzxdoc]

Interesting that your drum does not produce a smokey flavor, Bigfish8 . I own a WSCGC and a PBC.

In my side-by-side tests, with the PBC, the smoke flavor is more forward; that is it's one of the first flavors you taste when taking a bite.

In the WSCGC, the smoke taste is on the back end of finishing the bite.

So both my barrel and the kamado/kettle produce similar amounts of smoke flavor in the food, it's just experienced at different points in the bite, at least to my taste buds. And in my experience at least, they produce comparably good 'cue although the PBC runs away with poultry cooks .

From what I have read, people who don't like a lot of smoke flavor often remark that the PBC food is too smokey. Often they are coming from a background of stick burner or pellet cooker use. So I'm surprised that you find that your drum smoker does not produce the smoke profile that you like. That just shows the difference in cookers of similar design, I guess.

The PBC is a 30 gallon drum compared to your 55 gallon size.

Kathryn

[J-Melt]

One thing I noted in your description is that you not a lack of smoke taste unless you put in wood chunks. Because charcoal is only fuel and not flavor producing, that would make sense to me. I have an OJB drum and it produces some of the best smoked meat I’ve ever tasted, but I always use a couple of wood chunks with charcoal. How is your drum when you use wood chunks in the basket with your charcoal?

[Panhead John]

Same here…I never smoke anything without adding wood chunks, usually 3, and that always gives me good smoke flavor. If you don’t add wood to any type of charcoal smoker, well, you’re not gonna get any smoke flavor.

[Bigfish8]

Yes, I sometimes use wood chunks, added directly to the charcoal basket. When I do so it will definitely produce a pronounced smokey flavor.

[J-Melt]

My recommendation then would be to just consistently add wood chunks. I think you will get a consistently better smoky flavor than from any pellet smoker.

This is based solely on what I’ve read here, not on personal experience with pellet smokers.