Need Smokey Flavor from pellet grills.

[Nate]

Troutman , a follow up to post 4.2.

I think it is a little more complicated than that. The better question might be why they change if they do... I still own my PBC, Weber kettle, stick burner, etc... my pellet cooker just fits more into my scheduling constraints. For others it may be living situations, convenience, consistency, etc...

I love stick burning and managing a fire but I don’t see myself ever just chucking the pellet all together... also plan on owning multiple cookers as long as I can.

For me it is a tool. It doesn’t put out an inferior flavor it just puts out a different one. My PBC doesn’t turn out the same flavor as my stick burner or my kettle.

Personally I don’t always want to burp smoke rings for 2 days so the milder profile works for me.

I am typically struck by the repeated questions on all sites, forums, etc... of people trying to find ways to increase the smoke profile and/or shocked by the difference of profile between a pellet and a stick burner. Any research at all would instantly tell you there is a difference. Alas though I am more bothered by people trying to compare it to a stick burner. It is not the same thing! Again charcoal with wood chunks tastes different than straight stick burning tastes different than PBC taste different than gas smoker etc...

[Troutman]

I tend to agree. I like using my pellet for convenience and for those foods that benefit from a lighter smoke profile like fish. For what I consider a true grilled or smoked flavor, charcoal and/or wood can’t be beat, it’s not even close.

And I recognize that it’s my opinion but would bet it’s in the majority for our members. So who’s starting the poll? How about FireMan he loves polls so much.

[Nate]

I will concede that it doesn’t have the "traditional" grill flavor as charcoal. Then again the same can be said about gas and electric.

[JCGrill]

I sometimes use a smoke tube to get more smoke flavor, but it does not provide a charcoal flavor. I don't think it's possible without using charcoal.

[TBoneJack]

I've read in many different forums (even pellet smoker forums) that pellet smokers don't impart much of a discernible smoke flavor to meat.

[Huskee]

By comparison to other cookers such as wood or charcoal, this is true. Fry a burger in your kitchen in a skillet, then cook one in a pellet cooker, smoke flavor is definitely there. How discernible different pellet wood types are, well that's probably much less discernible than the total absence or presence of smoke.

[Huskee]

Everything I've made on a pellet cooker has smoke flavor. Different though, delicate, but it's there. You CAN and DO get smoke flavor from a pellet cooker. If you want more charcoal flavor, try placing a briquette on the diffuser above the burn pot. Heck, you could try putting it in the burn pot, but the ash may cause problems so I can't really recommend that. You could even place a chunk of wood on the diffuser plate. Even then, there'd be so little charcoal or wood chunk combustion relative to the rest that it might not do much. I knwo this because I've tried it.

My advice with smokers is always this: When it comes to picking out a grill or smoker, you have a) Affordability, b) Max flavor, c) Ease of use/set it forget it; Choose 2.

It's hard to find all 3 in one cooker that's affordable. If you want charcoal flavor you need to cook with charcoal. If you want to push a button and walk away, you need a pellet cooker, or some newer gas cookers with thermostats. If you want a truck, don't buy a car hoping to use it like a truck. If you want something that drives like a car, don't buy a truck. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule w/ literal vehicles, but I think the illustration serves the point.

[Troutman]

I don't know, my GMC Denali pickup has magnetic ride, it's pretty car like

[Potkettleblack]

It's not the soft ride that's the problem. It's the cramming it into tight spots. https://s3.amazonaws.com/file-optimi...ne-parking.jpg

[Huskee]

You guys crack me up Troutman Potkettleblack

[CandySueQ]

Y'all got me out of lurking with this thread! Pellet grill designers are their own worst enemies when it comes to basic smoke flavor. The PID controllers are so controlled that pellets aren't dumped in sufficient quantities to provide a decent smoulder time. These controllers are so tight with temperature control that the basic function of a grill is lost.

My last contest (a little unsanctioned ribs and chicken cookoff), I tried a new pellet mix. 2 parts pecan, 2 parts sugar maple and 1 part black walnut. RCG with a 1st in ribs and 2nd in chicken (the chicken winner beat me by 12 points!). I've added 1 part cherry to the mix and I'll cook with this mix in Mississippi this weekend.

I did cook massive quantities of beef tenderloin at the Jack last year with only Jack Daniel's pellets on a GMG -- Davy. Plenty smokey, but not a charcoal fire flavor. Just don't get that with anything but a charcoal fire.

[Potkettleblack]

"not a charcoal fire flavor. Just don't get that with anything but a charcoal fire."

Somethings, you just need the original to get that original flavor... it is what it is.

[jfmorris]

Sounds like a good testimonial to the old-style Grilla controllers, and why they said the swing is a good thing!

[Bumby]

I love my pellet smoker. It has really allowed me the freedom to smoke a lot more frequently while working a crazy job with unpredictable hours.

However, I agree with other posters that the smoke flavor is less pronounced on a pellet smoker than a more traditional smoker. I still use my WSM (now affectionately called the Bacon Maker) on anything that needs a ton of smoke. One trick that has worked well for me for items that require a long cook time and benefit from that deep smoke flavor is to start on my WSM for a couple hours to get the smoke flavor and then finish in the pellet smoker.

[lostclusters]

Nice trick, I'll have to try that!

[jfmorris]

I think pellet smokers have their place. As we all know, more smoke will be present at lower temperatures like 225F on most pellet rigs. I think a lot of folks simply don't LIKE the amount of smoke you get on an offset or a charcoal and wood chunk fire. I know a guy who's wife cannot stand anything smoked. It's just the way you were raised, and your taste buds. Some of us can't get enough smoke! Me? I love the bark on a good pork butt or brisket from my offset or from the kettle+SNS. As others have said, food is not the same on my kettle+SNS as it is on the offset, and it would be different on a PBC too.

I have the Grilla OG on my short list of pellet smokers, if I ever get the urge to get one, but would go into it knowing it may be less smokey than I am used to.

[pkadare]

I just rub a charcoal briquette over anything I pull from my Traeger, problem solved.

[pkadare]

Take my money!

[Potkettleblack]

Hey, that reminds me... the Tatonka dust with Activated Charcoal should help with the charcoal fire taste on a pellet grill.

[pkadare]

The Tatonka dust would also be useful in case of poisoning.