is the flavor profile of stick burners that much better then pellet smokers?thanks cookinjack
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Better? Different for sure. Depends on how much smoke flavor you like (pellet cookers are lighter). -
Flavor profile is very subjective. Pellet cookers put out less of a smoke profile so less of a smoke flavor. Some people prefer a pellet some not. I have a Yoder YS640 and love it, very good flavor and ease of use. I do not have a stick burner but I do have a insulated cabinet smoker that uses charcoal and wood chunks and It flavor profile is stronger smoke wise. I love it also and use it most of the time.
A stick burner puts out the strongest and most recognizable flavor. It also requires more attention and feeding. The pit barrel style cookers also put out a great smoke profile.
If I have left anything out or need to be corrected I sure someone will chime in.Comment
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Interested in this thread. Two very different cookers obviously with totally different techniques. I would say that a large part of your decision is time spent during cook. You will have to tend the stick burner much more.Last edited by DavidNorcross; February 26, 2021, 06:47 PM.Comment
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That is a matter of opinion. The best BBQ is the BBQ you like.
The consense is Stick Burners produce more smoke than Pellet Grills. I assume that is the reason Traeger has added Super smoke mode to their new grills.
But don't listen to me, "Luv Me Pellet Smoker/Grill".Comment
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I'll let you know in about 10 days.Comment
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In short, yes. The first time I smoked a pork shoulder on my offset stick burner, it was several steps above what I have had off of any other cooker I've had. I'm not producing competition-worthy food, but it's enough that I'm only really impressed by competition-worthy food.
I will add a couple caveats- It is work. I think it's fun work, and most other stick burners do too, but I can't leave it for more than 30 minutes without at least checking on it. There's also a big learning curve on how to get clean smoke. Pellet grills are on the opposite side of the spectrum. I think the amount of time you want to dedicate to a cook should be the main deciding factor on which one you go with, not the smoke taste, because
- While the smoke taste is so good on an offset, I also enjoy food cooked on electric smokers. It's a game of inches, not leaps and bounds. Are you able to sample food off of people who have each type of cooker?
- Each cooker really shines at what it's able to do. My stick-burner can produce a small amount or an enormous amount of slow-cooked food that tastes amazing. My kettle with SnS can smoke and grill, and can be left mostly unattended with a remote thermo. My PBC still makes the best chicken out of any of my smokers, but that's about all I use it for now.
- Sourcing wood is either a lot of work or expensive, plus you need space to store it and you may need to season it and split it.
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Well put!
I'd also add that a stick burner can be a very enjoyable experience tending the fire, if you want to go that deep into the cooking with fire experience; it's purely a YMMV type of experience... -
You nailed it. Point 1 is spot on. I use my smokers/grills based on the time I can dedicate. I used my offset a couple weeks ago to do some baby backs cuz I wanted to. It was fun to run it and manage the fire and generate clean smoke. I don’t own a pellet smoker and don’t think I ever will. I don’t look down my nose at them, i just like to manage the fire & smoke.
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I will say certain pellet smokers offer more smoke than most pellet grills, mainly MAKs, the SmokeFire, and the OG Grilla due to the different designs. But not as much as stick.Comment
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Another option - using a smoke tube like Amazen tube or LizzQ for extra smoke as needed in a pellet grill. I have an OG, have not felt the need to use my LizzQ on it, but have used it in my weber gasser. It allows some delicate fine tuning.
I have a friend whose smoked turkey done on his (electric I think, maybe propane) smoker tastes like an ashtray. Not that I'd tell him that...
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thanks everyone keep the comments coming..i have a weber bullet and a weber gasser with a smoke boxComment
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I have not used a WSM, but have used/owned a PB, a Weber with SNS, a homemade offset and a Traeger.
In my experience the Weber can get food the closest to tasting like an offset (but not the same) but (again, in my experience) the offset has a huge advantage with airflow/cooking space - especially if you end up cramming a 16 lb brisket into a Weber 😶 Even with smaller cuts the bark formation I got from the offset was always fast and more prevalent in terms of taste and texture.
I've never used one, but the KBQ is supposed to give you offset style smoke with a bit more accessibility due to a gentle learning curve. Maybe that is worth looking at too.
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cookinjack if you have a Weber Smokey Mountain, that is different but similar to the smoking results you get from an offset. A pellet smoker by nature, due to its efficiency, will produce food with a much lighter smoke flavor than your WSM. I’m not saying food from a charcoal vertical smoker tastes exactly the same as food from an offset, but they are both at one end of the spectrum, with pellet smokers being at the other end.Comment
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I am looking at lone star grillz pellet smoker...........Comment
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You're talking river fishing vs boat fishing; walking to work vs riding a motorcycle; mowing the lawn vs shoveling snow. I think that's enough illustrations to sum up the vast differences.
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After 11 pellet grills I feel pretty confident saying that even the Lone Star pellet grill is going to produce a smoke profile closer to all the rest of the pellet grills available than the smoke profile of Lone Star’s other offerings. Pellet grills can produce fabulous food, but nothing like smoke profile of a well run stick burner. Do you want smoke as the star or as one ingredient?Comment
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