Advice charcoal vs pellet

[Newt Scamander]

I am new to this forum and hoping to get some feedback on which smoker to buy. My situation is that I have about 1000 to spend and I'm a fairly experienced cook but mostly new to smoking and grilling.


To make a long story short I am trying to decide between a Hunsaker Vortex drum smoker and a pellet grill. As I said I'm a fairly experienced cook but mostly new to cooking BBQ. This purchase would only be for my own family and just general experiments and fun smoking and grilling.

If I were to go with a pellet grill is there anything I'm missing out on by not getting a charcoal fueled set up like the Hunsaker? I definitely don't have time to babysit a stick burner but a UDS seems a decent compromise of ease of use and still not just turning a dial like a pellet grill.


Anyway if anyone has ideas or opinions on pros and cons or anything at all I would love to hear them.

PS the pellet grill I'm looking at is the grilla silverbac

 

[jcam222]

This is going to come down to peoples personal preference. For me it’s hands down charcoal for the win. Whether grilling or smoking for me the flavor is superior. That’s certainly not to say you don’t get great food from pellets it’s just my preference. I have a small pellet Traeger but rarely even light it unless I’m a big hurry to grill.

 

[SonnyE]

Well, in my opinion, neither are smokers. What you've named as smokers are actually grills.
A smoker, to me is a shack in the back woods with meat and fish in it being exposed to hour after hour of smoke curing.
So I would be advising to get a Smoker for Smoking, electric; and a grill for grilling.
But hey, you are welcome to any path you'd like. It's like choosing anything, only you know what fits you.

 

[retfr8flyr]

As Sonny says. it all depends on what flavor you are looking for in your cooks. I just added a pellet grill to my group of Kamado grills. I have always cooked with charcoal and deciding to go with a pellet grill was a major departure for me. A pellet grill and a charcoal grill will have totally different flavors. I now actually prefer the pellet grill flavor. It's a lighter, cleaner more wood flavor then charcoal and doesn't have that charcoal gritty, heavy smoke flavor. I would definitely recommend you try and find someone with a pellet grill, so you can sample the flavor it produces, before you make up your mind.

If you decide to go with the Silverbac, I think you would not regret it. I almost bought one myself, before I ran across my deal on the Timberline. I think a Sliverbac and a Weber kettle grill, for real high temp searing, would make a great combination.

 

[Newt Scamander]

As Sonny says. it all depends on what flavor you are looking for in your cooks. I just added a pellet grill to my group of Kamado grills. I have always cooked with charcoal and deciding to go with a pellet grill was a major departure for me. A pellet grill and a charcoal grill will have totally different flavors. I now actually prefer the pellet grill flavor. It's a lighter, cleaner more wood flavor then charcoal and doesn't have that charcoal gritty, heavy smoke flavor. I would definitely recommend you try and find someone with a pellet grill, so you can sample the flavor it produces, before you make up your mind.

If you decide to go with the Silverbac, I think you would not regret it. I almost bought one myself, before I ran across my deal on the Timberline. I think a Sliverbac and a Weber kettle grill, for real high temp searing, would make a great combination.

The answer to my dilemma is to just go with whichever and in 6 months buy the other for more fun!

 

[jcam222]

If I had $1000 to spend amdcwsnted to go new I’d look at the new Backwoods Chubby vertical smoker. Used would open you up to multiple insulated cabinet options.

 

[SonnyE]

If I had $1000 to spend amdcwsnted to go new I’d look at the new Backwoods Chubby vertical smoker. Used would open you up to multiple insulated cabinet options.

I LIKE those slam latches. No foolin there.

 

[gmc2003]

I'm casting my vote for charcoal. It may not be as simple to cook on, but I like the results much better.

Chris

 

[KISS BBQ Team]

In my opinion $1000 is alot to spend to find out you don't like it and then wonder if the other would have been better. Do you have friends/family that have a charcoal or pellet you can take a look at? If not, maybe go a little cheaper at first like a barrel house or pit barrel for charcoal (probably can find on clearance now at walmart for under $200; use brickseek) or a small traeger (costco road shows usually have them around $350). I have two traegers and a vertical drum smoker and think both produce great food.

 

[texomakid]

Is one cooker ever enough? Love my pellet grill/smoker and I know I'm gonna love the WSM 22" charcoal grill/smoker the more I use it. They're not even close to method, effort, or flavor profile. I just can't beat the ease and light smoke flavor I get with my pellet grill. Hard to beat cooking with wood.