Egg Smoker vs. Pellet Smoker

[mikebackon]

I’m new to this sub and I’m sure this topic has been addressed so if someone wants to link me to an old post I’ll be happy to read on my own.

Moved into my first house and really want to treat myself with a nice new smoker. I’ve tried a few things off a buddies pellet smoker and thought the flavor and texture of the meat was out of this world. I also like the convenience factor of being able to start the pellet grill quicker and easier than with charcoal.

With that being said... what man/woman doesn’t like standing in front of their grill with a beer/whiskey drank while we watch/listen to the meat sizzling while the smell of bbq provides me that instant stress relief and self worth lol.

On the pellet smokers I’ve heard that each brand of grill requires their own brand specific pellets. Does anyone know if that is true or not?

 

[mike243]

False big time, several brands out there that are 100% wood that it sez on the bag apple hickory mesquite ect and a blend of the different woods can be great also and are mostly advertised as a competition blend.All can be used by any pellet smoker, you will read that certain smokers give better flavors than others but I cant say how true that is with only owning 1. but like the old saying goes buy once cry once . good luck picking 1 as the choice is large these days and the prices can be up there,

 

[fivetricks]

You make your own decisions but my 2 cents on the topic is this. Concerning flavor, i rate them as follows:

Wood>charcoal>pellet>electric

If you're running a pellet tray in the electric, then it would be

Wood>charcoal>electric>pellet

But that's just my personal take away

 

[Spodie Odie]

I agree with that. You can't beat a good stick burner.. but you also don't want to go too cheap on one and not take care of it by having the firebox rust out. My dad has an egg and I have a pellet smoker. So I get the best of both worlds. I love my Traeger (with Wi-Fi) because I can let it smoke while I am at work. Whichever you choose you will have to do several cooks on them and learn. I would suggest finding friends or family with the smoker you are looking into and testing/ helping them out. Then you can get a feel for the amount of work you will need to put into smoking. If you want more work then go towards charcoal/ wood. Less work would be pellet/ electric.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I just did an entire cook of a pork shoulder for pulled pork and a rack of spare ribs on my Rec Tec RT-700 Pellet grill. This things holds temps perfectly so much so that I put the shoulder on at midnight and went to bed and slept like a baby because I didn't have to babysit the smoker.
I love my smoker and to me it was the best value for the money! And their customer service is hands down the best in the business! PERIOD!

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...-and-pork-shoulder.289616/page-2#post-1984977

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

That's a tough one man. Each has their own pros and cons. I don't own either so take my opinion in vein but have family members that do own them.

The egg provides quite a bit of versatility with temps and what you can do with it. Not a lot of keep up. They hold pretty steady on temps once you get a feel for how it works. Have had some great BBQ and amazing pizza cooked on an egg and personally would love to have one.

The pellet is more of an ease thing. More of a set and forget it. But also has a lot of working parts that can go bad. Also see that a lot of folks have to add a smoke tube to get the smoke flavor they are seeking.

Like Odie said if you know people with both go play around with them before dropping 1k on something you might not like. Also check local craigslist might find a good deal on a used one.

 

[eddiememphis]

On the pellet smokers I’ve heard that each brand of grill requires their own brand specific pellets. Does anyone know if that is true or not?

Not true. Pellets will generally work in any grill. They tend to be a uniform size to fit through the auger.

However, there is a huge difference between pellet brands. Some are made of floor sweepings, some are made from virgin wood.

I was unhappy with my GMG Crockett until I found good pellets. I was also told to run the pellet smoker at a lower temperature than I was used to. I used to do a tri tip at 215° to 225° but now I do it at 170°. The meat is much smokier that way.

 

[smokerjim]

I do like grilling on charcoal grills but I only did it 1 maybe 2 times a week, got a pitboss 1000 not to long ago, I use that now 4-5 times a week and basically put the grill in the garage, pellet grills/smokers are just so convenient to use it's hard for me to go back to charcoal even though I will say charcoal does have a better flavor. as for smoking on pellet grills the higher the temp the less smoke you will get. there are a lot of different pellet grills out there so do your homework and try and get the right one the first time. good luck

 

[PapaLlama]

I think the core decision of pellet vs charcoal comes down to personal preference.

I love charcoal for so many reasons, not just the flavor. Myself, and possibly a friend, can sit outside & enjoy the process while puffing on stogies. The challenge that charcoal sometimes causes makes it feel rewarding to conquer it. It feels like an art, more than a science. I was the same way with my decision to get a charcoal grill, long before I ever thought about smoking.

That said, I don't have children or a tight schedule. I have plenty of friends who swear by the pellet grills & their food is still delicious.

 

[forktender]

If you like the food that came off the pellet cooker buy one, then you can always buy a Weber Kettle off of Craigs list used for $25 to $40 depending on which one you pick.
Then you have the option to use either one, it's nice to have options.

 

[jcam222]

They all have their benefits but honesty charcoal based, egg , kettle or cabinet really don’t take long to start and get to temp. I have an electric loop for my egg. It goes in under the charcoal , plug it in and it’s lit in just a few minutes. Not much longer and its up to temp to cook