Electric smoker issues

[Bigbad]

What is the best pellet to use. New to smoking. I'm thinking I should use better quality pellet. Not getting that smoke flavor

 

[johnmeyer]

As I'm sure everyone else will tell you: Todd's pellets are the best. I especially like his Pittmaster and Hickory.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

What smoker are you using?

 

[Bigbad]

What smoker are you using?

Pit boss

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I use Lumberjack Pellets, but that might cost an arm and a leg to get shipped.

I also use pitboss fruitwood blend as a general go to and keep corn cob pellets on hand for pork I want a stronger flavour to as well.

 

[normanaj]

I'm not one to pay shipping for pellets.Locally Pitboss pellets are readily available and that's what I use mainly.If Lumberjack is available then I go with them.Todd's are great but they're just not available retail...gotta buy online.

As long as they're dry and stored properly I've had zero issues with the Pitboss pellets.Plus I also use them ground with a coffee bean grinder in the AMNTS (tube) with u-bolt mod.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I pretty much gave up on MES. Was using lumberjack and just not happy with flavor. Smelled great but flavor just not there. Did get better after in fridge couple days. Gone back to WSM. I do use it to finish sometimes.

 

[sigmo]

I'm curious what model of Pit Boss smoker you're using.

Burning pellets in something like the AMNPS, I get such economical use from the pellets that I use mostly the pellets from Todd. I order in larger batches to keep shipping cost reasonable, and don't need to order very often.

I use various types, but his Pitmaster's Choice is my favorite for most things.

I looked at a Pitt Boss that I thought was an electric smoker, but figured out was actually a pellet burner. It plugged in to 120VAC to operate its controller, blower, and pellet feeder as well as the igniter. But the actual cooking heat is derived from burning large quantities of pellets. It's like a pellet stove, essentially.

Anyhow, before I figured out that it made its heat by burning pellets like a pellet stove, its massive pellet hopper (holds 60 pounds of pellets!) seemed odd.

If I did go with one of these pellet burner smokers, I'd probably look for a cheaper type of pellet because I'd be going through tons of them!

However, for an all-electric smoker, if you use a smoke generator like an AMNPS, you get great smoke flavor using a relatively small amount of pellets, and that makes Todd's pellets very attractive.

Since you've been getting too little smoke flavor, I'm curious about your exact setup.

 

[Bigbad]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Pro-Series-4-Vertical-Wood-Pellet-Smoker/1000601259

 

[Bigbad]

Gonna try a AMNPS next smoke

 

[Bigbad]

The heat source does not come from the pellets, it only uses the pellets for the "smoke". I could empty all pellets and still cook my meat with the heat this thing gives off.

 

[sigmo]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Pro-Series-4-Vertical-Wood-Pellet-Smoker/1000601259

The heat source does not come from the pellets, it only uses the pellets for the "smoke". I could empty all pellets and still cook my meat with the heat this thing gives off.

If the link you posted is, indeed the smoker you have, then it is like the one that had me fooled for a while when I ran across it at a local Wal Mart.

I really liked the size and the way the racks could be positioned in many different places, but alas, like the one you linked to, it is not actually an "electric smoker". It's what they call on here a "pellet smoker".

You can tell this for sure by the specifications that show the wattage for the unit to be only 250 Watts. The one I was looking at had a 200 Watt "ignitor", that gets hot and ignites the pellets. It also had a blower that forces air over the pellets to make them burn well, and it may use the blower speed to control how much heat is being produced as part of the temperature control system. (Then again, maybe they run the blower full blast at all times and control the temperature purely by how fast the feed the pellets into the combustion chamber - beats me!)

It is, indeed, just like a pellet stove in the way it feeds, ignites, and blows air over the pellets to generate the heat for the "oven" compartment.

You may still be able to use an AMNPS inside to provide better smoke. But I'm not sure of the particulars of how to make that work the best.

The problem you may be having is that the way these pellet smokers burn the pellets with forced air over them, it may make them actually burn too well, so you don't get as much smoke as you're wanting.

So an additional smoke generator, such as an AMNPS might help. But you'd still need to use "fuel pellets" to get high cooking temperatures because these smokers are heated by burning those fuel pellets. I'm sure the idea is that you get the heat and the smoke at the same time from that. And it seems like it might work well. But I've never tried one, so I can't offer much advice.

You could ask in the Pellet Smoker forum here, and see if people have some advice for how to get more smoke flavor when running a pellet smoker.

The unit I was looking at was called a Copperhead, and it was rather large. The size and the adjustable racks and overall construction caught my eye, but I was disappointed when I figured out that it wasn't an electric smoker. Still, I have thought about buying one and modifying it by installing a 220V heating element for an oven, and then controlling it with a PID controller. I'd have to wire in a 220V outlet to operate it, but that's a relatively easy chore the way my garage is set up.

The true electric smokers made by Pit Boss are all smaller, so they'd be no better than what I already have (an MES 40). But I really would like to have one the size of that Copperhead. But I like the convenience of being able to run long smokes largely unattended, and with a pellet burner, I'd be more afraid of leaving it burning without more supervision.

So if the smoker you have is actually the one that you linked to, I'm afraid you will have to always use "fuel pellets" to heat it. But perhaps there is a way to use an AMNPS or something like that to get additional smoke. And maybe you can burn less expensive pellets as the heating fuel, but buy more "premium grade" pellets to use in the smoke generator and get the best of both worlds that way.

I am intrigued by the pellet burners. The house my son had before moving had two pellet stoves, and they did a good job of heating the house. It also had electric baseboard heat, but electricity is an awfully expensive way to heat a house. He really liked the pellet stoves even though they were a bit more work than just running the electric heat. And they saved him a LOT of money every winter.