When you look at pellet smoker reviews, you see that the people who like them love them. And the people who don’t have legitimate complaints. The following is a list of the pros and cons of using pellet smokers.
Pellet Smokers
Pros
- These are easy to use. You set the temperature and forget about it. You can change the temperature easily
- Pellets are relatively inexpensive and easy to purchase.
- The grills require very little maintenance.
- They are generally easy to reload, allowing you to smoke your meat for a long time.
- Are not heavy and can be easily transported.
- They produce little to no ash.
Cons
- Smaller pellet smokers have a low-capacity loader, so you constantly need to add more pellets.
- They are not well insulated.
- You are forced to use pellets, and in some areas your choice of pellets is limited.
- It may not create enough smoke to give you a strong barbecue flavor.
- The mechanical auger may jam or break.
- The device relies on electricity to function.
Pellet Smokers Compared to Other Types of Smokers
The top pellet smokers on the market are ingenious in their design, and they have won the loyalty of many smokers.
Still, some people prefer to use a traditional charcoal smoker, a propane smoker, or an electric smoker. Here is how these units stack up to one another.
The best pellet grill smoker has the benefit of being easy to light and easy to use. With a pellet smoker, you put the pellets in the hopper, light the heating unit, and you don’t have to worry about it.
Charcoal Smokers
Conversely, with a charcoal smoker, you struggle to light the charcoal, and then throughout the entire cooking time, you need to check the backup on the unit to make sure that it’s functioning properly.
A charcoal unit is going to provide a more powerful authentic smoke flavor when compared to a pellet smoker.
Gas Smokers
Electric pellet smoker reviews show that gas smokers and pellet smokers are comparable in that they both can be set to a particular temperature and left alone.
The one advantage that a pellet smoker has over a gas smoker is that with a pellet smoker, you can say that you are cooking with wood because the pellets are compressed wood.
Electric Smokers
An electric smoker and a pellet smoker, according to the reviews, both allow you to set the temperature and walk away. However, the flavor that you’re going to get from a pellet smoker is a lot stronger as compared to an electric one.
Pellet smokers allow you a little bit more versatility than an electric smoker, whereas electric smokers are better at maintaining and controlling the temperature inside the cook box.
Things To Consider
Price
The first thing to consider before purchasing a pellet smoker is your budget. This will allow you to buy the pellet smoker for the money.
If you are a beginner, you do not need to get an expensive unit to produce results. However, if you have some experience and you want to take your smoking to the next level, you may look into a more expensive model to get some of the features you want.
Size
How much food are you going to smoke? This is important because some of the top pellet smokers are relatively large.
And if you’re not looking at smoking a lot of meat, you might purchase a unit that’s too big. Conversely, if you buy a unit that’s too small, you are going to be frustrated because you’re going to make some delicious meat just not as much as you need.
Metal Thickness
You want your smoker to retain heat and maintain a constant temperature. If you purchase something inexpensive, yet made with a thin metal, you’re going to regret it because you’re going to be constantly fighting with the temperature.
A Quality Auger
At the end of the day, the functionality of your pellet smoker depends on how well the auger works. Do not go cheap on the auger. If you do, it’ll jam, it’ll break, and your unit will not work.
Other Pellet Smoker Brands
Yoder Smokers
Yoder is a company that believes that there’s nothing wrong with a little competition, especially when you are competing at something that matters, like smoking meat. Has made a name for itself by producing some of the pellet grill smokers to be used in competitions.
Yoder understands that when it comes to smoking meat, competition could be competing against other pitmasters for a large prize or simply competing against your next-door neighbor to see who can make the best piece of meat.
When you read Yoder pellet smoker reviews, you can see that this dedication to excellence and desire to bring only the smokers to market has won Yoder a considerable amount of praise.
Has created smokers that weigh between 255 pounds and over 1,200 pounds. The products they make are designed to last a lifetime.
Camp Chef Smokers
Camp Chef understands that great food will always bring people together.
For this reason, for the past two decades, they have worked hard to create smokers who show they understand that there is a better way to cook outdoors.
The products they produce go from the very simple to the most involved and versatile cooking systems on the market. They understand what it means to enjoy food in the great outdoors thanks in part to their headquarters being located in Cache Valley, Utah.
All you have to do is look at Camp Chef pellet grill and smoker reviews to know that they have been able to consistently produce a product their customers enjoy.
Green Mountain Grills
The people at Green Mountain have found something that they love and put their hearts into it.
They realize that for them grilling with pellets is so much better than using charcoal or gas.
After working with pellets for a few years, it became apparent to them that a good pellet smoker was going to need some improvements, so they made their own.
Now, their products as attested to by Green Mountain pellet smoker reviews, are some of the top 10 electric smokers that use pellets on the market.
Its goal is to produce the highest quality without charging its customers the highest price. Their commitment to offering their customers five-star customer care has won them a loyal following.
Smoker Pellets
You could buy yourself the top-rated electric smoker that uses pellets, read an in-depth pellet smoker review, buy the most expensive model out there, and still end up with disappointing results all because you had the wrong pellets. The following are a few tips on getting the pellets for your smoker.
Choosing the right pellets comes down to understanding how the flavor from your pellet is going to work with your meat.
Apple pellets
Apple pellets are going to add the best flavor to poultry or pork. This is because apple pellets have a very fruity smoke and work well with mild meats. They even add a nice flavor to a smoke-roasted apple pie.
Cherry pellets
Cherry pellets have a powerful flavor. Use these if you are going to cook beef ribs. If you couple this with a nice rub, you won’t have to worry about barbecue sauce.
Hickory pellets
Hickory pellets are some of the most popular pellets used in barbecue. Has a strong yet pleasant flavor that adds to the quality of your meat. If you feel that hickory is too overpowering, why not mix it with a little apple to give a sweeter taste?
Pellet Smoker Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or bacon fat)
- ¼ C butter, melted
- ¼ C oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 C buttermilk
- 1 C cornmeal
- ½ C white sugar
- 1 C unbleached white flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Preparation:
- Preheat the Pellet Grill to 375 F*
- Grease an 8” cast iron frying pan with bacon fat and set it inside the smoker while it pre-heats.
- Mix the melted butter, oil, eggs, and buttermilk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, white flour, salt, and baking soda.
- With a few swift strokes combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. The batter will be a bit lumpy.
- Pour batter into the hot cast iron pan and place it on the lower rack of the pre-heated smoker. Close the lid, and bake for 35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread should come out clean when the bread is done.
