The pellet bbq smoker is one of the most popular smokers used in America. Many hardcore bbq folks not only love their pellet smokers, but are competing with them and winning. While hard core bbq folks will scoff at this type of wood pellet grill saying it’s an “easy bake oven” they forget their offset smokers are easy bake ovens as well. They are all ovens.
With the right techniques, you can get fantastic smoke flavor from a pellet smoker but it’s not easy to get that extreme smoke flavor if that’s what you are looking for.
TIPS TO GET GOOD FLAVOR
1. Use high quality bbq pellets that are 100% pure wood with no binders or fillers. If you are buying a pellet, make sure you confirm it is 100% of what you expect. Many manufactures use furniture shavings, and other filler woods to make their pellets so if you cannot guarantee it is 100%, then it very well may not be.
2. Smoke at the correct temperature. 225ºF and higher is too high for the initial “smoking process”. I use 180ºF to 220ºF for smoking which produces great blue smoke and provides maximum smoke flavor from your pellets. As you increase heat past 225ºF you will decrease your smoke and decrease your smoke flavor as the wood pellets will be full combusting (all fire all the time).
3. Stop lookin! If you are lookin’ you are not cookin! Many people open the smoker to see how things are going. Many open the smoker to spritz, or wrap yet in many cases you do not need to spritz or wrap. There is nothing wrong with spritzing or wrapping if that works for you but I have proven through many of my videos that it is not necessary just like mustard is not necessary ever, nor are binders but people do it all the time because that’s what they have seen and what they are used to doing.
CONVENIENCE
Pellet smokers provide “convenience” and are great for those who truly want to set it and forget it, along with having a digital adjustment ability and wireless monitoring of the temperature. Many smokers today come with probe ports with or without probes but the capability is there. On the Yoder-YS640S it comes with 2 ports and 2 probes so you can monitor your pit temperature (inside the smoker) as well as 2 areas of the protein you are smoking. That’s three temperatures you can monitor.
NOT ALL PELLET SMOKERS ARE EQUAL
Many smokers are on the market and they are not all equal. Most retail box stores carry smokers that are made of thinner metal and not necessarily 100% steel. These are Chinese made smokers such as Traeger, Pit Boss, Z Grills, NexGrills and many others. These are all good choices for your first smoker but you should not expect them to last a lifetime.
American made smokers with American thick steel will last you a life time. Yes they may show rust (which you can easily fix) after many years outside (highly recommend a cover for all your BBQs and smokers) but the American made smokers are superior in build quality and all thick steel or stainless steel. Customer support is also superior to many of the big box brands but I will say I have found Pit Boss customer service to be exemplary (yes I own Pit Boss as well).
CONCLUSION
For your first pellet smoker that won’t break the bank or if you are on a tight budget, I would suggest Pit Boss. For American made pellet smokers such as Yoder (which is made in Yoder, Kansas) you will buy once and cry once as you fork out that credit card, but it is worth it. Owning a handmade bbq smoker made in America is definitely going to keep you very happy and cooking for many years to come.
