I was sure pellet grills were a waste of money until last month

I spent 15 years as a stick burner purist, the kind of guy who gets up at 4am to feed a fire all day. My buddy Mike from the Memphis in May competition circuit kept telling me to try his Traeger for a brisket. I laughed at him every time for about 2 years straight. Finally, after my shoulder gave out from splitting wood, I caved and borrowed his pit for a Sunday cook. I put on a 14 pound prime packer at 10pm, went to bed, and woke up to a perfect 203 degree internal temp with no babysitting. The bark wasn't as crunchy as my offset, but the smoke ring was deep and the meat was moist all the way through. Now I'm looking at used pellet smokers on Facebook Marketplace this week. Has anyone else switched from stick to pellets and regretted it or felt like they sold out?

2 comments

2 Comments

thead441mo ago

My buddy Dan from the backyard BBQ scene in Austin got a Camp Chef last summer and he's been singing a different tune ever since. I get that you found convenience with the pellet grill and that's cool for some people, but for me the whole point of smoking meat is the ritual and the control you get from a stick burner. The bark difference is a dealbreaker for me personally, that crunchy exterior is what makes brisket special and pellets just can't nail it the same way. I think you might miss that deep smoky flavor after a few cooks, but hey you do you and I hope it works out.

eric_ramirez671mo ago

Man listen I gotta push back on that bark thing a bit because I've seen pellet grills put out some seriously dark crunchy bark especially with the right rub and a long cook, it's all about how you manage that final stage and if anything the consistent temp means less chance of ruining it compared to babysitting a fire all night. And that deep smoky flavor? People act like pellets are flavored dust but good quality ones like Lumberjack give you tons of smoke if you run it low and slow, sometimes even cleaner than an offset that's smoldering bad wood.