{"id":12585,"date":"2023-03-09T10:02:23","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T10:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/?p=12585"},"modified":"2023-03-09T10:02:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T10:02:31","slug":"pellet-vs-electric-smokers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/pellet-vs-electric-smokers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pellet vs Electric Smokers: Fight It Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The biggest differences between pellet and electric smokers are their primary heat sources and the flavor they yield. Pellet smokers use wood pellets to smoke meat, hence the smoke ring and smoke flavor. While electric smokers use electricity to cook, wood chips only add a mild smoky flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having worked as a pitmaster, I have had the chance to try out both pellet smokers and electric smokers<\/a>. Both can yield, flavorful results when used right. However, I would pick a pellet smoker any day of the week but only because I enjoy a nice, protruding smoke ring on my meat. Likewise, the right smoker for you should rest solely on your preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you decide, I have outlined the difference between electric smokers and pellet smokers in this article. I have also discussed how both these appliances function as well as their pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"pellet<\/figure>\n\n\n

Pellet Smoker vs Electric Smokers: A One On One<\/h2>\n\n\n

Feature<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Pellet Smoker<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Electric Smoker<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>

Orientation<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Vertical<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Horizontal<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>

Heat Source<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Hardwood Pellets<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Electric Element<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>

Smoke Intensity<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

High-Intense<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Low<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>

Moisture<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

High<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Low<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr>

Potential Cooking Capacity<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

Low<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td>

High<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

What Are the Differences Between Between Pellet Grills and Electric Smokers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pellet and electric smokers differ in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat Source<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both pellet and electric smokers use electricity but their major difference is the heat used to smoke food. An electric smoker relies on an electric heating element to generate the heat that will cook your meat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pellet grill on the other hand is fitted with a heat rod. This rod is powered by electricity and in turn, it combusts the wood. It is the heat from this combustion that cooks the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Tie<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flavor Intensity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since electric and pellet smokers use different sources of heat to smoke meat, you can expect them to yield different flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an electric smoker, the heating element is the only source of heat. All that circulates within the cooking chamber is hot air and water vapor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to add a smoke flavor to your meat, add some wood chips to the wood tray. As the chips smolder, some of the flavors will be imparted to your meat. This is a far cry from the volume of smoke a pellet smoker generates where wood pellets, as the primary source of heat, produce rich, dense smoke consistently for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More of the smoke can penetrate the meat fibers in a pellet smoker because it is encouraged to circulate within the chamber through convection. The same cannot be said for an electric smoker. The taste of meat smoked using wood is distinct and unmistakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Pellet Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moisture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Moisture within the cooking chamber of a smoker comes from the meat, combustion of wood, and a water pan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electric smokers produce dry heat for two reasons. First is because they don’t have the benefit of combusting wood pellets that release their moisture as they burn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, due to their design, moisture content drawn from the smoking meat is lost to the surroundings all too soon instead of being encouraged to stay within the cooking chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep your meat moist in an electric smoker, you have to introduce moisture into the food chamber using a water pan. Be sure to keep your water pan halfway. Any more might cause it to spill over when it boils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pellet grills typically utilize indirect heat to cook your food. The moisture from the combustion of pellets and the meat is circulated within the food chamber, keeping the meat from drying out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This method allows you to make a tender and succulent BBQ even without the water pan, especially for short cooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Pellet Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease Of Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both pellet smokers and electric smokers are simple to operate. They require minimum maintenance if they are well-handled and regularly serviced. However, the pellet smoker requires you to empty the ash and clean out the grease, preferably after every BBQ session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The electric smoker is a breeze when it comes to cleaning. The cooking grates and the walls of the cooking chamber can easily be cleaned using warm water and regular dish soap. There is no ash or grease deposits to get rid of making this an easy enough process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as smoking meat is concerned, an electric smoker is a ‘set it to forget it’ appliance. You just load in your pull temperature, put in your meat, and wait for it to conclude the countdown. It doesn’t get any easier than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Electric Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"BBQ<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Smoke Rings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A great ring is an outstanding performance badge for all BBQ warriors. That deep, red, rustic outer layer is enabled by a chemical reaction<\/a> that takes place between the wood-flavored smoke and sodium nitrate in the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both electric smokers and pellet smokers can maintain temperatures low enough to impart a ring but you would also need a lot of smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pellet smoker generates intense smoke since wood is the primary source of heat. The same cannot be said for an electric smoker. This is one feature that skews the pellet smoker vs electric smoker debate in favor of pellet smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Pellet Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Versatility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shopping for a smoking appliance is no small feat so make sure you get our money’s worth. To that effect, I advocate for versatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since an electric smoker can’t reach certain temperatures, there are other cooking methods you can’t use with this appliance, including searing and broiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many electric smokers offer a maximum temperature of 275\u00baF whereas pellet smokers typically get to a maximum temp of at least 450\u00baF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to note that cold smoking is not an option with a pellet smoker. Cold smoking<\/a> demands very low temperatures of around 86\u00baF -120\u00baF for delicate foods like cheese, eggs, and seafood. Pellet smokers run too hot to be efficient at cold smoking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Pellet Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The heat and smoke from burning wood pellets are necessary to get your pellet smoker going. This involves an open fire which presents a hazard, especially in a house that has kids or pets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This design and the smoke make a pellet smoker more suitable for outdoor cooking. Pellet smokers shouldn’t be left unattended for long periods and should be kept far from any flammable materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electric smokers do not pose the same risk. They use electricity to produce heat. This is why a lot of apartment buildings allow free use of electric smokers but require pellet smokers to be used on balconies or fire escapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, any appliance that uses heat can pose a safety hazard if not used correctly. To this end, err on the side of caution and place your electric smoker away from water and on a flat surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Electric Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In general, electric smokers are more affordable compared to pellet smokers. Pellet smokers go for between 400-3000 dollars depending on brand, size, and features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electric smokers are priced much lower between 100-1000 dollars. These prices obviously vary depending on the specifications, size, and brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Electric Smoker<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"BBQ<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

What is a Pellet Smoker and How Does It Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A pellet smoker is also called a pellet grill. A pellet smoker offers you the option of smoking, grilling, baking, and roasting meat. Pellet grills operate on electricity and are wood-fired. Simply put, you connect to an outlet to turn on its function but the wood fire cooks your meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are horizontally oriented to support most of the components. So what are these components and why are they important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hopper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The hopper is fitted on the side of the pellet grill. This is where you pour your supply of hardwood pellets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the size and brand of your grill, the hopper capacity may be large or small. Some pellet grills have a hopper capacity of 20 lbs and others 5 lbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A larger capacity will give your smoker longer periods of uninterrupted cooking. From there, the wood pellets met the auger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Auger<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This component is responsible for feeding pellets into the firepot. It’s a rotating shaft made of metal that shuffles the wood forward. It is powered by an electric motor, called an auger motor which is connected to a controller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The auger and the digital controller are what set pellet grills apart from other cooking appliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Digital Controller<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just like with an oven, you start by inputting your pull temperature in the control panel. This controller is connected to a sensor located in the food chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of the sensor as a thermometer built into your grill. If the temperature measured by the sensor is less or more than the set temp, it rotates the auger slower or faster. This will either speed up pellets into the firebox or slow them down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the pellet grill finally reaches the set temperature, the controller does one of two things: feeds pellets at a rate that maintains the temp or stops feeding pellets altogether. Pretty simple, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fire Pot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is where the hoppers go to meet their demise, the pot of fire. It houses an electric rod whose sole job is to ignite wood pellets. They then produce smoke and heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting right above the firepot is a deflector plate. It is commonly referred to as a baffle plate. It serves two functions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. It keeps the firepot safe from drippings to avoid flare-ups<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. To distribute heat and smoke inside the grill<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Smoked<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    The Fan and Blower<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Regardless of fuel type, it is oxygen that fuels a fire. Without oxygen, your fire will choke. This is where the fan and blower come in. They blow in air from the surrounding into the firepot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Just like we work the vents of a charcoal grill or a Kamado grill to manipulate the amount of oxygen, the fan kicks in to drive more air rich in oxygen into the chamber when a higher temperature is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Chimney<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The chimney is typically located either on one end away from the pellet hopper or behind the cooking chamber. It is also called a smokestack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The chimney allows for a sufficient flow of air within the system by expelling gases from the combustion of the system. Optimum airflow ensures that your meat smokes evenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What Are the Pros and Cons of the Pellet Smoker?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n