Soaked Chip Smokers vs Pellet Smokers

I have a Weber Junior Joe that I use for Cedar Plank fish. For that, I soak the plank for 30 minutes prior to the cook and use the lid with the top and bottom vents fully open. It seems that the small cooking area is just right to cook 1lb of Salmon in 20 minutes.

I use a Weber kettle charcoal grill for beer can chicken. I set it up for indirect heat by placing buried wood chunks under unlit coals on both sides, lighting a full chimney starter of coals and pouring half on each side. I set up the chicken in a foil pan in the middle and tent it with foil half way into the cook. Top and bottom vents fully open and I get a great smoke throughout the cook. Done when the breast is at least 160 and the thigh is 185.

For pork butt, ribs, fish, and chicken, I use a Weber Bullet smoker. Use the minion method to start the coals which is basically burying wood chunks in the coals, then dumping a full lit chimney of coals on top.

I'm thinking on getting a pellet smoker - trager or Davy Crockett just for the ability of unattended long cooks like brisket or butt.

I've never felt the need to soak my wood chunks - most of the reading I've done on suggest not to. I've also read that the smoke flavor is imparted into the meat early in the cook and there is no need to have continuous smoke.

If I were new to it, I'd start with the pellet smoker. I've not researched the different pellets, but people on here including Super Dave swear by them.

Vintage465 wrote:
Actually as a person who makes and smokes sausage, ham, Canadian Bacon, bacon, etc., what has not been mentioned here is the flavor of the smoke. There is a much different flavor from chips,chunks or even dust that is soaked or dampened then the flavor of smoke from dry chips, chunks and dust. Especially when smoking @ low temps with cured products such as hams and bacon. For hot smoking, or BBQing in the 225-250 range if you soak chips or dampen dust and put it in some kind of vessel like a small stainless container the smoke flavor is very gentle and not dry and dusty. Usually if I am doing something uncured like ribs, pork shoulder, or brisket I will put a chuck of wood about the size of a tennis ball that is dry on the edge of the fire so it struggles to burn and smokes slowly. With BBQing, what I've found is gentle smoke over a longer period of time produces a flavor that I like better then lots of smoke all the time or lots of hot smoke a short time.....and like everyone says, it has to do with your smoker, experience level and particular taste........

The goal, regardless of what you are using is thin blue smoke (TBS). If your pumping out heavy white smoke, your going to get a bitter, heavy smoke flavor. TBS is a smooth subtle flavor. Depending on the smoker, it may be harder to achieve TBS on a stick burner then say a electric smoker.

My neighbor gets samples of my cooks, and recently picked up a offset stick burner. As a greenhorn, he didn't realize the billowing white smoke was not desirable. His first few attempts were disappointing.

Regardless of the smoker, the biggest key is knowing your smoker and how to control temp and smoke.

Some like the traditional stick burner. Tending the fire, adding the proper amount of wood for heat, smoke is part of the journey. Others want to hit a button, and sit back and let the cooker do the rest.

I enjoy both methods, but I'll admit, my pellet smoker is getting a lot more use then my other smokers.

Actually as a person who makes and smokes sausage, ham, Canadian Bacon, bacon, etc., what has not been mentioned here is the flavor of the smoke. There is a much different flavor from chips,chunks or even dust that is soaked or dampened then the flavor of smoke from dry chips, chunks and dust. Especially when smoking @ low temps with cured products such as hams and bacon. For hot smoking, or BBQing in the 225-250 range if you soak chips or dampen dust and put it in some kind of vessel like a small stainless container the smoke flavor is very gentle and not dry and dusty. Usually if I am doing something uncured like ribs, pork shoulder, or brisket I will put a chuck of wood about the size of a tennis ball that is dry on the edge of the fire so it struggles to burn and smokes slowly. With BBQing, what I've found is gentle smoke over a longer period of time produces a flavor that I like better then lots of smoke all the time or lots of hot smoke a short time.....and like everyone says, it has to do with your smoker, experience level and particular taste........

Super_Dave wrote:
Find you a piece of sheet metal that will cover your chip pan. Drill a half dozen to a dozen holes in it. The wood will not catch fire and just smolder/produce smoke.

I have done this with both my electric and gas smoker, however, the loose foil packet worked better in my gasser. Now I place the amznts tube in a mailbox that is piped to my smoker. Works great.

Super_Dave wrote:
Find you a piece of sheet metal that will cover your chip pan. Drill a half dozen to a dozen holes in it. The wood will not catch fire and just smolder/produce smoke.

Thanks much:C

I carry a Weber charcoal grill and use soaked wood chips when I cook on it.

I also carry a pellet smoker. I love this thing. Excellent temp control. Set it and forget it. And great results.

As someone already said - 2 different animals. You can't beat a dedicated smoker. But these pellet grills can do it all. I have a cooking temp range of 160 - 450 degrees. And it will hold the temp I set almost perfectly all day long while I am off doing something else.

You will not get the deep smoke flavor from a pellet grill, but it's reasonably close. The chicken, ribs, roasts, steaks etc. I cook on it disappear pretty doggone fast !

Find you a piece of sheet metal that will cover your chip pan. Drill a half dozen to a dozen holes in it. The wood will not catch fire and just smolder/produce smoke.

Dave, I have an old electric smoker that I used with soaked chips/chunks. I'm open to better methods though.

magnusfide wrote:

mowin wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
BTW, soaking chips or chunks has been proven to be a waste of time. It just takes longer to start the smoke process and doesn't make the smoke last any longer.

X2. Just produces steam until they dry out.

I'll ask the two pros, SuperDave and mowin:
How do you set up your chips/chunks if you don't soak them?

Knowing your smoker is key. They all perform a little different. Electric, propane or charcoal would have different answers to your question. I have some of everything and do my prep according to which one I'm using that day. For a novice, I recommend foil boats which is a fancy term for loosely wrapped chips in foil to reduce oxygen. That allows the chips to smolder without igniting. Magnus, what do you use for a smoker and I can advise more specifically.

Dave

I haven't used my traditional smokers since I got my pellet grill, although I did use an electric smoker, if smoker is what you want to call it for some "wrapped" ribs when I was trying to get 36 full racks of ribs done at pretty much the same time for a memorial day BBQ. The pellet grill has great temperature control without having to tend it, you never have to worry about cutting the air down to much when trying to lower the temp, and getting the nasty taste that come about because of that, and it's easier to control for either a light, or heavier smoke flavor. You do have to do a little experimenting to find the right pellets, as some are "flavored" rather than obtaining their flavor profile naturally. Other than the traditional pulled pork cuts, ribs, briskets etc. I do several prime ribs a year on the pellet grill, use it at a higher temp for thanksgiving turkey, and in the summer find pizza comes out great when you use it as just a wood fired oven. They tend to be quite flexible.