Pellet Smoker Vs Electric Smoker – Breaking Down The Key Differences

Pellet Smoker – A Working Overview

A pellet grill is one of the most popular cooking appliances among BBQ enthusiasts, mainly because of its versatility.

It may be named a smoker, but you can also consider it a grill and use it for grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, etc.

They require electricity to operate, just like an electric smoker, so you need to find a suitable place for them near an electric socket. The auger, fan system, igniter, and digital control panel inside a pellet grill work through electricity.

The fuel source of these smokers is wood pellets that produce natural wood fire and smoke to cook foods and impart unique smoky flavors into them.

The components and the operating mechanism of pellet smokers are different from electric smokers. A pellet grill usually has a hopper, auger, fire pot, hot rod, circulation fan, and a cooking chamber with multiple grates.

Here’s how a pellet grill works.

The wood pellets are placed in a box called a hopper, typically located on the side of the smoker. The hoppers come in different sizes, depending on the model of your grill.

When you plug a pellet grill into an electric outlet and press the turn-on button, the auger starts working and moves wood pellets from the hopper to the firepot.

Near the firepot is a hot rod that initiates the burning procedure of pellets, and they start smoldering and producing heat and smoke. Also, a 20lb bag of wood pellets typically lasts for 8 to 20 hours which is a fair trade.

The circulation fan then circulates the heat and smoke throughout the cooking area, where you place your food items. 

As the heat produced by pellets enters the cooking area, it cooks your food to perfection, while the smoke adds delicious smoky flavors to the food. 

Pellet smokers provide a digital control panel where you can adjust the cooking temperature, auger’s speed, cooking duration, and smoke level. 

Moreover, you will see many models with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity features that allow you to monitor your cooking sessions through your smartphone or tablet.

Overall, they work automatically, making smoking and grilling sessions a breeze for both beginners and experienced chefs. To get the most out of pellet grills, you should learn the tips and tricks about them. 

Pellet Smoker Pros

Pellet smokers have many noticeable advantages, making them unique among other grills and smokers. Let’s highlight the most prominent benefits of these smokers.

• Multifunctional: They have a wide temperature range of around 150 °F to 500 °F, which allows you to cook your foods with different methods, such as grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, etc.
• Convenience: A pellet smoker offers a set-and-forget cooking style because they work automatically and don’t require manual ignition. Also, temperature control is a breeze thanks to their advanced digital control panels.
• Wi-Fi and bluetooth ability: Many pellet grills offer the feature of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity through which you can set the temperature, cooking duration, and smoke level from your phone using an app.
• Quick cleaning: They burn the pellets efficiently, which creates less ash and makes cleaning easier for you. Many of them have a removable drawer that catches all the ash of pellets, and you can empty the drawer easily.
• Tastier and flavorful foods: Pellet grills can add unique smoky flavors to your food, which you may not achieve through gas and electricity. Also, the food cooked through pellet grills is tastier, more delicious, and tender.
• Constant temperature: Many grillers face the issue of undercooked brisket or steaks. If you are also one of them, you will love using pellet grills that provide consistent heat for a long time or until your food is cooked correctly.

Pellet Smokers Cons

While pellet smokers have several advantages, you should consider their possible drawbacks before investing in one. Let’s take a closer look at the cons of pellet smokers.

• A bit expensive: They are comparatively expensive because of their technical and advanced features. But there are many high-quality pellet grills that cost you less than 500 and provide several great features.
• Dependent On Electricity: A pellet grill requires electricity to operate, which can be a disadvantage if you want to cook outside and there’s no electricity or electric outlet available. 
• Pellets need to be stored dry: You always have to be careful about keeping those pellets dry that you want to use in your pellet grill because they absorb moisture quickly and may become unusable. 

Electric Smoker – A Working Overview

Electric smokers are great findings that are beginner-friendly, simple to use, and cook your food much like an oven through an electric element.

From the beginning to the end of a smoking session, an electric smoker constantly requires electricity to operate and cook food items. 

Interestingly, these smokers can also add smoky flavors to your food because they come with a wood chips tray in which you can add your favorite chips, such as hickory, apple, mesquite, etc.

No doubt, they can cook any kind of meat, but if you don’t use chips, you won’t get the smoke flavor.

Like pellet smokers, they also have an automatic ignition system that becomes handy if you don’t like igniting pellets and charcoal manually. 

An electric smoker has several essential accessories, including an electric heating element, a tray for wood chips, a cooking chamber with racks, a water and drip pan, a heat deflector, etc.

Here’s how electric smokers work.

When you plug them into an electric outlet and turn them on, the heating element at the bottom raises the cooking area’s temperature.

You can then place your food inside the chamber, close the window tightly, and start cooking your food. For smooth smoking sessions, we recommend you season your electric smoker before placing food inside.

To get smoky flavors in your meal, you will need to fill the tray with your favorite wood chips.

They instantly create heat and smoke and enter the cooking area because the tray is above the heating rod and below the cooking area.

You can also use the water pan when your food is cooking to keep it moist, maintain a consistent temperature, and regulate the heat accordingly. 

Electric Smoker Pros

There are several notable advantages you get from electric smokers. Let’s share some of the most popular ones.

• Easy to use: These smokers require fewer operating skills thanks to their auto and quick ignition and precise temperature control.
• Affordable: Electric smokers are relatively inexpensive than other types of smokers and a great smoking solution if you are on a budget.
• Easy cleaning: Whether you use wood chunks or not, the cleaning process of these smokers remains easy. Firstly, they create less ash. Secondly, many have detachable trays that catch all the ash, and you can empty them conveniently.
• Set-and-forget style cooking: The advanced features of electric smokers, like easy temperature control, suitable insulation, and auto ignition, allow you to cook your food in set-and-forget style.
• Cold smoking: You will find electric smokers a good option for cold smoking because you can keep a constant lower temperature on them.

Electric Smokers Cons

Let’s discuss some of the cons of electric smokers.

• Not portable: Electric smokers require a source of electricity to operate, so you cannot carry it along on family trips where there is no option for an electric supply.
• No smoke ring: The wood chunks don’t get hot enough to release the chemicals required for a smoke ring to form from a piece of meat.
• Not waterproof: We don’t recommend using an electric smoker when it rains because there is a risk of electric shock.