What are smokers and how they are different from standard grillers?

You may have noticed this if you're aware of using both a smoker and a griller. The design of a smoker resembles a hollow cylinder with an additional chamber attached to any one of its sides. It is the fire chamber where premium wood and charcoal burns to produce heat and smoke. The foods are smoked inside the long and horizontal cylinder as wood and charcoal burns in the fire chamber, providing the necessary heat and smoke. In grillers, this fire chamber is just beneath the barrel that exposes the food directly to the naked flames.

What are pellet smokers, and how are they different?

On the surface, pellet smokers look like just an ordinary smoker but deep inside, they are different. In traditional smokers, raw wood and charcoal are used to generate heat and smoke, but In comparison, pellet fuels are used in pellet smokers. These are a mixture of timber and charcoal with a little bit of flammable oil.

Effectiveness of pellet smokers

Standard wood and charcoal are very challenging to handle and lighting them up take a lot of time. Whereas pellet fuels quickly catch fire and they also produce more heat and less harmful smokes compared to standard wood and charcoal. One needs to arrange the charcoal and timber for regular smokers, but pellets can be directly purchased from the market in packages. They manufactured according to the health and industrial standards and thus, they offer the maximum efficiency inside and pellet smoker. Effectiveness of pellet smokers can be determined these factors.

How to purchase the best pellet smokers in the market?

If you want to buy a brand new pellet smoker, then you need to keep a few things in mind. The price of a decent pellet smoker starts at around $200/- and can reach up to $5000/-, and therefore you have to choose your preferred model very carefully. I have consequently categorized a few criteria to get the best pellet smokers available in the market.

● Construction and build quality

Any smoker has to handle tons of heat, and thus, they must be made using thick sheets of metal. Some cheap brands often use plastic to construct their products. Hence they cost low but can't keep up with the durability of other heavily built models, and having only a metallic construction isn't good enough. They must be thick so that they can handle any situation thrown at them. They have to be durable in camping sites and remote locations because people treat them rudely.

● Functionality and add-ons

Apart from just cooking food, many pellet smokers offer great functionality. Several models are smokers and grillers at the same time. These models have two fire chambers, one at the side and the other at the bottom. Thus, you can either use them as a smoker or as a griller.

Some of the models even have additional features such as temperature controls, air flow regulators and fans. As the words suggest, these control the amount of heat and smoke the food will be getting, and thus, you can have more flexibility while cooking. And built-in fans thrust the smoke towards the food because often smoke doesn't flow efficiently. You can also have the option of controlling your pellet smoker with a mobile application.

● Portability and weight

A smoker is meant to be carried around during camping trips into some remote areas like forests, deserts and mountains. Therefore, these must be portable enough for anyone to carry. As mentioned earlier, smokers must be made of thick metals and premium materials, and consequently, they weigh up to a hundred pounds. To counter this, wheels are attached to the bottom that reduces the efforts to shift them. Some models have detachable parts that make them even more portable.

● Fuel type and pellet composition

Pellet smokers seem simple, but there are certain limitations of using these. Some regions in the United States UK have different legally accepted pellets. They may seem the same, but their composition varies based on the amount of heat and carbon emissions. Thus, check which arrangement is allowed in your region and whether you preferred model can handle that composition or not. Size of the chunks is also different for pellet fuels, and thus, your product must have enough space to hold those chunks. Therefore make sure what kinds of pellets are available and can they be used inside your pellet smoker.

● Price and maintenance cost

Finally comes the price which most people keeps in priority because they will be buying one such model according to their budget. Additional functionalities are always welcomed, but they usually come at a price and exceeding the budget isn't possible. Thus before considering anything, you should fix your budget at first. And after that, find the best brand and model under that price segment. You can adjust your budget if necessary but make sure to pay for only what you'll be getting. You can get one decent enough product for $400/-, and you can go higher if you need more functionality.

These are the critical criteria that you need to keep in mind. Before buying anything, make a wish list of your desired brands and models and adjust the goals according to the points as mentioned above. By following these carefully, you will surely choose the best model for yourself and your family. Also, I'm providing some names of the best brands and models of pellet smokers that available right now.

Best brands and models of pellet smokers

● Camp Chef PG24 Deluxe Pellet Grill

● Traeger Pro 780 Wood Pellet Grill

● Z GRILLS ZPG-7002E 2019 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker

● Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Pellet Grill

● Camp Chef SmokePro LUX Pellet Grill

Thank you for reading this article, and I hope you learned what you were looking for. We promise to bring you similar contents in the future. So, have a great day and see you next time.