# Pellet vs gravity



## buckscent (Aug 14, 2019)

I use to do comps years ago with a stick burner and at my age that got old staying up all night. I’m looking at starting back doing some backyards at first and I have a pit boss vertical 5. My question is are those good “enough” to start doing some backyards and will that do a quality job to win. I will eventually get a stumps (maybe) but just want to get a few under me first if the pellets will work for now. I will eventually go pro. Comments? Ideas? 

Also, the pit boss series 5 vertical in smoke mode it smokes like crazy. but when on any temp setting like 250/275 which is about all I use, not so much. I was thinking treager for my second one but really want a good smoke and not all that heat spikes that the pit boss has (if possible out of a pellet).  Bottom line just looking for a top quality pellet that I can use and feel confident I can win in comps.. I love the gravity but not the price.  but not sure you can get the quality of smoke ring/taste out of a pellet as you can a charcoal gravity...  Thanks


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## bregent (Aug 14, 2019)

buckscent said:


> but not sure you can get the quality of smoke ring/taste out of a pellet as you can a charcoal gravity



You can certainly get a great smoke ring with pellet grill, but the smoke flavor will not be nearly as strong. That doesn't stop lots of folks that use pellet grills from winning comps, if that's what you're after.


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## buckscent (Aug 14, 2019)

Yes that is what I am after.  Wonder in if I could incorporate the AMZN in the smoker to get extra smoke if that might help to get more smoke flavor.


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## JWFokker (Aug 18, 2019)

Pellet cookers move too much air too fast to produce results like a stick burner or vertical charcoal rig. Pellet fans will swear if you get the right cooker it's comparable, but it's just not true. They're in different classes.


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## JWFokker (Aug 18, 2019)

It's a fact, Jack. So many differences between a wood or charcoal fire versus how pellet grills operate. You're comparing an air fryer to an oven.


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## SlowmotionQue (Aug 20, 2019)

JWFokker said:


> Pellet cookers move too much air too fast to produce results like a stick burner or vertical charcoal rig. Pellet fans will swear if you get the right cooker it's comparable, but it's just not true. They're in different classes.



Someone has gone to the trouble to do a blind taste test using 4 different cookers. Here is a video.  I think you’ll find the results interesting. 

The video is called; “The Ultimate Smoker Test.”


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## airmec (Aug 20, 2019)

a large pellet grill has less than 4.5 cubic foot of air capacity while the fan produces around 110 cfm that changes the air in the grill aprox 25 times per min. Normal rate of convection of 200 degree air through a 3in pipe is less than 1 cfm now granted a firebox pulls air in which will push more air out and would cause a excessive use of brain cells to figure but I think common sense says a smoke house or a stick burner are not changing their air every 2.5 seconds giving anything in them more exposure to the smoke and more flavor from it some of the new controllers address this with lower fan speeds when in smoke cycles and the controllers ability to relight the pellets when smoking at lower temps. Then you add the human factor what I call smoked the next person calls burned so as the old saying goes if it tastes good eat it and ask for seconds


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## dward51 (Aug 20, 2019)

Y'all are way overthinking this.....


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## JWFokker (Aug 20, 2019)

airmec gave a good rundown of why pellet smokers are not comparable to traditional wood or charcoal smokers. Stick burners and charcoal cookers allow the smoke/wood vapor compounds to condense on the meat. Big difference in end result.


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