Stick burner vs Pellet grill

[skidog]

So I hear alot how stick burners have a much better smoke flavor. My question is why do you think that is?
Both are burning wood, both are burning and getting the tbs, if they are at the same temp, say 250 and both are producing equal amounts of smoke, why would the stick burner have a stronger smoke flavor?
Here are my thoughts and maybe I'm just way off base.
Wood pellets are all wood so it's no different to me than a stick of wood. I was thinking though, I know my hopper holds 9 pounds of pellets, I'm not sure how many splits would equal 9 pounds, I guess it would depend on species and size, but lets just say 3 or 4 splits. I'm assuming to cook for 7-9 hours it would take more than 3 or 4 splits and I know if you formed my 9 pounds of pellets into split shape it might equal 3 splits, maybe. So I guess the reason people say pellets have a lighter smoke profile is because we are burning the equivalent of 3 or 4 splits vs. stick burners using twice to 3 times that amount.
Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this!
Curious what people with more experience think.

[teesquare]

I think you are on to something there....The regulated manner that pellet grills provide their fuel vs how the offsets that I have run work ( they work YOU...all night long.... ).

Stick burners have a lot of variables - and it is easier to over-smoke meat. The one criticism that may folks voice about pellet grills is that they do not think that pellet grills impart enough smoke profile to the meat for their tastes. (This can be addressed with a little attention to details...but that would be a thread hijack - and not my intent here.)

[skidog]

Haha, you can hijack. I'm perfectly happy with the smoke profile I get with the DC. I've never felt the need to put my AMNPS in there.
I've also heard other people say you can't get as good a bark with a PG. But of all the different pictures I've seen I bet you could put a Butt from each next to each other and you wouldn't know which is from the PG vs SB.

[rwalters]

I don’t know the scientific answer to your question, but from experience, I can honestly say that my pellet muncher gives every bit as good a flavor as my stick burner did WHEN I would run a super clean fire. Unlike Pellet cookers though, smoke intensity is one thing that can easily be altered on a stick burner if that’s your thing.  I know this doesn’t answer your question though...lol.

[RG]

Having cooked on all types of cookers ranging from an electric smoker to offset smokers to kamados and pellet grills, I will say that each cooker I've cooked on gets you a different end result but they ALL DO get you there. The devil is in the details, much as Tee eluded to. My Smokin'-It smoker, for example, only smoldered the wood as it is an electric smoker, no fire ever occurring, but it still gave me smoked meat with a nice bark. I think a properly cooked piece of protein on a offset cooker (stick burner) does make a different tasting product, not necessarily better, and it is REAL easy to over smoke and get that bad acrid tasting smoke whereas I've never gotten that on a pellet grill/smoker.

Now, with that out of the way and back to your original post. I think although pellets are wood, they burn differently because they are cleaner wood than an actual log would be. Maybe the inconsistency with splits is part of the equation. Different seasoned levels (some too dry, some too green, some just right), bark, etc.

I'm sure others can extrapolate on this further but this is a very good topic! I look forward to my BBQ brothers and sisters chiming in.

[smokeasaurus]

Nothing tastes better than grub off of a stick burner. However the stars have to line up perfectly during the stick burner cook. No wind. Nice calm weather. Good dry wood.........and knowing how to burn a small hot clean fire.

Even with my skills (yeah, I can burn wood) I still have temp spikes and swings...............and you gotta work hard at it and sometimes that aint enough.

The pellet grill gives the closest flavor to a stick burner you can find. It also does all the work for you. You will not have the big temp swings and the steady temp you need for top notch BBQ.

When I have the time however and feeling kinda rowdy, there is nothing better than chopping my wood and tending to a fire all day.

Do I do it often.........nope.....getting older and a little smarter and I use our pellet grill for most of the cooking.

I am very pleased having both: the traditional and the future all on my patio.

[skidog]

Nothing tastes better than grub off of a stick burner. However the stars have to line up perfectly during the stick burner cook. No wind. Nice calm weather. Good dry wood.........and knowing how to burn a small hot clean fire.

Even with my skills (yeah, I can burn wood) I still have temp spikes and swings...............and you gotta work hard at it and sometimes that aint enough.

The pellet grill gives the closest flavor to a stick burner you can find. It also does all the work for you. You will not have the big temp swings and the steady temp you need for top notch BBQ.

When I have the time however and feeling kinda rowdy, there is nothing better than chopping my wood and tending to a fire all day.

Do I do it often.........nope.....getting older and a little smarter and I use our pellet grill for most of the cooking.

I am very pleased having both: the traditional and the future all on my patio.

I get all that, but why do you think the flavor is better? If both are burning really clean and producing smoke the whole time why would one taste better than the other? Both are burning wood.
Do you think it's like i described above? Just the larger amounts of sticks having to be burnt vs the smaller amount of pellets?

[TMB]

Just my 2 cents , but a stick burner will give a heaver smoke flavor in most cases because the wood will produce more smoke than a pellet grill.   If I use my RT680 and I want more smoke I use my A-Mazn smoker tube.  Then I get a lot more smoke than just pellets alone.    My wife does not like a heavey smoke on food so a pellet grill works great for us!

[teesquare]

I really think that it goes to burn efficiency. Pellet grills are inherently more burn efficient than stick burners - by design. Fan controllers that are regulated by a thermostat. That thermostat - via the controller influences/controls the feed rate of the pellets to maximize said burn efficiency based on desired temperature settings on the pellet grill.

Notice - there are NONE of those algorithm generated functions on a stick burner. YOU are the "controller" - and everything else.
So - yes, it has to do with the fuel-feed rate as you imply - that we feed more weight/btus in splits/sticks. So - you will get an irregularity in the temp cycling - that will not be as efficient as micro-processor controlled pellet grills.

[Gtsum2]

Lot more water in splits and bark, etc compared to pellets. All of which produce a lot more smoke. 


Memphis Elite

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[smokeasaurus]

also, the wood you get might be a tad bit green. You have bark. Like Tim said, the pellet grill burns clean. Stick burners have temp swings while adding wood to the coal base.

Maybe having the fire burning below compared to heat and smoke coming in from the side......don't really know.

I stopped overthinking BBQ a long long time ago.

BBQ is like Bowling. Everyone can do it but nobody can master it.

I will go to my grave thinking nothing tastes better off of a stick-burner.

[TentHunteR]

Pellets are compressed so the wood cells no longer have space in them, making them much more dense and efficient burning. When they are compressed they heat up and expel moisture, so they are much more dry than log splits.

Don't forget there's also a fan involved in a pellet grill that is pushing the heat & smoke through the grill, so the smoke doesn't hang around as long.

Less moisture, more efficient burning, and a fan = a much cleaner smoke profile.

[Hub]

A high quality pellet cooker and a well-tuned stick burner will produce grub with the same flavor profile.  Often, pellets may be more convenient and easier to use.  An "adjusted" stick burner can be induced to produce lots of white smoke, heavy in particulates, that make stuff extra smoky but getting heavy smoke flavor is harder on a pellet cooker (they burn cleaner and produce "blue" smoke that isn't as intense). 

Arguments will go on and on that one is better than the other but what works is the one that cooks the food you like best.  About the only "universal" is that cheaper cookers of either fuel type are harder to use and less consistent.  Years ago I had an expensive Yoder stick burner that turned out fabulous food when I gave it the time and attention it took to make it work well.  I got tired of that and made a successful switch to pellets about ten years ago.  I had some "cheap" stick burners prior to the Yoder and I didn't like them.  I had a cheap pellet cooker prior to my current ones and it didn't stay in my arsenal long, either.   Quality costs extra but pays more. 

Net, if you like heavy smoke flavor you'll likely be happier with a good stick burner.  Newer innovations like automated stokers make them handier than they used to be.  If you're okay with smoke as a flavor component rather than a flavor dominance you'll probably be just fine with a good pellet machine. 

Hub

[mrbbq]

Here's my two cents. With the majority of stick burners, you get improper combustion because a lot of that wood smolders. When that happens, creosote is created, leaving a greasy, bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

Most pellet grills burn at a 98% efficiency factor, so the wood fully burns in the firepot. Even in SMOKE mode, you get better combustion because of the air flow generated by the fan(s) in the grill. The end result is a true wood smoke flavor that has extremely little or no creosote in it.

Over the years, I've talked with a good number of stick burner owners who became pellet grill owners. I'd often get calls asking me about why the pellet grill didnt have the heavy smoke flavor that their stick burner did. I'd explain the differences and told them that given time, their tastebuds would adjust to the pure wood smoke of the pellet grill. If they wanted more smoke flavor, then smoke first, cook second. And smoke for a longer amount of time.
I have found that when smoking ribs, I get a much deeper level of smoke penetration and flavor by adding just one more hour to my smoke session. I dont recall ever having those stick burner converts ever calling me back saying that they still weren't happy with the smoke produced by their pellet grill.

The ability to "set it and forget it". The more precise temperature control. The purity of the the wood pellets and resulting smoke are all reasons why I think pellet grills produce a great finished product.

[skidog]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm perfectly happy with the smoke flavor off my Davy Crockett. Never seen a thread asking this question so figured since everyone is civil on this forum, I would ask.