Debate: Is a pellet grill cheating or just another tool in the shed?

I was over at my buddy Mike's place last Saturday for a brisket cook, and he swore his pellet grill gave him the same smoke ring as my offset. That got me thinking. Three years ago I spent a whole weekend babysitting my old stick burner at a family reunion in Nashville, and the bark came out perfect but I was exhausted. Then last month I used a pellet rig at a church fundraiser in Knoxville, and the meat was tender but the smoke flavor felt lighter, almost like an oven with a smoky smell. So here's the question: does a pellet grill count as real BBQ pitmaster work, or is it just a tool that makes things easier? I have seen some purists say it takes the skill out of it, but other folks argue the end result is what matters. What do you all figure is the line between using tech to help and cheating at the craft?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

andrew7785mo ago

Honestly who cares just eat the brisket.

7

gracea195mo ago

...and honestly that reminds me of the time my neighbor Larry tried to smoke a pork shoulder on his gas grill with a foil packet of wood chips. He had the chips soaking in apple juice for like three days and was real proud of himself. The thing came out tasting like a campfire that had been put out with a garden hose. He's still asking me what he did wrong three years later. I think people get too caught up in the method and forget that bad meat is bad meat no matter what you cook it on.

3

coleman.seth3mo ago

Poor Larry's fighting physics, not technique. Real smoke needs steady low heat, not soaked wood on a gas burner.

-1