I was dead set against pellet grills until my neighbor let me taste his brisket

I've been a stick burner guy for 20 years and always said pellets were cheating. But last Saturday he handed me a slice that had perfect smoke ring and bark, and it was the most tender brisket I've ever eaten. Has anyone else been converted after tasting the results firsthand?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_wells879d ago

Man my buddy Dave was the same way. He swore by his offset smoker for like 15 years. Called pellets a gimmick every time we cooked together. Then his brother in law brought over a pellet smoked pork shoulder for a football game. Dave took one bite and just stood there quiet for a solid minute. He didn't say anything but I saw him on Facebook the next week showing off a brand new pellet grill in his backyard. He still uses his stick burner sometimes but he admits the pellet stuff is legit now.

haydenbutler9d ago

Saw a video from this competition pitmaster who did a blind taste test between his $5000 offset and a cheap pellet grill. Even he couldn't tell which was which in like half the samples. That kinda blew my mind because I always figured the purist methods were just objectively better. The smoke ring thing especially got me - thought you needed actual fire for that but pellets can pull it off too if you know what you're doing.

daniel5938d ago

Hold on, the smoke ring part is what got me too. I always thought that pink ring was the ultimate proof of a real wood fire, like a badge of honor or something. So hearing that pellets can pull that off too is kind of a game changer for me. It makes me wonder how many of the 'superior' traits of offset smokers are just marketing hype or placebo effect. Maybe the skill is in the wood selection and the cook management instead of just the firebox. That video sounds like it would be a tough watch for the purists out there.