In the fun world of outdoor cooking, it’s no doubt that smokers offer the key to delicious food that your family and friends will enjoy. However, choosing the right smoker will determine how that fun transpires.
In this post, we’ll compare pellet smokers vs. electric smokers, and you decide which one will work best for you.
Pellet smokers and electric smokers are a wonderful addition to any outdoor kitchen. These cooking equipment provide you with that delicious-tasting brisket or smoked BBQ you’ve been craving for weeks, and they work wonders on your veggies, too!
But which smoker is best suited for you?
While both smokers use power, there are differences between the two based on a few factors like features, flavors, versatility, and operating cost. Pitmasters seem to make it really easy to choose one over the other, but why do novices tend to go for one that’s easier to use?
Well, we can argue about pellet vs electric smoker all day, but the choice ultimately comes down to your preferences and needs. We’ll walk you through a list of their pros and cons to help you decide.
Pellet Smokers vs Electric Smokers: What’s the Difference?
Let’s start with what they have in common: both electric and pellet smokers require electricity to run. Besides that, pellet and electric smokers allow you to set them to your desired temperature and they’ll handle the rest.
What differentiates them from each other is their heating element.
Electric smokers generate heat using an electric element. Then, you add wood chips periodically to achieve a more flavorful smoke. Pellet smokers, on the other hand, use electricity to heat a rod, which will then fire up wood pellets. The heat and smoke produced by the wood pellets will cook your food.
Now, let’s move on to differentiating factors.
Temperature Range
When it comes to pellet vs electric smokers, you need to be careful as they deliver dramatically different results.
That is, pellet smokers can cook at fairly low temperatures, which means you can devote an entire day doing other things as your meat cooks. They can reach much higher temperatures than electric smokers. You’ll find pellet grills that can reach temperatures above 550°F.
Electric smokers offer a limited temperature range, but that’s what makes them ideal for low-and-slow cooking, and typically top out at around 275°F. The lower temperatures also make them ideal for low and slow smoking meat, as well as warming soups and sauces.
Features
Modern pellet grills and electric smokers use technology for added convenience. Electric smokers don’t always come with convenient features. But their simplicity makes them ideal for beginners.
With pellet smokers, however, manufacturers invest a lot in the research and development of their products. You can even control the unit at your fingertips using Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity. They can come with adjustable smoke control, sensors, auto shutdown, and other advanced features.
Flavor
Pellet smokers use pellets, which are known for infusing a lot of flavor to both smoked meat. Electric smokers, however, will only give you a light smoky flavor since it uses heating rods to heat up the cooking chamber. Unlike pellet smokers, your food won’t have direct contact with the heating elements.
Ease of Use
Their features are relative to their ease of use. If you’re not the type to fiddle around the bells and whistles of pellet smokers, go for electric models. But if you want more features to play with, pellet grills and smokers offer a range of add-ons. But whichever you pick, both offer a set-and-forget cooking experience.
Durability
When it comes to durability, both are made of premium materials to withstand the elements. Both types of smokers can also heat the cooking chamber evenly, leaving no hot or cold spots for uniformly cooked food.
Both pellet and electric smokers also almost burn cleanly. So there’s no need for extensive cleaning. Just wipe your smoker down before covering and storing it.
Versatility
Pellet grills offer a wide temperature range. This means they can grill, sear, and even bake a variety of food. Electric smokers have limited cooking temperatures, but they’re ideal for cold smoking and cooking low and slow.
Smoke Ring
This is the pink coloration just beneath the surface of meats that electric smokers cannot achieve. It has no effect on the flavor, but the satisfaction of finding one as you slice the meat is worth the investment in pellet smokers.
Operating and Purchasing Cost
Pellet grills and smokers tend to cost so much more than electric models. The price can range from $400 to over $3000, depending on the size and features. Electric smokers offer great options ranging from around $100 to $700.
But there’s the electric consumption by both. But even so, many models are cost-effective and can be less expensive than gas, conventional, or charcoal grills and smokers. Pellets efficiently and heat a large cooking chamber for a long time. But electric smokers also need small amounts of wood chips.
Pellet Smokers
Also referred to as a pellet grill (if capable of reaching higher temperatures), pellet smokers run an onboard controller, fan system, auger, and heat the firebox to burn the pellets. Just like electric smokers, they need to be installed near a power outlet.
With the help of the fan, pellet grills circulate smoke throughout the cooking chamber like convection. And they generate smoke and heat by burning wood pellets. As opposed to wood chips, you use pellets. These are made of sawdust from hardwood trees.
Most pellet grills have a hopper mounted to the side or back of the unit. This is where you pour the pellets, which will be then drawn by the auger into the firepot. The heating rod in the firepot generates sufficient heat to ignite the pellets.
The burning pellets generate both heat and smoke, flavoring your food—honestly, they taste like they’ve been cooked over an open fire!
Pellet smokers offer conveniences like hands-free operation, but they also have digital panels. Just set your desired temperature and cooking time, and the auger will feed just the right amount of pellets into the fire pot to cook your food. You can experiment with different types of pellets to infuse your food with unique flavors.
Pros
• Convenient features
• Easy to use
• Quick cooking time
• Options for grilling and searing
• Authentic wood-fired flavors
• Fuel efficient
• Superior insulation
Cons
• Requires power source
• More expensive than electric models
• Lower capacity than vertical smokers
Electric Smokers
Electric smokers also require power to operate. But they’re simpler and safer to use than pellet grills. These smokers produce heat by using an electric heating element, similar to that found in electric ovens. They’re like outdoor ovens but with the ability to smoke food using wood chips.
A beginner-friendly smoker, it doesn’t require much skill to operate. Just fill the water tray, toss the wood chips, set the temperature and timer, and add your food. Once that’s done, it will handle the rest. Their vertical design also makes them space-saving while handling a large batch of food.
Many modern electric smokers feature intuitive touch screens with digital displays. Other models have Bluetooth controls for monitoring and tweaking the cooking temperatures from your smartphone.
One of the best things you’ll love about electric smokers is that they come in handy if there are fire bans in your area during summer. And in the winter, you can enjoy cold-smoking bacon, cheese, nuts, and warming soups and sauces—all thanks to their lower temperature range!
However, you won’t get the same intense smoky flavors that pellet smokers offer. You’ll get a light flavor, but you won’t get the smoke ring you can achieve with pellet smokers.
Pros
• Easier and safer to use than pellet smokers
• Space-saving while offering a larger capacity
• Convenient features
• Perfect for fire bans
• Ideal for cold smoking
• Affordable
Cons
• Requires power source
• Limited temperature range
• Light smoky flavor
• No smoke ring
FAQs
Is a pellet smoker as good as a regular smoker?
Both pellet and regular smokers are great options loved by many home cooks. However, while both can produce excellent results, the way they smoke isn’t the same. Their main difference is that a pellet smoker produces smoke using electricity, while a regular smoker puts out smoke using wood lumps.
In addition, pellet smokers offer a wider temperature range. This makes them far more versatile than electric smokers. You’ll find pellet smokers that can reach 450°F. And the temperature can go even higher, depending on the model.
Do you wet the wood chips in an electric smoker?
You don’t need to wet or soak the wood chips before tossing them into the tray in your electric smoker. The wood chips are already flavorful enough to impart flavor to your food. But if you’re going to wet your chips, make sure to soak them in juices, beer, or whiskey for added flavor.
We hope to find this post helpful in choosing between pellet and electric smokers. Good luck!
