Cooker vs Cooker (Spy vs Spy)

[16Adams]

Up early sipping my morning coffee and I got to wondering
Pellet Cooker vs Pellet Cooker

I’m on my second Pellet Cooker #1 former Green Mtn Davy Crockett and currently #2 is a Pit Boss Austin XL. So I gotta wonder. All things being equal meat-seasoning-brand and flavor of pellet, everything and the cookers working 100% perfectly, is there a difference in smoked meats ?

Mak vs Pitboss
Rec Tec vs Pitboss
Traeger vs Pitboss
ZGrill vs Pitboss
Yoder vs Pitboss

Now scramble the brackets with everything being equal with meats, seasoning, brand and flavor of pellet.

Obviously there is a difference in build, warranty, options/accessories controls etc

But the taste all things being equal is there going to be a difference in the cooked meat

Back to my coffee

 

[16Adams]

In another context if I cooked foods in my brothers Top shelf Traeger at his house would I be able to tell a difference in the foods I cook on my Yellow Tagged Pitboss Austin XL.

 

[Mike Twangzer]

I see the herd growing by leaps and bounds ...... then eventually a thinning ..... I might guess that there woukd be no significant differences except perceived/real smokiness ... ???

 

[Tal/IL]

I have a Davy Crockett that travels in a storage bay of the motorhome and a large Pit Boss 7 series Copperhead that lives on the patio. (there's a 24X48 Peoria Custom offset out there too) I think the Davy Crockett gives a "smokier" flavor. Maybe because the much smaller chamber concentrates the smoke?


I am contemplating a small pellet smoker for the patio, since it is often just the red-head girl and me that I cook for.

 

[ttkt57]

You forgot Outlaw vs. Pitboss. :wink:

 

[16Adams]

You forgot Outlaw vs. Pitboss. :wink:

Excellent comparison. If my PB Austin XL was side by side with your Outlaw and we both cooked a couple Nekkid Fattys, would there be a noticeable difference in the meat?

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

very good questions

 

[ttkt57]

Excellent comparison. If my PB Austin XL was side by side with your Outlaw and we both cooked a couple Nekkid Fattys, would there be a noticeable difference in the meat?

I think there might be a little more smoke flavor coming off cookers with Yoder/Outlaw/Louisiana-style fire baskets than off cookers with Traeger-style baskets. I haven't seen a definitive test of this though.

What I do know is that I really like my clean out door, along with the prospects of a much longer service life due to the much thicker steel.

But differences in ease of clean up and service life aren't what you're asking about.

 

[16Adams]

Agree. That clean out is nice. Mine is like a stem to stern abdominal surgery.
All the guts removed, scraped and vacuumed then reassembled. And I have no doubt yours will be around longer than mine if I don’t do everything possible. But a fire pot, fan and same pellets should be close, but can’t say for sure. Interesting observation on the condensed area of smoke in the smaller Davy Crockett.

 

[16Adams]

Almost but not all I know have multiple cookers. Those with a pellet only have one pellet and multiple charcoal-stick-Ceramic etc. I’m thinking that this has to mean something, just don’t know what

 

[tom b]

MAK trumps treager timberline

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=271875

 

[Bob C Cue]

The flavor from a pellet grill is proportional to the amount you spent on it. Case closed.

 

[CivilTrojan]

It seems like we as a group have a large enough selection of cookers that we could try this sometime. If only there were some type of event where a bunch of brethren got together with their smokers and cooked…

 

[TravelingJ]

The flavor from a pellet grill is proportional to the amount you spent on it. Case closed.

I definitely do get more smoke flavor from the MAK than my Copperhead, though on a lot of things (quicker cooks) it's very close and in a blind taste it was almost impossible to tell. On longer cooks I can tell the difference.

That said, a smoke tube in the Copperhead, would even out, if not exceed, the MAK smoke profile. The cost for flavor is most definitely out of whack in my book.

 

[gtsum]

My yoder had more smoke flavor than my memphis elite was. I also had a Davey Crockett that did quite well. It might of produced the most smoke flavor of all three of them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[patrickd26]

I'm sure that you've seen this, but there are probably others who haven't. This video is a good jumpstart to answer a part of your question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmCibXcfmqY

 

[SoCalWJS]

MAK trumps treager timberline

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=271875

I was going to try to say something similar.

As I get more “Experienced in Life”, and my disposable income changes, I am increasingly starting to live by the motto: “Buy Once, Cry Once”.

You get what you pay for.

 

[ssv3]

Pellets make a huge difference also. While I've only used a Yoder as far as pellet smokers go, I get a good amount of smoke taste from my bbq. I've been using Lumberjack pellets for 95% of my cooks. I like a clean, subtle smoke and not creosote tasting bbq so I'm happy.

For comparison I loved my PBC to death and still have a PBJ that I really like but after I bought my Hunsaker I sold off the PBC. Cleaner and pleasant bbq taste and smell and no burping for the rest of the day/night. Probably the reason why offset bbq tastes the best when running thin blue. Just lean/clean smoke infused q and probably also the reason why some folks think pellet smokers don't have enough smoke flavor.

 

[CALWLDLIF]

I would think things like metal thickness, smoke stack, and placement of the meat would affect the overall taste.
A cooker well heated and can keep that heat from thick metal would use less fire therefore
less smoke.
How the smoke flows thru the chamber can concentrate the smoke on the meat verses flowing up and away from it.
Where meat is placed when the smoke path is known will also concentrate the flavor.

Who said good Q is easy? :shock:

 

[kevinstaggs]

Well, I'm certainly no expert. Got my first pooper summer 2020 - a MAK 2*. I can guarantee the smoke profile is lighter, but I also think better - at least relative to a WSM.

I suspect the biggest differences are in build quality, materials and warranty. I have 0 regrets about buying the MAK, its a high-quality machine. But I do default to my fundamental theory of life which is "its the Indian, not the arrow."