I am curious about how one defines what constitutes a "pellet smoker". Does it require an auger or does the act of simply burning pellets qualify it as a pellet smoker?

I ask because my wife found an electric smoker on clearance for $68 (normally $300). She thought it would make a great Father’s Day gift and I cannot argue with that! It says in the manual that it is OK to burn pellets, which I would prefer over wood chips. I like the more subtle flavor that comes from pellets and will be interested to see if ithat flavor carries over on an electric smoker.

Would food made in this manner meet the criteria for this site?

Competition rules require that the heat source be wood. Your smoker wouldn’t be legal in competition.

I think a pellet smoker is a smoker that uses wood pellets as the heat source.

That said, pull up a seat st the bar friend. The beer is cold and the conversation is lively.

 
 Not knowing what smoker it is, it's a guess on my behalf.. It could be a cold smoke unit limiting its use to smoke curing..If it supplies heat such as up to 350º to 400º or more, then it would meet the criteria

as long as it has a constant supply of smoke. 

>I like the more subtle flavor that comes from pellets and will
>be interested to see if ithat flavor carries over on an electric smoker.

If the heat source is electric and the pellets just smolder in there, the flavor will be anything but subtle.

For me it would be any unit that uses only pellets as the fuel source.

I am curious about how one defines what constitutes a "pellet smoker". Does it require an auger or does the act of simply burning pellets qualify it as a pellet smoker?

 Not knowing what smoker it is, it's a guess on my behalf.. It could be a cold smoke unit limiting its use to smoke curing..If it supplies heat such as up to 350º to 400º or more, then it would meet the criteria

as long as it has a constant supply of smoke. 

It is a char-broil electric smoker. It doesn't go over 275 and no cold smoke capabilities. I guess the question I had was whether it was the pellet itself or the way the pellet was consumed that was responsible for the unique flavor of the pellet grill. Judging by bregent's response it looks like it is the way the pellet burns that makes the difference. Never really thought much about it before, until I read that you could use pellets instead of wood chips. I will not be replacing the pellet grill anytime soon! It never hurts to have another toy to play with!

 Not knowing what smoker it is, it's a guess on my behalf.. It could be a cold smoke unit limiting its use to smoke curing..If it supplies heat such as up to 350º to 400º or more, then it would meet the criteria

as long as it has a constant supply of smoke. 

It is a char-broil electric smoker. It doesn't go over 275 and no cold smoke capabilities. I guess the question I had was whether it was the pellet itself or the way the pellet was consumed that was responsible for the unique flavor of the pellet grill. Judging by bregent's response it looks like it is the way the pellet burns that makes the difference. Never really thought much about it before, until I read that you could use pellets instead of wood chips. I will not be replacing the pellet grill anytime soon! It never hurts to have another toy to play with!

Please let us know how what you think  of it after a few smokes/cooks..There could very well be a different smoke flavour profile due to the higher ratio of wood to air and less air and smoke movement thru the pit. Sounds exciting.

To my understanding, a pellet smoker is defined by the delivery of the fuel, and the consistency of the smoke production.  The lack of babysitting is just a happy side effect.  A pellet smoker is "turned on," temperature set; and the food placed on the grate until done, or time to wrap.  The smoke is consistent, the temperature is consistent, the product is consistent.  Not much else. 

I wood think it's a cooking chamber that is fuelled by wood pellets with the accompanying fan for combustion purposes.
Without the fan, there'd be no way to control the pellet feed. Putting a smoke tube in a gasser doesn't make it a pellet cooker.
Yer not gonna cook anything without the fan (unless it catches on fire). Then the food would be the least of your worries.

 

I think the main question is==do you qualify for membership to this group?  Well membership in this group has often been held by prospective pellet smoker fans and shoppers, some of whom have not pulled the trigger for a pellet pit as yet.  See no reason why you would not fit into that group.  On the other hand, technically, you don't own a pellet pit yet. So IMHO, you deserve to be here and be heard.  Perhaps exposure to our bunch will get you hot on the trail for a real deal pellet pit.  What does the boss think?

I think the main question is==do you qualify for membership to this group?  Well membership in this group has often been held by prospective pellet smoker fans and shoppers, some of whom have not pulled the trigger for a pellet pit as yet.  See no reason why you would not fit into that group.  On the other hand, technically, you don't own a pellet pit yet. So IMHO, you deserve to be here and be heard.  Perhaps exposure to our bunch will get you hot on the trail for a real deal pellet pit.  What does the boss think?

+1

I think the main question is==do you qualify for membership to this group?  Well membership in this group has often been held by prospective pellet smoker fans and shoppers, some of whom have not pulled the trigger for a pellet pit as yet.  See no reason why you would not fit into that group.  On the other hand, technically, you don't own a pellet pit yet. So IMHO, you deserve to be here and be heard.  Perhaps exposure to our bunch will get you hot on the trail for a real deal pellet pit.  What does the boss think?

I am sorry if I misled you. I have a pellet grill and enjoy it very much, so  I understand the virtues of a pellet grill and have no plans to replace it!! The smoker is simply something that will compliment it. At about 75% off it made it a worthwhile investment!  I never would have considered an electric smoker being in the same category as a pellet grill until reading that pellets could be used instead of wood chips.

The first question that then popped into my head was if you use pellets, does that automatically make it a pellet smoker or does the heat source and the way the pellets are consumed make a difference? That leads into the other question regarding the pellet’s impact on flavor based on how it burns. With an electric element controlling the temp rather than the flame from the pellet pot, my guess is the electric smoker would not qualify in the same category as a pellet grill. That being said, I do look forward to doing some comparison cooks between the two using the same cuts of meat and the same pellets to see the difference! in taste.

I think you will find that you will be able to tell the smoke smell of different woods to be more distinct than you do on a pellet smoker because they will not burn as clean in the electric smoker.  I am curious to hear the results of your new toy.

I think the main question is==do you qualify for membership to this group?  Well membership in this group has often been held by prospective pellet smoker fans and shoppers, some of whom have not pulled the trigger for a pellet pit as yet.  See no reason why you would not fit into that group.  On the other hand, technically, you don't own a pellet pit yet. So IMHO, you deserve to be here and be heard.  Perhaps exposure to our bunch will get you hot on the trail for a real deal pellet pit.  What does the boss think?

I am sorry if I misled you. I have a pellet grill and enjoy it very much, so  I understand the virtues of a pellet grill and have no plans to replace it!! The smoker is simply something that will compliment it. At about 75% off it made it a worthwhile investment!  I never would have considered an electric smoker being in the same category as a pellet grill until reading that pellets could be used instead of wood chips.

The first question that then popped into my head was if you use pellets, does that automatically make it a pellet smoker or does the heat source and the way the pellets are consumed make a difference? That leads into the other question regarding the pellet’s impact on flavor based on how it burns. With an electric element controlling the temp rather than the flame from the pellet pot, my guess is the electric smoker would not qualify in the same category as a pellet grill. That being said, I do look forward to doing some comparison cooks between the two using the same cuts of meat and the same pellets to see the difference! in taste.

Sorry I missed that!