I had to choose between a stick burner and a pellet smoker for my first competition

I was down to either a $800 offset stick burner or a $1200 pellet smoker for my first KCBS competition in Kansas City last month. I went with the pellet smoker thinking it would be easier to manage temps overnight, but I got dinged hard on bark and smoke flavor in the brisket round. Anyone else regretted picking convenience over traditional fire management in a comp setting?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_reed6223d ago

My buddy showed up to his first comp with a brand new pellet grill and the temp probe was off by forty degrees the whole time. He brought home a pork butt thinking it was perfect but it was basically raw in the middle when he sliced it. Sometimes the extra work with a stick burner keeps you accountable since you're checking the fire every hour instead of trusting a screen.

lunaf6724d ago

Jumped into my first comp last fall with a Traeger and got absolutely hammered on the same things... bark was basically non existent and the judges could tell right away. I ended up trading that pellet smoker in after three events and got a used offset from a guy who was moving up to a bigger rig. Night and day difference, even with my rookie mistakes managing the fire. If you're really trying to compete seriously, that convenience factor just doesn't outweigh having that deep smoke ring and crunchy bark the judges expect.

alexk6022d ago

Another angle I don't see brought up is how pellet grills don't really let you dial in different smoke profiles for different meats, like a bit more hickory for beef versus fruitwood for chicken. That's where @drew_reed62's point about accountability hits harder too, because you're stuck with whatever blend the pellets give you and one bad batch can trash an entry. With an offset you can swap wood splits mid-cook and adjust on the fly, which is huge when you're trying to chase that perfect bite for the judges.