Over the course of years, the cooking methods have progressed. With this change in cooking methods, different cooking appliances and tools have been launched, and two of them are pellet smoker and stick burner. So, if you want to choose one for grilling and cooking, we are sharing the comparison with you!
Stick Burner vs Pellet Smoker
Stick Burner
Stick burner belongs to the range of meat smokers and are constantly becoming popular and are available in different sizes. The stick burner is known as an offset BBQ smoker, which is perfect for cooking meat through sticks and log splits as compared to other grills. The stick burner is designed with a firebox on one side and it’s fueled by wood and/or charcoal. However, some people only prefer using wood because it can transform into coals.
There are different types of stick burners available in the market for residential as well as commercial uses. Some stick burners are also available with automated features, which can be managed from the smartphone. However, there are some old-school stick burners available as well (these don’t have any electronic features, and the parts are limited). The old-school stick burners are made from steel and have a paint coating – they depend on clean fire and need a consistently maintained temperature.
An offset smoker is another type of stick burner which are designed to work with wood (nope, you cannot use a mix of charcoal and wood). The offset smokes are designed for serious BBQ lovers who know how to manage fire and control temperature. In addition, these are perfect for people who want to cook meat the traditional way or want to join the authentic flavors. On the other hand, regular stick burners can use a combination of wood and charcoal.
Not to forget, if you want the BBQ to turn out perfectly on a stick burner, you should start with charcoal and a limited quantity of wood. On the top, you can refuel the burner with wood. To summarize, a stick burner is a suitable choice when you like to cook with wood because the fire offsets from meat rather than going under the meat. In addition, the burner can be separated by the baffle or drip pan.
Pellet Smoker
The pellet smokers are also known as pellet grills and are popular as outdoor cookers. These smokers have combined features of kitchen ovens, gas grills, and charcoal smokers. These smokers are generally fueled by wood pellets and can perform different cooking functions. For instance, it can bake, sear, grill, smoke, and braise the food through the electrically-controlled PID panel. With this panel, the fuel pellets are automatically fed into the fire compartment.
Pellet smokers are great at maintaining the cooking temperature and regulating airflow in the grill. We have already mentioned that these smokers run on wood pellets; they use different types of wood pellets. The most common choice is hardwood, but some people use bark, biomass scrap, and softwood. However, scrap and softwood can create a foul flavor. On the other hand, the hardwood or pellet grills are food-grade and only contain vegetable oil or soybean oil for lubrication purposes.
The best thing about pellet smokers is that they have a compact size and lead to clean-burning, and creates an appealing smoky flavor. As for the pellets, you can opt for cherry, alder, maple, oak, apple, and pecan tree pellets. Pellet smokers tend to use the convection cooking method and add the perfect flavor to the food. The best thing about pellet smokers is that they are extremely easy to use, especially when compared to manual smokers.
In some cases, you might be able to find Wi-Fi smokers that help with remote smoker monitoring. That being said, you won’t have to babysit the food while it’s cooking. Moreover, these features are being added to pizza ovens and ceramic grills to expand the functionality. To summarize, it has efficient functionality, which means fewer pellets will be used, so it’s cost-effective and time-efficient.
The Bottom Line
Both stick burners and pellet smokers work perfectly, depending on what you want to cook. To summarize, stick burners are perfect for professionals who know how to control the temperature and airflow. On the other hand, a pellet smoker is a promising choice for beginners who need convenience.