Things You Should Know About Pellet Smokers Before Buying
Maybe you have been enjoying barbecuing on gas or charcoal grills. Do you know that you can take your BBQ to another level with a good pellet smoker? Before choosing one, it is vital to understand how it works, as well as what options you have.
A pellet grill is an electric grill that is powered by hardwood pellets. Usually, sawdust is placed under high pressure and heat that activate the natural glue inside. You should note that pellets do not have any additives other than the vegetable oil. They burn and leave minimal ash. You can use your pellet grill for braising, smoking, grilling, and roasting. With the digital controller, they can maintain your preferred cooking temperature for several hours, and they are easy to operate.
How Pellet Grills Work
Ideally, this is an outdoor cooker that needs electricity to run. When it is plugged in, the digital controller is activated, and the auger performs the work of delivering pellets. For a considerable amount of time, the rod glows hot. Usually, pellet smokers burn wood pellets as their fuel to cook, smoke, and flavor all types of meat and proteins. Moreover, they have the capability of accommodating huge quantities.
Advantages of Pellet Grills
The good thing about pellet grills is that they preheat quickly. Like gas grills, the preheating process takes about 10 minutes. You can find models that allow users to control the amount of heat generated to regulate the temperature. That is done by using a thermostat that sends signals from the cooking chamber to the control unit.
You will find a pellet grill to be quite versatile. It can smoke, barbecue, grill, braise, and roast a wide range of foods. It is quite difficult to over-cook your meals when using a pellet grill. Also, the smoke flavor that is produced by the pellet grill is subtler. Since the functioning of a pellet grill is quite similar to that of a convection oven, you can load up cooking chambers without worrying about uneven cooking. Moreover, soaked wood chips can help keep the diffuser plate in pouches.
Shortcomings of Pellet Grill
The pellet grill has its shortcomings. For instance, it has limited portability because it relies on electricity. If there is a power outage, you need to have a generator or inverter. As you know, any grill with electrical parts or moving components are prone to breaking down. That is a shortcoming that is not available on charcoal or wood grills. Also, pellet fuels easily disintegrate whenever they are exposed to moisture.
