Why would you actually think that it’s cheating to use a pellet grill smoker, funnily enough, it’s something that crops up a fair bit, especially with the traditional charcoal and stick burner community? (You know the real moonshining elite, that seems to have a lot of time to hang around an offset smoker for 13 hours of brisket cooking, note I am a moonshiner myself).
Okay, I’m officially going to ruffle some serious feathers, normally I like to be informative and also like to provide factual information about pellet grills but it’s time to give that back to those charcoal smoker solid carbon would chunk burners.
(I think I might also turn off comments for this blog since it’s my website.)
Since pellet grill smokers have become quite popular. They are now to a certain degree, seen as ‘corners cutting convenience‘.
And they are.
It’s crazy how some BBQ enthusiasts, absolutely hone and hassle anything mentioning the idea of not using charcoal or wood offset smoking. Now, I can understand where the idea comes from since charcoal takes some skills.
I am no stick or charcoal expert, but I give it a go when I have the time.
I have dabbled in charcoal smoking for like about 10 years, so I’m just a ‘beginner’.
I want to breakdown the argument or statement some more and give quite a few thoughts back.
Are Pellet Grill Smokers Cheating? If managing a fire during the smoking process is a prerequisite to smoked bbq then, yes. However, technology has advanced so that the temperature can be controlled and the question is whether this is considered cheating or not.
When you’re really talking about cheating with smoked barbecue, for me personally it would be buying it from a shop, rather than making it and claiming you made it.
Another pet peeve for me is if you don’t make your own barbecue rubs and sauces (pretty much 90% of the BBQ guys I have met just buy there rubs).
Now I know this can stir up some feelings because so many people are into their stick burners and charcoal smoker’s still don’t even try and make their own simple rubs and just by the secret ‘pitmaster’ blends.
And it really is simple sometimes just sugar, salt, paprika, coriander, pepper and what spices you like.
I really don’t think you can call pellet grill smoker’s cheating, especially if you’re just buying rub applying it, whacking back some beers in the belly and a getting charcoal smoker going.
What is Cheating When Making Smoked Meat?
Is it not looking after the fire through airflow control?
What are you trying to achieve when learning the art of BBQ smoking, is it about producing quality meats and food for family and friends?
Or is it about the craft of tending a fire and trying to manage temperature?
Also, let’s rewind a bit more, smoking meat goes way back with the Germans and Czechs early settlers introducing smoked meat to the States. It has morphed and developed, but in essence, the real roots are in cold smoking (which I love to do, by the way, it takes weeks or months to produce certain cold-smoked goods – from animals I have shot, butchered, salt cured I have made and cold smoking apparatuses I have made – just thought I would mention this).
Any craft where drinking is involved generally gets people quite excited as well – BBQ Smoking is definitely a way to ‘getaway’ from many peoples day in day out realityies
Okay so let’s take a little bit of the high ground or maybe the low ground I’m not sure.
Who is the pure barbecue pitmaster smoker enthusiast?
Do they make their own charcoal?
Do they grow their own trees? Which they then dry and use for smoking? (Of course, they know to use these deciduous trees with low sap content)
Did they make their barbecue? Design it and build it themselves?
Did they rub two sticks together to get the fire going on there stick burner?
Do they cheat lighting the fire with a chimney starter?
Did they raise the animal that they then slaughter themselves? (or go out into the true wild and chase it down with bare hands and wit)
Did they break down the animal themselves?
For me comes down to basically where you draw the line and it’s a complete and utter opinion as to where you draw the line.
Please note, I am making fun of this topic to hopefully deflate the seriousness some choose to inflate it.
Some people take pleasure in getting into detail and making their own bits and pieces about what detail is relevant or not.
But the question is why would you judge someone why can’t you just let them enjoy it. And create delicious food for there family (and may I say with ease).
I guess some people just also make up the tradition as they go based on some unspoken rules.
This is actually quite refreshing writing after thousands and thousands of words of just being factual and helpful.
I guess you’re getting the point I’m trying to make about pellet grill smokers and whether they are cheating or not.
Because it’s all about perception and opinion.
You might know or not but in some States, pellet grills are absolutely fine for being used in the BBQ competitions, whilst in others, they refuse entry of pellet grills. And the fact of the matter is pellet grills have one a lot of competitions where they are allowed.
In the modern era when convenience has become some an incredibly sort after thing.
And I can completely understand the traditional argument that real barbecue should be done burning wood and/or charcoal.
But as soon as you start judging other people then you just deciding to take the high ground and argue that you’re right and they are wrong.
Which doesn’t benefit the overall BBQ smoker community because it’s just about creating some food which can be enjoyed by loved ones.
Will thats what it’s about for me anyway.
For me, that is basically the bottom line and you don’t have to get really serious about it and call one group cheaters to get to that tasty delicious outcome.
So where to from here, I do wonder why you googled whether pellet grill smokers were cheating. Because most of the time it’s because somebody has mentioned it who generally is right into burning wood or charcoal and is passing judgment.
Probably comes down to whether you want to judge the people on what they choose to do or not. When I was a bit younger probably some quality blanket judgment and stereotyping was just the norm.
Nowadays I just remind myself that kinda talk is just not worth it.
Pellet grill smokers are awesome if you don’t have one buy one if you a few good a few recommendations check out my resources page.
I’m biased, I love them!