Stick smoker vs Pellet smoker

I have googled the heck out of this subject!!

I am exhausted just doing all this research and there doesn't seem to be a clear choice here.

Needless to say, I am in the market for a new smoker and am curious as to what you guys think?

I haven't had food from a pellet pooper yet, so I am unsure of the flavor profile. I have determined from my research that the pellet poopers are a "set it and forget it" system but produce less smoke flavor. Some are adamant that pellets have no business in the smoking arena but I don't care about that. Pellet smokers seem to cost more, have more moving parts, etc.. Stick smokers are harder to maintain temp and it can take a long time to master and even harder on cold, windy or rainy days. Not sure if there is a big difference in cost from wood vs pellets, but it doesn't seem to be a big difference. My main concern is really about the flavor! I don't mind the work involved with the fire, although "set it and forget it" is nice, but that hasn't made me jump either direction. I would love to know how different the flavor and tastes are between the two....that would really make my choice.

Can anyone out there help me with this dilemma?

Brand wise, I like Yoder and Lang and will choose one of those options. I wanted quality and American made without breaking the bank. Trying to keep cost around $1000.

Thanks for any help!

 

We have a UDS (ugly drum smoker), that we made out of a food grade 55 gal drum. Bought a small fan and run it with a PID controller to control the temperature. Probably not what you are looking for, its ugly but it works great (especially for the price)! Anyways, we like to do most of our hot smoking with the wood chunks, it's hard to beat that true flavor! We do however cold smoke some cheese with pellets and that also tastes great. I think it's hard to go wrong either way, but my personal preference is the wood chunks. Good luck with your hunt for a smoker, I'm sure you will love the food no matter what!

Also, if you are interested, this is what we use when cold smoking the cheese http://www.amazenproducts.com/default.asp . The guy that owns the company was very helpful when we started smoking food. He was great to deal with and willing to give you ideas on what tricks to try (you can tell he just loves smoking great food!).

 

I am way late to the party on this one but maybe there is a chance it'll help someone else.. I have used charcoal for a couple years with a really cheapo no named kmart smoker. Everything was great and no complaints, just had to work a bit harder. I looked at WSM and Pit Barrel Cooker for a while; even considered a masterbuilt 40" electric. I however, ended up buying a Camp Chef DLX pellet smoker. The controller is great and the company has been extremely helpful when I contact them about products. The flavor of the pellet will be light in comparison to the chunks or chips. I enjoy the ease of set it and forget it because then I can concentrate on beer and guests! amazingribs.com has a ton of reviews for everything you could want.

 

Adding to this late also but I went Pellet this year and can't say I will go back. For people who say they have no business I wonder if they have told that to a lot of the people who win contests with them. As for smoke flavor a lot of that has to do with the pellets you use. I have started buying Lumber Jack pellets and the flavor profile is night and day different than some of the other brands. I did a bunch of research on pellets and smokers like the OP and I still ended up with a Traeger, I know they got a bad wrap after they moved their manufacturing out of country but over the past 10-12 months it seems they fixed the issues they had and have gone back to being a good value. I'm sure in a few years I will go to a better brand something more on the higher end but so far this one has been awesome.