Pellet Smoker Vs Electric Smoker - Which One to Buy in 2024?

Electric smokers and Pellet smokers are the best competitors among outdoor smokers. They are much easier to use and infuse smoky flavor into your vegetables and meat. With these smokers, you will be able to set the temperature of the cooker to your preference, then sit back and enjoy your meal while the smoker cooks it.

You can use electronic controls and digital displays to make your outdoor cooking memorable. In this article, you can read the pros and cons of both smokers and some necessary discussion about pellet smoker vs electric smoker. Both of these smokers have their features and are very different, so you have to select one that will meet your needs.

Vertical Pellet Smoker Vs Electric Smoker Overview

Both electric smokers and pellet smokers use electric supplies and give good smoky food. There are differences in results between the types of smokers, so be careful when choosing one. Pellet smokers are very famous for slow cooking.

While electric smokers can give lower temperatures than it, that will be good for warming soups, sauces, and meat. If you want to cook your food at a high temperature, then pellet smokers are slow-cooking smokers, while electric smokers are unable to cook food at high temperatures.

Modern electric and pellet smokers have used the technology to simplify the cooking process and have made it easy. You do not need to struggle hard to ignite current smokers as they contain an auto-ignition system that starts with a single click.

The control of the smoker is lenient. You can read the precise temperature of the cooking chamber from the clear digital control panels. You can customize the settings with an electric device or remote control.

The hardwood pellets are very efficient, and you can also order them online to save time. You can easily clean them because both smokers create almost no mess.

Electric smokers and pellet smokers are durable and will last very long since they are made of weather-resistant and corrosion-resistant material. Both smokers’ cooking chambers will eventually heat up, which helps to avoid cold and hot spots.

Pellet Smokers

Pellet smokers usually use a drill to drop the wood pellets into the cooking chamber from the hopper. The convection fans help air to come into the chamber and will start the fire to ignite the coals.

Pellet smokers are famous for cooking smoky flavored vegetables and meat that taste like they were cooked on an open fire. Moreover, hardwood pellet flavors can be selected from various options, and they are cheap, so you can experiment until you find the flavor that suits you best.

Suppose you want to become idle while cooking. Choose a pellet smoker. You need to plug them into the heat source, and then the drill works, and the pellets become hot.

Mostly, modern pellet smokers allow you to adjust the temperature of your smoker by a remote because they use the latest technology. You can use this feature while you socialize with deers and slowly cook your lunch or dinner, then turn up the heat towards the end to seal the flavors.

Advantages Of Pellet Smoker

Cooking In Cool Temperature: Because pellet smokers have insulation, they are ideal for smoking meat during the winter.
Environmentally-Friendly: For efficiency, pellet smokers use convection heat.
Easy Maintenance: Unlike any other barbeque smoker, pellet smokers create a little mess that can be cleaned easily.
Grilling And Searing Option: Some expensive pellet smoker models allow you to increase the temperature for grilling.
Flavor: No type of smoker can beat the pellet smoker in case of flavor because pellet smokers use hardwood pellet woods.
Convenient Cooking: Wait until the food is ready, then place the meat on the smoker.

Disadvantages Of Pellet Smoker

Lower Capacity: Unlike vertical electric smokers, pellet smokers cannot handle too much food.
Requires Planning: The pellet woods are unavailable at every shop, so you must buy them online. They are only ideal for smoking if you have a stockpile of pellet wood.
Expensive: Pellet smokers are usually more costly than electric smokers, so you have to spend too much on them.
Needs A Power Source: Pellet smokers are not portable like other smokers because you need to plug them into the power source.

Electric Smoker

Electric smokers are more inexpensive than pellet smokers, so they are budget-friendly. You can save space by using the vertical design, but they still can handle a large amount of food, so you will not have to compromise on capacity.

The operation of an electric smoker is similar to that of a pellet smoker. There are digital readouts and intuitive touch screens in modern electric smokers that allow fixing the temperature of the smoker accurately.

Many electric smokers have a Bluetooth controller that permits you to adjust the smoker’s temperature from a smart device, which is a magnificent feature if you notice. It is really simple to load the wood chips and load them without opening the door to avoid the heat.

Though electric smokers require a power supply, they are very economical. The neat energy source is environmentally friendly, and your neighbors will not bother due to smoke.

As many apartment buildings and condos do not allow fire, electric smokers are best in this way. Your electric smoker allows you to enjoy your evening with friends, and you will not block other residents’ paths due to its slimline design.

Advantages Of Electric Smoker

Easy Temperature Setting: Like an oven in your kitchen, you can set the temperature for a slower or faster cooking time.
Super Clean: Electric smokers will not create any mess. Clean the surface of your smoker, and your smoker is again ready for smoking.
Suitable For Apartments And Condos: Many housing societies and apartment owners do not permit you to ignite an outdoor fire. However, you can still enjoy your barbeque party with an electric smoker.
Ideal For Smaller foods: As you can set the electric smoker at a low temperature, they are exceptional for heating bread slices and cheeses.
Low-Priced: On the market, electric smokers are among the cheapest cookware options. They are also relatively inexpensive to operate.
Compact Design: Some vertical electric smokers will only occupy a little space.

Disadvantages Of Electric Smokers

Needs Plugged In: There can be no electric smoker far from a power outlet, so make sure you are close to a socket.
Take Practice: There is a water pan to keep the food moist. However, getting prosperous and juicy food will take a little practice.
Light Flavor: The flavor of the food is cooked inside the electric smoker, but the taste of it is not like those of the pellet smoker.
Bad For Grilling: Electric smokers cannot achieve high temperatures, so they cannot do searing or grilling.

Electric Smoker Vs Pellet Smoker Features Comparison

After knowing the pros and cons of each type of smoker, you can now read the comparison of the different features of both smokers.

Ease Of Use

Both electric and pellet smokers are at the top when it comes to smoking and ease of use. Smokers and ovens both offer the option of “set and forget.” You set the temperature, and the smoker takes care of the rest. For your convenience, Masterbuilt has added a slide-out tray.

The grills of the pellet smokers can easily control the wood flavor since they have large hoopers. But, with the electric smoker, you must regularly replace the chips to control the temperature. In electric smokers, you need to open the smoker’s door to replenish the wood chips.

Winner – Pellet Smokers

Temperature Range

Pellet smokers offer a wide range of temperatures as compared to electric smokers. Most pellet smokers can reach 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and some can cross this temperature limit.

Grilling over pellets may not be as effective as grilling over direct heat on most models, but it can still be done. For direct searing, some creators have made it easy by giving access to the firepot. At the same time, electric smokers are manufactured for smoking. To smoke hot dogs or burgers, you will require other equipment.

Winner – Pellet Smokers

Cost

If you are doing only barbeque and do not want to spend much money, then the electric smoker is best for you because it will cost no more than $300. For backyard smoking, a pellet grill is the best you can get in the range of $500-$1000.

Winner – Electric Smokers

High-End Features

Most models of pellet smokers do not have whistles and bells. Among the appeals of electric smokers are their simplicity and ease of use, and they don’t have multiple functions that confuse things and attachments that obstruct the use of these products.

Modern pellet smokers have Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. If you like to be able to check your food from inside the house, a pellet grill will be the best option for you.

Research and development investments by pellet grill manufacturers are much more aggressive. Other features you can obtain on a pellet smoker are pellet sensors, remote shutdown and startup, smoke boost, and smoke control.

Winner – Pellet Smokers

Smoke Ring

Smoke rings are the first things you will see while cutting into smoked meat. As a result of burning wood as both a heat source and flavor source, pellet grills have the gasses consistently. Without a lot of help, electric smokers are seldom able to produce enough gasses to create a smoke ring.

Winner – Pellet Smokers

How Much Electricity Do Electric And Pellet Smokers Use?

Though electric smokers do not take too much electricity, the amount of electricity they use is more important than the electricity used by pellet smokers. Electric smokers usually depend upon electricity to control the temperature.

Since an electric smoker utilizes electricity to control heat, thus its requirements for electricity are much higher. On the other hand, the pellet smoker uses electricity to heat the rod so that the fire will ignite.

The electrical power needed for the pellet grill will become too little after igniting the fire, as the convection fan, control panel, and drill takes a little energy. The wood ignited at the bottom of the electric smoker will create a bit of heat, but it cannot fulfill the heat requirements.

You might think about how much electricity an electric smoker can require. It depends upon the temperature of the smoker and the size of the smoker. Electric smokers need more than 500 watts of energy than pellet smokers.

How-Much-Electricity-Do-Electric-And-Pellet-Smokers-Use

Frequently Asked Questions

Both regular and pellet smokers are suitable for domestic cooking. Although both produce excellent results, their approaches to smoking meat differ. The biggest difference is that pellet smokers use electricity to ignite coals, while regular smokers use wood logs for this purpose.

Pellet grills are best for those who do not worry about searing and like the smoky taste. They are good enough to cook pulled pork, brisket, ribs, fish, and chops. But, in the case of burgers and beards, it is worthless to spend a lot on the pellet grill.

It is unnecessary to soak your wood chips while using an electric smoker or any other type of smoker. Wood chips not only give off the smoke but also impart a smoky flavor along with the natural taste of the food. They can do all of this without being soaked.

What kind of smoker is best for you depends upon your needs. Pellet smokers are more versatile than electric smokers because they offer a wide range of temperatures. Many pellet smokers can achieve 400 degrees Fahrenheit, while some can move across it since they are not suitable for grilling but can effectively grill.

Wrapping your meat in aluminum foil, using less charcoal to wood chunks, marinating, cooking over indirect heat, and allowing the meat to leave for three to five minutes will keep it moist. You can get the best quality chunks in the store and online.

Final Words

Once you have decided on your outdoor cooking, you can pick the best electric or pellet smoker to buy. I can say that, when buying electric smokers, purchase a product from a well-known manufacturer with a brand identity and a good customer service track record. By doing so, you can get the most out of your smoker for years to come.