Baby Back Ribs - Pellet Smoker vs. Egg

ScottyG

Decided to do two racks on my Camp Chef pellet smoker and two racks on my XL just to compare the two at the same time. Used the same rub and ran at the same temp.

I've always enjoyed the pellet smoker ribs in the past - and they were very good today too. I didn't anticipate that there would be a huge difference, but it was fairly noticeable. As the temp and time were exactly the same, there wasn't a huge variation in texture, but man, the depth of flavor from the egg was really surprising. Stronger smoke and better flavor.

Apologies for no pictures - family tore through the ribs before I had a chance. 

***Sidenote here: Buying a Kick Ash Basket and a Smobot has made a world of difference. I know I'm probably cheating, but damn, they make things go a lot smoother on long low and slow cooks. 

marysvilleksegghead

Great post, TY!

YukonRon

I have only been able to compare mine against an old Traeger. The former owner of the Traeger ( he now owns a BGE) used to give me his BB ribs to cook.

There is a difference and he knew it.

I am certain Traeger makes a fine product and I know people who would use nothing else.

I think you can master any cooking device available.

I doubt, very seriously, I would ever consider using something else to cook with as I really enjoy the food I get with my eggs.

I have zero reason to try or want anything else.

Foghorn

Great post.  Thanks for the contribution. 

cookingdude555

This is part of the reason I sold my pellet cooker. I used to use a pellet tube to add smoke and it just never compared to my WSMs or kamados. I wouldn’t say the pellet results weren’t good, they just weren’t AS good. 

FearlessTheEggNoob

Similar result here on my Davy Crockett. But IMO it's in it's own class with unique idiosyncrasies because the cooking chamber is very compact by design. Smoking a whole packer evenly is a challenge, but doable. However, I love the internet connected push-button ease of use and the clean and convenient pellet fuel. I could see a larger home unit being my in my future. A kamado has nothing on a pellet smoker when it comes to pulling off spontaneous cooks.

I'm going to try straight mesquite pellets next run instead of the hardwood mix and see how much that imparts to the smoke profile.

GregW

The quality of the food produced on a pellet fired cooker is greatly dependent on the pellet used.

Most pellets on the market are blended. The main species wood with a alder wood filler. The ratio of the blend is not stated and is proprietary.

If you want the best flavor I recommend going with a 100% pellet.

I have used and recommend these:

https://bbqlumberjack.com/

I use the 100% hickory.

A web search showed that some of the ****'s sporting goods stores carry the Lumberjack pellets, but I don't see the 100% type.