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Watched a pellet smoker win at a KCBS event and it changed my stance on gas
I used to talk trash about pellet smokers, swore by my stick burner through every event I judged in Kansas City last fall. Then I saw a guy using a Traeger knockoff take first place in brisket at a local comp in Overland Park. Honestly, the bark was deeper than anything I got from my offset that same day, and I'd been babysitting mine for 14 hours straight. That result made me rethink the whole idea that real BBQ means you have to suffer for it. Now I run a hybrid setup, stick burner for ribs and butts, pellet for anything I need consistent overnight. My buddies still give me grief about it, but the trophy shelf in my garage speaks louder. Has anyone else seen a pellet rig flat out beat traditional fire at a sanctioned event, or am I the only one who switched sides?
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ryan_ellis1mo ago
Three years at the American Royal and I have never once seen a pellet box on a podium, not even in the backyard division. Walked past a guy last summer who ran one for chicken and he was fighting the controller all morning while I was just feeding splits and drinking coffee. You got lucky with that Overland Park judge, that's all. A pellet rig might nail temps but it can't give you that live fire smoke profile when the wind shifts, and anyone who says otherwise hasn't tasted the difference side by side. Besides, if you're not up at 3 AM tending a fire, are you even doing BBQ or just running an appliance?
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