Just got my first smoker

[MileHighGrowler]

(02-19-2021, 12:51 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Alright so no need to bother with the charcoal pellets.  As far as filler, it seems the major brands use all hardwood, their "filler" being oak or alder.  Seems like it's about 30% advertised wood, and 70% filler hardwood.  Lumberjack offers a 100% but it's expensive.  I have I feeling I'd have a hard time differentiating much between say 100% apple or an apple blend anyway.  

So for the offset smokers it seems like charcoal is more a tool. There's a good chance I will never get a stick burner, but it doesn't hurt to at least start understanding how it's done.

And let me be clear, even though I prefer to stick burn (because I just enjoy it): you can make damn good smoked food on a pellet smoker.  It's easier to control, easier to manage and the food tastes great.  If you did a side-by-side comparison of a brisket from a pellet smoker and an offset, the offset would have some deeper smoke flavors, but it's not like the pellet would be bad at all.  I know some guys are super hardcore against pellet smokers and I'm just not that much of a purist.  I just don't want to fork over the cash for a pellet and I like managing a real fire because my inner caveman needs to be released every now and then is all.  So I just wanted to throw that out there, because there's a lot of hate for pellets in the smoking community.  

Charcoal is definitely mostly a tool (or a crutch, depending on size of smoker) for an offset.  

If you want to get in-depth on the topic, I recommend Mad Scientist BBQ on YouTube.  He talks a lot about how flavor comes from smoking, how to manage a fire, different types of smokers, etc.  As his name suggests, he dives into the chemistry of it all at times, but he's easy to understand and I really appreciate his approach of taking science into account to understand what makes BBQ work.  His most recent video was about using beef tallow on a brisket while wrapped.  My beef tallow should be arriving next week so I can try it out; the results were pretty convincing!