Offset smokers beat pellet grills for real bark, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise
Tbh I ran both at my buddy's place in Wichita Falls over Labor Day, same pork butts, same rub, and the offset gave me that dark crusty bark the pellet grill just can't hit because it burns too clean. The stick burner forced me to babysit the fire for 9 hours but every person at the table grabbed from that tray first. Anyone here actually switched from pellets to offset and regretted it?
The line about the pellet grill burning too clean is what got me, because I used to roll my eyes at the offset crowd. I had a pellet grill for three years and told everyone the bark thing was just old guys being stubborn about fire tending. Then my brother in law did the same test you did, two racks of ribs side by side, and the offset ribs had that deeper red color and real chew to the crust while the pellet ones tasted fine but flat. I still like pellets for a quick weeknight cook and I am not giving mine away, but I was wrong about them being equal. The fire tending part is annoying for sure, though sitting out there with a beer and a chimney starter is half the fun anyway.