Have you ever thought “Should I buy a Vertical Pellet Smoker or a Horizontal one?”
No?
Well, these kinds of questions only arise in your head when you are just about to buy a smoker.
Now think for a second. You are planning to have a good barbecue party in your backyard. And you want to make the most delicious barbecue for the guests. So, you decide to purchase a pellet smoker.
You enter a shop and you see there are two different types of pellet smokers. The one is vertical and the other one is horizontal. Now you are calculating in your mind whether to buy the vertical one or the horizontal one.
Only if you are aware of the performance and the differences, then you can decide which one to buy.
Here we have brought a whole guide that will differentiate between these two smokers and tell you which one you should buy.
What Does A Vertical Smoker Do?
There are three main compartments of a vertical smoker. To better understand the working process of a vertical smoker, we will have to break it into three pieces.
The first compartment is the bottom one. This compartment holds the burning fuel. It can be charcoal, pellets, or even electricity sometimes.
Above the first compartment, there is a water pan. This water pan regulates the what of the vertical smoker. It deflects the heat as well as, moistens the meat.
Above the water pan is a smoking chamber where you put the meat.
Vertical Pellet Smoker vs. Horizontal Pellet Smoker
This section compares the vertical and the horizontal smokers. It will also answer your main question ‘Should I buy a vertical pellet smoker or a horizontal smoker?’
1. Performance
If we look into the performance of smoke production, we find that the vertical pellet smokers perform better than the horizontal ones.
Why?
Just because of the design. In a vertical smoker, food is just above the flame and just below the chimney. That’s why smoke distributes evenly all over.
However, on the other side, horizontal smokers don’t have a chimney. They just have a vent for smoke. Therefore, the smoke can easily leave the chamber and does not circulate around the food. Hence, the food made is not as smoky as in the vertical smoker.
2. Cost
Moreover, there is another major factor and that is the cost. If you want to make the best food in your smoker, then look at the cooking area your smoker provides.
If we compare the vertical smokers with the horizontal pellet smokers, we can see the difference in cost as well as coking area.
This is because the structure of the vertical smokers. You can always use racks to enlarge the cooking area. Again, just because of the burning fuel below the food and the chimney that is above the food.
3. Space
Well, to be honest, there is not a very big difference in the space requirements of vertical pellet smoker and horizontal smokers.
However, still the horizontal ones take more than the vertical smokers.
That is a big advantage. Because this way you can keep your smoker inside your home rather than leaving it in the backyard and letting it rust. Unless you have one of the best stainless-steel smoker.
Conclusion
Keeping the above-mentioned comparisons into consideration, you can easily tell that a vertical pellet smoker is a better option than the horizontal one. Hence, you will not be confused at all while deciding which one to buy.
