Everyone talks about cooking meat, and which method they prefer. A lot of people prefer to use grills, ad a lot of people prefer smokers. This poses the question, which is ultimately better? We shall take a look at some pros and cons’s of each and decide the best.

Smokers provide one thing, and that is smoke. Anyone familiar with the bbq world knows that this means a “low and slow” type of cooking. This means, our smokers will achieve a low temperature, while the overall cook time is very slow, meaning 8+ hours at a time. Cuts of meat that would otherwise be very tough cooked on a grill will be very soft and decadent cooked a variety of different smokers. These cuts mainly include a beef brisket or a pork shoulder. Yes, these are two different animals that the cut comes from, but they are the most worked between each animal. Each cut cooked in a smoker is going to render down the fat and hard working tissue found in each one. The smokers will finally end up producing a meal we have grown to love and cherish throughout the years.

The only downside to smokers is in fact the method that they prefer to cook at. A low and slow method as described above is not ideal for all cuts of meat. When we want to go outside and fire up a grill, we have the luxury of reaching maximum temperature at a quick amount of time, unlike that of a smoker. We need to sear both sides of a steak at over 500 degrees, at least, for proper juice containment. Most smokers will do a max of 475 degrees, and that’s shooting for the moon. Smokers just aren’t meant to reach that type of temperature due to the cuts of meat they are used to cooking, and that’s tougher cuts.

Grills, especially propane, have a huge advantage over any smokers, mainly the fact they can hit a high temperature without even blinking an eye. This is especially true if you are using a propane gas setup, which is fairly common among grills currently. Propane is a super hot burning fuel that instantly lights your grills up with the flick of a button, or igniter. This allows you to cook steaks, shrimp, or even hamburgers at a substantial rate without even blinking an eye. A wide variety of smokers won’t even provide this option.

We all have to remember that the most prestigious cuts of meat do come in the form of smokers, though. There is no denying the fact that a slower and lower temperature will produce a more succulent piece of meat, just like all of the smokers out there. The grills out there do their job for their certain cuts of meat, and smokers do their job their certain cuts of meat, and that’s the bottom line. Grills will certainly be the average guy’s number one man when it comes to the backyard grill, but the connoisseur of smoking or grilling, will turn to his line of smokers.