Editing Smoking (cooking) (section)

=== Pellet smokers ===
A pellet smoker is a temperature controlled smoker that burns wood pellets made of dried-out sawdust, about an inch long and 1/4 inch wide. The wood pellets are stored in a gravity-fed hopper that feeds into a motor-controlled auger by the temperature regulator. This auger pushes the pellets into the fire pot. An ignition rod within the auger ignites the pellets where a combustion fan keeps them smouldering. The motor and the combustion fan regulate the temperature of the smoker by feeding it more pellets and increasing airflow in the auger. Above the auger is a heat shield to disperse the direct heat before it reaches the heat box to allow the wood smoke to keep the heat box at an even temperature throughout. The heat sensor inside the heat box relays the current temperature inside the box back to the temperature regulator that controls the fan speed and pellet hopper motor, which either increase or decrease the amount of pellets in the auger or the amount of air available to the fire to maintain the desired temperature for the cook.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://barbecuebible.com/2015/02/20/new-pellet-grills/|title=A Guide to Pellet Grills – Barbecuebible.com|website=barbecuebible.com|access-date=2017-12-03|date=2015-02-20}}</ref>
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The popularity of this type of smoker is on the rise after many BBQ pit-masters began using them in barbecue competitions.