I have a BGE but no experience with a pellet smoker. The reason I've really started to like my egg is because you can grill on it too. When you smoke on it, you put the ceramic plate in, and it's indirect smoking. When you girls, take the plate out and it's direct heat and can get a great sear on your meat. Also, you can use it like a pizza oven and make some pretty great stuff. The nice thing about ceramic smokers is, it's actually easy to regulate your heat (compared to trying to smoke on a weber). By using the top and bottom vent, you get it to the temp you want, and it will go for hours without needing any adjustment. It's probably not as fool proof as a pellet, but for the most part, you don't need to mess with it once it's set.