I have cooked with whole sticks of wood for a long time, but using this method does not keep the tempature the same for the entire cook time and it takes to much wood. I have been thinking about building a new upright cooker using gas for the main controlled heat source, with a drawer for pellets for smoke and a drawer with water for moisture. Will pellets give the same amount of smoke as the wood, and will it take as many pellets as it does sticks of wood? I would appreciate any suggestions and information on this subject sent to my e-mail [email protected]. THANKS