The SB pellets smelled the closest to burning sticks than the others. Plus, my grill didn't eat them like candy.
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bbqLuv shared this in another thread. I think it’s very cool they did the test. My point here is there’s lots of variables in pellets. Taste is definitely an important factor. However, you could line up the same tests repeatedly using different blends or single species from the same companies and probably get very different results. If you used hickory pellets, I would bet Traeger moves to the bottom but it could depend even if they are east or west hickory because Traeger hickory from the west half of the US uses 80% alder and the east uses 80% oak.Originally posted by Old Glory View Post
I really think these signature, competition, etc. blends have become popular for two reasons. First, the food does taste better using Traeger’s Signature blend versus Traeger’s Pecan pellets, since the blend probably uses 100% flavor woods. Second, we like to make things seem fancier than they are so we can say I cooked this using hickory, maple, and cherry.
The point of this thread wasn’t about the flavors though, it was pointing out that pellet grills are complicated machines and every model is different. The pellets you put in are a factor in that performance. They have different diameters and lengths. Some companies use the bark, some don’t. Hickory has some thick bark doesn’t it? Probably why these create so much ash. I’ve used a lot of the Weber Grillmaster Blend over the past year, which is made by Lumberjack, It didn’t produce anywhere near this much ash, but still considerably more than any CookinPellets I’ve tried.
Does that mean that LJ Hickory pellets are bad? Not at all, but whether you want to use them might depend on your particular pellet grill. On a SmokeFire, Yoder, Memphis, LSG, you’re very unlikely to have a problem because of the fire pot being vastly different. On the ‘standard’ style pot it depends on where/how many holes are in the pot and how strong the fan blows. Does it push ash out of the pot or does it accumulate? If it does clear the pot, where does that ash go, does it stay below the drip tray or end up on your food? Most grills do pretty good at keeping it below.
I’m not trying to sell anyone anything at all. If what you’re using is working keep using it. However, if you experience issues that aren’t explainable, try switching up the pellets.
A really weird thing I did catch skipping through that video is the commentary that I think was on the grill with LJ pellets and how many more pellets that particular grill was using. So, are the pellets less efficient because of the bark? So, you’re going to burn more pellets that cost less? Or is there a problem with that particular grill or the environment skewing the test making it burn more which might also make it produce less smoke keeping a hotter fire?Last edited by glitchy; January 14, 2022, 11:11 AM.Comment
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I wasn't making a statement in any way. I still need to watch the video. I have run all kinds of pellets through my Blazn' Grid Iron and have not had a single issue. Because of the slide out fire pot I dump the ashes every other cook. I have never had a flame out and have never had bridging or excessive ash flying around. I use mostly Cooking Pellets but have run LJ without issue. I am looking for flavor and depth of smoke. My grill seems like it can eat any pellet without issue. -
Yeah, I pretty much empty mine every cook too unless it’s just a couple of very short cooks. I’ve run at least a couple hundred pounds of other LJ pellets through this grill, so it seems their hickory is dirtier. I also think it might have recovered, I didn’t know I had the firmware with auto-relight (never needed it before), but hard to say for sure buried under that much ash. -
After finally watching the video it really was interesting concerning the different burn rates. I think CandySueQ once said some blending of wood is needed for heat/BTUS with some wood there for flavor. I would assume the pellets with the higher burn rate were burning at a lower BTU so they needed to burn more to maintain temps. My other takeaway is that taste is subjective burn what you like.
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I suspect it's because of the smaller diameter of the LJ pellets. Those pellets slide into the firepot with less resistance than 1/4" pellets.Originally posted by glitchy View Post
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glitchy I’m in agreement with glitchy. Find a pellet that works well in your particular grill and produces food that you like and stick with it. Boom. Done.Comment
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Out of the 6 brands, would LJ have been the only skinny pellets? I haven’t used Jelous Devil, Pit Boss, or Knotty Wood.Originally posted by CandySueQ View Post
Could you elaborate more on your experience with this too? My understanding is the auger works as much like a set of gates as anything, so once the auger is full, each turn is going to push X amount of mass through. Maybe more skinny pellets fit between a set of gates, but the controller is working to keep a steady temp, so shouldn’t they should turn fewer times per cycle or pause longer between cycles if there’s more mass hitting the pot? Or would GMG’s logic be more timing based and mostly using the fans to control temp? I may have assumed poorly that controller logic has shifted away from constant timing cycles on the auger as they’ve evolved and cooking temps have gotten more steady and the ability to adjust things like P-settings has disappeared from most grills.
Also, it’s a shame they didn’t include BBQr’s Delight in the test!Comment
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I think the GMG controller is timing based, pretty sure I've seen people talk about adjusting the settings like they still do for Trager and RecTeq? -
The "less resistance" comment came straight out of the mouth of Mark Graham of Grilla Grills. I was making a pitch to make GG pellets (I failed!). Pit Boss is a 1/4" pellet. I've not seen Jealous Devil or Knotty Wood - I think they are west coast brands. 1/4" is kind of the standard diameter.
Honestly glitchy, I am not an expert on controllers/board logic. My MAK still runs on the original board. I can tell you that I prefer an open core auger to a screw type. I check meat temp not pit!
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I think you see a little more ash with Lumberjack because it isn’t debarked (with the exception of their oak). The trade off is a better smoke flavor, imho.Comment
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