Cost of Cooking Pellets

[bten]

Just used the B&B Mesquite in my tube smoker on my gas grill. It is the best smoke flavor that I have been able to get on my gas grill so far. I was using a pellet with a hickory/adler mix. I really like the mesquite/oak mix.

[Powersmoke_80]

Breadhead I am sure you are correct about it being cheaper to use waste products and some of the cheaper ones may and that is why you don't get much smoke from them. I read that is not ideal if the wood is kiln dried as Ideal moisture content for smoking wood is 20% -25% per Doc Blonder.

http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/srawoodfuel.html

[Breadhead]

You and doctor Blonder might be correct and most furniture lumber is kiln dried to a very low moisture content because they are possibly shipping their finished products to into dry climates like Phoenix, Az. However... adding moisture to sawdust is much, much, cheaper than removing moister.

[Powersmoke_80]

CandySueQ Upon further home work I guess Smoke Ring Pellets are not re branded Lumberjack and this is from http://www.americanbestbbq.com/
Smoke Ring pellets are bark free on all blends,Oak, Maple,Hickory. In other words we specialize in low ash full green tree
de-barked chips to make our pellets. Our Cherry has bark-on however orchard cherry is Known to be a low ash burning
wood with thin bark so we leave it on. This extra step costs more but this allows our pellets to burn clean and still have the full rich flavor of greenwood. Breadhead Much better than is kiln dried sawdust wood. If you want a low ash yet full flavor pellet
your looking for Smoke Ring pellets. Our blends MHC, OHC and MBC will give you a strong flavor yet give you a lower
ash. The pellet plant is in Boyne City, MI

[treesmacker]

I have a Rec Tec, and so far I've only used the Rec Tec and Cookinpellets Perfect Mix that I purchased with the cooker from Rec Tec direct. Both of these pellets are good, but I thought a little high priced, and I prefer to handle a 20 lb bag. I just received, but have not yet tried, 120 lbs of Pacific Pellets (six different woods in 20 lb bags). I ordered these from Sportsman's Warehouse at $9.99 per bag; they offer free shipping for orders over $50, so I thought this to be a good deal. I'll post later on how I like the pellets and how they work with the Rec Tec.

[Mr. Bones]

I'm definitely lookin forward to hearin yer thoughts on these pellets, an their flavour profiles...
Don't be afraid to mix n match, after ya evaluate each one separately.

[BBQ_Steve-O]

I use Pacific Pellet 100% Alder, which I like a lot. But I don't normally use alder based pellets because they do leave more ash and it's harder to get a stable temp than with oak or maple based pellets, which means I use a lot more.

[JTpellets]

I commonly see bags say 100% natural wood. Does this mean no oil added? Or is it 100% alder with oil added? I commonly use traeger, pit boss, or cabellas pellets. Would like to try another brand that is reasonably priced if it will make a difference. I often find on my pellet cooker the smoke flavor is more mild than i would prefer. I even use amazin tubes to add a bit of smoe flavor.

[bten]

If you can find the B&B pellets, try the Mesquite. It really makes a difference.

[LeeAvirett]

There is as little as 30% Hickory in a bag marked Hickory 100% Hardwood. Seems like fraud to me. When you want Hickory and you receive mostly Alder or some oil concoction its no wonder our pellet grills have such anemic smoke. CookinPellets are the only honest varietal pellets I have found via Amazon for about $40 bucks delivered.

[bten]

I have used the B&B pellets and the Pit Boss competition blend in my Camp Chef. I got the Pit Boss on clearance from wall mart. I think the camp chef controls better with the B&B pellets. When I am doing chicken or just trying things out, I use the Pit Boss pellets. When I have an investment on the grill (nice brisket or ribs), I go back to the B&B. I used the Mesquite for a Brisket, and Apple for some ribs. Both were great.

I find that the Pit Boss pellets have longer pellets, and more variation in length. The B&B seem to be more consistent in length.

I think that when the Pit Boss pellets run out, I will stay 100% B&B.

Just my observations.

[Jerod Broussard]

I need to try some mesquite. I'm pretty much 100% oak right now. I figure 100% BTU's with all oak.

[bten]

let me know how you like it

[SMOG MAN]

I also purchased some Pit Boss Competition pellets when on clearance from Wallmart, I don’t like them as much as some other brands I have used.

[Sweaty Paul]

Not that these were discussed, however, I’m a huge fan of BBQ Delight. Great flavor, clean burn. Had a GMG and always used their pellets. Recently got a YS-640 and started using BBQ Delight pellets. Completely enamored. Good luck on your tests.

[bten]

B&B and BBQ Delight are the same pellets, different bag.

[Sweaty Paul]

bten thanks! Didn’t know.

[BBQ_Steve-O]

From what I have seen, most of the winning competition teams around here use BBQers Delight. The only reason I don't use them very often is that I'm too cheap! I just found a local WalMart that sells B&B, so I'm gonna give those a try.

[Ratton454]

Hi There! Does anyone know anything about the "Pitmaster Select Competition Grade" hardwood smoking pellets? That is what the dealer sells where I bought my Yoder YS640.

[Sweaty Paul]

Never heard of them. Love the BBQ Delight pellets I’ve been using since I got the YS-640.

[Sac3848]

Hey Candy What's your problem with 100% hickory?

[CandySueQ]

At a contest, didn't want to open a 20# bag so put 3 1# bags of 100% hickory in the hopper. Ash caked on the deflector shield and when it dropped, it put the fire out. Just too ashy.

[panteracfh3]

I know Traeger says to only use their pellets. Will using a 3rd party pellet actually invalidate the warranty of the product or is it strictly a marketing ploy to get the after-purchase revenue (or both)?

[BBQ_Steve-O]

I had a Traeger for a while, you can use any quality pellet you want.

[BBQ_Steve-O]

I have tried a bunch of different pellet brands and, to date, my personal preference overall is Lumberjack and Cookinpellets Perfect Mix. They have good flavor, good amount of smoke, produce stable temps and they're good on ash quantity... and they're affordable! Also, I haven't noticed the "bitterness" CandySueQ mentioned with Lumberjack, but maybe my taste buds are out of whack. 😝

BBQers Delight are darn good pellets, they're just a little too pricey. I haven't tried B&B yet, but I'm going to grab a bag next week and give them a shot.

[Sac3848]

B&B is the same as BBQ Delight .Bag is just different

[tamidw]

Here in the PNW, I have been using Bear Mountain because they're cheap and easy to get. I mostly would use Apple because they go great with pork and chicken, but have used several of their flavors. I have been trying to find some of these other brands to start trying more. I will keep looking as it's hard to find anything other than Bear Mountain, GMG, Traeger around here.

But I was having some issues with my smoker and even though I changed out to a fresh bag and also a different brand I had, I was still having issues. Bottom line, I went to the store and bought a brand new bag of pellets (I think GMG pellets) and no longer had an issue with my smoker. I have a feeling my pellets somehow got some moisture in them even though they were sealed and in a cabinet on my covered back deck.