Best Pellets for Smoking

[richnorris]

Just purchased a Yoder YS640 which will arrive in about a week. A a newbie to pellet smoking asking for input on the best smoking pellets to by and why. Pricing is not particularly a deciding factor

[Jerod Broussard]

Welcome Rich!!

I'm partial to B & B which is manufactured by BBQr's Delight.

Thanks for the post, it reminded me of two bags of Mesquite I need to get out of my truck.

[CaptainMike]

I came across these while searching, might have to give 'em a try: https://bbqrsdelight.com/product/candys-contest-mix/

[Potkettleblack]

That’s what I use CaptainMike. Good results, both in terms of flavor and presentation. Candy knows her stuff.

[88K]

BBQrs Delight give me the best smoke

[Nate]

Welcome from Indiana

[smokinsteve]

"Perfect Mix" from CookinPellets. I order them on Amazon and get free shipping when ordering two bags.

[CandySueQ]

Really? I'm certain that CookinPellets is in the northern middle of USA, not California.

[jlazar]

I also liked the Perfect Mix. Seemed best mix of quality, quantity and price. Can't go wrong with BBQ Delight or B&B.

[Baltassar]

Another vote for CookinPellets. 100% of whatever they say it is. I use the Hickory, and have been very satisfied.

[LeeAvirett]

Rich, I have found your biggest problem with any pellet grill is finding 100% varietal wood pellets for fuel. Most are only about 30% hickory, for example, and 70% alder. They will not tell you this on the bag. The wording is clever and deceitful in my opinion. Consequently, you will get anemic smoke which will not compare to a stick burner or even a kettle grill with a few chunks of wood.

My solution was ordering Cookin Pellets on Amazon, 40 lbs for $41 delivered! These are 100% hickory or whatever wood you order. No cheap filler wood! Makes a big difference in your results. Real shame the grill manufacturers put their name on such a misrepresented product. Also, order a smoke tube, LizzQ for example at $15, which will make all the smoke you can stand. If you want lots, just light both ends of it and you can't see the meat for the smoke! Works great for cold smoking cheese with the grill off. Light it in 25 seconds with a heat gun, $10 from Harbor Freight, and you are in business.

[bten]

I would recommend the B&B as well. while some of the flavors are only 30%, the rest is oak. I find that it burns well and the pellet grill controls better with the B &B. (The oak base is to assure that you have enough btu value in the pellet so that the controller can work properly) Academy, HEB and some Walmart's have them. From what I hear, the Yoder's have a great smoke profile. You may not need to get a smoke tube to get the smoke flavor you want.

[Potkettleblack]

Have no complaints expect that I have to plan for BBQrs Delight. Would like a local source of premium pellets, but the shipping on BBQrs is hard to beat.

[bten]

B&B and BBQrs Delight are made by the same folks. Only the bags are different.

[richnorris]

Thanks for all the great comments back, pretty excited to get smokin with the new YS640 very soon

[JakeT]

Congrats on a great smoker!

[richnorris]

So as a follow-up to my question on smoker pellets I'd be interested in any advise from YS640 owners that would be useful for a guy who is just getting one, i.e. what to do, what not to do, things to watch out for, trick for the assembly process etc. etc. etc.

[jlazar]

Live in Tx where it is hot and humid. Never emptied the hopper - no issues here. Mine was hottest at bottom left (by firebox) and top right (by chimney). Usually used top shelf if only cooking one meat. If brisket, put point (thickest) towards chimney.

[jlazar]

Very, very easy and fast smoker to learn. You will love it. Set the temp for what you want and put a meat probe in what you are cooking. Then sit back and relax. Did overnight cooks of brisket and butt and easily went 8 hours unattended.

[Gruntmarine86]

I'm new to the smoker world! I just bought a Green Moutain "Daniel Boone" Smoker. I'm using it for the first time today! Still can't figure out how to connect to wifi. Maybe this thing is too fancy for me!!

[BBQ_Steve-O]

First off, the YS640 is an awesome smoker. I have a friend that has one and I'm starting to think that just might be the replacement for the large pellet smoker I have now.

As for pellets... I have tried a lot of widely available pellets in the PAC NW region and even some small batch stuff, and the pellets that I like the best (aside from Milt's - RIP) come from somewhere in the great lakes Minna-scon-chigan region called Lumberjack http://bbqlumberjack.com/. They are Oak based on their mixed varieties and they also offer a good variety of 100% woods. Their 100% apple is the best of, the best, of the best sir! Their MHC (Maple Hickory Cherry) is by far my favorite everyday pellet. I also like Cookin Pellets Perfect Mix (I have 200 lbs in my shed!), BBQer's Delight (which are overpriced IMO, but have some hard to find woods) and Green Mountain Grills Gold (Oak, Hickory, Maple) and Fruitwood are actually pretty good for every day cheap use (hot dogs, hamburgers, Costco rotisserie chickens, Pizza, etc). All of those are Oak-based pellets which burn at a higher, more steady temp and create less ash. My best advice is to find out what you have locally available, read the reviews, experiment and avoid shipping whenever possible.

Have fun with your YS640!

[ckreef]

I'll give a thumbs up for lumberjack. I don't own a pellet grill but use them in a pellet hot/cold smoker. I tried B&B but thought they were low end junk.

[FireMan]

In light of what’s been said here & the lead in question, Are there "best pellets for not smoking?"

[BBQ_Steve-O]

Hmmm.... you mean like a pretty pellet that you can hang on the wall and look at? Or maybe a bowl of pellets that you can munch on while watching a movie? FireMan you may be on to something!

[Potkettleblack]

If you have cats:

https://www.chewy.com/okocat-super-soft-clumping-wood-cat/dp/117426

[awfurman4]

I have always used Lumberjack and been extremely happy with any variety. I run a GMG Daniel Boone.

[awfurman4]

Side note they are typically more expensive than other brands but if you can buy in bulk it drives the price way down. If you want to pay $5 for a 40lb bag of generic pellets at your local discount store, good luck.

[Sweaty Paul]

Love BBQ Delight as rec by Yoder. Will also say they burn very cleanly and give great flavor. Congratulations on YS-640. Think you’ll love it. I certainly love mine.

[RAGBBQ]

Anyone use Pacific Pellet? They claim to be 100% hardwood with no fillers. I have tried a bag or two, but they are so inexpensive that I wonder how good they are.

[treesmacker]

I recently purchased 6 varieties of Pacific Pellets. Twenty pound sacks at $9.99 from Sportsman's Warehouse with free shipping for order over $50. For use in my Rec Tec RT-340. I haven't cooked with them yet, so will post after experience.