How does everyone control or manage the pellets in your smoker? Do you fill the hopper and empty it after each cook? With multiple kinds of pellets on hand I feel like it would become difficult to remember what you left in the hopper. Isn't it kind of a pain to keep separate containers for each kind of pellet?
I'm just wondering if I'm missing something, or if has everyone developed their own system for this.
Weber Genesis S330 with GrillGrates
Weber Summit Kamado E6
Weber Performer with SnS, DnG and Pit Viper mod
Weber 26" kettle with SnS, DnG and Pit Viper mod
Traeger Flatrock Griddle
PKGO
Fireboard (2)
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks MK4 (2)
Themoworks Thermapen ONE
When I first started out I would keep them separate. I would also scoop out as much as possible when changing flavors. Eventually I realized that I didn't really notice a difference between pellet flavors. So now I just use Cookingpellets Perfect Blend. To my taste buds, I think they all have the same flavor. Just the nature of pellets.
I agree on flavor comment. All taste the same to me as well.
I’d fill the hopper use what you use. When done with the smoke...empty the hopper and let the rest of the pellets smoke out. Too many times do I wake up super early to do a smoke...and BAM💥, my smoker is jammed because of pellet integrity and cold weather. Never again.
I agree with Rod, I do notice a difference in say the fruit woods versus say oak or mesquite but it's not dramatic. So I too buy hickory and oak for most of my beef cuts and fruit wood blends for my pork and poultry. I take a piece of painters tape and write which one is in the bin and put it on the lid. I have a dedicated vacuum that I use to suck out the pellets I want to change out, if need be. They old ones go back in a plastic bin. Kinda wish I had a pellet dump but it's not that big a deal.
I don't have a pellet dump either so I use a dust deputy cyclone with a vac to dump the pellets straight into a storage bucket easy peasy. I was an early adopter for the dust deputy so I paid full price back in the day but you can pick up knock off ones on Ebay now for 20-25 bucks.
I did the same only went to Home Depot and got a Bucket Head vacuum on sale for $15. You stick it onto one of their orange buckets and have an instant wet/dry vac. Sucks a hopper full of pellets out in about 3 minutes.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Like Rod and Troutman , I don't notice a huge (if any) flavor difference between pellets made from different woods. Mostly, it's the smell of the smoke that you notice ... but that doesn't necessarily translate into flavor. It's cold here in Colorado so I stick with pellets made from a high percentage of oak (for the BTU's). Fruit wood pellets just can't generate enough heat to guarantee that you'll be able to get the smoker up into it's max temperature range (above about 400 F) when it's cold outside.
The pellets that I've settled on are Grilla Grills' Competition blend ... mostly made from oak with a bit of hickory and cherry thrown in. If I ever convince myself that I must have more fruit wood "flavor", I've got a smoke tube that I'll place inside the smoker. FWIW, I've never yet felt the urge ... so the AmazinTube is still brand new in its box. If/when I do, I've got a nice variety of BBQr's delight "flavor" pellets for the occasion.
Here in Colorado, it's very dry ... so I don't bother to dump pellets between cooks. That said, I probably would dump them if I knew it would be several months until the next cook (better safe than sorry). If I lived in a wet/humid climate, I'd probably think differently.
Since I've settled on one type of pellet, I really don't bother with labeling what's in the hopper. If that ever changes, I'll go with Troutman's blue painter's tape approach.
jtw - yeah ... I just order 3 bags from them whenever I find myself down to just one or two unopened bags. Also, I just store the pellets indoors in the open bag taped or rubber-banded shut. One of these days, I'll go find myself a nice container ... but for now, I'm good.
Thanks guys, that's pretty much what I thought. Given that pellets don't necessarily impart extremely heavy smoke flavor, it seems like more of a gimmick and a nuisance to keep switching woods rather than just settle on one all-purpose pellet. Excellent advice, much appreciated. Maybe I'll get around to two bins ("regular" and "fruit") or something.
That's exactly what I do. It got too laborious to have a different bucket for apple, hickory, pecan, etc. I'm down to two: hickory and "other".
As for cleaning them out in between cooks, I really don't. I generally use a lot of hickory so that's what will likely be in there. If I know I cooked a ham last and I used apple for that, I'll change if necessary at the time of the new cook.
When I used my Traeger (had one for 10 years), I used pecan exclusively. When I wanted a different fruit wood, I'd just mix it in when starting my cook, but would not worry with it on the next. I really could not notice a difference in flavor other than i just like using pecan. I still use it when I smoke low/slow.
Same goes for me that's already been said. Not enough smoke flavor from my pellet grill to notice any difference, so I just stick with a blend. Earlier today, I finally ordered a smoke tube to boost the smoke flavor in my GMG, so maybe my story will change once I start using that.
Delta Heat 32" Gas Grill on Cart
Yoder YS-640 on Comp Cart
Camp Chef SmokePro SE pellet grill - Sold LSU Purple Thermapen MK4
Maverick Et-732
Griddle grate
Boiling and turkey fryer pots and burners
I use 5 gallon buckets (from lowes or home depot) to hold my various pellets. I do scoop or vacuum out when I want to change the wood flavor profile. I live in south Texas, I never empty the hopper between cooks. I have not had an issue, but I do have a cover on my cooker.
I'm in San Antonio and I also leave pellets in my hopper all the time with no issues on my Camp Chef which has an unloader chute to empty my bin. Haven't felt the need. I also just use a Traeger Blend for most everything since I don't notice a difference in various pellets. FYI I buy my blend from COSTCO in a 33 pound bag for like 19.00.
I could use some ideals though on how to get more smoke flavor
I use one set of pellets, Maple Hickory Cherry or I get the Candy Special, and that's Pecan-Cherry. I find it works for everything, and the OG produces sufficient smoke flavor for nearly anything I want to do. My only problem is I get a big blast of smoke when checking on things frequently, and it ruins my ability to taste smoke for a day.
I do not empty it. I just top it up if it gets down. My Grilla spends it's downtime under a cover, so I am not terribly worried about moisture intrusion to the pellets. I do keep them in a petfood container that has a gasket to keep it sealed, but the wheels on it suck, so I'm maybe gonna replace with some charcoal containers I've seen.
If I want a flavor wood, I get 100% pure X, and run a tube with it, and use the MHC for heat and extra flavor. I did this with a pork shoulder I wanted to do in a hawaiian style, so gave it a tube of mesquite and a wrap in banana leaves. Brought to work and everyone loved it. I also ran some black walnut under a pastrami, which might've been a bit much, tbh.
My pellet management -
I took a piece of plastic and cut out a star shape and epoxied a magnet to the back. Because I am old and have a very poor memory.
These litter buckets will easily hold a 20 lb bag of pellets.
I have other pellets like cherry and pecan but my usage is like 80% apple.
Last edited by Maineac; January 10, 2019, 06:46 AM.
Nice setup. Nice MAK as well. I use cheap plastic bins and keep them on a shelf in my garage. Your setup would save me a few steps, I may give that a try. My bottom rack is currently empty.
I've seen a couple of references here to the Amazin' Tube being used in pellet cookers. I bought both the tube and then the tray from those guys and have tried to use both on my pellet cooker with very little luck. I have a large cook chamber and the combustion gases seem to swirl around in the there rather rapidly and it snuffs out either device rendering them ineffective.
Just wondering if anyone has had similar problems and if so did you resolve that somehow?? I've got similar problems in my gasser but really don't care much, I just use it as a grill these days anyway.
I've actually done that believe it or not. I was by necessity, I had to finish a brisket and had it wrapped so instead of loading more fuel in my smoker and getting it up to temp, I just threw it into the pellet and walla, the oven did the trick !!!
A little late here but my 2cents, I use an amazin tube with Applewood Pellets, I add layers of the shreds of Applewood I get in the Bagged Chunk Applewood I buy to the tube.I light mine with a mapp gas torch and it usually stays lit. My GMG is not sealed real well though, so it probably has more air. All said and done I still get more smoke from the Kettle with KBB & Applewood Chunks.
Not a great expert on the ole pellet scene, but I have several cooks under my belt now. I see absolutely no difference in flavor no matter what I have used. I have settled on B&B Championship Blend for everything. Pretty sure they are made by BBQR's Delight anyway so win win. What I have learned so far with the Pellet jobber, is that it is really a dang dang good outdoor convection oven, so I have been treating it as such.
I’m with everyone else in terms of smoke flavor, although, I think the BBQ Delight Hickory pellets might give a bit more smoke flavor (although I could be crazy).
I don’t change my pellets out and will likely order a bunch of hickory when the last of the pecan, cherry, and apple run out. I just top my hopper off at the end or beginning of every cook.
Enjoy your new cooker.
Last edited by Sweaty Paul; January 8, 2019, 09:17 PM.
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