Ordered the smoker today, so it'll be arriving in about 10 days. From talking to all you great people here, it seems like BBQr's Delight and Lumberjack are solid places to buy pellets. What type of hardwood/fruitwood would you recommend getting for my first time out? Single woods? Blends? I'll be cooking pretty much all types of food on it, but have decided to smoke pork shoulder and beef ribs (next to my WSM for side-by-side comparison) the first time, and then chicken on my second cook. Thanks!
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Well I'm probably not the guy you want an opinion from, but the difference between most wood pellets, when cooking hotter than 250* is pretty negligible. That being said, when I want a heavier flavor profile I go with hickory, oak or mesquite (like for beef) and fruitwood (for pork and poultry). Again it's a matter of the degree of smoke flavor. You'll find it a lot lighter than your WSM, but some folks like that kiss of smoke rather than a heavy bombardment.
I've used Lumberjack and BBQers Delight and like both, no real difference for me. But I'm sure others will disagree, just my opinion.-
Thanks! I'll probably get a bag of apple and a bag of hickory then. Seems like a good starting point. -
FWIW I haven't noticed a difference in flavor between same wood type across brands. The difference is the ash build up, the more expensive stuff produces less ash meaning less chance of flameout and less cleanings required between cooks. I personally have been happy with the Sams Club brand pellets, they ash a bit more than the higher dollar stuff I've used, but for most cooks it's fine. Ultimately it depends on your cooker and what you're willing to put up with cleaning and consistency wise. -
ItsAllGoneToTheDogs , Thanks for that info. Being new to the pellet world, I didn't know that.
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As the Troutman says, it will come down as much to your personal tastes/preferences. That being said, I have a Stampede as well and started out with the pellets that came in the package I chose from RT. They sent Cookin' Pellets mix hardwood and fruit wood combined. The smoke smells somewhat sweet and works very well with pork and chicken. To my tastes it works well with beef also but not with as much complimentary taste as with the "white" meats. I recently bought some Smokehouse blend from Sam's Club. Online commentary was generally favorable, and the price point is very nice. On the first cook with it the smoke emitted had more of a hickory note than the CP brand, even though the stated woods are nearly the same. I suspect that the ratios are different, with Smokehouse favoring the hickory more. It also made my pit blower respond differently (driven by the PID controller of course) by having it cycle at low temps which it didn't do with the CP brand. I didn't alter the feed rate because I was experimenting on a heads up basis. While it's possible that my taste buds were influenced by my nose, it seemed the Smokehouse was more complimentary to the red meats. After all that though if your tastes and smells differ from mine none of that matters. I'm in a semi-rural area and have to travel some to get more variety of pellets that aren't sky high in price. You probably have all the choices in the world where you are. I'd like to try the lumberjack brand because of all the favorable commentary it receives, but that won't happen until I find an economical way to acquire some. Right now, if I want to push the smoke profile around I resort to smoldering some chips...……...experimentation is part of the game I guess.Comment
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Yes, in my opinion, the Cookin' Pellets are very good, as are the Rec Tec... https://www.amazon.com/CookinPellets...-garden&sr=1-1
+free shipping, though these pellets are not as cheap as some.
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When I had my pellet smoker I kept 4 types around and that was all. Apple, Cherry, hickory and oak. I used them in a variety of combinations or singularly. Cherry for poultry, oak and apple for pork, hickory for beef or maybe a little cherry added in. Amazon sells all the different types and shipping is free.Comment
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If you have an Academy nearby, I have it on good authority ( CandySueQ ) that B&B pellets are made by BBQr's Delight - pretty sure she said that in the past. This is the best bang for the buck out there in my opinion:
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I’ve used B&B in a variety of "flavors" almost exclusively, and I’ve been pleased with all. I use oak, hickory, and sometimes mesquite for beef. Along with these apple is readily available in my local stores, and I like it for poultry or pork. Their competition blend combines pecan and cherry, and I’ve had good results with that, too. My $.02.Comment
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I use B&B Championship Blend. That's all I have ever used in my Stampede. CandySueQ can tell ya all about it. Anything BBQr's Delight and Co. is the gold standard I believe.Comment
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With all this talk about B&B, I might just have to move back to Texas. I'll keep searching, but it doesn't look like I can get their pellets anywhere in Los Angeles. Anyone out here have any luck finding it?Comment
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If you have a bbq galore store, you should be able to get them there. -
The bbq galore by me carries the bbq delight pellets. That is what I use under the recomendation of the queen if pellet cooking CandySueQLast edited by lostclusters; July 14, 2019, 09:18 AM.
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I'm using a Rec Tec Trailblazer and i've had success with Cookin' Pellets, Rec Tec brand, Pacific Pellets, and Traeger so far. I've tried a variety of woods and these all worked out well. The main difference in all of these is cost. From my experience, the Cookin' Pellets and Rec Tec run about $.95 per pound. Pacific Pellets about $.50 per pound, and Traeger $.75 per pound ($.50 on sale).
Interesting, we had a lunch catered at my work that was quite good; the pit was a giant custom pellet grill made by Traeger (like the pic below)...https://www.traegergrills.com/pellet...double-trailer
They served chicken, ribs, tri-tip, and pulled pork - all good https://www.facebook.com/PapaTerallsBBQ
Now, to the point, I asked him what kind of pellets he used and to my surprise he said Lil Devil's https://forestenergy.com/our-products/bbq-pellets/ and I'd recently seen these at the local Winco for $4.98/bag of 20 Lbs. So, I picked up a bag and will be trying them. I'll have to report back later with the results.
Congrats on the Stampede - I'm sure you'll love it. Please be sure to post results!
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I'd say stick with BBQr's Delight or Lumberjack ... or with a manufacturer's branded pellet that is manufactured by either of them. In my case, I've had great results with Grilla Grills' Competition Blend (made by Lumberjack) ... a combo of oak, hickory, and cherry. I also keep a pretty good collection of BBQr's delight flavor pellets on hand for when I'm feeling creative.Comment
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Locally I found that I have access to Traeger, Smokehouse, and Bear Mountain. I really haven't tried any of these yet except Smokehouse in an A-Maze-N tube. But for some reason, I am leaning towards Bear Mountain. Not just because the price is about half of Traeger's, just some other reason. Can't put my finger on it.Comment
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I’ve used Bear Mountain, Lumberjack, and Cookin’ Pellets and I can’t tell a difference between any of them.Comment
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I prefer hickory for beef & pork and the fruit woods for poultry & fish. I think the difference in flavor amongst the fruit wood pellets is negligible. Fruit woods are less harsh than a hickory/mesquite.
As as stated before, it’s largely trial & error and personal preference
lowes sells Pit Boss competition blend which has served well over all foods. 40 pound bag, $15.
I wouldn’t overthink the pellets beyond hickory/mesquite being a stronger smoke flavor than other fruit woodsComment
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Thanks for the help everyone! Can't wait to try it out when it gets here. I've been told 9 days.Comment
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I have had my Stampede for a few months now and have been working my way through the Rec Tec pellets (Red Oak, White Oak, Hickory Blend) that came with my package. Last cook I switched to Lumberjack Apple pellets and they run hotter than the RT pellets. I had to adjust the minimum auger rate to drop the temp. Be aware that pellet BTU output can vary from brand to brand.Comment
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