Different wood pellets

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mummel

Master of the Pit
Original poster
Apr 8, 2015
2,294
64
Massachusetts
So far I've tried Pitmasters, Hickory and Oak. 

We liked the oak the best, albeit a potent smokey taste (i.e touch the meat with your finger, lick your finger, and the smoke flavor bursts).  Its really strong. 

Hickory was great too, but had a little after bite / tang / pinch (hard to describe).  Left a lingering taste in my mouth.  We also cooked chicken and ribs using hickory and they both tasted the same.  It seemed like hickory killed the underlying meat flavor.  Very strong.  But I still liked it a lot. 

Pitmasters was my first pellet used and I had nothing to benchmark it against so I cant really say much.  I need to try another smoke with it soon.  I made mistakes, but I remember the meat didnt have much smoke flavor.  It was underwhelming.

What pellets do you guys like and why?  Anyone else like oak and if so, what are other pellets you think we'll like.

Also, is there a chart somewhere that shows smoke flavor potency?  Is oak > hickory > Pitmasters?  Where does cherry or maple fall on the scale?  TY!
 
When doing poultry I like to use alder as it is more subtle you can still takes it but doesn't over power the meat. I find with poultry 2 hours of smoke is usually lots. I use hickory with pork ribs or bacon and beef. Maple is good with cheese.
 
For pork butt I use either pitmasters or a combination of cherry and pecan. Ribs and bacon I use hickory apple mix. Experiment with different species and see which taste you like best.
 
Does anyone else like oak?  I think I will go with cherry for the but.  Oak was potent and for a 14 hour smoke it may be an overkill.  How is cherry?  Are there descriptions anywhere?
 
Apples Smoking Wood

Apple barbecue wood produces a light sweet fruity smoke. Apple wood is great for pork, poultry, and fish. This is one of our favorite woods to use for ribs. Apple BBQ smoking wood is available in Apple chips and Apple chunks.

Alder Smoking Wood

Alder creates a milder sweet delicate smoke best suited for situations where just a hint of smoky flavor is desired. Alder is best used for fish, vegetable poultry, game birds and pork. Traditionally Alder wood is used to smoke Salmon. Alder BBQ wood is available in Alder chips and Alder chunks.

Cherry Smoking Wood

Cherry BBQ smoking wood is the go to wood. You can use Cherry wood to smoke just about anything. Cherry BBQ wood offers you, the best sweet flavor smoke. We particularly like using cherry wood for our chicken. Cherry wood also gives your meats a darker color which in our opinion enhances the presentation. Cherry BBQ wood is available in Cherry chips and Cherry chunks.

Hickory Smoking Wood

Hickory BBQ smoking wood has a intense flavor. Hickory is the most used and popular of all smoking woods. But some find the flavor overpowering. Hickory wood can be used when smoking red meat, brisket, chicken and pork. Hickory BBQ wood is available in Hickory chips and Hickory chunks.

Mesquite Smoking Wood

The use of Mesquite smoking wood is a ritual in Texas. Mesquite wood produces a very heavy smoke that is distinct and somewhat sweet. Mesquite wood will add a lot of flavor which some people feel is overpowering. Mesquite smoking wood is used for beef, pork, poultry and fish. Mesquite BBQ wood is available in Mesquite chips and Mesquite chunks.

Maple Smoking Wood

Maple smoking wood produces a lovely mellow or mild sweet taste. Maples BBQ smoking wood is best used with vegetables, poultry or pork. Maple BBQ wood is available in Maple chips and Maple chunks.

Oak Smoking Wood

Oak smoking wood is another "go to wood". Oak smoking wood can be used with just about any type of meat. Oak wood offer a medium smoke flavor that will not overpower meats. Oak smoking wood is used most commonly with beef, lamb, ribs, and chicken. Oak BBQ wood is available in Oak chips and Oak chunks.

Pecan Smoking Wood

Pecan wood produces a mellow rich smoke which is similar to hickory but milder. Pecan works great with chicken, fish, and ribs. If you like the taste of hickory smoke but find it to overpowering this is the wood for you. Pecan BBQ wood is available in Pecan chips and Pecan chunks.
 
And remember you can buy almost any type of wood chips on Amazon.com. If you have prime it's free shipping and 2 day delivery. I buy chip from them all the time.
 
Looks like we're mixing pellets and chips

Op was asking specifically about pellets

Is there a good oak based pellet to look for?

Also any info on PitBoss pellets sold at target?
 
I just picked up a 40lb bag of Pit Boss Competition Blend pellets at Menard for $21.99 regular price. I have a 12" tube smoker. Playing with it as I type. The pellets lit right up and are burning fine producing TBS after it "settled down". I'm running it in an empty MES 30 @ 225F. More as "the burn" progresses.
 
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Decided to throw some bacon candy on during the "test" as it is going well. Looks like I'll get the 4 hour burn time out of them. Smell is great! Taste is yet to be seen, but should be pretty good. Ash seems nominal so far. I'll take a pic when done.
 
Looks like we're mixing pellets and chips

Op was asking specifically about pellets

Is there a good oak based pellet to look for?

Also any info on PitBoss pellets sold at target?
Traeger.  East part of the US & Canada the pellets come from the Georgia plant. All are oak based, 70% Oak, 30% flavour wood, except for hickory and mesquite. Those I believe are oak with flavour oil added. If you get the oak pellets, those are 100% oak.

West coast is different. There the pellets are alder based, so even the oak pellets are 70% alder, 30% oak.

At least that's my understanding. Other manufacturers may be different.
 
OK, test finished. VERY pleased with results! Not much ash, few unburned pellets. GREAT taste! All in all a successful test. Pellets lit right up, stayed burning the whole time, approx 4 hours but I didn't time it to the minute either. Here's some pics of ash:


And leftover unburnt pellets:



I'm pleased as punch with the entire test! Oh, the bacon candy came out good. Used Wright's thick sliced bacon, some of my Rub, and into the smoker. 1 hour later, flip, more Rub, another hour and done. EVERY ODYSSEY loved it! Most said pure brown sugar would've made it TOO sweet.
 
I haven't tried all the options of pellets but, Pitmaster's Choice I really enjoyed. Smelled great while cooking and tasted great as well.
 
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