As far as Rec Tec mods, some people like to go with larger wheels. I might do that.
As far as pellets, some of the best advice I've ever seen on pellets is in a thread right on this forum.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/are-all-pellets-created-equal.180686/
The entire thread is informative, especially post #18 and #20. Key pointers which have helped me and which appear in post #18 are
"Find a pellet that works for you and stick with it
Get better at cooking with the pellets you own
Constantly changing pellets increases the variables during cooking"
The key point that I took out of post #20 was:
"When your pellet grill gets to temp, it's just not producing much smoke. The pellets are burning more efficiently, in-order to produce higher BTU's, so they produce less smoke. Let the pellets in the hopper produce heat, and the Tube produce smoke. Best of both worlds!"
What I take from the above is; for best smoke flavor from a pellet grill, use supplemental methods. And if you are going to be using supplemental methods to get you your best smoke, well then it really doesn't matter as much which pellets you're doing your cooking with. Pick one and stick to it. Choose something that is going to give you high BTUs, and low ash.
I pretty much adhere to the above "advice" and theories when it comes to pellets.
I settled on CookinPellets Perfect Mix, because to my taste buds, it gives me more smoke flavor at the higher "grilling temperatures" than the blended pellets did. The Perfect Mix also give me low ash and it burns well and is reasonably priced. I tend not to use a smoke tube, at higher grilling temperatures, but I understand that others may.
The smoke flavor that I get from grilled foods, foods cooked at above 350*, using this particular pellet and no supplemental smoke, is suitable to my tastes. I get enough smoke flavor at grilling temperatures of 350* plus, using just these pellets being fed from the grill's hopper. But it may not be enough smoke under these circumstances for others.
However at lower, smoking temperatures, 225 (or less) up to about 250, and because I like a stronger smoke flavor than just pellets from the hopper at the Extreme Smoke setting give, a degree of smoke which I should add, that may or may not be enough for the taste of the next person, I'm not depending on the pellets from my hopper to give me the level of smoke flavor I want on my longer "low and slow" and "overnight" smoking efforts. I use supplemental smoke for that.
So because I like what some might consider to be "a lot of smoke", I rely on either one of my smoke tubes, or my Smokedaddy Heavy D, to provide most of my smoke flavor for my "low and slow cooks". I rely on my hopper pellets to handle the cooking chore as opposed to providing most of the smoke flavor.
This technique and effort, gives me a result from my pellet smoker which is difficult, if not impossible, for me to distinguish from results I obtain from low and slow cooks from my Kamado Joe, my WSM, even my old stick burner, to my tastes.
So to recap, if I'm doing a low and slow smoke, I'm running my usual CookinPellets Perfect Mix, or what's left of my Rec Tec Ultimate Blend, in the hopper, and either an A-MAZE-N smoke tube with A-MAZE-N hickory or Pecan pellets in it, or a Cave Tools Pellet Tube Wood Smoker Box with A-MAZE-N hickory or pecan pellets in it , or, as of recently, my Smoke Daddy Heavy D diffuser loaded with hickory or Pecan splits and/or hickory chunks.
I do my low and slow smoking this way, because I like more smoke, and more of a WSM or stick burner type smoke on my "low and slow" smoked food than some other people may like.
Others will of course, be perfectly happy with the degree of smoke flavor provided under the Extreme Smoke type settings of the Rec Tec and other manufacturer's grills, and a different favorite pellet as their "hopper pellet" and won't use any supplemental smoke methods.
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