Are all pellets created equal?

[retfr8flyr]

I use the Pit Boss pellets all the time as I can get them locally at WallyWorld or Lowes in #40 bags. The competition blend is Hickory/maple/cherry. I find minimal dust in the bags and the ash in the cup after a cook seems very reasonable. The flavor is mild as you would expect from that mix. I'd like to try the LJ but can't get them locally.

Is there a Dicks Sporting goods anywhere near you, they carry them? I actually watch the Dicks sales and order online. I last ordered a bunch, as they had 20% off and free shipping, so it will be a month, or so, until I order again. I may just get a bulk order this time, from one of the online suppliers, as I am really sold on Lumber Jack pellets.

 

[WaterRat]

Is there a Dicks Sporting goods anywhere near you, they carry them? I actually watch the Dicks sales and order online. I last ordered a bunch, as they had 20% off and free shipping, so it will be a month, or so, until I order again. I may just get a bulk order this time, from one of the online suppliers, as I am really sold on Lumber Jack pellets.

There is. I don't do business with Dick's.

 

[daveomak]

BBQ pellets and heating pellets are virtually identical, it all depends on what woods are used. Wood stoves don't produce much smoke because that's how they are designed, not because of the pellets.

Why would a pellet manufacturer put this label on their pellets if they are "virtually identical' ??? And how do you know they are "virtually identical" ???

 

[dubob]

I now have 4 bags (20lb) of the Lumber Jack Comp Blend. I found a local Traeger dealer who also sells the LJ brand. The sales clerk said the LJ Comp Blend is all he uses in his Traeger. Good enough for me. Oh, the price isn't bad either - $12.99/bag. Life is good!

 

[Bigtank]

Unfortunately, nearest dealer (only dealer in Utah) is 40 miles away.

I drive that far too, i try to buy 4 or 5 bags at a time.

 

[sweetride95]

I would NOT be cooking with generic heating pellets.

 

[gmc2003]

I can't comment on the actual wood content between cooking pellets and heating pellets, but I can say from personal experience that the length of the actual heating pellet varys enormously. I've had heating pellets drop out of the bag longer then an inch. Also I've seen different color pellets in the same bag of heating pellets. Quality control isn't as big an issue when using pellets for heating purposes.

Chris

 

[WaydeG]

I guess I don’t understand why one would spend $30-$40 on a brisket and try to find cheap pellets. I’ve been through them all as I’m a skeptic. I’ve settled on Lumber Jack as the best option. 50/50 pecan and cherry for brisket, 70/30 apple and cherry for pork. Hickory for chicken. Fish? Meh. They all seem good. I cook on both a Camp Chef DLX and a GMG Jim Bowie WiFi. I even throw pellets on my Pit Barrel Cooker with good results.

 

[Bigtank]

I guess I don’t understand why one would spend $30-$40 on a brisket and try to find cheap pellets. I’ve been through them all as I’m a skeptic. I’ve settled on Lumber Jack as the best option. 50/50 pecan and cherry for brisket, 70/30 apple and cherry for pork. Hickory for chicken. Fish? Meh. They all seem good. I cook on both a Camp Chef DLX and a GMG Jim Bowie WiFi. I even throw pellets on my Pit Barrel Cooker with good results.

I aggree that's why I use Smoke Ring very low dust. My favorite is MBC Maple/Beech/Cherry A mild blend that combines three sweet woods giving an amazing flavor to anything you cook. Goes well with everything. If I can't find Smoke Ring pellets my 2nd choice is Lumber Jack and in a pinch I will use traeger

 

[bregent]

Why would a pellet manufacturer put this label on their pellets if they are "virtually identical' ??? And how do you know they are "virtually identical" ???

First of all, my comment was directed to someone questioning if heating pellets would put out enough smoke. To clarify my answer, there is no special process that creates more smoke for BBQ pellets. They are created virtually the same way.

I'm not sure what you intended by posting that label. All it is saying is that you should not eat wood pellets, and should only burn them in appliances designed to burn wood pellets.

I certainly wouldn't use random heating pellets in my grill. But I've seen emails from MFG's of heating pellets that state their pellets are made from 100% hardwood and are perfectly safe to use in pellet smokers. We have no source of hardwood heating pellets in Cal. but if I did, I would contact the mfg and speak to them about it. I know several folks in the midwest who have and done that and get great results.

 

[mike243]

Tried the LJ Char/Hickory last nite on some 1.5" pork chops and wow talk about smoke , I was pleased with the 1 hr cook for taste. Will find something to throw on it for tomorrow maybe for another short cook for some more testing. Ran it up to 500 just to see if it could get there and it did with a lot of smoke the whole time,might have found a new favorite for the short weeknight supper cooks lol

 

[sweetride95]

Tried the LJ Char/Hickory last nite on some 1.5" pork chops and wow talk about smoke , I was pleased with the 1 hr cook for taste. Will find something to throw on it for tomorrow maybe for another short cook for some more testing. Ran it up to 500 just to see if it could get there and it did with a lot of smoke the whole time,might have found a new favorite for the short weeknight supper cooks lol

That's great to hear. I have a bag of char/hickory I haven't had a chance to try yet. I'm still sorting out cooking on these pellet grills, I have been a little nervous about overdoing the smoke. I had had great success with LJ cherry and competition blend pellets. Once the weather finally breaks I hope to get some longer cooks in, play the spectrum of pellets LJ offers.

 

[dubob]

I have a 2# brisket flat in the CC right now and I'm using the LJ MHC Blend. Just pulled and wrapped in foil about 40 minutes ago after almost 3 hours. The IT was at 164F. Started at High Smoke (220F) and just bumped it up to 225F. Don't know if that will bring the IT all the way up to 200F - 204F range but will check it in a couple hours to see where its at. If not at or near 200F after 4 hours, I'll bump it up to 250F. This is my very first brisket ever and I have my fingers crossed it turns out to be eatable. My 3-2-1 baby backs turned out perfect (except the CC sauce recipe sucked - for us) last week and the sirloin & chuck eye steaks I've done were near perfect also. So there is hope for the brisket. Stay tuned.

 

[schlotz]

Done briskets are by feel vs temp. You use a probe looking for little to no resistance. Good luck!

 

[dubob]

Damn! Went to the store and was gone about an hour. When I left the IT was 174F. When I returned it was 211F. Damn; hope it isn't a total loss. The probe test shows little resistane when pushing the probe into the meat. I immediately remove it from the grill and wrapped in a heavy towel and put it in a cooler. I plan to let it rest there for at least 4 - if not 5 - hours. Still have at least 2 1/2 hours to go. It must have heated real fast because it is only a 2 LB flat. Should have set the grill at 200F instead of 225F. Live and learn.

 

[mike243]

I eat most of my mistakes and find that they still taste good lol

 

[dubob]

In case you missed it, I finished this account in another thread.

 

[rmitch2448]

Do all pellets put off the same amount of ash are do some burn better than others? I got a free bag of the Lumbermans pellets with my Smoke Daddy hopper assembly so I gave them a try. After a 7 hour cook the burn pot was half full of ash. Is this the norm for all pellets?

 

[rmitch2448]

Just purchased a GMG Jim Bowie. Now that I broke my bank to get the smoker I am forced to search out good cheap pellets to start with. Best deal I can find so far is the Pit Boss pellets $20/ 40#s and GMG pellets $13/ 28#s. Anyone have any thoughts on the Green Mountain pellets?

 

[texomakid]

I'm planning to try several more brands & woods that are on the pellet market but one I've ran across that is unique is the CookingPellets Black Cherry. If you get a chance to try this pellet I recommend it. Their Hickory & Perfect mix are my 2 go to pellets but I bought a bag of these and I like them. Still looking forward to trying Lumberjack pellets as well. I look for 100% of the wood they advertise. I don't want fillers.