difference between pellet types

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Jersey Jimbo

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Oct 26, 2020
243
118
At the Shore
.My question is what is the difference between plain pellets and char pellets. I am going to be soon a new pellet user ordered a Camp Chef, can't wait to use it. I was using a Smoke Hollow vertical smoker, but I read people on here say you get more smoke flavor from chips or chunks. Does the char pellets give you more smoke flavor to the pellet grills, or like a lot on here from what I read use smoke tubes if more smoke is needed, The one I ordered has a smoke setting too, not sure what difference it will make any info will be appreciated
 
First of all, I've never tried the charred pellets so take what I say with a grain of salt.

But to lowest order, this is the difference between cooking over wood or over charcoal (whether lump or briquettes). When wood initially "burns" (e.g. <900F surface temps) you get the smoke, which some of us just can't get enough of. Then, as the fire really gets going, reaching higher temps and consuming more oxygen, is when you create the bulk of the heat, which you might need to get the job done, but isn't where the sweetness of the raw wood lies. To a purest like me, charcoal is a cheat...the guy who created the charcoal got the sweet smoke already and is selling you 2nd-class goods! (I'm only partially joking.) So to me, if wood-fired cooking is superior to charcoal-only, why buy charcoal pellets?

That said, I always have lump charcoal around for my weber kettle and am sometimes in the mood for that, so I'm also a bit of a hypocrite. So using the char pellets (or blend them with wood) in a pellet machine are just showing the same (occasional?) preference for charcoal over wood.
 
Stick with Quality 100% Smoke Wood. If Hickory, the bag should Boldly Say 100% Hickory. The exception will be pellets like Competition Blend or Perfect Blend. These will be 3-4 Smoke Woods, Hickory, Maple, Cherry and or Apple, together.
Avoid Cheapo Blended Pellets that are a small percentage say, Hickory, and the rest Oak or Alder.

Your Pellet Smoker's Smoke setting is likely at a low temp, 180°F. This if fine to put an hour or 2 extra smoke on at the start, but you are cooking VERY SLOWLY at that temp. The Hotter you Cook, the Less Smoke flavor you get. Hence, the Pellet Tube was invented to supplement at higher cooking temps.

CHARCOAL PELLETS? To make them, the Wood Flavor is already Burned Off.. Do you gain anything, aka Charcoal Grilled Flavor? Yeah using the Char-Pellets by themselves. Add other Wood Pellet, and the Char flavor starts to get lost quickly, it's too mild to compete...JJ
 
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I agree. Thinking about it...I suppose you could jam a couple of Briquettes in a Tube, and burn them for Char Flavor?...JJ
 
I have the RecTec and my friend has the Camp Chef. We both started using the tube filled with mix of chips and pellets. Mostly chips and enough pellets to make sure it keeps burning. Burns for about 3 hours and gives it just enough extra smoke for my tastes.
 
So there you go...Pellet Grill/Smokers are a convenient, controllable, a GREAT Jack of All Trades. But you have to live with Compromise.
You want Charcoal Favor, get a Kettle or WSM. Best quality Wood Smoke, get an Offset Stick Burner. You need High Heat FAST? Get a Gas Grill. OR...
Be Really Really Nice, and maybe Santa will let you get One of Each in the near future!☺...JJ
 
The LJ charhickory is a mix of charcoal and hickory, been a few others came out with them also, I like to blend them. also works well to flame grill steaks and burgers, it does add flavor, nothing is burned off with the lumberjack pellets
 
Unique blend producing traditional charcoal flavors

(50% Red Oak, 40% Hickory, 10% Charcoal)
 
I never noticed any charcoal flavors from char pellets. I’ve put some lump charcoal, pellets, and wood chips inside a smoke tube and gotten a little bit or charcoal style flavor but not enough to really say it was the point. The lump is just there to help the chips burn.

i get a little bit of charcoal flavor if I use the smoke daddy, but truth be told if I want charcoal flavor I’ll use a charcoal grill so I haven’t really tried to maximize what you can accomplish with charcoal pellets
 
I have tried lots of different pellets to get more flavor in my GMG. I did not taste a difference between most of the pellets. The LJ
pellets seem to be the best. The char/hickory pellets did not change flavor. The AMZN tube makes all the difference.
So, I use cheaper pellets for the heat and LJ hickory pellets for flavor.
 
Got the tube today, loaded it with oak pellets. did some poppers and wings figured do a small smoke, you can taste the smoke effect . Not overwhelming but nice improvement over no tube. Only thing I will not load it all the way next time still smoking hours later
 
So I've tried the Char-hickory pellets from Lumberjack and I'm just not really liking it. I've got 1 bag left (of 3 - already used the others) and I just don't care for charcoal with my pellets. My wife and I both agree we like 100% wood pellets seems better for us. With that being said I've read where many folks really like them. If you cook a lot on your pellet cooker I'd say give them a try.
 
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Got the tube today, loaded it with oak pellets. did some poppers and wings figured do a small smoke, you can taste the smoke effect . Not overwhelming but nice improvement over no tube. Only thing I will not load it all the way next time still smoking hours later

Can you light it at both ends for even more smoke flavor?
 
yes you can light both ends without any problem, works well with short cooks ,microwaving for a few minutes helps to get the pellets burning better imo.
 
so you can light the pellets through the holes besides the open end that would be more smoke with less burn time thanks for that tidbit will definitely give that a try.
 
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