New Info on whats in Traeger Pellets

[johnmeyer]

This thread is a little old, but I thought I should provide the link to the patent mentioned in the last post:

http://www.google.com/patents/CA2521734C?cl=en

 

[daveomak]

I thought I would share what I recently learned about Traeger pellets. After getting my AMNPS I looked to find pellets in my local area. I wanted 100% flavor wood. Went to my local hardware store and was told the Traegar pellets were 100% of what they say on the bag, if they said apple they were 100% apple and so on. Got four 20lb bags of different flavors for $12.99 each and was out the door. A  few weeks later from scanning the web I learned that no one it seemed was really sure what the make up of the Traegar pellets was! Some said they were 100% alder or oak with flavor oils, some said a mix, and on and on. I was told that if you call Traeger and ask they will tell you they don't know or if you send a email inquiring whats in the pellets then they reply that it is proprietary information. I live in Oregon about 15 minutes from Traeger offices so called them to get it straight from the horses mouth. Talked to a very nice rep Lisa. She did not know what the make up of the pellets was, and said that info only the pellet mill knows.  :hit: After some back and forth she said she would try and get me some info and took my #. I would have bet anyone 100 bucks that I never would hear back from her but today she called me and said she got a note from the mill with a breakdown of whats in the pellets.

The base wood if you are on the west coast is alder and the east coast is oak.

Mesquite or Hickory 100% base wood (alder or oak) with flavor oils no actual Mesquite or Hickory wood in the pellet :wtf1:

Apple, Pecan or Cherry 70% base wood 30% Apple, Pecan or Cherry wood
Maple 100% Maple wood
Alder on the west coast is 100% Alder on east coast 70% oak 30% Alder
Oak on the east coast is 100% Oak on the west coast 70% Alder 30% Oak

So no more Traegar pellets for me. If your only use for pellets is a AMNPS your best bet is 100% flavor wood. Todd is the only person I found who sells a variety of 100% Flavor wood pellets. They are a little expensive with shipping but you get what you pay for and he only sells quality stuff. He currently gives you a sample of Oak pellets with your order of the AMNPS but I would suggest he change the sample to something like Hickory since so many pellets are Oak based so then people could really taste the difference of his pellets compared to others.

If I was using pellets for a pellet smoker instead of a AMNPS then I would get a Oak based blend with 30% flavor wood for more consistent heat output. The ones I see with the best reviews are BBQr's Delight

Since my only use for pellets is my AMNPS after all the research I went with a 100% flavor wood blend. Hickory, Cherry, Hard Maple and Apple from Cookingpellets.com called Perfect Mix. Was $54.00 including shipping for 40lbs. They also carry the AMNPS on their site and I believe Todd sells their Perfect mix pellets in smaller sizes on his.

Hope this info helps some of you. Thanks to everyone on the forum, you have helped me make some great food.

J looked up the pelkets from Todd and they are also mixed woods. They're great though and i doubt you'll every get 100% unless you have the trees on your property. Luckily i have hickory and oaks and it needs thinning. The only thing about green wood is you have to ley it season for about a year. I use pellets now because i had to cut a tree down and can't use the wood because it taste bitter. Pellets leave a nice clean flavor to food and i love them.

Kenny, morning.... I don't know if you are still around BUT.... You made an error describing Todd's pellets... You owe the man an apology due to your misrepresenting his pellets.... His pellets have always been 100% flavor wood from the trees that describe them... EXCEPT for his combination pellets.... and others that are described as "combination" etc....

Below is an excerpt from his website.....

A-MAZE-N-PELLETS are made from 100% Flavor Wood. Each A-MAZE-N-PELLET flavor is a 100% natural product with no added fillers, binders or oils. For example, if you order Apple, you get 100% Apple Wood in the pellet, not 20% - 30% Apple Wood and 70% - 80% Oak or Alder.

NEW "Pitmaster's Choice" Pellets are a perfect balance of Hickory, Cherry and Maple, to give your food a wonderful smoked flavor.

 

[kennyp1114]

Kenny, morning.... I don't know if you are still around BUT.... You made an error describing Todd's pellets... You owe the man an apology due to your misrepresenting his pellets.... His pellets have always been 100% flavor wood from the trees that describe them... EXCEPT for his combination pellets.... and others that are described as "combination" etc....

Below is an excerpt from his website.....

A-MAZE-N-PELLETS are made from 100% Flavor Wood. Each A-MAZE-N-PELLET flavor is a 100% natural product with no added fillers, binders or oils. For example, if you order Apple, you get 100% Apple Wood in the pellet, not 20% - 30% Apple Wood and 70% - 80% Oak or Alder.

NEW "Pitmaster's Choice" Pellets are a perfect balance of Hickory, Cherry and Maple, to give your food a wonderful smoked flavor.

I don't make up stuff!If I read the pellets were mixed it would be on the website or the bag. I don'the remember where, so don'the call me out six months later.

 

[daveomak]

If I had seen the mistake you made, six months ago, I would have mentioned it then...

Please take the time to find and quote the site where you found the misinformation... Todd does not deserve to be misrepresented...

Thanks for doing that.... Dave

 

[bregent]

I don't make up stuff!If I read the pellets were mixed it would be on the website or the bag. I don'the remember where, so don'the call me out six months later.

You are mistaken. 

Todd's Pellets have been 100% flavorwood for as long as I've known about them - much longer than 6 months ago. 

 

[outfitter]

I have been using a traeger pellet grill for a number of years now. I am also a employee at Cabelas. The Cabelas brand pellets work without fault in this grill. We have many outstanding flavors and I have used them all making some of the most tasting and satisfying meets and entrees. 

 

[david orona]

I have used 3 different brands of pellets in my Traeger: the obvious one, Traeger, and then Lumberjack and Cooking Pellets. To date, Lumberjack is my favorite but they are the most expensive of the 3. Right now I am using Cooking Pellets and two things are obvious: ash produced by the Traeger pellets is much less than cooking pellets (the Cooking Pellets produce ash that is much "coarser", or bigger flakes, Traeger ash is very fine), and, smoking temps are higher with the Traeger pellets, usually about 30 degrees. That would mean, theoretically, that I would use less Traeger pellets, but I don't really care about that. I don't get all wrapped up in BTU's produced by the pellets, my only concern is flavor. And for that reason Lumberjack is still my favorite, there was a very noticeable difference from the very first time I used them.

 

[hagar]

I have been using LumberJack brand pellets for over a year now and love them. I order in bulk with a bunch of guys I know who have pellet grills too. Bbqpelletsonline.com is where I order from. They have blends but its 60% base oak and 40% flavor wood along with 100% flavor wood pellets. I really enjoy the flavor of the pellets and so do all the other guys. If you can get a group together and place a bulk order its the way to go. We only ordered 1 ton at first to see if the pellets were any good, then we went ahead and ordered 5 more tons. Pellet grill popularity has really taken off where I live so I will be placing another order late summer early fall for probably 5+ tons[emoji]128512[/emoji]

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[lennonpearson]

Hi all. I am new to smoking. I saw that the traeger pellets are cut and use oil for flavor. Is there a good pellet that is pure in flavor wood? And if it is a different brand of pellet, will it still work just as good in a traeger? Thanks a lot!

 

[muralboy]

Cookin Pellets and Lumberjack. Perfect Mix from CP is a nice balanced blend of woods. CP also offers 100% hickory. Amazon Prime is the way to go if you are making a small buy. Call them direct if looking to do a bulk buy.

Lumberjack has a large selection of wood pellet types ncluding hickory, pecan, apple, etc, as well as many blends. Check for a local seller, or online. Good deals if looking at a large buy too.

 

[crewzar]

I have a new Traeger grill and confirmed the contents of their pellets they were very adamant that they do not use oils in their hickory or mesquite pellets.  I am allergic to oak, maple and birch so I need a new source of pellets.

But, what brand of pellets are compatible with this grill?  

I saw Amazen pellets, lumberjack, and cooking pellets recommended as 100% flavored wood are there any performance difference i should be aware of?  Which one works best with the traeger grill?

Thanks

 

[snyderman]

Hi guys,

   this whole pellet conversation has been intriguing. I know a little about wood and ash, and the temp. difference and fine ash is indicative of oak. the BTU's in oak are going to be higher than fruit woods and burn much cleaner than other woods as the nut and fruit woods naturally have more oils in them. I use lumberjack pellets, but only because I have a choice between traeger and lumberjack, and lumberjack sells foe $10.99 at Boomgars. I am curious, has anyone tried to smoke with ash wood. it is rated with one of the higher btu's and is plentiful now that the Emerald ash borer has hit the USA.

 

[SLW210]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but all of this is contrary to the information on the Traeger website.
Highlighting is mine.
https://www.traegergrills.com/why-wood-pellets.html#hardwood

Frequently Asked Questions Back to Top
Read Traeger’s top Frequently Asked Questions about pellets. To see more FAQ's, check out our Support page.

Do I need to use Traeger pellets?
To ensure your grill runs at its highest performance, and your food has the purest flavor, always use genuine Traeger Hardwood Pellets. By manufacturing our natural hardwood pellets in our own Traeger mills across the U.S.A., we can guarantee that from mill to grill, only 100% natural, virgin hardwood makes up our delicious wood-fired flavors. Our pellets are specifically designed to give the best results on our grills. The use of other wood pellets, wood chips, firebricks, or heating pellets can damage your grill.
Can I leave my pellets outside?
We do not recommend storing your pellets outdoors because moisture negatively affects the pellets, sometimes making them unusable.
Do pecan pellets contain nuts?
Yes, there may be nuts in the pecan pellets.
Do Traeger pellets contain flavor oils?
Traeger pellets are all natural, 100% virgin hardwood with no added flavors.
Do I always have to use pellets when cooking?
Yes, hardwood pellets are the heat source inside the grill and the grill cannot function without them.
How should I store my pellets?

So is the website wrong?

What about the Pit Boss Brand? It is stocked at the local Walmart, which is convenient for me, but I can get the Louisiana Grills shipped to store for free as well and maybe some other brands.

As for the FAQ saying it will void your warranty to use another brand, that's not what is in the warranty as I read it.

https://www.traegergrills.com/service-warranty.html

This warranty shall be void if the unit is not assembled or operated in accordance with the operation instructions provided with this unit; the unit is resold or traded to another owner; components, accessories, or fuels not compatible with the unit have been used; the unit has been used in commercial or food service application; or the user has abused or otherwise failed to maintain the unit.

https://www.traegergrills.com/faqs.html

Do I need to use Traeger Pellets?

For best quality and health assurance, always use genuine Traeger Wood Pellets. By manufacturing our natural hardwood pellets in our own Traeger mills across the U.S.A., we can guarantee that from mill to grill, only 100% natural, virgin hardwood makes up our delicious wood-fired flavors.

I don't much care about the warranty anyway, pretty hard for them to prove I didn't use Traeger Pellets. The Traeger Pellets have been working very good in mine, just a pain to go to Home Depot just to get wood pellets when I drive by a couple of Walmarts everyday.

 

[bregent]

>>As for the FAQ saying it will void your warranty to use another brand, that's not what is in the warranty as I read it.

Their warranty has been revised to comply with the law. It no longer states that you must use their pellets.

 

[SLW210]

AFAIK, it has always been, at least I can find no written evidence that they ever stated not using Traeger Pellets voided the warranty, it appears it is all a bunch of Internet Forum BS, if you have evidence otherwise please provide it.

WARNING! USE ONLY TRAEGER BRAND BBQ PELLETS, which are specifically made to work in our Grills. NEVER use heating fuel pellets in the Grill due to potential hazardous contaminants that may be present. This Warranty shall be void if the unit is not...operated in accordance with the operation instructions provided with the unit, ..... or fuels not compatible with the unit have been used, ....

Which doesn't exclude other brands of pellets at all.

So, to follow up, the Pit Boss Competition at Walmart seem to be pretty good so far.

 

[SonnyE]

I think the facts is that there is no FDA, or anybody else inspecting and assuring there is a proper pure wood, nor that percentages are accurate.
Please show me where there is anything, other than claims, proving that the product being provided is as stated.

I've been involved with too many industries to believe nobody fudges. They do, often knowingly.
And remember, a leather shoe is 100% Beef Byproducts. So don't be looking at the inside of that hot dog your eating...

 

[Rings Я Us]

What about the thousands of employees that have worked there producing the pellets? From the lowest on the payroll to top executives.. by now we would have had a few good secrets get out and lawsuits against them.

 

[SonnyE]

What about the thousands of employees that have worked there producing the pellets? From the lowest on the payroll to top executives.. by now we would have had a few good secrets get out and lawsuits against them.

Ahem... Johnny, 16 employees...
Production begins at largest wood pellet plant in Northeast U.S.
I grant you it's a bit dated... But it isn't GM, or Uncle Sam. :p

 

[Rings Я Us]

What a joke.. I had no idea they were such a pip squeak itty bitty company.. I could employ more people than them and I don't have a penny to my name..
So 14million dollar plant will employ 15- 16 people? What a joke!

 

[Rings Я Us]

https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Traeger-Pellet-Grills-EI_IE451336.11,32.htm