Pellet with small smoke flavor

[Nefarious]

I am in the middle of a big decision, what grill to get and how to organize it in my outdoor kitchen. I have a vertical smoker, a smoke vault that will never make it to the kitchen, so I am in the middle and need to make a choice. I want to get a GMG Ledge. It is the smaller version and has all of the controls. It can be a grill temporarily until we decide more. The question is:

I have friends that don't want everything to taste smoked. One friend doesn't want smoked meat at all.

Is there a pellet that will add little smoke flavor?
Maybe the question is, what is the wood that would add the smallest amount of smoke flavor, and I will search for that pellet.

 

[Sven Svensson]

With most pellet grills, the higher the heat the less smoke flavor. That holds true with mine. Anything above 275 and there’s very little smoke flavor. If I want it at those temps I use a tube. So far, for me, alder, almond, and even apple are the lightest flavors.

 

[WaterRat]

I can’t recommend a specific pellet with low flavor but cooking at higher temps will give less smoke due to how cleanly pellets burn. That said oak and alder produce a far more mellow flavor than other woods.

 

[Nefarious]

I can get good apple and I can get oak that I haven't tried yet. The hot cooking will be very good, I appreciate your perspective.

Also, it seems then it really isn't a smoker but a grill and the smoking comes from using a smoke tube just like a propane grill. Is there another advantage to the flavor of the meat using a pellet grill over a propane grill?

 

[bauchjw]

I agree with all of the above, high heat and alder or oak leaves little to no smoke flavor in my opinion. Please take this as humor and in good spirit, but I had to chuckle, that is the opposite of what I was expecting this thread to be! I think almost every time I read about pellet grills or types of pellets it’s because people are upset there is no smoke flavor

 

[Nefarious]

I agree with all of the above, high heat and alder or oak leaves little to no smoke flavor in my opinion. Please take this as humor and in good spirit, but I had to chuckle, that is the opposite of what I was expecting this thread to be! I think almost every time I read about pellet grills or types of pellets it’s because people are upset there is no smoke flavor

I have read many of those threads and have a trusty smoke tube to augment the smoke. I just need an interim solution and this might just be the solution.

 

[Fueling Around]

Lumber Jack maple is the least flavor pellets I have used.
Never had the opportunity to use all alder pellets.
Bear Mountain oak pellets leaves a distinct flavor to me, but I like oak..
I have a Masterbuilt grill and the smoke mode is terrible. Billowing clouds of white smoke. Got it cheap as my foray into pellet poopers.

Looking forward I think Green Mountain will be my next unit.

 

[1MoreFord]

Take a look at the Camp Chef pellet grills. They have a variable controller for smoke output. Coming from a stick burner I could still use more smoke flavor so on low output it might be just what you want.

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www.campchef.com

 

[sandyut]

I used a couple bags of cookingpellets and felt they were VERY mild to the point I needed to change brands because I wanted more flavor. I dont recall what type but I am pretty sure it was perfect mix??? seem likely cuz I always get the blended wood pellets.

 

[simoon]

Has no one mentioned charcoal pellets?

These are perfect for a cook where one does not want a smoke flavor, but wants to lean more toward the grilling/searing flavor.

They burn hotter. You can get pure charcoal, or mixed with wood for a touch of smoke.

Pretty much all the wood pellet manufacturers produce them.

 

[BCP3006]

I am in the middle of a big decision, what grill to get and how to organize it in my outdoor kitchen. I have a vertical smoker, a smoke vault that will never make it to the kitchen, so I am in the middle and need to make a choice. I want to get a GMG Ledge. It is the smaller version and has all of the controls. It can be a grill temporarily until we decide more. The question is:

I have friends that don't want everything to taste smoked. One friend doesn't want smoked meat at all.

Is there a pellet that will add little smoke flavor?
Maybe the question is, what is the wood that would add the smallest amount of smoke flavor, and I will search for that pellet.

 

[BCP3006]

Pit boss charcoal blend pellets is a brand that I get blue smoke out of but the harder you burn the pellets the less smoke they produce. I have tried six or seven brands of pellets and all they do is create white smoke because the fire doesn't get hot enough to create thin blue smoke.

The trouble with burning wood pellets is trying to getting enough smoke flavor on your meat to make it even taste barbecued with wood.

If you your friends want meet that tastes barely smoked then just put your me at in the oven and sprinkle a little of liquid smoke on to just barely give it a flavor of smoke. If your friends have been eating meat that was immersed in white smoke for long periods of time that will make your meat taste bad because that's the wrong color of smoke to be smoking with...

With pit boss charcoal blend pellets even when I had plenty of blue smoke coming out of the smokestack you could barely even taste any smoked flavor on the meat and I was smoking the meat at 130° f which is supposed to give you the most smoked flavor on your barbecue the lower the temperature that you smoke it at . The meat came out of the smoker looking like a perfect hologram of a piece of smoked meat except for the lack of flavor.

If a person only likes a piece of meat that barely and I mean just barely have enough smoke flavor on it then they really just don't like barbecue.. just keep a bottle of liquid smoke candy and let them sprinkle on just a little as they want and everybody will be happy...

 

[BCP3006]

I am in the middle of a big decision, what grill to get and how to organize it in my outdoor kitchen. I have a vertical smoker, a smoke vault that will never make it to the kitchen, so I am in the middle and need to make a choice. I want to get a GMG Ledge. It is the smaller version and has all of the controls. It can be a grill temporarily until we decide more. The question is:

I have friends that don't want everything to taste smoked. One friend doesn't want smoked meat at all.

Is there a pellet that will add little smoke flavor?
Maybe the question is, what is the wood that would add the smallest amount of smoke flavor, and I will search for that pellet.

Any bag of pellets I use I have no problem getting little flavor. Very disappointing.

I've made a decision that I'm going to turn my vertical smoker into an oven.. that way I don't have to heat the kitchen up.

 

[BCP3006]

I am in the middle of a big decision, what grill to get and how to organize it in my outdoor kitchen. I have a vertical smoker, a smoke vault that will never make it to the kitchen, so I am in the middle and need to make a choice. I want to get a GMG Ledge. It is the smaller version and has all of the controls. It can be a grill temporarily until we decide more. The question is:

I have friends that don't want everything to taste smoked. One friend doesn't want smoked meat at all.

Is there a pellet that will add little smoke flavor?
Maybe the question is, what is the wood that would add the smallest amount of smoke flavor, and I will search for that pellet.

Pit boss charcoal blend pellets for a pellet smoker do give thin blue smoke or at least the bag I picked up did... Moisture content of the pellets was 41% as measured by my hygrometer...

 

[simoon]

I am just going to post what I posted on the other thread about lack of smoke flavor with pellet smokers.

I use a tube and a maze on my pellet smoker, and get pretty close to the smoke flavor level of a stick burner. And it's a very clean smoke flavor.

The nice thing with tubes is, it allows for easy blending of wood, too. Go with your standard in the hopper, and mix others in the tubes.

There is a product made by Smoke Daddy (I am not associated with them), which may be the answer. It basically turns a pellet smoker into a stick burner hybrid. It replaces the standard diffuser plate, with one that has chambers on either side, to put in wood chunks.

View attachment 634877

The end results, the convenience of a pellet smoker, and all the smoke flavor of stick burner.

They're $100.00

I haven't tried one yet, because I am liking my results with smoke tube and maze, but it is not out of the question that I may get one.

https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/the-heavy-d-stick-burning-heat-diffuser/

There are plenty of YouTube vids showing their use, and reviews.

 

[simoon]

And this one:

Let me mention another option, that I haven't used, but a good friend has, and it also gets results very close to a stick burner smoke flavor levels.

It is another product (again, I am not associated) called MojoBricks.

These are small bricks of compressed wood, that burn slowly, providing supplemental smoke. They come in 3 sizes.

https://www.mojobricks.com/

 

[blwnsmk]

So where would I find “charcoal” pellets I could run in a Green Mountain? I have seen them referred to in other posts but have never run across them.

Same situation here, need to really minimize smoke for the rest of the family.

It’s an interesting situation given that many post they don’t get enough smoke flavor.

 

[Nefarious]

blwnsmk I have never heard of charcoal pellets. What I do is run for as long as I want at 150° which is the highest smoke generation temperature. When I want more smoke I just use a smoke tube, and can smoke at higher temps.

 

[DougE]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/royal-oak-100-charcoal-hardwood-pellets-20-lb-800-000-285?cm_vc=-10011

 

[blwnsmk]

Found Royal Oak 100% charcoal pellets at Lowes, will give them a try. While searching it appears they are not too readily available.