Recommendation needed - cost effective flavorful pellets

[nomad_archer]

So the title says it. I am looking for a fairly cost effective pellet to use in my new bargain priced Smoke Hollow pellet grill. I am used to the results from my WSM and I know that's not a fair comparison. I've done a few cooks using Traeger Hickory pellets and the smoke flavor has been hardly noticeable. I found lumberjack pellets on amazon that has a at $34 for a 40lb bag that seems like a good price per/lb. But before I spend the money I'm looking to leverage some of the knowledge here as to what everyone likes for pellets that give good flavor and are fairly cost effective. So what does everyone use?

I have also picked up the a-maze-n tube which should also help. I primarily use hickory as it is the family favorite.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

See if stores near you get or can get Ol' Hick (made in Mifflintown, PA). They are 100% hardwood, no fillers and are $20 for a 40 lb bag. I have used the Hickory pellets and enjoyed them.

 

[smokerjim]

I have luck with pitboss pellets, Walmart usually has them for around 6-7 bucks for 20lb. i've tried the more expensive ones and really didn't see a difference.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

If you have a rural king store around you they sell the 40 pound bags of lumberjack pellets for $9. 100% wood no fillers and put off nice smoke flavor. If no store near you they might ship not sure.

 

[mike243]

SmokinVOLfan those are 20lbs bags, still a good deal imo, don't overlook the comp blend also, its really good, also the charhickory ect… lol

 

[mike243]

Also all pellets don't taste the same to me, pitboss is ok but LJ beats it 3 ways from Monday lol

 

[bregent]

I doubt any company selling BBQ pellets adds non-hardwood fillers.
When some folks talk about 'fillers' in BBQ pellets, they are usually referring to species of hardwoods other than what is listed on the bag. This is most commonly oak and alder. Most pellets out there have fillers - hardwood fillers - but fillers. A few exceptions are Lumberjack, Cookin Pellets, and Smoke Ring. Looks like Ol Hick mentioned above does as well. They sell 100% flavorwood pellets, as well as blends that are clearly listed. Some other companies sell blends that list the species, but very few sell single species pellets, other than oak or alder.

I use only Lumberjack 100% hickory because it gives me the richest smoke flavor. I buy them in bulk and get them delivered for about 40 cents a lb.

 

[Winterrider]

Only Lumberjack here. If I didn't have a bunch already, our local Home Of Economy has 20# bags thru March for$6.98. I did get 1 Char Hickory for my pellet tube. I still have 4 - 40# bags Rec Tec competition ( pretty fair) I got with purchase of Stampede.

 

[JWFokker]

Your choices are Lumberjack, which is a steal if you live near a Rural King ($9/20lb), a bit pricey if you're near a Dick's Sporting Goods ($15/20lb), the online price is pretty steep at roughly $1 per pound. But the other options are Pit Boss, which is dirt cheap, or some other private label mystery blend that may cost as much as Lumberjack but is the same grade as Pit Boss (Traeger pellets, Louisiana, Camp Chef, etc). Unfortunately almost all of the brands you can find are blends that contain little of the wood they advertise on the package. Lumberjack is unique in having 100% oak, 100% cherry, 100% hickory, etc. Hopefully you can find it at a better price than Amazon.

 

[nomad_archer]

Unfortunately rural king isn't local to me. The least expensive pellets locally are Bear Mountain at 12.99 for 20#. Treagar pellets are 14.99 for 20# or roughly $0.75 per lb. The lumber jack pellets from Amazon are $0.85 per lb which isn't great but worth a try. If I ever end up at a rural king I'm leaving with a few hundred lbs of pellets. Unfortunately shipping kills any deals. I'll keep looking locally hopefully I can get lucky and find the right flavor cost balance. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[smokngun]

Shortly after purchasing my Louisiana pellet grill did I realize I needed more quality pellets. I used Trager, GMG, Cameron's, Louisiana, ect… but non really gave that smoke flavor I was looking for then I contacted Lumberjack pellets and I found other pellet smoker users in my area and did a group buy. I ordered 6Klbs of 40#lbs bags 2K of which was mine own. At the time the price was well less than half of the other brands around $17 per 40lbs ,but it depends on quantity and shipping distance. FWIW I used my 2K lbs in about 2 years. And a side note: everyone I let try the lumberjack pellets has said they are the best pellet they have used.

 

[mike243]

I liked the Bear Mountain they were a lot higher than LJ but cant say they were better, Seems like the smoke smell was really good best I can remember, been a lot of pellets ran thru since I used them lol

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

SmokinVOLfan those are 20lbs bags, still a good deal imo, don't overlook the comp blend also, its really good, also the charhickory ect… lol

Sorry typo on that one I meant to put 20 pound bags lol. And I second the char-hickory I have used it on my last few smokes and really enjoying it.

 

[bregent]

Unfortunately rural king isn't local to me. The least expensive pellets locally are Bear Mountain at 12.99 for 20#. Treagar pellets are 14.99 for 20# or roughly $0.75 per lb. The lumber jack pellets from Amazon are $0.85 per lb which isn't great but worth a try. If I ever end up at a rural king I'm leaving with a few hundred lbs of pellets. Unfortunately shipping kills any deals. I'll keep looking locally hopefully I can get lucky and find the right flavor cost balance. Thanks for all the replies.

You might be able to get LumberJack shipped to you for a lot cheaper if you do a bulk buy from BBQPelletsOnline.com. I pay about 40 cents/lb for them shipped to California - should be cheaper shipped to PA.
You need to commit to 520lbs (13 x 40lb bags). They will find 3 other folks (or more) in your area to combine for a 1ton order. I've done it 3 or 4 times - it's easy.

 

[nomad_archer]

You might be able to get LumberJack shipped to you for a lot cheaper if you do a bulk buy from BBQPelletsOnline.com. I pay about 40 cents/lb for them shipped to California - should be cheaper shipped to PA.
You need to commit to 520lbs (13 x 40lb bags). They will find 3 other folks (or more) in your area to combine for a 1ton order. I've done it 3 or 4 times - it's easy.

I'm going to have to find and buy a single bag first to make sure I like them. After that the group buy sounds like the winner. The local pickup terminal is 50 minutes away which is pretty typical of almost everything.

 

[Buttah Butts]

I’ve had good luck with GMG and BBQ delite pellets. But have since switched to lumberjack pellets. Very happy with them and for the price they are hard to beat

 

[nomad_archer]

So cant wait to get some better pellets. But a 2hr cold smoke with the amazen tube and pellets then cooked on high turned out some pretty tasty steaks last night. I'm going to have to try the lj char hickory pellets to see if I can get higher temps for a better seer.

 

[Crazy88]

I really like bbqpellets.com. You can get them from Amazon free shipping. They sell 100% flavor wood pellets no oak or alder filler. I think they produce a little more Ash then lumberjacks pellets, but I really like them.

 

[nomad_archer]

C Crazy88 are you talking about CookinPellets? BBQPellets.com takes you to Traeger's website.

 

[Crazy88]

C Crazy88 are you talking about CookinPellets? BBQPellets.com takes you to Traeger's website.

Yes sorry, cookinpellets . I get them from Amazon, they work great.