Who Makes the Best Pellet?

[fortinbras79]

Morning Everyone. 

Forgive me if this has been asked and answered.  I tried to search but didn't see anything addressing my question, but if it's already been discussed, please let me know.

I just bought my very first smoker.  Per numerous suggestions, reviews, conversations, and forums I decided to go with the Yoder YS640.  I could not be more excited (it arrives Monday).

That being said, I was wondering, who makes the best pellets?  There are numerous brands as you all know, and various price points.

I want to know...

Who makes the end all be all best pellet in the industry?

Now obviously a lot of this is based in opinion, so I am open to hearing them all.

Thank you so much!

Tom the Newbie

 

[SmokinAl]

l Don't know who makes them, but Todd sells them.

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Al

 

[k-dog]

My favorites are CookinPellets 100% hickory


And lumber Jack Hickory

you can get good deals on lumber Jack if you buy in bulk.

 

[mummel]

I've got a 40lb bag of Pit Boss competition blend ready to go for the summer.  Cost $22 from Amazon after shipping!  I've only used Todd's pellets to date so I cant talk about which one is best, but I was happy with the pellets.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the Pit Boss ones light/burn.

 

[seenred]

Hello fortinbras79, and welcome to the fun!  First off, congrats on that new YS640...those are very nice rigs!  

Now on to your question.  As you mention, this is a pretty subjective topic...ask 10 people and you might get 10 different answers.  When I can order them affordably, my favorite pellet is CookinPellets 100% Hickory.  I don't have any local retail outlets, and ordering from the factory brings pricey shipping costs into play.  I like to wait for good deals on Amazon so I can make orders with free shipping.  Amazon occasionally runs them for less the $30 per 40# bag...and as you probably know, just make an order of at least $35 and their standard ground shipping is free.

Other quality brands that I'll vouch for:  Lumberjack, BBQr's Delight, B&B Pellets.  Most folks who take the time to post comments or reviews speak highly of all the brands I've mentioned.  There are many other brands on the market that are probably good as well, but these are the ones I can say I've tried and liked.

Like most of us, you'll probably try several different pellets before you settle on one the you like best.

Good luck with that new Yoder!  Be sure to show it off with some photos of your cooks!  

Red

 

[muralboy]

I echo the recommendations for Cookin Pellets, but I like their Perfect Mix. Blend of hard maple, hickory, apple and cherry. All 100% wood. Nice balanced smoke profile, not quite as heavy as 100% hickory.

 

[tropics]

Seeing you are new Welcome to SMF Use the search bar it is a great tool.You may want to update your profile with location,it helps guys in your area to answer your questions better.

Richie

 

[jayace]

I would agree with the others, really depends on your setup, location and preference. Price also has a a lot to do with it. I'm using LG competition mix and they've been great so far (although I've only used my grill 4 times thus far). They're a blend of hickory, cherry and maple and they are as cheap as anything else I've seen around me. The dealer I bought from says that's all he uses and he has his own mobile BBQ catering business. I think if whatever you're using gives you good steady temps and a taste you like then you've got a winner.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[fortinbras79]

Thanks Everyone!!!

 

[westby]

If you have enough storage space and are interested in buying in bulk, I highly recommend it.  I picked up a ton of Lumberjack pellets for $11 a 40 lb bag (price includes shipping, but I live a few hours from their factory.  I am a fan of their Hickory and MHC (maple/hickory/cherry) pellets.  If you don't buy bulk, you are looking at right around 50 cents per pound for reasonably priced pellets and some will be significantly more than that.

 

[dwysywd]

Very subjective, but there are two things I look for, flavor and cooking temperature.  I've only been smoking meat for two years, so once I finally got my rubs and sauces figured out (approval of friends and family), I then began to go through the different pellet brands.  This was important since what good is a pellet, if I couldn't even make a rub/sauce that was not liked by the masses.  I went through about 15 different pellets brands and found the flavor and temperature vary greatly between brands.  

I started with the BBQ Delights, then went to brands I could pick up at my local farm stores for about half the price, then moved into Cookin Pellets Perfect Mix.   By far, these two (BBQ Delights and Cookin Pellets) are at the top of the list.  I'll be going back to the BBQ Delights (Pecan) for the superbowl, since I haven't used them since I started smoking meats.  My notes are not so good from when I started, but if memory serves me right, the biggest difference is that the Delights produced a lot of ash, where the Cookin Pellets did not, but I'll know for sure in a week.

 

[old bones]

I just received another shipment of the A-MAZE-N Pellets..    

Peellets003.jpg

• old bones
• Jan 28, 2016

1) I lived not far from a company who produced and sold wood chips for smoking.   They purchased logs from all over states and would grind these in to chips.  I saw what and how they were grinding and how this wood was contained.  If you purchased a box of apple chips, you'd get a mix of any and everything with a little apple mixed in. I watched the logs being cut with chain saws and grinders that would leak oil on the wood. I watched the birds sit on the chips and eat the bugs and the mold.    Needless to say, not all companies are this way but one would never know because there is no real restrictions on this that I know of.  

2) I started using The A-MAZE-N Pellets several years ago and never looked back because Todd uses his products and if they are safe enough for his family, they are good enough for me..  

Just my 2 cents,

John

 

[gpb11]

The problem with asking which pellet is "best" is that everyone has a different idea of what "best" means.  

Good info above.  A couple added notes.  LG (Louisiana Grills) and Pit Boss are both owned by a company named Dansons.    I've had good success with both the LG Competition Blend and Pit Boss Competition blend.  Some bags have been a bit dusty, other bags just fine.  My current bag of LG Hickory has very few fines, less than either of the CookinPellets bags I've tried.  (not to ding CP, they're good, but use CamelCamelCamel.com to monitor Amazon prices and alert you when they bring the price down.  

Watch Sears.com and Target.com for the Pit Boss; target is pretty spotty on having stock to ship to store, though sears seems pretty regular availability for free ship-to-store.  If you wait for a sale when the cut it to $22 or $24 per 40lb bag, then get enough bags to reach $50 and apply a $5 off $50 coupon you can get a solid deal on the pellets.
B&B is decent.  $10-12 per 20lb bag at Academy Sports.  If I actually had an A.S. close by I'd probably use them more regularly, but they're a bit of a drive to visit.

 

[smokinpapist]

l Don't know who makes them, but Todd sells them.

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Al

Wow, those are expensive.

 

[smokinpapist]

Hello fortinbras79, and welcome to the fun!  First off, congrats on that new YS640...those are very nice rigs!  

Now on to your question.  As you mention, this is a pretty subjective topic...ask 10 people and you might get 10 different answers.  When I can order them affordably, my favorite pellet is CookinPellets 100% Hickory.  I don't have any local retail outlets, and ordering from the factory brings pricey shipping costs into play.  I like to wait for good deals on Amazon so I can make orders with free shipping.  Amazon occasionally runs them for less the $30 per 40# bag...and as you probably know, just make an order of at least $35 and their standard ground shipping is free.

Other quality brands that I'll vouch for:  Lumberjack, BBQr's Delight, B&B Pellets.  Most folks who take the time to post comments or reviews speak highly of all the brands I've mentioned.  There are many other brands on the market that are probably good as well, but these are the ones I can say I've tried and liked.

Like most of us, you'll probably try several different pellets before you settle on one the you like best.

Good luck with that new Yoder!  Be sure to show it off with some photos of your cooks!  Thumbs Up

Red

SeenRed, your tag says NE Oklahoma, I'm in the Tulsa area. If we get maybe one or two more guys we could do a shipment from Lumberjack. Might make it worthwhile.

 

[seenred]

SeenRed, your tag says NE Oklahoma, I'm in the Tulsa area. If we get maybe one or two more guys we could do a shipment from Lumberjack. Might make it worthwhile.

Hi SP. I might be interested in getting in on a group buy, but I can't store more than a few bags at a time...I just don't have the space for bulk orders. So, I don't know how useful I'd be unless several other people joined us.

If you get any more interest, PM me any time.

Red

 

[SmokyMose]

IMG_0957.JPG

• SmokyMose
• Feb 6, 2016

I picked this up at Lowe's. Did an Anduille smoke with it and it was good. Just did a cheese smoke today and got a good 2 hours smoke out of a 6" AMAZN tube. Really. Kind of a "Light Mix" of woods. I use a mailbox with pellets.

 

[pgde]

If you have a Sportsman's Warehouse in your area, they are selling Pacific Pellets (various flavors) for 9.99/20 lbs. Works great with my RecTec Mini!

 

[inkjunkie]

If you have a Sportsman's Warehouse in your area, they are selling Pacific Pellets (various flavors) for 9.99/20 lbs. Works great with my RecTec Mini!

I use Pacific Pellets for all my cold smoking. I cold smoke cheese for 10 people, between them and the butter and cheese I smoked for us we went thru over 20 pounds this past winter...
They light easy, produce good smoke and don't produce a ton of ash.