What kind of pellets should i use

Wood pellets for smoking are produced from a variety of hardwoods. Each of these have slightly different properties that can impact the flavor of your barbecue.

Some people take issue with how manufactures use oak because it tends to be cheaper, while still labeling the pellets as something else. Pairing your smoking wood pellets with what you are smoking is not a requirement.

However, some people enjoy trying to enhance the flavors of what they are smoking by pairing specific types of wood with different types of meat. This is a very subjective topic so take the suggestions below as just that. Suggestions that you can play around with. Most companies that manufacture pellet smokers also sell their own brand of wood pellets for smoking. Many people believe they have to only use wood pellets that are sold by their pellet grill manufacturer.

As you have seen in the reviews above, Traeger is a brand that makes quality pellet grills and quality wood pellets. There are actually laws that prevent manufacturers like Traeger from enforcing an implied warranty like that.

Proper storage will prevent mold, fungus, or other toxins from entering or growing on the pellets. When it comes to safe storage, try to remember the BOOM method. If you are purchasing bulk bags of smoking wood pellets, try not to leave them in the bags they come in. Some manufacturers such as CookinPellets recommends leaving these pellets in their original bags.

Leaving wood pellets in their original bags may become punctured. Puncturing a pellet bag exposes them to oxygen or moisture. Original bags with pellets that become damp or wet will deteriorate, resulting in a wasted product. In addition to deteriorating, these pellets can also grow mold or fungus if they become wet.

Smoking wood pellets with mold or fungus can penetrate your food and potentially make you sick. A five-gallon bucket with a lid ensures the pellets stay dry and sealed. This gives you optimal cooking quality, both safe and tasty! Bags of smoking wood pellets that are stored directly touching the ground are run a high risk of being exposed to moisture. Moisture from rain or a leak will start from the ground up. Placing your bags of pellets on an elevated, open surface will keep them off the ground and keep moisture from building up around them.

Oxygen contains moisture which will break down the wood pellets from the hardened capsules they are and cause them to crumble.

When avoiding moisture, you must also consider humidity. Humidity is just as dangerous as acute water exposure from a leak or rain. If you choose to store your wood pellets in an area such as a basement, consider a dehumidifier for the area to keep the air as dry as possible. The reason moisture is so detrimental is because it can cause you to spend extra money. You do not want to waste your purchase by having to replace your inadequately stored pellets. The more hazardous risk that moisture imposes is its potential for growing toxins, such as mold or fungus.

Smoking wood pellets that are burned with these toxins will penetrate the food you are cooking through the smoke from the pellets. Consuming food that has been exposed to these toxins has the potential to make anyone who eats the food sick. This requires relatively low temperatures and just enough airflow to create a constant supply of oxygen.

If pellets are manufactured or stored improperly, and thus exposed to the elements, they can absorb moisture content from the air. Pellets with an excessive amount of moisture will not burn as efficiently and may have trouble smoldering or reaching high temperatures.

We suggest never using home heating pellets to cook food. It may seem tempting to use the often cheaper pellets, but it could end up costing you in more ways than one.

Heating pellets are cheaper both because they are used in greater quantities and more importantly because manufacturers may be able to cut costs in materials and quality control. Heating pellets are not expected to come into contact with food or exhaust near humans. Thus, the quality of the smoke or the flavor it will impart are not taken into consideration. Heating pellets may contain sawdust from any number of hardwoods and softwoods.

Softwoods are not used to make BBQ pellets for several reasons. While hardwoods tend to be more dense, there are some softwoods that are actually harder and more dense than some hardwoods.

Trees are classified as hardwood or softwood based on their structure and how they reproduce. Hardwoods flower seasonally, creating pollen, as well as fruits, nuts, or acorns that can be carried away to seed new trees. Softwoods are evergreens that shed needles and cones and reproduce when pollen is spread by the wind.

They contain resin and may produce higher amounts of sap, which would corrupt the quality of smoke and smoke flavor generated by them. The softer, less dense softwoods burn less efficiently and absorb moisture more easily. Softwoods are easier to work with and thus make up the majority of lumber, scrapwood, and sawdust waste in the world. Heating pellet manufacturers can potentially save money by using this leftover wood and wood sawdust to make pellets. The best pellet manufacturers oversee the entire pellet manufacturing process and have quality control procedures in place to ensure that their products have a low moisture content and are clean food grade hardwoods, free of debris.

For one, the pellets are harder, potentially causing more auger jams. There is a test you can run to see how much ash your preferred pellet brand is producing.

Starting with a clean firepot, for the first five cooks dump your firepot after every cook; for the next ten cooks, dump your firepot after every second cook; and for the next twelve cooks, dump your firepot after every third cook. This should give you a good sense of the amount of ash produced by your pellets in a variety of situations and cooks.

This means that you can expect consistent results from their pellets, cook after cook. Grilling can be an experience that many of us might quickly fall in love with and become addicted to. As we mentioned above, certain woods can be better with different meats, so this should be something that plays a considerable factor in your decision. Different Pellet Flavors.

On top of this, there are a few other kinds of wood for Traeger pellets that you can choose from, which work better with certain meats, including: Alder for salmon and poultry; Apple for pork, lamb, seafood, pork and poultry; Hickory for ribs and pork; Maple, which can be used for cheese, vegetables and poultry; Mesquite for most red meat; Walnut for any red meat or game, and; Pecan, which can be an effective choice for poultry.

Top Picks For Traeger Pellets. Traeger Pel Hickory Pellets Hickory has always been a popular choice for cooking pellets because it offers a variety of quality burn properties, such as a reduced level of ash, consistent heat, and much more.

Win a Free Steak Dinner on Us! Share This Post. Share on facebook. For those that find the flavor of hickory alone overwhelming, a mix that includes apple can offer a happy medium. Apple provides a lighter, sweeter flavor, not surprisingly with some fruity notes.

Apple pellets are a wonder complement to poultry, pork and vegetables. Check out our Apple Mash Pellets. Other commonly used woods that provide great flavor are cherry and maple. Cherry also provides a bold smoke flavor, while maple is another lighter, slightly sweet choice. Stay tuned for some new flavors of Cookinpellets coming soon! Often blends are the best solution!