Pellets Alternative pellets?

[Old Pirate]

I have gotten good results with Sam's Club Smokehouse Blend pellets. Good price and typical blend smoke taste. Less than $15 for 40 pounds.

 

[RayClem]

I do not believe that is true. Maybe go look at the website. They have removed a bunch of marketing verbiage that was intentionally misconstrued and used to damage their reputation unjustly.

They do sell a handful of limited edition flavored pellets usually in conjunction with a trade partner like Leinenkugels or Whistle Pig or Mondavi. They are very transparent about those and state so on their bag and in marketing info.

Just might want to revisit the research.

I am just reading the language directly off the Traeger pellet packaging. I am not talking about special edition pellets, but their basic blends.

The Hickory and Mesquite pellets are sold as Naturally Flavored Hardwood. The others are sold as Natural Hardwood Blends. This leads me to deduce that the Hickory and Mesquite pellets do not actually contain Hickory and Mesquite wood products but some type of base wood (oak or alder is likely) flavored with natural extracts of Hickory or Mesquite. Traeger has a patent for the process of flavoring pellets, so it seems quite reasonable.

Here is a link to a photo of the Hickory pellets.

Traeger Hickory Pellets - Traeger Grills

Try Traeger Grill's most popular BBQ wood pellets. These all-natural Hickory Pellets will give your food epic, full-bodied, wood-fired flavor from pork to steak.

www.traeger.com

 

[JPSBBQ]

I am just reading the language directly off the Traeger pellet packaging. I am not talking about special edition pellets, but their basic blends.

The Hickory and Mesquite pellets are sold as Naturally Flavored Hardwood. The others are sold as Natural Hardwood Blends. This leads me to deduce that the Hickory and Mesquite pellets do not actually contain Hickory and Mesquite wood products but some type of base wood (oak or alder is likely) flavored with natural extracts of Hickory or Mesquite. Traeger has a patent for the process of flavoring pellets, so it seems quite reasonable.

Here is a link to a photo of the Hickory pellets.

Traeger Hickory Pellets - Traeger Grills

Try Traeger Grill's most popular BBQ wood pellets. These all-natural Hickory Pellets will give your food epic, full-bodied, wood-fired flavor from pork to steak.

www.traeger.com

Maybe look at the how they are made tab of the link you sent. What do you deduce from that?

 

[RayClem]

Maybe look at the how they are made tab of the link you sent. What do you deduce from that?

The tab states that All Natural Hardwood Pellets are made from 100% natural hardwoods. That applies to the Natural Hardwood blends, but not necesarily the Natural Flavored Hardwood pellets.

If all the pellets are produced from a blend of 100% natural hardwood, why would Traeger label Hickory and Mesquite pellets differently? The most reasonable explanation for the different labeling is that they are produced differently. Wording matters.

Hickory smoke flavoring has been produced from hickory extracts for a long time. You can purchase a bottle of hickory smoke flavoring in the spice aisle. You can purchase seasonings and sauces that contain hickory smoke flavor made from these extractives. Because the flavors are extracted from hardwood, they can be considered natural.

I am not saying the pellets flavored with hickory extractives are better or worse than a hickory blend when it comes to the final results of the cook. All I am saying it read the label and make up your own mind. If you love Traeger pellets, then continue to purchase and use them.

Personally, the only Traeger pellets I have used are the Cherry Blend. I was not impressed with those pellets, so I do not plan to try the flavored hickory or mesquite pellets. I prefer pellets from Bear Mountain and Lumberjack. I also use pellets from Pit Boss from time to time when my favorites are not readily available.

 

[revbilly]

Has anyone tried the Royal Oak Charcoal Pellets?

 

[RayClem]

Has anyone tried the Royal Oak Charcoal Pellets?

Royal Oak is one of the better brands of charcoal. I have not tried Royal Oak Charcoal pellets, but I did try some Pit Boss charcoal blend pellets. Unlike Pit Boss, the Royal Oak are 100% charcoal, so you get more charcoal flavor.

Unfortunately, when I did my cook I also put some of the dcharcoal blend in a couple of smoke tubes for a low and slow cook and the smoke was too bitter. It nearly ruined my cook. I have not tried using the Pit Boss charcoal pellets for a full cook, but I do blend them in with other hardwood pellets to add some charcoal flavor. They are ideal for hot and fast cooks due to their heat content.

The Royal Oak Charcoal pellets should work just fine in any pellet grill. The question is whether you will enjoy the flavor. Thus, I would suggest trying a bag of the pellets and use them for grilling some chicken, burgers, or steaks. They are probably better suited for hot and fast cooks than they are low and slow, so that would be a good place to start. It you like the results, then try them in other cooks.

 

[JPSBBQ]

The tab states that All Natural Hardwood Pellets are made from 100% natural hardwoods. That applies to the Natural Hardwood blends, but not necesarily the Natural Flavored Hardwood pellets.

If all the pellets are produced from a blend of 100% natural hardwood, why would Traeger label Hickory and Mesquite pellets differently? The most reasonable explanation for the different labeling is that they are produced differently. Wording matters.

Hickory smoke flavoring has been produced from hickory extracts for a long time. You can purchase a bottle of hickory smoke flavoring in the spice aisle. You can purchase seasonings and sauces that contain hickory smoke flavor made from these extractives. Because the flavors are extracted from hardwood, they can be considered natural.

I am not saying the pellets flavored with hickory extractives are better or worse than a hickory blend when it comes to the final results of the cook. All I am saying it read the label and make up your own mind. If you love Traeger pellets, then continue to purchase and use them.

Personally, the only Traeger pellets I have used are the Cherry Blend. I was not impressed with those pellets, so I do not plan to try the flavored hickory or mesquite pellets. I prefer pellets from Bear Mountain and Lumberjack. I also use pellets from Pit Boss from time to time when my favorites are not readily available.

Wrong again. It says their premium pellets are 100% hardwood. All their pellets are premium hardwood pellets I believe. It says so on the bag you said to read. You assume things that aren’t in the “wording”. Cherry blend must not be just cherry wood. Get it? The bags nor the tabs do not say what you indicate that they say. None of what you state in your second paragraph is true or substantiated. It’s just old internet BS that is exactly what the guy in the video used for the basis of his biased opinion prior to the blind taste test.

Isn’t it also possible they are required to include the word blend in the ones that aren’t a single specific species? Isn’t it possible you are completely wrong? Maybe carefully reread all the pellet tabs without your preconceived bias. You might be surprised. Probably not though. They very clearly list when they use other ingredients in some of their products in cooperation with their trade partners.

None of what you say is in the wording, it’s in your head. It’s in your biased interpretation of the wording.

At least two of the other brands you mentioned will absolutely provide a stronger smoke profile. This stronger smoke profile has nothing to do with the specific species of wood, but rather the fact they contain the bark of the trees. Bark is dissimilar to the rest of the wood and will burn differently (less efficiently). This produces a noticeably heavier smoke profile. No argument there.

What should also be noted is that removing the bark takes time and money. Also that removing the bark removes significant impurities. The bark of a tree is like a filter. It will contain all the pollution and chemicals that the tree has been exposed to. Not just recently, but for the life of the tree. Now, this sorta thing is not a great concern to me, but if I was the kinda person that is concerned about what’s in my pellets, it’d be a “hair on fire” revelation. Definitely worth consideration. That is if your taking the time to carefully read your bag of pellets you must be stricken with concern over all the totally unknown chemicals that could be in any one bay of pellets made with bark. No two are the same I’m sure. Good lord now I’m getting sweaty!

 

[BBQMike]

Thank you all! I suppose my original post could have been worded more wisely. It wasn't so much a question of "best" but more if it's okay to use pellets other than Traegers in the grill, and if so, which ones seem to work the best. So it sounds like based on everyone's input so far, any brand of pellet can be used. I have to go to Costco to get ours which isn't always convenient. Lowe's is much closer so I might switch over to their brand.
Thanks again for your input!

Hi yes also confirming you can use any kind of pellet unless it is a real disaster and all the brands mentioned in this thread - including a couple new ones like Manchester Barbecue Pellets in Connecticut - are fine for your Traeger (and mine - I use several different brands and no problem). Happy Thanksgiving - we are definitely smoking our Turkey!

 

[Tommy]

I use Hamer’s Maple pellets. They come from here in WV, pure hardwood maple. These are good grade. I use their heating pellets for my home

I too live in WV. Where to you find Hamer’s Maple pellets?

 

[RoadRunner18]

LumberJack or Bear Mountain work for me. I don't use Traeger Pellets anymore

 

[Shedd]

Anyone use or know anything about these pellets? Since I’m a contractor I buy a lot from Home Depot and I earn a ton of rewards so I’m thinking about ordering these even though they’re extremely expensive but wondering if anyone has tried them. Thanks!

 

[midwest]

When I first got my 780 I experimented with different pellets and settled on Smoke Ring brand pellets. My local butcher sold them for 15.00 for 40 lbs. I noticed with switched brands and they are now the same price for a 20.00 bag. I called Kirtland (they made Smoke Ring pellets) and got a message they were out of business but sold their pellet business to a company in Holland MI. Curious to see if they are going to produce the same pellet and what the price will be. In the mean time I will be looking for another low price alternative. I use my Traeger a lot and don't want to be paying close to a dollar per pound for pellets...

I never came back and updated but Kirkland started production again of the smoke ring brand pellets. I’ve gone back to them, 15.00 locally for a 40 pound bag. Great pellets at a great price. If you can find them locally give them a shot

 

[midwest]

Anyone use or know anything about these pellets? Since I’m a contractor I buy a lot from Home Depot and I earn a ton of rewards so I’m thinking about ordering these even though they’re extremely expensive but wondering if anyone has tried them. Thanks!

Those were the first brand I bought when I got my 780. Being a new user I didn’t know how many pellets I would use but after going through the bag in a couple weeks I realized I needed a cheaper brand. Honestly I couldn’t tell any difference between those and the lower priced pellets out there. Nothing wrong with them I just couldn’t justify their high price. When I bought mine a few years ago they were over 30.00 a bag.

 

[drich]

I never came back and updated but Kirkland started production again of the smoke ring brand pellets. I’ve gone back to them, 15.00 locally for a 40 pound bag. Great pellets at a great price. If you can find them locally give them a shot

Midwest I see 40# bags of Kirkland pellets at Costco for about $15. My question is are these the Smoke Ring pellets you are talking about.

 

[Cabbage Head]

Bear Mountain are good pellets and there right up the street at TSC