Pellets for grilling and for smoking

[Darren in Texas]

New to the pellet world and have a flagship 1100 on the way. Been using a vertical propane smoker with chip trays and tired of changing out the chips every 30-40 minutes. Plus I want to try cooking briskets and that set up is not favorable to me.
Looking at pellets and wondering if it is best or suggested to have a pellet for grilling and a different pellet for smoking that require a longer cook. Like ribs, pork butt, and brisket. A pellet blend seems to be the way to go whether you buy or make your own blend.

 

[Jim6820]

New to the pellet world and have a flagship 1100 on the way. Been using a vertical propane smoker with chip trays and tired of changing out the chips every 30-40 minutes. Plus I want to try cooking briskets and that set up is not favorable to me.
Looking at pellets and wondering if it is best or suggested to have a pellet for grilling and a different pellet for smoking that require a longer cook. Like ribs, pork butt, and brisket. A pellet blend seems to be the way to go whether you buy or make your own blend.

Welcome to the forum, @Darren in Texas; glad to have you here.

You’ve asked a version of the age-old question, “Which pellet is best?” I suspect you’ll get plenty of different answers. Here’s mine; I use straight Hickory for all my cooks on the pellet grill/smoker. I guess I’m just old-school, but I prefer it.

That said, my ancient taste buds don’t detect much difference in smoke from most pellet varieties with the exception of mesquite which I find a little bitter. YMMV

 

[Threadcutter]

They're kind of "pedestrian" I suppose, but I like Costco pellets. And, the price is right.

 

[v1per95]

I've tried all different kinds of brands and types and haven't really been able to tell much of a difference in taste whether grilling or smoking. As long as they're 100% hardwood and they aren't longer than about 1", I'd say you'll be good to go!

 

[kstone113]

HI - I have a similar back story to smoking. My first smoker was a vertical propane with the trays.

I upgraded to the RT-700 which is essentially now the flagship. I believe you will notice a difference in smoke flavor/strength in the beginning and you may be slightly disappointed however stay with me.

Part of the reason in the beginning of a new grill is a lot of the smoke sticks to the walls of the grill. So the more your grill gets seasoned, the less sticks to the walls and more to the meat. Beyond that, you can try adding more a lot of ways. Is this necessary? To some, yes, to others, no. I think it all depends on the person/tastes.

So when this happened to me, I started researching how to add more smoke flavor to pellet grills. Most says pellet tubes which are cheap. I didn't notice a difference however I will come back to this. Then I went to the Heavy D diffuser you can put wood in. However, that didn't work too well for me. I still have it but don't use it. Then I tried the Magnum PIG cold smoker which does require drilling a hole into your grill. This does work but at the same kind, kind of takes out the set it and forget it of pellet grills. However, this definitely add more good smoke flavor since the cold smoker used wood/charcoal to create the smoke. However, then I saw someone(coming back to what I said about pellet tubes) adding wood chips with the pellets on smoke tubes. To me, this is the simplest/cheapest way to add more good smoke flavor. What I do is use Royal Oak charcoal pellets in my smoke tube with whatever wood variety I want to use. The wood chips mixed in is the key.

Over time and getting use to the grill, you may not feel a need to do the smoke tube as much. I only do on long cooks and lately, I haven't done that much at all. My Bull is just about 4 years old now and running great.

Good luck with your journey and hope some of this might help you along the way.

 

[Jim6820]

HI - I have a similar back story to smoking. My first smoker was a vertical propane with the trays.

I upgraded to the RT-700 which is essentially now the flagship. I believe you will notice a difference in smoke flavor/strength in the beginning and you may be slightly disappointed however stay with me.

Part of the reason in the beginning of a new grill is a lot of the smoke sticks to the walls of the grill. So the more your grill gets seasoned, the less sticks to the walls and more to the meat. Beyond that, you can try adding more a lot of ways. Is this necessary? To some, yes, to others, no. I think it all depends on the person/tastes.

So when this happened to me, I started researching how to add more smoke flavor to pellet grills. Most says pellet tubes which are cheap. I didn't notice a difference however I will come back to this. Then I went to the Heavy D diffuser you can put wood in. However, that didn't work too well for me. I still have it but don't use it. Then I tried the Magnum PIG cold smoker which does require drilling a hole into your grill. This does work but at the same kind, kind of takes out the set it and forget it of pellet grills. However, this definitely add more good smoke flavor since the cold smoker used wood/charcoal to create the smoke. However, then I saw someone(coming back to what I said about pellet tubes) adding wood chips with the pellets on smoke tubes. To me, this is the simplest/cheapest way to add more good smoke flavor. What I do is use Royal Oak charcoal pellets in my smoke tube with whatever wood variety I want to use. The wood chips mixed in is the key.

Over time and getting use to the grill, you may not feel a need to do the smoke tube as much. I only do on long cooks and lately, I haven't done that much at all. My Bull is just about 4 years old now and running great.

Good luck with your journey and hope some of this might help you along the way.

Good exploration of ways to add smoke flavor if you feel you need it. I do use a smoke tube at times, with wood chips and wood pellets layered end-to-end. I hadn’t thought of using charcoal pellets, but will have to give that a try. Interesting thought!

 

[Darren in Texas]

Welcome to the forum, @Darren in Texas; glad to have you here.

You’ve asked a version of the age-old question, “Which pellet is best?” I suspect you’ll get plenty of different answers. Here’s mine; I use straight Hickory for all my cooks on the pellet grill/smoker. I guess I’m just old-school, but I prefer it.

That said, my ancient taste buds don’t detect much difference in smoke from most pellet varieties with the exception of mesquite which I find a little bitter. YMMV

Thanks Jim for your insight. I didn’t mean for this post to be about best pellet (brand or flavor). I was wondering in folks use different pellets for different cooking methods. Aka grilling versus smoking. I’m finding that the pellet decision will be as mind numbing as the grill decision with so many options out there.

 

[RattleR]

Thanks Jim for your insight. I didn’t mean for this post to be about best pellet (brand or flavor). I was wondering in folks use different pellets for different cooking methods. Aka grilling versus smoking. I’m finding that the pellet decision will be as mind numbing as the grill decision with so many options out there.

My SNL likes to use Oak on his Bullseye when going hot for steaks etc. He noticed blends did not seem to produce the higher temps. I believe he uses hickory and blends for lower temp cooks.

 

[Waterboy]

I wouldn’t stress about the pellet flavor. Try different types when the opportunity presents, you’ll settle in to what works best for you. I use mostly Hickory from Bear Mountain so it has a lot of oak in it as well. I can get them for just under 50 cents a pound which is the price point I shoot for. I find I get the best flavor at around 50 cents a pound.

 

[Darren in Texas]

Thanks for the info everyone. Kstone113 I like your logic on smoke and seasoning of the grill. I've seen the smoker tubes and probably give one a try. I do like the smoke on pork and beef. A little less on chicken, I know this will be a "learn by doing" just like I figured out a process for the vertical smoker. The good thing is forums like these helps lessen the learning curve.

 

[houseman]

New to the pellet world and have a flagship 1100 on the way. Been using a vertical propane smoker with chip trays and tired of changing out the chips every 30-40 minutes. Plus I want to try cooking briskets and that set up is not favorable to me.
Looking at pellets and wondering if it is best or suggested to have a pellet for grilling and a different pellet for smoking that require a longer cook. Like ribs, pork butt, and brisket. A pellet blend seems to be the way to go whether you buy or make your own blend.

I have been using pellet grills for over 10 years now and I have used lots of brands of pellets. Early on I made my own blends but now I use Pit Boss Competition Blend almost exclusively. I run a Bullseye, a rt1250 and a Pit Boss that was gifted to me. My grills don't like Sam's Competition Blend. I can hear the augers breaking up the pellets.

 

[Pete 396]

Welcome to the forum, @Darren in Texas; glad to have you here.

You’ve asked a version of the age-old question, “Which pellet is best?” I suspect you’ll get plenty of different answers. Here’s mine; I use straight Hickory for all my cooks on the pellet grill/smoker. I guess I’m just old-school, but I prefer it.

That said, my ancient taste buds don’t detect much difference in smoke from most pellet varieties with the exception of mesquite which I find a little bitter. YMMV

Me too.

 

[ccmjr77]

I use a variety of pellets. Mostly a blend. I started out using different kinds to see what I liked best and could never tell the difference enough to worry about it. I have been satisfied with flavor using either hickory or a blend, but will by others, such as cherry or other mixed and usually just mix it in with the existing pellets. I did pick up some of the Kingsford Memphis BBQ "flavored" pellets on clearance to try. They are garlic, paprika, rosemary and a hint of sweetness. Not sure how they will be. But I have used pit boss, recteq, Sams Club, Kingsford, and many others with pretty good results on most all of them.

 

[Alcaviator]

I really like bear mountain creeks pellets. Available at Lowe’s easily, lumberjacks is good too but not as easily available

 

[Jgmantle]

New to the pellet world and have a flagship 1100 on the way. Been using a vertical propane smoker with chip trays and tired of changing out the chips every 30-40 minutes. Plus I want to try cooking briskets and that set up is not favorable to me.
Looking at pellets and wondering if it is best or suggested to have a pellet for grilling and a different pellet for smoking that require a longer cook. Like ribs, pork butt, and brisket. A pellet blend seems to be the way to go whether you buy or make your own blend.

New to the pellet world and have a flagship 1100 on the way. Been using a vertical propane smoker with chip trays and tired of changing out the chips every 30-40 minutes. Plus I want to try cooking briskets and that set up is not favorable to me.
Looking at pellets and wondering if it is best or suggested to have a pellet for grilling and a different pellet for smoking that require a longer cook. Like ribs, pork butt, and brisket. A pellet blend seems to be the way to go whether you buy or make your own blend.

The answer to your question is, no, not really. Your Flagship 1100 (I have the 1400) is going to hold your set temp regardless of the brand pellets you use. You will hear that certain brands behave differently, such as more or less ash, burns more or less pellets per hour, and of course different flavors. So there may be one brand that burns slightly hotter than others, but the difference is probably insignificant; certainly not worth the effort of removing and replacing pellets between cooks. I believe the best advice to use high quality pellets. You'll find lots of advice and words of wisdom as to which brand is best and why. But as to changing pellets between slow smoking and fast grilling, reaching and holding temp is the Recteq's job. And in my opinion, it's very good at it. I have had no problems with the pellets from Sam's Club 40# for $15.00 seems very fair.

As to removing and replacing pellets. I bought a small shop vac that I dedicated to this task with my Bullseye 380. It was fine for the small capacity of the 380, not so much if I'm pulling 60# out of the 1400. I didn't know about the Home Depot Bucket Head vac; straight into a 5 Gallon Homer Bucket with a tight-fitting lid. But as many have said, I personally can't tell a lot of difference between different flavors of pellets, so I just use one pellet to smoke them all.

 

[Nikeguy53]

Welcome to the family!!!!
Would try different pellets until you find one you like to go with.