Understanding pellets

[Bbqallday80]

I have always used charcoal and wood chunks. Now I have my 590, I’m using the Rec Tec pellets. It burns good and has a decent smell. I always have used fruit woods to get my smoke so I was wondering do pellets really change in smell from the type pellets you use? I know Rec Tec has a bag of perfect mix pellets from cookin pellets. Would I get a more fruit like smoke? I know this must be a dumb question but this is all new. If this doesn’t give you that smoke your looking for can you use cherry chips in a smoke tube. Thanks for any help

 

[Pete590]

All I can say is try some different ones and see what you like.Mad scientist bbq has some good pellet videos. It’s really what you like.

 

[Gonefishin]

Some folks can smell and taste a difference between types of pellets, I can't. When I was using charcoal and wood chunks, I couldn't tell the difference in flavor between oak and apple, which are the only 2 types I used. I've used wood splits in my smoke tube, I get more smoke flavor using them but I couldn't tell you what the type of tree they came from by smell or taste.

 

[Waterboy]

I can tell the difference in smell between Apple, Oak, Hickory, Pecan etc.. but not a lot of difference in taste. I find it to be very subtle. I haven’t tried mesquite pellets yet but hear there is a more pronounced smoke flavor with them.

Like @padlin00 I do think wood chips or mini splits added to a smoke tube help improve the smoke flavor. You really just have to experiment and see if anything makes a difference that you like. Worst thing that happens is you do a few extra cooks.

 

[Bbqallday80]

I usually used cherry and it has a wonderful smell and put great color on ribs. Has anyone ever used those perfect mix pellets and what are your thoughts. Thanks everyone

 

[Tgrimm001]

I personally have just started running Lumber Jack 100% Hickory. The fruit blends just don't seem to put enough smoke flavor on the meat. I've always used fruit wood on chicken when using charcoal and wood. But in the pellet grills it leaves very little taste IMO. But everyone is different. I also have a smoke tube. But I think it puts out dirty, bitter smoke.

 

[Greg Jones]

I personally have just started running Lumber Jack 100% Hickory. The fruit blends just don't seem to put enough smoke flavor on the meat. I've always used fruit wood on chicken when using charcoal and wood. But in the pellet grills it leaves very little taste IMO. But everyone is different. I also have a smoke tube. But I think it puts out dirty, bitter smoke.

I feel the same way, about the LJ Hickory and the smoke tube. I still have various other pellets to use up, but moving forward my thinking at this point is to go 100% LJ Hickory and retire the smoke tubes.

 

[Tgrimm001]

I feel the same way, about the LJ Hickory and the smoke tube. I still have various other pellets to use up, but moving forward my thinking at this point is to go 100% LJ Hickory and retire the smoke tubes.

I used everything up this fall. So now it's just LJ hickory. I smoked some cheese with that tube in my MES and it just tasted dirty. But I see guys using them for cheese and Jerkey all the time online. I guess I just don't like the smoke profile from the tube. I think it smolders too much and gives that nasty bitter white smoke

 

[Wslayer]

Make your pellets into dust. Much lighter smoke with great smoke taste.

 

[Bbqallday80]

Make your pellets into dust. Much lighter smoke with great smoke taste.

Do you just break them up and put them in the smoke tube to do this.

 

[Tgrimm001]

Make your pellets into dust. Much lighter smoke with great smoke taste.

I've seen where guys have said they microwave what they are planning on smoking with too?

 

[Wslayer]

I take about 3 big handfuls, put in coffee container add water about 1/2 way up thru the pellets . stir around slightly so every thing gets well saturated. Let set about 5 mins and then dump on sheet pan and spread out. I do mine in my MES 40 @ 180° for couple hrs. Don't stir around too much as they will get to fine. Can do in oven, very little smoke smell

If just using pellets, it does help to microwave 1 min, allow a min to cool, then 1 more min on high.

 

[Zonian Pyg]

I have always used charcoal and wood chunks. Now I have my 590, I’m using the Rec Tec pellets. It burns good and has a decent smell. I always have used fruit woods to get my smoke so I was wondering do pellets really change in smell from the type pellets you use? I know Rec Tec has a bag of perfect mix pellets from cookin pellets. Would I get a more fruit like smoke? I know this must be a dumb question but this is all new. If this doesn’t give you that smoke your looking for can you use cherry chips in a smoke tube. Thanks for any help

Like you I am new to pellets. What I have found is if I add 2or so hrs. cook at Lo I get some good smoke flavor. Pit boss cherry and hickory have worked good so far but I'm looking for other brands and types. Tried a smoke tube but was not happy.

 

[Hunter1994]

I can tell the difference in smell between Apple, Oak, Hickory, Pecan etc.. but not a lot of difference in taste. I find it to be very subtle. I haven’t tried mesquite pellets yet but hear there is a more pronounced smoke flavor with them.

Like @padlin00 I do think wood chips or mini splits added to a smoke tube help improve the smoke flavor. You really just have to experiment and see if anything makes a difference that you like. Worst thing that happens is you do a few extra cooks.

Mesquite won't give you color like cherry but it does produce an awesome flavor that works well with game meats and also steaks. Use Mesquite with a dry aged steak, cold smoke for a few hours. Then 250 1 hour then sear.

 

[Maule Guy]

I usually used cherry and it has a wonderful smell and put great color on ribs. Has anyone ever used those perfect mix pellets and what are your thoughts. Thanks everyone

I have been using Cooking Pellets for about 5 years now and have been really happy with them. The Perfect Blend (Mix) pellets are pretty much an all around blend works well for pork, chicken, even salmon. I like the 100% Hickory for beef. I have not tried the pecan or the apple.

I was using pellets from Traeger in the beginning and they were not great. Upon doing some research found their pellets were predominantly Alder. Nothing against Alder for salmon etc. The coastal Salish people have been cold smoking and cooking salmon over alder fires for a thousand years.

To begin with pellet grills don't provide the smoke stick burners do, so it seems to me that I need to get the most smoke flavor possible out of the pellets I use. I have heard good things said about a number of pellets and I am going to bet that having 100% flavor wood in the pellet is probably a common theme for these top rated pellets.

My $0.02 worth.

 

[opus]

I have always used charcoal and wood chunks. Now I have my 590, I’m using the Rec Tec pellets. It burns good and has a decent smell. I always have used fruit woods to get my smoke so I was wondering do pellets really change in smell from the type pellets you use? I know Rec Tec has a bag of perfect mix pellets from cookin pellets. Would I get a more fruit like smoke? I know this must be a dumb question but this is all new. If this doesn’t give you that smoke your looking for can you use cherry chips in a smoke tube. Thanks for any help

I think it all depends on what smoke flavor your mouth desires and what you can actually taste. It is like my wife who is a cajun and me who is not. Strangely we will eat the same thing and she will complain about it being too spicy and I'm thinking it isn't spicy at all. We do prefer a much smokier flavor to our meats and pellets just can't do it alone. Neither can a smoke tube for us. I did a brisket over night at the lowest setting and then cranked it up to my normal smoking temp the next morning and still didn't have the smoke flavor we desired. What I have found works best for me on larger meats like brisket or pork butts is doing them for about 8 to 10 hours on my stick burner and then finishing off my RT700. I was using Lumber Jack 100% Hickory when I did my overnight cook on the RT so I was expecting a stronger smoke flavor but didn't get what I desired.

Before covid and actually going in to the office, I used to take my left overs to a couple of my coworkers. They noticed immediately when I switched over to the RT. They actually asked if I had changed something because the meat didn't have the really good smoke flavor they were used to in my cooks.

 

[Ericbc7]

I bought a bunch of cookin pellets Last summer (400 lbs), mostly perfect mix and cherry. The cherry burn noticeably hotter than the perfect mix so I use them for searing after sous vide in my Bullseye 380. The cherry also seem to produce less smoke than perfect. For most regular smoking I appreciate the perfect mix pellets.