Smoking meats - opinions on wood pellet brands

[Tomhusker]

I'm getting to where i prefer an electric to the offset just because on convenience. I like to toss something in, go golfing and when i get back dinner is ready.

Those traeger look mighty nice. Pricey tho.

 

[fknhippie]

Too much for my taste.

I've been looking at these, but haven't pulled the trigger

Top Rated Silverbac Wood Pellet Grill - Grilla Grills

www.smokin-it.com

www.smokin-it.com

 

[DHoey]

Those traeger look mighty nice. Pricey tho.

Check out Pit Boss.

 

[Tomhusker]

Check out Pit Boss.

I've seen them but was leery of them because "Walmart." their pricing is certainly better, but are they quality?

 

[DHoey]

I've seen them but was leery of them because "Walmart." their pricing is certainly better, but are they quality?

I own one and know of 3 other guys that have them. I had my feed auger clog up and it was an easy fix, and totally my fault. The fire bowl needs to be cleaned every so often or the ash builds up and the pellets won't burn. Should be done every 4-5 smokes, depending on duration. One buddy had his controller go out but that was covered by warranty and they are real easy to work with.

All these smokers are pretty simple: pellet hopper, auger, fire bowl with an ignitor and the controller to run it. They are pretty damn fool proof. I would highly suggest them!

 

[Tomhusker]

I own one and know of 3 other guys that have them. I had my feed auger clog up and it was an easy fix, and totally my fault. The fire bowl needs to be cleaned every so often or the ash builds up and the pellets won't burn. Should be done every 4-5 smokes, depending on duration. One buddy had his controller go out but that was covered by warranty and they are real easy to work with.

All these smokers are pretty simple: pellet hopper, auger, fire bowl with an ignitor and the controller to run it. They are pretty damn fool proof. I would highly suggest them!

Well, I'll definitely give them a look once we find a house. Thanks for the input.

 

[outofyourmind]

I use the A-Maze-N 5x8 maze with their Pitmasters choice pellets blend which has cherry, hickory, and maple. A really nice smell and taste. Haven't tried other brands, but would recommend this setup for those that have an electric smoker like me to avoid having to reload chips every 40 minutes.

A-MAZE-N Smokers

I like it.
It's small but should do the trick.




I built one that I use, but does the same thing.
I find I can load it up with regular charcoal and it will slow burn for about 6-8 hours.

I just keep throwing wood/wood chips on top all during the burn.
Works out good. Pretty even heat, but not so much I would walk away from it for a couple of hours.

 

[Tomhusker]

I like it.
It's small but should do the trick.

View attachment 280286


I built one that I use, but does the same thing.
I find I can load it up with regular charcoal and it will slow burn for about 6-8 hours.

I just keep throwing wood/wood chips on top all during the burn.
Works out good. Pretty even heat, but not so much I would walk away from it for a couple of hours.

I use the pellet maze. Modified my propane smoker by adding a smoke box (yard sale mailbox) with a small 12v fan on the door of it, and big ol' smoke stack. I call it "Frankensmoker."

 

[douggie]

I use the pellet maze. Modified my propane smoker by adding a smoke box (yard sale mailbox) with a small 12v fan on the door of it, and big ol' smoke stack. I call it "Frankensmoker."
View attachment 281508

Hot damn that is some redneck shit right there. And I mean it in a good way.

 

[Tomhusker]

Finished smoking two pork bellies, after 7 days of dry curing.
Fridge overnight, then running them thru the slicer after work.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Starting to branch out on pellet brands & doin more homework on pellet fillers...

Pellets that says "hickory" on them, but does not tell you that it is 100% hickory, is almost assuredly a mix of hickory and a filler wood OR flavor oils and filler wood (like alder). Manufacturers do this to drive down costs and sell it cheaper. You have no idea if you're getting 30%, 20% or whatever % hickory. This is true with any type of wood pellet. The filler woods generally don't give you any flavor, just raw smoke. I went through this when I first started buying what the local store had to sell: brands like Traeger which do not list their ratios. I went through several brands and could rarely taste the difference.. While it can be difficult to do I no longer buy pellets unless the manufacturer clearly states the mix of woods in the product.

Found CookinPellets.com on Amazon and it has honestly been a gamechanger for me. Don't think I'll ever go back to Traeger brand pellets. You can actually taste the flavor listed onthe package.

 

[Tomhusker]

Starting to branch out on pellet brands & doin more homework on pellet fillers...

Pellets that says "hickory" on them, but does not tell you that it is 100% hickory, is almost assuredly a mix of hickory and a filler wood OR flavor oils and filler wood (like alder). Manufacturers do this to drive down costs and sell it cheaper. You have no idea if you're getting 30%, 20% or whatever % hickory. This is true with any type of wood pellet. The filler woods generally don't give you any flavor, just raw smoke. I went through this when I first started buying what the local store had to sell: brands like Traeger which do not list their ratios. I went through several brands and could rarely taste the difference.. While it can be difficult to do I no longer buy pellets unless the manufacturer clearly states the mix of woods in the product.

Found CookinPellets.com on Amazon and it has honestly been a gamechanger for me. Don't think I'll ever go back to Traeger brand pellets. You can actually taste the flavor listed onthe package.

Yeah, I've never bought traeger pellets. The best I've found have been Lumberjack and Bear Mountain.