8 Best Wood Pellets for Smoking

If you’re looking for the best wood pellets for smoking, you’ve arrived at the right place. If you need to smoke food, you need one. There are various options in the market, and we’re here to present the best ones we’ve tried so you won’t have to!

Top wood pellets

CookinPellets Hickory Smoking Pellets

A trusted brand in the market is CookinPellets, and this is one of their bestsellers. You might have to skip this if you’re on a tight budget. But this is a great option if you’re looking for quality. It has more than a thousand Amazon ratings with an overall rating of 4.5 stars.

This is made of 100% hickory with zero oak or alder filler, so you can trust this to give you that hickory flavor. This variant also has low dust pellets and low moisture. While these wood pellets are quite expensive, you can expect them to house more pellets than other brands and without unnecessary fillers. Thus, you get what you pay for. 

This is great for large meat chunks like rib racks, brisket, and pork butts. You can also expect this to burn hot and clean. Many people love how this gives off a strong smell while providing that delicious taste to your meat. 

Features

• A little expensive
• 100% pure hickory
• No fillers
• May last you for a year at the very least
• Distinct smell and taste

Traeger All-Natural Hardwood Grill Pellets

This comes at a better price than the last option. It holds a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon among more than 17,000 reviews. It comes with a distinct smoky and hickory taste. Additionally, this gives off that delightful blue smoke.

With this pack, you get all-natural hardwood without any fillers or binding agents, so you’re sure to get the most out of your meat. This is great for smoking, grilling, BBQs, roasting, baking, and braising.

Now while this is on the cheaper side, you’ll just get a pack of 20 pounds which should last for about 20 hours at 300 degrees cooking. These can be stored in the basement or the garage with no problems. 

These pellets are made of virgin hardwood with no artificial additives.

Features

• Affordable
• Made in the USA
• 20 pounds per bag
• 100% hickory

Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets

Another mid-priced option is this one from Pit Boss. Every bag comes with forty pounds worth of pellets and holds a 4.5/5 stars rating on Amazon among less than 500 reviews. 

These pellets hold no artificial flavors and additives, so you’re sure to get pure hickory goodness. This variant is said to burn hotter and cleaner than other options and is easy to use even for noobs. 

Pit Boss pressurizes sawdust to create these wood pellets and is sourced from North America. For each cooking cycle, less than 1% of ash is produced. With this, you get no sulfur at all, only intense flavor!

Features

• Affordable
• Reliable and trusted manufacturer
• Easy to clean up
• Easy to use

Bear Mountain All-Natural Hardwood Pellets

Another Amazon-famous wood pellet is this one from Bear Mountain. Its price is mid-range, and it has about 4.5/5 stars rating from 5,000 reviewers. This isn’t the only wood pellet variant the company has, but this mesquite option gives off a distinct flavor and smells a lot of users love. 

This will give your chicken, beef, and pork a sweet and smoky flavor. This is so versatile that you can even use this with fish and vegetables. While this is relatively cheap, every bag only houses 20 pounds of pellets.

This product boasts no additives, binding agents, or fillers and is made of 100% premium and all-natural hardwood. It’s worth noting that you can utilize this in electric grills, charcoal grills, gas/outdoor grills, and smokers. These burn at high heat due to their 5% moisture structure. Another great thing is that it’s easy to clean up as it produces a small amount of ash.

Features

• Affordable
• The sweet and smoky flavor
• Versatile
• Easy to clean up

BBQ’s Delight Wood Smoking Pellets

Order this, and you get several small bags of different wood pellets. It has a 4.5/5 stars rating on Amazon from 1,300 reviewers. This is great if you want to try different flavors. This comes in one-pound bags of each of the following:

• Pecan
• Cherry
• Jack Daniel’s
• Apple
• Mesquite
• Hickory

As per the manufacturer, you can use each bag for 10x, and you’ll only need ⅓ cup per session. These are compatible with charcoal, electric, gas, and smoker grills. Cooking with these pellets gives off a slight wood flavor. Personally, Jack Daniel’s works beautifully with pork, while the mesquite flavor is best for beef recipes. On the other hand, poultry works well with the cherry flavor, and hickory is the most versatile out of all.

Features

• 6 different flavors
• Quite expensive
• Great gift idea
• Good for beginners experimenting on flavors

Jack Daniel’s Smoking BBQ Pellets

Now let’s specifically talk about this product. Who said whiskey is only for your drinks? The famous whiskey-flavored smoking pellets have a 4.5/5 Amazon stars rating among less than 300 reviews.

It comes at a higher price point for a 20-pound bag, but then again, you have the Jack Daniel’s brand. The pellets are made of 100% all-natural oak, and they produce a small amount of ash for easy cleanup.

An interesting thing to try is to use these with Jack Daniel’s premium mellowing charcoal to get that coveted whisky flavor. These burn clean and provide consistent results. On top of this, Jack Daniel’s also offers this in other flavors:

• Pecan
• Sugar maple
• Oak

Features

• Expensive
• Easy to clean up
• Hard and slow-burning pellets
• 100% all-natural oak
• Comes with some wood fillers

Camp Chef Competition Blend Hardwood Pellets

This is another one on the expensive side, but you get a couple of twenty-pound bags for every purchase. This holds 4.5/5 Amazon stars from less than 200 reviewers. This is called the “competition blend” by most BBQ grillers for a good reason.

This is quite versatile as you can use it for pork, fish, beef, baked goods, and veggies. The pellets are 100% all-natural, hardwood, and food-grade. Additionally, these produce little ash, so cleanup is not a hassle. You can store these for a year at the very least, and they are frequently used for grilling competitions.

Features

• Expensive
• Versatile
• For BBQ competitions
• Easy to clean up

Wood Smoker Shavings Value Pack

With this value pack, you’ll get four wood chip types that hold 4.5/5 Amazon stars out of 1,200 reviews. While these aren’t pellets, the effects are pretty much the same. The pack comes in 4 flavors:

• Oak
• Cherry
• Hickory
• Alder

The pack comes at a mid-range price point, so it’s worth trying. The pack is also easy to reseal; each pail gives you around 30 smoking sessions. The chips are all-natural and are made in the USA. For that smoky flavor, note that these ignite rather quickly and work well with poultry, beef, and pork. But the sky’s the limit since you can also try them with lamb chops, veal, and cheese.

Features

• Affordable
• Comes in 4 flavors
• 30 smoking sessions per pail
• Great gift idea

Buyer’s guide

Flavor

Whatever you fire using a wood pellet will be infused with its flavor, so it’s safe to say that the flavor you choose matters. This is completely up to your preference, and there are flavors out there like cherry, oak, maple, hickory, and mesquite. Experimentation is key!

Hardwood

When selecting your pellets, go for something made entirely of hardwood. This means it is free of additives and chemicals, will burn cleanly, and will have little influence on the environment or your meal.

Light up time

The popularity of wood pellets is due in part to how rapidly they fire and warm up when compared to charcoal. The time it takes to achieve ideal temperatures is practically identical to that of gas. This is incredible given that it is a much more ‘organic’ fuel source.

Price point

Do not only consider the price but also how many wood pellets you’re getting. Usually, they come in either 20- or 40-pound bags.

Brand

There’s just comfort and assurance in buying from trusted brands, and on this list are brands you’ll most likely love:

• Jack Daniel’s 
• Traeger
• CookinPellets
• Bear Mountain
• Pit Boss
• Camp Chef
• Bear Mountain

Warranty

Some manufacturers claim that you can use their wood pellets for a year, while some up to two years or more.

Ease of cleanup

Generally, most 20-pound bags should not give out more than ½ cup of ash while smoking. Otherwise, cleaning up would be a pain. 

What to stay away from

Be on the lookout for dust.

Cheap pellets disintegrate and fall apart rapidly, and a pile of dust at the bottom of the bag clearly indicates this. When selecting your pellets, consider how much dust is in the bag.

Anything containing chemicals or additives should be avoided.

The vast majority of hardwood pellets are safe and clean. However, chemically enhanced pellets are not.

Avoid using bark

While we enjoy seeing bark on our brisket, we don’t want it in our fuel. This type of wood does not burn as well as pellets and can interfere with your grill’s cooking temperature and heat constancy. It produces a lot of ash, which can clog your grill.

Using a variety of flavors with foods

There are a plethora of wood pellet flavors to pick from. It’s difficult to say what the best smoke flavor is because it’s subjective.

Some wood pellet flavors, however, complement certain dishes better than others. After decades of trial and error, mixing different woods with different cuisines, there are very universally agreed upon pairings.

Here are some of the greatest smoking woods for various foods:

• Alder – salmon, poultry, game birds
• Apple – poultry, pork, lamb, seafood
• Cherry – all meats
• Hickory – pork, and ribs
• Maple – poultry, vegetables, cheese
• Mesquite – red meat
• Oak – all meats, often blended with other wood
• Pecan – poultry
• Walnut – red meat, game

Last words

We have broken you the best wood pellets in the market for you to try. As I’ve said, it is only with experimentation that you find your perfect wood pellets. Happy smoking!

How are wood pellets made?

Pellets from a smoker or grill are an alternative energy source. They are constructed of compacted hardwood sawdust. The pellets, unlike charcoal briquettes, do not include any additives or chemical fillers. They burn cleanly and emit little ash.

Manufacturers begin the process by collecting sawdust, logging scraps, and sometimes completing logs from timber mills.

The bark, sapwood, and heartwood may still be present in the logs. Combining these three components results in a flavor blend in the final pellets. Quality producers would only utilize heartwood, whereas others would include the bark (I’ll discuss the “bark vs. bark-free” topic later).

Sapwood contains more moisture than heartwood, making it more susceptible to rot and fungi. On the other hand, Heartwood is less moist and more resistant to disease and rot. It is also more durable since the fibers are bonded together. The best smoker pellets would have more heartwood than sapwood if any at all.

Because these materials come from various locations, their sizes and moisture levels vary. Manufacturers would grind them down to sawdust and then dry them in enormous drum dryers to ensure consistency.

When the drying process is complete, the sawdust is crushed through a stainless steel extrusion machine lubricated with food-grade oil. The compression pressure heats the lignin, one of the main organic molecules in wood, softening it as a result.

Lignin, together with cellulose and hemicellulose, is responsible for the cellular structure of a tree. When burned, lignin is what gives our food its smoke and flavor.

The pellets are still hot and brittle after coming out of the extrusion machine. The following step is to air chill them. When the lignin hardens, it works as a natural binder, holding the wood pellets together. Manufacturers cut these lengthy pellets into smaller pieces after they have cooled (about half an inch in length). They are then bagged and prepared for shipment.

Because there are no artificial glues or adhesives, soaking pellets in water will transform them into sawdust. They have a long shelf life in general. However, dampness in the air might harm them, so keep the pellets in firmly sealed bins.

Pellets from a smoker or grill are an excellent source of heat and taste. They are mostly used as fuel for pellet smokers/grills. You can also use these pellets to add smoke and flavor to gas, kamado, and electric grills.

Various types of smoker wood pellets

BBQ wood pellets are classified into three categories.

Blended pellets

Blended pellets are the first type. These employ oak or alder as base wood or filler, depending on your area (this does not imply that oak and alder are inferior to other woods). Companies on the east coast use oak, whereas companies on the west coast use alder.

The pellets are then combined with a small amount of real taste wood. In general, the flavor wood accounts for about 20% of the mix (up to 40% for some manufacturers), with the remainder being filler.

Flavor wood is any wood that emits a distinct and natural flavor when burned. Cherry has a distinct flavor, while hickory has its own. Certain flavors are stronger, while others are gentler.

Check the label to see if the pellets have been mixed. If it does not state “100% of any flavor wood,” they are blended even though some brands indicate the type of pellets on their package.

Producers combine flavored wood with oak or alder to create consistent performance in their pellets. Different types of wood burn at different speeds and in different British Thermal Units (BTUs). In other words, you may need to burn more of one type of wood to produce the same heat as you do with others. Furthermore, some woods, such as peach or apple, do not produce nice pellets on their own.

By combining oak and alder pellets, each blended pellet will burn at the same rate and BTU, resulting in a consistent cooking experience. Oak and alder produce a gentle smoke that lets the flavor of other woods shine through. They also produce less ash.

Wood Pellets with 100% Flavor

The following type is flavor wood pellets. There is no filler or base wood. Just the flavor that wood suggested. For example, 100 percent pecan pellets are produced entirely of pecan wood.

BBQr’s Delight 100% pecan wood smoking pellets in an orange bag
The benefit of this type is that it extracts more flavor from your chosen wood. There is no lingering oak or alder in the background. Some grillers swear by these pellets, while others can’t tell the difference between them and blended pellets.

The primary disadvantage is that they generate more ash than blends. They are also more difficult to work with and may cause your pellet grill’s auger to jam more frequently. Finally, they are more expensive than the blends and the third type of BBQ wood pellets, which are oil flavored.

Pellets with an oil flavor

The basic wood for these pellets is still oak or alder. Instead of adding real wood flavor, manufacturers use oils that mimic the flavor of any certain wood. Consider mesquite-flavored pellets. There is no mesquite wood in those pellets but mesquite-flavored oil.

You get the taste from them, and the added heat from 100% oak or alder filler (compared to only 60 percent to 80 percent in blended pellets).

Problems with pellet grills and smokers

One of the most prevalent issues with pellet grills and smokers is abnormal temperature changes. Grills, for example, can occasionally drop to 200°F and rapidly rise to 325°F. People frequently believe they are dealing with a mechanical problem and that the RTD or controller must be replaced. However, most of the time, the problem is straightforward and has a straightforward remedy.

A pellet grill owner experiences temperature swings usually due to low-quality and inexpensive wood pellets. These weaker types frequently produce an excessive amount of ash, which might interfere with the sensors that aid in the regulation of cooking temperatures. In that situation, the remedy is simple: use higher quality pellets that burn cleanly and regularly remove the ash from the grill.

Pellets for heating vs. Pellets for smoking

Aside from the three types of wood pellets listed above, there is one more. It refers to wood pellets used in house heaters or stoves. They are not safe to cook with, even though they are created in the same method and seem identical to smoker pellets.

Heating pellets are constructed of softwood or a softwood-hardwood combination. Softwood, such as pine or spruce, has a high sap content and, when burned, can damage the flavor of your meat. Some producers also make their pellets from plywood or lumber scraps that have been varnished and treated with preservatives. These are poisonous and may make you sick.

Some grillers believe it is acceptable to utilize heating pellets for grilling. Furthermore, you can get them for a tenth of the price of their BBQ counterparts. But fight the urge and don’t take a chance. Pellets for heating and pellets for grilling are not the same thing.

BBQ pellet flavor profile

Most wood pellets for smoking are prepared so that the flavor profile is mostly wood with a hint of oak or alder. Get 100 percent flavor wood pellets if you prefer a single wood taste.

Because there are no additives or chemicals in BBQ pellets, they fully combust after being ignited. In the pellet smoker, they burn more efficiently at high temperatures to produce more BTUs, resulting in less smoke. The pellets smolder and emit more smoke at low temperatures.

They also have a clean burn. As a result, their smoke is more delicate and soft than wood’s, which is robust and intense (although pellets are made from wood). When you cook with these pellets, your dish will have a subtle smokey flavor profile.

For that purpose, some grillers propose utilizing 100 percent flavor wood pellets in a smoker tube, such as the A-maze-n, while burning the mixes (mixed with oak or alder) for heat in the pellet grill’s hopper. This may be done on both a traditional and portable pellet grill.

There is a broad range to pick from when tasting wood. Each has a distinct smoke and aroma. Is one superior or better than the others? Which ones generate the most flavorful pellets?

Flavored food vs. Blend (Mixture)

BBQ pellets are often constructed of 100 percent natural hardwood; however, this does not guarantee that the pellets are 100 percent of the type of wood indicated on the box. If you purchase cherry wood chips or chunks, you will receive 100 percent cherry wood. On the other hand, Pellets are typically made from a combination of cherry and wood, such as oak or alder.

Even though it may appear to be deceitful, there are valid reasons for this technique. The combination of flavored woods and oak has several advantages, the first of which is cost. Varying varieties of wood have different densities and burn at different rates, producing different quantities of heat and smoke.

Furthermore, 100% flavored-wood pellets are more expensive than those that use a basis of oak or alder, as well as woods like cherry and hickory; because these latter species aren’t as numerous as oak, they cost more. Because oak is very neutral, the cherry wood smoke flavor shows through. Pellet manufacturers can keep prices down by blending oak and cherry.

In addition to conserving money, using a wood basis creates consistency. For example, if you used only cherry wood, you’d use more pellets than if you used only hickory because cherry burns faster than hickory. As a result, these blends give consistency, and the inclusion of oak allows each flavor to burn at a similar rate and with comparable heat output.

However, remember that not all blends and combinations are created equal. Some will use a greater proportion of wood than others. A 70/30 split is rather typical, with 30 percent flavored wood and 70 percent oak. Some major brands, on the other hand, adopt a 2/3 ratio.

What are the best wood pellets for smoking?

It’s difficult to give a definitive response to this topic. It all comes down to a person’s taste sense and preferences.

The truth is that most individuals like the flavor of the wood that is available in their area. Locally, these timber species are frequently plentiful and inexpensive. Hickory, mesquite, and oak are widespread in Texas, whereas maple and alder are found throughout the Pacific Northwest.

It is also important to note that describing the exact flavor of any given wood is difficult. Years of experience are required. In addition, the amount of bark, how “green” the wood is, and a variety of other elements must be considered when characterizing the flavor of the wood.

Nonetheless, certain wood flavors complement certain types of meat quite well. There are many more types of wood to play with, but these five are the most widely available and popular in the United States.

• Apples go well with seafood, pork, and chicken.
• Cherry – chicken, pork ribs, and beef
• Hickory – largely beef, with some chicken and pork Hickory – mostly beef, with some chicken and pork
• Steaks made from mesquite

Depending on what you’re cooking, you can stick to one taste by burning only that flavor’s wood pellets. Alternatively, you can combine flavors by burning several types of pellets together. Whatever you choose, your options are limitless.

Why do grill manufacturers want you to use their pellets?

Before I go into the reviews of the best wood pellets for smoking, there is one frequent misperception about them. That is, whether or not you must use the pellet grill’s branded pellets.

You are not required to do so. Some pellet grill manufacturers claim that doing so will void the warranty. How will they know if you’ve used other people’s pellets in their grill?

That being stated, there are numerous reasons why pellet grill manufacturers want you to utilize their pellets. The main one is that other pellets may be of poor quality, resulting in temperature changes in the grill. As a result, customers will have an uneven and negative experience.

Smoking pellets must meet certain quality standards for the grill to function effectively. Pellet grill manufacturers provide pellets that meet these specifications. Other things are beyond their control.

What is it about other pellets that make them of poor quality? It’s the bark.

The bark of a tree is its outermost covering. It absorbs anything that could be harmful to the tree. Airborne gases and chemical air pollution particles are examples of this. When these pollutants are burned, they create short bursts of flare-up and spark. That is, the bark burns at a different rate and produces different BTUs than the heartwood. Bark also contributes to the production of ash. Excessive ash suffocates the fire and causes temperature fluctuations.

While bark does add flavor to your meat, it is only necessary if you smoke it on an offset smoker. Avoid pellets that still contain bark for pellet grills.

Finally, you can use other branded pellets in your pellet grill as long as they are high-quality and bark-free.

How to store your wood pellets safely.

While it may appear trivial, it is critical to keep your wood pellets safe.

Proper storage is critical for maximizing the shelf life of your wood pellets.

Mold, fungi, and other poisons will not be able to penetrate or grow on the pellets if they are stored properly.

1. Use a bucket

If you buy smoking wood pellets in bulk, try not to leave them in the bags they arrive in.

CookinPellets, for example, recommends leaving these pellets in their original bags.

Otherwise, you should take these pellets out of their bags.

If wood pellets are left in their original bags, they may become perforated. When a pellet bag is punctured, it is exposed to oxygen or moisture.

Original pellet bags that acquire moisture or wet may degrade, resulting in a squandered product.

If these pellets become moist, they might grow mold or fungus in addition to degrading. Smoking wood pellets contaminated with mold or fungus might contaminate your food and make you sick.

The pellets are kept dry and packed in a five-gallon bucket with a lid. This results in optimal cooking quality that is both safe and tasty!

2. Keep it off grounds

Bags of smoking wood pellets stored directly on the ground are at significant risk of becoming wet.

Rain or a leak will cause moisture to rise from the earth. Placing your pellet bags in a high, open place keeps them off the ground and prevents moisture from accumulating around them.

3. Open when you need it

Open your bag(s) of smoking wood pellets only when you’re ready to utilize them.

Pellet bags that have been opened and unused for an extended period will become oxygenated.

Oxygen contains moisture, which causes the wood pellets to shatter when broken down from the solid capsules.

Furthermore, use the previously opened bag of pellets before opening the next one.

4. Avoid moisture

Did you spot the overarching thread in the preceding? Moisture. Moisture is a wood pellet’s worst enemy.

Moisture not only degrades the goods but also serves as a new home for mold and fungi.

Humidity must be considered when preventing dampness. Humidity is just as deadly as exposure to a large amount of water due to a leak or rain.

If you opt to store your wood pellets in a damp environment, such as a basement, consider installing a dehumidifier to keep the air as dry as possible.

Moisture can cause you to spend more money, which is why it is so dangerous. The cost of 100% flavored wood pellets is high. You don’t want to squander your investment by having to replace pellets that were improperly kept.

Moisture provides a greater danger because of its ability to produce poisons such as mold or fungus.

Toxins from smoking wood pellets will permeate the food you’re cooking through the smoke from the pellets.

Consuming food that has been exposed to these poisons has the potential to make anyone sick.

It is critical to keep your smoking wood pellets in a location that protects both your health and your pocketbook.

FAQs

Last update on 2024-04-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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