Pellet grills have increased in popularity over the past few years, and with their rise, wood pellets have enjoyed an added burst in popularity. And there’s a good reason why cooking with wood pellets has become more popular. There’s simply no other method of grilling than grilling with wood pellets. They burn consistently, hot and they imbue foods with a smoky flavor that few other grilling methods can do. Of course, before the home grill cook can achieve the best results with their pellet grill, they’re going to have to find the best wood pellets for pellet grills. That’s why we reviewed three types that we think will wow our readers.
Quick Summary of Best Pellets For Pellet Grill
Reviews
Editor’s Choice: Traeger Grill Signature Blend Hardwood Pellets
When making these pellets, Traeger starts off with 100% all-natural hardwood sourced from American forests. This is wood that’s sourced mainly from hickory, maple, and cherry trees, and while they’re processing this wood, Traeger doesn’t add any unnatural additives or fillers. This wood is then taken to the American wood mills that are specifically designed to turn that wood into pellets according to strict guidelines—guidelines that have been referred to as the gold standard for grill pellet production.
Because this company keeps a watchful eye on the wood all through the pellet making process, they can make sure it has the perfect amount of moisture in it to give the consumer the clean, blue smoke they expect while they’re grilling or smoking.
This wonderful blend of cherry, hickory, and maple makes smoke that complements a wide variety of meats. It’s especially good for beef but is also good for chicken and pork as well. It’s this versatility that makes this a great pellet to grill with.
- It’s a 100% natural hardwood formulation.
- It’s made using a blend of cherry, hickory, and maple.
- It’s an American made product.
- It burns extremely well and is very reliable.
- None that we can find.
Also Recommended: BBQr’s Delight Wood Smoking Pellets Variety Pack
These are pellets that are sourced from high-quality woods and are manufactured in the U.S for the best results. These pellets never need to be soaked, are very easy to use, and can be used in a variety of outdoor grills including charcoal, gas, or electric grills. They can also be used in smokers, too.
Of course, these pellets aren’t perfect, and we did find one problem with them. This one problem is that they’re more expensive than comparable wood pellets. This is likely because they’re individual 1-pound bags, but it’s still something the consumer is going to have to consider before they purchase this variety pack. It’s a good pack for trying out new wood pellet “flavors” but it’s a poor choice for anyone looking for inexpensive wood pellets.
- These wood pellets burn cleanly and produce good smoke.
- They come in an assortment of fine flavors.
- They can be used with electric or gas pellet grills.
- This product is more expensive than larger bags of pellets.
Also Consider: Louisiana Grills Competition Blend Pellets
The last pellets we’d like to review are these from Louisiana Grills. Even though these pellets are designed specifically for grills made by this manufacturer, they can be easily used in just about any pellet grill the consumer has available. Let’s take a closer look at this product and see what these pellets are all about and what they can do for the consumer.These pellets are made from a premium-blend of wood and are listed as a competition blend from this company. Each pellet contains approximately 50% maple, 25% cherry, and 25% hickory. This is a good blend for grilling not only steaks but also pork chops or chicken breasts as well. And because this wood is sourced from all across North America, the consumer can rest assured that they’re getting a quality product that smokes and grills well.
If there was one thing that concerned us about these pellets, it was the fact that there was a lot of pellet dust in the bag. We’re sure that it due to settling during shipment, but it does make us wonder if maybe these pellets aren’t compressed tight enough at the factory. We didn’t notice any problems grilling with these pellets over some of the other ones we’ve reviewed, but it is something to keep in mind.
All things considered, we feel that these are quality wood pellets that are good for beef, pork, lamb, chicken, veggies, or bread. It’s also one of the more reasonably priced pellets that we’ve reviewed. All of these facts make this a great wood pellet to use with a home pellet grill.
- These are 100% all-natural hardwood pellets.
- They’re a blend of maple, hickory, and cherry.
- They are very reasonably priced wood pellets.
- There seems to be quite a bit of dust with these pellets.
The Ultimate Guide To Pellets For Pellet Grills
The one thing that we learned from reviewing some of the best pellets for pellet grills is that choosing quality wood pellets is harder than it looks. A person would think that buying these pellets would be easy—all the consumer had to do was to find the cheapest brand. Unfortunately, there’s a whole lot more to consider when choosing one of these grills.
When choosing wood pellets for grilling, the consumer has a number of different things to think about. They have to think about where the pellets come from, what types of woods they’re made out of, and how much they cost. That’s a lot for many people to process—particularly if they’re new to grilling and that’s why we’ve decided to write this guide on the subject. It’s our hope that this guide becomes the definitive guide to buying and using wood pellets in pellet grills.
Okay, let’s kick off this guide by talking about some of the things the consumer is going to need to consider when they’re looking to purchase pellets for pellet grills. The following points are some of the things that consumers are going to want to think about when shopping for wood pellets for their pellet grill.
Step One: Choose A Type Of Wood
One of the first things that consumers are going to want to do is to decide what types of wood they want their pellets to be made from. Since most people aren’t expert grillers or smokers, they probably don’t have a good handle on which woods should be used for which meats. Fortunately, we’ve taken care of that for our readers and listed some of the more common types of woods used for wood pellets along with what foods they’re best used for.
Hickory
Hickory is considered by many people to be the best pellets for smoking, but they’re also pretty good for grilling as well. Some of the foods that can be grilled well with hickory include:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Vegetables
Mesquite
Another wood that’s highly praised by smokers and grillers alike is mesquite. This wood adds a smoky flavor that can’t be beaten and gives food more of a BBQ taste. Some of the foods that can be grilled with mesquite include:
- Turkey
- Beef’
- Chicken
- Seafood
Maple
When people think about maple, they naturally think of bacon. That’s not surprising since this is one of the main woods used for smoking bacon. However, it’s also good wood for grilling other foods as well. Foods that include the following list:
- Pork
- Beef
- Seafood
Oak
Oak is a wood that isn’t quite as versatile as other types of wood and is sometimes used as a “filler” wood for wood pellets that are composed of a variety of different woods. Even so, we still think that it’s a wood that can be used for great effect for grilling the following foods:
- Beef
- Fish
Cherry
One of the first “fruit woods” that we’d like to talk about is cherry. This is a wood that imparts a sweet/tart flavor to foods regardless of whether they’re being smoked or grilled. The following foods are suitable for grilling with cherry:
- Beef
- Pork
Apple
Apple is another fruitwood. Unlike cherry, however, this wood gives a light and fruity flavor to foods. That’s why it can be used for a variety of different foods. Below are some of the foods that apple works exceptionally well for grilling:
- Pork
- Chicken
- Vegetables
Alder
Alder is a wood that’s extremely versatile. It can be used for a wide variety of different foods and is great for both smoking and grilling. It gives food an aromatic flavor that many people simply love. Below are some of the foods that can be grilled with alder:
- Pork
- Chicken
- Beef
- Vegetables
- Fish
- Seafood
Pecan
The last wood type we’d like to talk about is pecan. This wood adds subtle depth to foods and can add flavor without overpowering the natural flavor of the food. Below are some foods that can be grilled well with pecan pellets:
- Pork
- Chicken
- Beef
- Vegetables
Step Two: Think About The Source Of The Wood
The next thing the consumer is going to want to consider is where the wood comes from. In our experience, woods sourced from North America are the ones that work the best for wood pellets. This means woods specifically sourced from either Canada or the U.S.
Step Three: Make Sure It’s All Natural
The last thing the consumer is going to want to think about is whether the pellets they’re considering is 100% all-natural. All-natural woods will work the best, so consumers should make sure the pellets they’re considering don’t contain additives or fillers.
