Pellets

[CYvilEng]

I was recently in my local Menards store and founds some bags of pellets that I have never heard of before. I tried doing some research in the interwebz but I mostly just found the company website.

Here is a pic of a bag. It's a 40lb. bag for $22. There was no other writing on the back of the bag.


This bag was a mix of cherry/maple/hickory, but they also had apple and hickory. Reading their website it sounds like all good stuff, no fillers, glues, chemicals, etc.

Has anyone used these pellets? They sound good and the price is very nice, but is it too good to be true?

[Ron_L]

I've never heard of them. Give it a shot. The thing to watch is pellet consumption and ash production.

The price is good, but if you can find some other pelletheads locally and buy in bulk you can get your price below $.40/lb from Bear Mountain, cookinpellets,com or BBQers Delight and others, including shipping.

[MossyMO]

Watch for pellets not being 100% flavor wood. The bag may be labeled apple but actually be 30% apple and 70% "filler wood". Filler woods used pends on the area of the country the pellet was manufactured. In the area I am oak is what is used as a filler wood.

So when I get a low quality brand of pellets in oak I can be certain it is 100% oak, but if I get apple it will be 30% apple and 70% oak.

Somewhere on that bag of Pit Boss from Menard's should say where they were manufactured? Then contact the manufacturer to find out their process.

100% pellets are worth the price difference in my opinion.

[CYvilEng]

Originally Posted by MossyMO

Watch for pellets not being 100% flavor wood. The bag may be labeled apple but actually be 30% apple and 70% "filler wood". Filler woods used pends on the area of the country the pellet was manufactured. In the area I am oak is what is used as a filler wood.

So when I get a low quality brand of pellets in oak I can be certain it is 100% oak, but if I get apple it will be 30% apple and 70% oak.

Somewhere on that bag of Pit Boss from Menard's should say where they were manufactured? Then contact the manufacturer to find out their process.

100% pellets are worth the price difference in my opinion.

There's not a whole lot of info on the bag. All of the writing on the bag in shown in the picture. There is no mention of a manufacturer.

Their website does say they are made with "100% natural hardwoods." Although I'm sure oak would fall into this category.

The bag I took a pic of is a blend. The website says its a mix of 50% maple, 25% hickory, and 25% cherry. Maybe this is just the ratio of the flavored woods and not the entire contents, I have no idea.

I found an email on their website. I'll email them to find out some info. Is there more I should ask other than is there filler woods and to make sure food grade oils are used in the machinery?

[Burnt at Both Endz]

I would imagine if they say 50/25/25. That will be the wood with no fillers..well maybe bark filler? I've cooked a while with pellets and have found that the moisture content of the wood is a BIG item. That is something that only cooking with them will reveal, which leaves more ash that is grainy.

While MossyMO may not like the 30/70 oak blend pellets, that's all i cook with. I may mix the cherry blended with the hickory blended to get a little "color'. You are close enough to Candy Sue that maybe you can go with another cook to buy bulk from BBQers Delight? Her pellets are some of the best that I've used, just my experience though!

[ButtBurner]

usually if filler hardwood is used its ash or something similiar.

Doesnt hurt anything, I have used pellets with filler on bacon and cheese

came out fine, you would never know the difference

But that not in a pellet pooper, just a smoke generator

I think what they mean by 50/25/25 is 50% one kind of pellets, and 25% of the other 2 mixed in the bag.

But I could be wrong

[CYvilEng]

I emailed the company last week but I have yet to hear back from them. I also recently discovered a thread on another forum about smoking meat from someone looking for info on the Pit Boss pellet smoker. They also were looking for info on the pellets. When I find out something I'll post it.

[ajstrider]

Normally pellets themselves are pretty cheap but the shipping costs you. So if they are getting pallet loads of them, the price should be decent. I have never used that kind but I would buy a bag to try if I were you. Normally there is oak in the wood too, and they don't have to label it as a "filler". It is rare to find a 100% flavorwood pellet unless you go specifically looking for them. Most are a 60/40 or 70/30 blend of oak or ash and the flavorwood. Don't be fooled by 100% hardwood either, that pretty much just means they are made of wood which you already knew. I haven't seen food grade pellets with any type of filler thus making them all 100% hardwood.

I like the 70/30 with oak myself. Oak is a good flavor itself. I prefer BBQer's Delight Apple or Hickory for my pellet needs.

[Fire-keeper]

So this makes me think, years ago I use work at a pellet mill while living in Louisville, KY. Ours were made for bio-mass burning stoves not smokers. To make them you ran the wood through a hammer mill and the small particles were mixed with reclaimed cooking oil, water and steam. Then the mix was forced through dies into pellets. This makes me wonder if the smoker pellets also use the oil in the process.

[Pyle's BBQ]

Which Menard's in Des Moines were those at? My Yoder was delivered today and I will be burning it out tomorrow and throwing something on it. They sent 2 bags of hickory BBQer's Delight. I'll use those first.
On another note. I met a guy from Norwalk that is making pellets locally. I talked to him about his process. He doesn't use any oil when he makes his pellets. He said that he doesn't need oil. His price was on the high side. He quoted me $.60/# even if I picked them up in bulk. I'll have to work on him for a better price.

Let me know if you need some we could work out a bulk buy.

[bbqgeekess]

Originally Posted by Ron_L

I've never heard of them. Give it a shot. The thing to watch is pellet consumption and ash production.

The price is good, but if you can find some other pelletheads locally and buy in bulk you can get your price below $.40/lb from Bear Mountain, cookinpellets,com or BBQers Delight and others, including shipping.

I contacted cooking pellets and the best price per pound, including shipping, to TUlsa, OK was 46 cents per pound -- this is for a pellet of their post popular pellet.

[CYvilEng]

Originally Posted by Pyle's BBQ

Which Menard's in Des Moines were those at? My Yoder was delivered today and I will be burning it out tomorrow and throwing something on it. They sent 2 bags of hickory BBQer's Delight. I'll use those first.
On another note. I met a guy from Norwalk that is making pellets locally. I talked to him about his process. He doesn't use any oil when he makes his pellets. He said that he doesn't need oil. His price was on the high side. He quoted me $.60/# even if I picked them up in bulk. I'll have to work on him for a better price.

Let me know if you need some we could work out a bulk buy.

This was at the SE 14th location. I assume the others are the same, but I haven't actually looked.

I guess I haven't actually said what I'm using these for. I just use the pellets in my AMNPS for cold smoking. All this talk of buying in bulk is sort of funny to me since the 40lb bag is very bulk for my use.

[Pyle's BBQ]

Originally Posted by CYvilEng

This was at the SE 14th location. I assume the others are the same, but I haven't actually looked.

I guess I haven't actually said what I'm using these for. I just use the pellets in my AMNPS for cold smoking. All this talk of buying in bulk is sort of funny to me since the 40lb bag is very bulk for my use.

Even though you aren't using that much, if you don't want to buy that much let me know I can get you a smaller amount. I'll be ordering some soon

[fordman]

Any word back I just emailed them also.

[Pyle's BBQ]

I have been using them in my Yoder YS640 for the last couple of weeks. I like the hickory the best. They give the best color and taste. The apple don't seem to give off as much smoke. They were out of the hickory at the Clive Menard's so I picked up a bag of the Competition blend. I don't remember the blend. They seem to be pretty good.