Pit boss pellets - Hickory Blend or Natural Hickory?

Stick with one that is 100% of the wood stated on the bag.

No binders.

I use the all natural hickory. I like it alot on anything pork and I sometimes use it on ribeye steaks. I stay away from blends.

You can get the all natural pellets from Walmart.

Mainly stick with all hardwoods. Even though it is a blend, it will be a mix of oak and the flavor wood. That is what you get with B&B and most Lumberjack pellets. They are still fine. But if you have a 100% pellet available like cookinpellets 100% hickory, obviously you should roll with that

I bought the Bear Mountain Pellets when they had them BOGO



We have been satisfied with these pellets

Bc3 said:

Lowe’s now only carries the blends - my understanding is all pellets have to have a binder wood for pellet integrity

Click to expand...

How did you come to think that? Exactly what is a "binder wood?" Link or reference?

I only buy wood from vendors who claim that what's inside 100% matches the label wood. Not Traeger, IOW.

I have found the 100% hickory Lumberjack at an outdoor supply place near me. I have yet to find an overpowering pellet. All have been very subtle.
The binders are usually another hardwood blend(that's cheaper than the labeled wood). Its probably like anything else though, it can't be called "hickory" unless it's a certain percentage of hickory. Manufacturers say it helps with temp control but doesn't affect taste.

Traeger mesquite is zero percent mesquite.

Here’s two interesting videos... One is about pellet production at PitBoss and the other is a comparison between PitBoss and Lumberjack Pellets.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fR7pMx8blUg


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rnudaXj5jpU


And for some, the debate continues...

I just bought a bag of the blend. I could not find what the blend is though. I did put a a hole in the bag while trying to load into car. I have to get through some cheap stuff on clearance from Sams that I wasn't happy with but, its good to just run while meat is wrapped. Will give a review once I use if nobody else does.

I prefer the Lumberjack brand or B&B. The Pit Boss branded bags I got at Walmart had a lot of sawdust and fines (small pellet flakes). I ended up having to sift them out before using in the Copperhead smoker. Read too many stories of fire back burning in the auger tube and sawdust or fines buildup is the main cause of that. I have not had any issues (or needed to sift) the Lumberjack or B&B. I can get Lumberjack at Dicks and B&B at my local Academy Sports. Watch Dicks to put the Lumberjack on sale with free shipping over $50 or $75 around the holidays. Last time I bought 24 bags for $7.99 a bag plus my local 7% tax shipped for free. Each bag came in a individual box via UPS. The UPS guy gave me the stink eye (he's our regular driver). Also depending on where you live, there are other stores that carry the Lumberjack and the $7.99 sale price is fairly common. Unfortunately Dicks is my local source around here, but I gig 'em on the free shipping in bulk!