Pellet Fan

All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: Kristin Meredith on September 11, 2017, 11:22:13 AM

Title: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Kristin Meredith on September 11, 2017, 11:22:13 AM
Our ability to get many different types of wood/flavor pellets is limited in our small town, but sometimes Bent gets a special shipment in.  For the most part, I like hickory to cook with.  But when we can get it, I really like black walnut for chicken.  Any particular wood/food combos that you like?
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Queball on September 11, 2017, 11:50:52 AM
Definitely hickory and perfect mix from "Cookin Pellets". Do like to use mesquite on beef things like brisket. Like cherry for pork but can only get Traeger, so I don't use it. Have tried others like oak, maple, pecan and apple. They smell great but I don't think they impart anything like hickory or mesquite. From hickory and perfect mix I also get really good heat and not a lot of ash which is also a concern for me. .... Ashtray food ain't my thing.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: LowSlowJoe on September 11, 2017, 12:07:19 PM
I tend to like Hickory on anything... if it's something I don't really want a lot of smoke flavor on, then I might mix Hickory with something else, like maple...

I do like Mesquite, but mostly for some rare occasions, I think it goes well with Chicken and Beef in some situations, never thought of it going very well with Pork however.

Never had any opportunity to use any walnut...


   For the most part, all smoke flavor seems to be quite similar... I basically say... Any wood smoke that isn't Hickory, just tastes like milder hickory... One of the only exceptions being Mesquite.

   In some attempts to do blind tasting for myself, I came to the conclusion that after food has been refrigerated , the flavor seems to change quite a bit... That is, my observations are that some smoke flavor fades quite a bit over time.  Oak and Mesquite seemed to really fade after refrigeration...  Hickory seemed to hold it's 'smokey' flavor better then some others I was trying to test.

   I wish I had a second Davy Crockett that I could actually cook two sets of some food, where nothing changed but the wood pellets used, so I could do blind taste testing , where the food was still warm and where I knew the cooking conditions were as identical as possible...

   SO, I guess where this leads me... is that I tend to often use the cheapest pellets I have.    I have like a ton of pellets right now ( literally )... at least 8 varieties ( wood types ) from 4 different pellet makers.  So, what do I cook with most?   The ones I paid $5 / 40 pound bag , from a Walmart clearance sale... ( competition blend )   I guess that's just the cheapskate in me... sooner or later I do need to use all those other pellets... Probably ought to do that before I go buying more.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: riverrat49 on September 11, 2017, 12:30:28 PM
Louisiana Grills- Pennsylvania Cherry
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Jcorwin818 on September 11, 2017, 12:58:16 PM
Anymore I only use Traeger Gourmet which is Maple/Hickory/Cherry on everything. 
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: LowSlowFoShow on September 11, 2017, 02:38:58 PM
Mostly hickory or maple, hickory, cherry.  I also have some oak I use for steaks and a fruit blend for smoking salmon.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Quadman750 on September 11, 2017, 04:30:01 PM
I use lots of hickory & comp blend as well.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: ICIdaho on September 11, 2017, 05:02:19 PM
I have not ever used anything that is pure flavor wood, I do not have those options where I am at and the prices are to high to order in.  My favorites are all blended, but a few stand out the most.  I use a Maple-Peach-Pecan blend for ribs and chicken.  For most other things I use a gourmet blend that is Oak-pecan-cherry that is very good to use on about everything.  I also use a Hickory-Alder blend quite a bit too.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Bentley on September 11, 2017, 05:17:22 PM
Sometimes for me, everything is greener on the other side of the hill...I would like to try some of the Australian, and Jungle Hard Woods...Iron Bark, Jarrah, River Red Gum...Teak, Mahogany, Thai Rosewood, Black Locust...
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Trooper on September 11, 2017, 05:38:18 PM
I'm pretty boring in this area.
- Whatever"s in the pellet pail.
     
     100% Hickory
           or
      PefectMix  From cookinpellets.com
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: pz on September 11, 2017, 05:39:32 PM
My general purpose pellet is GMGs fruitwood blend, mostly because they impart a good but mild smoke, and I can get them for a good price.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Bobitis on September 11, 2017, 07:08:34 PM
I'm not a huge hickory fan (blasphemy!). I honestly don't see what all the hubbub is about it.
If I could afford it, Cookinpellets perfect mix would be my staple in most cases. I've gone thru several hundred lbs and have yet to be disappointed.

Due to my location, it's difficult to get a really good hardwood mix or one flavor only. I try to maximize my buys by looking for specials and deals.
Like Bentley, I'd love to try some more unusual woods. Pecan falls into that category here.  :( I do love apple and cherry as well. Considering the shear number of apple, cherry, and vineyards in the region; it's hard to believe that these are not more available. <sigh>.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: GrillinGlen on September 11, 2017, 07:14:04 PM
lumberjack mesquite blend for beef and lumberjack 100% hickory for everything else.  If I found a clearance bargain id probably burn anything, but the farm store 1/2 mile away has Lumberjack for $10.99 per 20# so I probably wont change.  I had a sample of Perfect Mix and really liked it but im to cheap to mail order
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Bar-B-Lew on September 11, 2017, 07:24:37 PM
cookinpellets mix or hickory are about the only thing I use.

I have used cherry in the past and like the color it puts on meat.  I have some orange that I liked on chicken.  MAK used to have a hazelnut blend that had a nice flavor and gave the meat a nice color too.

I am going to look into the cherry posted earlier in this thread.

I probably have tried a dozen other blends, flavors, etc and could not tell a flavor difference.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: TravlinMan on September 11, 2017, 07:58:27 PM
Our ability to get many different types of wood/flavor pellets is limited in our small town, but sometimes Bent gets a special shipment in.  For the most part, I like hickory to cook with.  But when we can get it, I really like black walnut for chicken.  Any particular wood/food combos that you like?

Not a big mesquite fan, but it is excellent on beef..

Hickory or 'comp blend' - beef and pork
Apple - Mac and Cheese
Apple or Cherry - Dessert
Apple or Hickory - Bacon

 :bbq:
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: InThePitBBQ on September 11, 2017, 08:04:28 PM
I can't get enough hickory, years and years of stick burning with oak and cherry were my only options until pellets came along all my recipes are better with hickory smoke imparted to them.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: TechMOGogy on September 11, 2017, 08:39:20 PM
I import a pallet of Lumberjack every other year (share with friends as we get nothin up here in Canada)
I cook everything with mesquite but do have some of the Lumberjack comp blends.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: ZCZ on September 11, 2017, 10:55:30 PM
Usually hickory but I use Apple when doing ribs.
Z
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Jimsbarbecue on September 11, 2017, 11:45:58 PM
We use cookinpellets perfect mix or green mountain fruitwood mix. Used BBQ delight pure oak and cherry. Buy a lot based on price and availability
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: ShireSteve on September 12, 2017, 04:29:06 AM
Currently rrp for gmg pellets in Aus is $45 or USD 36.18 per bag. Scary amount  :-[
The shipping costs to Aus are a killer.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Kristin Meredith on September 12, 2017, 09:11:00 AM
Wow, someone in the Land Down Under needs to start a pellet making business!!!
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Bentley on September 12, 2017, 03:19:07 PM
I believe the industry is growing.  Some folks will use "heating" pellets like me, if they feel they can confirm the manufacturing process.  And not as population as here, so the amounts of folks with Pellet Pits is smaller, but I think the guys down there are starting to employ the Group buy too!
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: MN-Smoker on September 12, 2017, 03:20:00 PM
My local fleet farm store carries pellets that are a mix of 50-50 Oak and Maple.  I use them for the majority of my cooks and they are usually priced at $4 - $5 a bag.

Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: MN-Smoker on September 12, 2017, 03:32:56 PM
My local fleet farm store carries pellets that are a mix of 50-50 Oak and Maple.  I use them for the majority of my cooks and they are usually priced at $4 - $5 a bag.

I've looked into the guidelines for heating pellets in the US, and manufacturers are not allowed to use any glue, cardboard, pallets, waste, pre-finished boards, etc.
It's against EPA rules.

So the main issue you need to worry about if you buy heating pellets is that you are okay with the wood varieties they use.

Many of the scare tactics against using heating pellets are mainly that.
If you aren't comfortable using heating pellets and want to pay an extra $10-15 per bag, great, but in my opinion it's not needed for most cooking.

Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Kristin Meredith on January 26, 2018, 03:44:53 PM
Bump -- any more thoughts?
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: ScottWood on January 26, 2018, 04:15:15 PM
I'm a 100% hickory for everything except when I make homemade bacon or cold smoke cheese.  For bacon and cheese I use 100% apple.

I have tried the comp blends but always come back to preferring the 100% hickory pellets and the flavor from them.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Ross77 on January 26, 2018, 04:28:05 PM
Lumberjack 100% hickory is my go to pellet.
Lumberjack pecan blend for brisket.

I used Lumberjack Mesquite Blend for the first time with chicken wings and really liked it although it had trouble maintaining 400F+ at the end of the cook.

I’m not a fan of competition blends as I can’t taste much smoke when I use them. I tried Traeger Gourmet Blend recently and got almost no smoke flavor.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: silverbullet on January 26, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
We usually buy by the pallet here, Run up to the Lumberjack factory in Hayward Wi & pick them up.

I find that overall I like to mix 100% Hickory & 100% Apple together. Try to get a 50/50 blend.

Last pallet buy I got a couple small bags of Hickory/Charcoal pellets. Enough to smoke a couple pork butts. Oddly enough I really liked them! And am going to get more in the next buy.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Redapple on January 26, 2018, 05:27:06 PM
Hickory, Pecan, Cherry and Apple
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Just David on January 26, 2018, 05:32:03 PM
I am a big fan of Lumberjack's 100% pecan and 100% mesquite. I usually run those at a ratio of 2/3 mesquite to 1/3 pecan. I love it.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: glitchy on January 26, 2018, 05:37:55 PM
When I can find it, pecan on pretty much everything. A lot of that is out of laziness because I feel like it's the best all around. Otherwise, hickory or sometimes the Traeger blend when Costco has it.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Ross77 on January 26, 2018, 06:23:35 PM
I am a big fan of Lumberjack's 100% pecan and 100% mesquite. I usually run those at a ratio of 2/3 mesquite to 1/3 pecan. I love it.

I didn’t know you could get those two non blended.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Just David on January 26, 2018, 06:48:14 PM
I didn’t know you could get those two non blended.

Yes, and they are great. You usually pay a little more for the non blended, but for me it is worth it!
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Darwin on January 26, 2018, 08:54:37 PM
Pit Boss competition blend for cooking, Hickory, Pecan, and Apple for cold smoking.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: NorCal Smoker on January 26, 2018, 09:15:52 PM
I like:
Beef    Pecan, hickory, oak
Pork    Apple, Cherry
Chicken  Apple, Cherry
Flame Zone (Grilling)  Oak
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Goosehunter51 on January 26, 2018, 10:06:33 PM
Lumberjack Comp Blend
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Michael_NW on January 27, 2018, 01:35:25 AM
Lumberjack MHC, though for my last buy I bought more than a few bags of 100% pecan and I must say I love the flavor. It may be my favorite very soon.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: Phrett on January 27, 2018, 03:09:03 AM
Cookinpellets.com 100% hickory.  I've used several other brands of 100% hickory and none compare.  it's the only pellet i can tell makes a differnce in smoke flavor.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: reubenray on January 27, 2018, 07:15:06 AM
I like hickory.  I have issues getting 100% hardwood pellets at a decent price here in South Alabama.   So I am trying different brands.  When I had a stick smoker I used nothing but pecan.  But with the pellet smoker I want more smoke, so hickory is my choice.
Title: Re: Do you have a Favorite Pellet Wood/Flavor to Cook With ?
Post by: ScottWood on January 30, 2018, 03:32:35 PM
We usually buy by the pallet here, Run up to the Lumberjack factory in Hayward Wi & pick them up.

I find that overall I like to mix 100% Hickory & 100% Apple together. Try to get a 50/50 blend.

Last pallet buy I got a couple small bags of Hickory/Charcoal pellets. Enough to smoke a couple pork butts. Oddly enough I really liked them! And am going to get more in the next buy.

I just did a test cook with the char blend pellets.  Cut a brisket flat in half and cooked half with 100% Hickory and half with the Char blend.  The difference was subtle, but both my wife an I preferred the char blend over the 100% hickory.