Are all PELLETS "Created Equal"??????

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FIREMANJIM

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Do all pellets put off the same amount of ash are do some burn better than others? I got a free bag of the Lumbermans pellets with my Smoke Daddy hopper assembly so I gave them a try. After a 7 hour cook the burn pot was half full of ash. Is this the norm for all pellets?
 
All pellets are NOT created equal! Did you mean LumberJack pellets? If so, they do create a little more ash, but are many pellet smoker's favorite brand. I find they produce the best smoke flavor.

BBQ's Delight and CookinPellets are two other very popular brands. Both produce less ash than Lumberjack, but the flavor isn't as good in my opinion.

It also depends what pellet "flavor" you are using. Many pellets are a mixture of woods, with Oak being the most prevalent wood as it burns at high btus.

My personal favorite pellet is LumberJack Oak, Hickory, Cherry blend, and the 100% Hickory. I just did a 13 hour smoke on Sunday with Lumberjack and I didn't have the amount of ash you are describing.
 
What temperature were you cooking at? If you were cooking hotter 1/2 pot after 7 hours may not be bad.

I prefer either BBQers Delight or Cookinpellets.com pellets. Both are low ash and have great flavor. I haven't tried Lumberjack but I have heard good things about them from others on here.
 
Pretty new to pellet smokers, so I've been trying different brands. The worst I've tried have been the Cablea's pellets. Not sure if they are re-branded Traeger or not. Lot of ash. Current bag is Lumberjack MHC Blend (Maple, Hickory, Cherry). Probably going to settle on either Lumberjack or Cokkinpellets.com since I can get them locally for a good price.
 
The Lumberjacks are the highest ash pellet I have used. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it needs to work with your burn system. They burn fine on my little tailgater and on the newer FEC, but on my older FEC with older firmware they will fill up the fire pot on long cooks.
 
I've settled on lumberjack and perfect mix by cooking pellets.com as my go to brands. :grin:
 
If I may add a question…what about high quality cold smoking pellets in smaller quantities?
 
I prefer to use BBQers Delight over lumberjack after going threw about a hundred pounds of each a lot less ash with BBQers delight. The smoke flavor is about the same but I use a smoke tube anyway:wink: plus a pay less for BBQers delight at all things BBQ.
 
I use 100% oak heating pellets. Almost no ash at all. If I want more more smoke flavor I use a tube. At about $6.00/40# I think the name brands are a big rip off.
 
Generally speaking I have found BBQr's Delight to have the best flavor and minimum amount of ash, but I have also tried out B&B from Academy Sports (heard they were BBQr's Delight rebranded) and have had pretty good luck with them as well. If you have an Academy nearby it is worth a try, especially since they are pretty inexpensive.

Since I work about a mile from ATBBQ, I usually head there to stock up but B&B is an excellent backup.
 
I have used all of the brands listed in this thread extensively (except for heating pellets, no way), and I only use Lumberjack and BBQr's Delight. Lumberjack tends to have the most smoke flavor and a little more ash. The reason for both is the same, they include bark in the pellets. BBQr's Delight are very good as well, but they cost me more and don't give as strong of a smoke flavor, so I don't use them as often, but many swear by them.

Try a few brands and see what YOU like best.
 
nucornhusker said:
I have used all of the brands listed in this thread extensively (except for heating pellets, no way), and I only use Lumberjack and BBQr's Delight. Lumberjack tends to have the most smoke flavor and a little more ash. The reason for both is the same, they include bark in the pellets.
Click to expand...

I also wonder if LJ pellets don't have just a tad bit more moisture to them. They seem to struggle if your wanting to grill at high temps.

I spend a little more on Candy Sue's BBQers delight pellets, but think that you get what you pay for and am more then happy with my investment in them.
 
I found that cookinpellets perfect mix produces less ash than others. Not really any more smoke than others, just less ash.
 
Skip said:
Heating pellets aren't food safe as they use non food grade lubricants and binders. Careful of that.
Click to expand...

Maybe yes maybe no. Heating pellets were not made for cooking. So they are not marked food grade. I have seen brands that do have binders and other ingredients. The ones I use are 100% oak with nothing added. The pellets are made from saw dust and compressed to form the pellets. Nothing else is added. Is your charcoal food grade?
 
Green Mountain Grills makes their own pellets which I've found to be as good as they get, however there's never a bargain and I have to go to BooneFark to get them. I like Lumberjack and have found some very good deals delivered to my door. Cabelas pellets ash like a crematory so only use them in my AmazinTube smoker (they do produce a lot of smoke).
 
Ash and pellet brands gets thrown about quite a bit. Yes, the Lumber Jack do tend to produce more ash in some smokers. In those situations, you may be better off going with the flavored pellets where they debark the Oak and you get less ash. You'll get a bit less flavor than the 100%, but less ash (and still a good flavor). Less ash really matters on a 16 hour smoke. But in a shorter smoke or when using a smoker tray or tube, it's generally not an issue.

Seth
 
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