Pellet Smoker ----

Some brethren find other pellet users and bulk order a pallet at a time to split the cost of the pellets and the shipping.

If there's not a Cookshack or Traeger dealer around you might look at these guys:
Smokin Brothers http://www.smokinbrothers.com/locateaDealer.aspx looks like they have dealers around KY and offer pellets and accessories.

As always, YMMV!

Shiz-Nit said:

around how many cooks can you all get out of a bag of pellets and would it be worth it in ordering pellets as I need them or do you think it would be to much of a pain in the butt?

Click to expand...

I think the answers to your questions really depend on what you get. I think a good range is 1-2 lb/hr, but 100% variance is pretty drastic. It depends on the capacity of the cooker, whether or not it's insulated, and the controller. Next, it really depends on what pellets you decide to get. Do you want pure smoke-wood or blended pellets? Do you want your cooker's brand or after-market? How CAN you get them? Personally, I buy them a few hundred lb at a time and store them, but that's just because I get a better price that way.

btw, where in Kentucky are you? I know of a place that's getting into cooking pellet sales with 100% oak, 100% hickory, and 50/50 blend. It might be close to you.

dmp

No pellets around here either. If you are going to be using a large quantity of them, contact Candy Weaver, BBQers Delight. By the pallet they are pretty reasonable (20 bags). The cooker you choose will determine the usage. My FEC uses about half the pellets that my GMG uses. Insulated vs non-insulated.

I have the same usage as Ron with my FEC using BBQ Delight. I will probably order a pallet of them this year.

I've not used a Yoder specifically so can't give details, but I'm guessing they would consume similar quantities to my Beast, which is closer to 2lb/hour than 1. I go through about 32 lb per comp (18 hours), and I burn sticks for part of that too. Others here can provide some more details. It really depends on both the internal space and the surface area, so something smaller than their Stockton would burn less fuel. I had a conversation with them at The Jack this year, and in case you didn't know, they offer more pellet fired pits than what's on their website. I also got the impression that they'd be willing to add a pellet feed to just about any of their pits if you see something you like. I really wish they had been around when I was buying ;-)

The pellet place would be about a two hour drive for you each way. Probably not bad if you have a truck or trailer, and you don't mind making a day of it. They might even setup delivery for a pallet. If you're interested, shoot me a PM and I'll get you some contact info.

dmp

I probably use on average 5-10 pounds in my FEC and 15-20 pounds in my YS 640 per contest. That number for the Yoder can almost double in cold weather.

Talk to the Yoder guys they can probably give you a good deal on some shipped bulk pellets.

2.5 lbs/hr @ 275 is what I see with the Yoder YS640. That's with Lumberjack pellets using U24 firmware. Haven't upgraded to U26 yet.

My Yoder ys640 is a pellet hog. I have a good local dealer so I go through them, but I'm pretty sure Big Poppa ships his for free if you order enough.

I ordered 400lbs from Candy 2 years ago for my FEC100, and still have enough for this season. The previously cited 8lbs per cook sounds about right, but expect that to go up a lot on uninsulated smokers.

I use 1 bag of GMG pellets split into 2 GMG smokers for comps. So 1 bag will get me about 20hrs at 250 degrees

Something that I heard recently, and is worth considering, is that the average length of pellets (and to some extent, the diameter) affects how much burn time you get. I think I heard longer pellets tend to last longer than shorter ones. I would also suspect that the size of pellets may affect the smoke flavour. I've neither thought about nor tested that too much, but it's worth considering the brand of pellets may affect consumption by both wood type and pellet shape.

dmp

I'm ordering a YS640 in February and I just got a Ton of Lumberjack pellets that I split with three other guys. It was VERY reasonable. PM if you would like more info.

I use about 10-15lbs on my MAK 1 Star General for an overnight cook (10pm-10am) @ 225-250 degrees depending on the outside temp. I highly recommend the MAK...the Pellet Boss controller is the best out there! :becky: In my humble opinion...plus they are made in the good ol' USA and sold by a BBQ Brethren! Big Poppa Smokers... plus you can order pellets too!

The pic is a 2 Star...much more versatile...and my next purchase in the near future!

dmprantz said:

Something that I heard recently, and is worth considering, is that the average length of pellets (and to some extent, the diameter) affects how much burn time you get. I think I heard longer pellets tend to last longer than shorter ones. I would also suspect that the size of pellets may affect the smoke flavour. I've neither thought about nor tested that too much, but it's worth considering the brand of pellets may affect consumption by both wood type and pellet shape.

dmp

Click to expand...

No, that's pellet lore not truth! Long length just means that pellets haven't been screened for size. I've seen pellets as long as pencils prior to screening. DENSITY and BTU are the real factors in pellet burn time, ignoring environmental factors. Now crumbly, dusty, short pellets are generally less dense than longer, harder, low dust pellets, so short pellets will burn up faster.

Some cookers don't like long pellets and the auger motor doesn't have enough strength to break them up to feed properly. If pellets are too long, toss the bag (unopened) on the concrete several times to break them up. Cooker consumption is determined by weather conditions when using uninsulated cookers. When your auger is controlled by a temperature probe, BTUs become a big factor because the thermostat is going to push more pellets through to keep the temp up.

All of you are lite-weight pellet users! I carry 120 lbs to every contest -- that's the most I've used (very nasty and cold windy weather). The least amount was 40 lbs of charcoal (high BTU fuel). Average is around 60. My cooker is uninsulated and non-thermostat controlled.

Yoder offers an outside of the smoker insulation package. That helps limit 640's pellet munching quite a bit.

Lots of pellet purchasing options out there. You'll want to shop around and try what different manufacturers offer.

Candy Sue said:

Yoder offers an outside of the smoker insulation package. That helps limit 640's pellet munching quite a bit.

Click to expand...

The Thermal Jacket does not fit with the competition cart which I suspect most of us have. Last time I spoke to Don they said they were working on one but it was not available yet.