Do you love grilling meals for your family and friends and want to improve the grill taste? What if we tell you there is a secret behind adding extra aroma and unique flavor to your grilled food?
The following guide will review the 10 best wood pellets for smoking for 2021 to elevate your grilling experience.
Grilling on wood is one of the ancient grilling techniques. The wood adds an exclusive flavor and aroma to your grilled food.
You have got multiple wood pellet choices, including hickory, apple, cherry, and many more.
But how do we know which one to use?
Read along to find out more about the wood pellets and their distinct features.
Click to jump straight to each topic
- Here is Our List of The 10 Best Wood Pellets for Smoking
- #1. RecTec Grills Ultimate Blend Pellets
- #2. CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix
- #3. BBQr’s Delight Wood Smoking Pellets
- #4. Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lb., BBQ Blend
- #5. Traeger Grills PEL331 Signature Blend 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets
- #6. Louisiana Grills Pennsylvania Cherry 55404 Pellets
- #7. Lumber Jack BBQ Grilling Wood Pellets, Competition Blend
- #8. Oklahoma Joe’s 100% All-Natural Hardwood Competition Blend Wood Pellets
- #9. Jack Daniel’s Smoking BBQ Pellets
- #10. Green Mountain Grills Premium Fruitwood Pure Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellets
- Wood Pellet Flavors
- Conclusion
Here is Our List of The 10 Best Wood Pellets for Smoking
Enjoy!
#1. RecTec Grills Ultimate Blend Pellets
The RecTec Grills Ultimate Blend Pellets ensure a perfect blend of oak and hickory to boost the grill flavor.
These pellets work with all kinds of outside grills, including gas, stone, brick, and electric.
Unlike the pellets available in the market containing extra fillers, these RecTec pellets are composed of 100 percent oak and hickory natural hardwood. The additional additives tend to alter or lessen the final flavor.
These pellets are produced after a comprehensive process of concentrating the wood into a dense form. The resultant form is denser than a hardwood log.
Consequently, the hardwood pellets’ density guarantees the storage of a large quantity of energy in a bag.
The best thing about these pellets is that they are of uniform size. The grill then automates the rate at which the pellets are fed into the fire.
Moreover, due to the low humidity rate in this 41 pounds bag, it ensures a high and regulative combustion rate.
It means you can enjoy consistency and even grilling. This RecTec grill is perfect for smoking meats.
Pros
- Natural hardwood
- Oak and hickory blend
- Produces low ash
- Consistent quality
Cons
- Takes a longer time to burn for the first time
- Expensive
- High consumption during smoking
#2. CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix
The CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix features four kinds of smoking wood, including hickory base, cherry, hard maple, and apple.
These pellets don’t consist of bark that contains a natural fuel source and binder. That’s why the CookinPellets don’t produce loads of residuals of ash after the grilling process.
The hickory pellets are composed of logs’ center known as heartwoods instead of the bark. In addition to that, they also don’t contain oils or filler woods such as oak and alder.
The 100 percent hickory base can produce long smokes for six hours or more, thus infusing a lightly smoked flavor into your grilled food.
Even though these pellets aren’t made of bark, they contain a low moisture content. Many manufacturers use bark to increase the heat, smoke, and ultimately ash.
A low moisture content allows the pellets to maintain a steady temperature and ensure an even cooking cycle.
The mixture is a perfect blend in which no flavor overpowers the others. The resultant mix creates a unique yet pleasant taste.
Pros
- No chemicals
- Four combinations of natural woods
- No bark or alder filler
Cons
- May not reach high heat altitude
- Contains more dust than usual
- Flavors may be mild for some people
#3. BBQr’s Delight Wood Smoking Pellets
The BBQr’s Delight Wood Smoking Pellets feature six different packs of wood smoking pellets. These food-grade pellets can easily be used in gas, charcoal, or outdoor electric cookers.
The first packet is of apple pellets made of 100 percent apple wood. It gives a sweet and fruity smoke to your food. By the way, applewood is strongest among the rest of the fruit pellets.
These pellets are recommended for grilling beef, ham, pork, fish, poultry, or wild game.
The second packet contains hickory pellets, which are used quite often to barbeque meat. These pellets produce a robustly smoky flavor to complement all kinds of meat.
The next up is Jack Daniel’s pellets, made of used mellowing charcoal from the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg.
The charcoal is first soaked in whiskey for weeks and then mixed with oak wood and processed further into wood pellets.
The fourth pack consists of cherry pellets made of 100 percent cherry wood to give a mildly sweet and fruity smoke in addition to a rosy tint to lighter meats.
The fifth pack contains pecan pellets. These pellets are similar to hickory but give a sweeter and milder nut after-taste.
The sixth pack consists of mesquite pellets, which give a southwestern flavor to steaks. It also produces a distinctive smoke and a more robust smoke flavor.
All these six packets are enough for 60 cooking events.
Pros
- Ten uses per bag
- Works with all kinds of grills
Con
- Complicated manual mixing
#4. Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lb., BBQ Blend
The Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lbBBQ Blend features a perfect blend of maple, hickory, and cherry to incorporate a unique taste and aroma in your grilled food.
It’s not necessary to use the same brand of pellets to match the grill’s brand. This 40 pounds bag of pellets works perfectly with any grill or smoker.
These pellets give a precise and hot burn due to maple, cherry, and hickory wood’s natural heartwood. Not only that, but they also don’t contain any additives or chemicals to alter the pellet quality or taste.
Instead of using an artificial binder, the adhesives present in the woods produce a natural binder during the production.
The best thing about this blend is that it can be used for different foods ranging from vegetables to meats and even hamburgers. Pit boss takes pride in sourcing the raw wood across North America to ensure a high-quality product.
Pros
- 100 percent natural hardwood
- No fillers or synthetic adhesives
- Can be used for different foods
- Compatible with both grills and smokers
- Affordable
Con
- Doesn’t produce much heat
#5. Traeger Grills PEL331 Signature Blend 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets
The Traeger Grills PEL331 Signature Blend 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets feature three kinds of wood pellets, including maple, cherry, and hickory.
The Traeger Grills is a well-reputed brand for producing high-quality and affordable smoking pellets.
These are one of the hottest burning and long-lasting pellets compatible with all kinds of grills and smokers.
The Traeger Grills pellets consist of 100 percent natural wood sourced from the United States.
Hickory pellets serve as the base of these pellets to create an intense smokey flavor. The other maple and cherry pellets add to the overall richness of all kinds of meat and other foods.
These high-quality pellets don’t contain any binders or filler woods. It means it produces less ash and more clear smoke.
Consequently, lesser ash means easy cleaning after use. Moreover, they also don’t contain any chemicals or additives to keep them health-friendly.
On the downside, these pellets come in a bigger size. It means you need to break them into smaller chunks before use.
One more thing is that you should keep these pellets away from the moisture to prevent disintegration.
Pros
- Affordable
- Low ash products
- Recommended for all kinds of meat
Cons
- Big-sized pellets
#6. Louisiana Grills Pennsylvania Cherry 55404 Pellets
The Louisiana Grills Pennsylvania Cherry 55404 Pellets are known for producing cleaner and hotter smoke than other wood pellets available in the market.
These pellets are a perfect blend of the sweet and tart taste. They consist of 40 percent cherry and 60 percent maple wood.
In addition to the mild smoky taste, but they also give a rosy tint to light meats.
These pellets are made with 100 percent natural hardwood without artificial flavors, spray scents, glues, or other chemicals.
Natural lignin, made of complex polymers of an aromatic alcohol, holds together these pellets. These pellets guarantee the absence of chemical adhesives, which are harmful to your health.
Louisiana Grills sources their raw wood material from all across North America to produce high-quality BBQ pellets.
You can conveniently use these pellets in pellet grills up to 600F degrees. These pellets come in a 40 pounds bag of dimensions 20 x 6 x 24 inches.
On a downside, these pellets produce more ash than the regular pellets meaning you need to do some extra cleaning after use.
Pros
- Affordable
- Gives a rosy tint to light meat
- 40/60 blend of cherry and maple
Con
- Produces more ash
#7. Lumber Jack BBQ Grilling Wood Pellets, Competition Blend
The Lumber Jack BBQ Grilling Wood Pellets, Competition Blend features a consistent blend of maple, hickory, and cherry wood.
Lumber Jack is a well-known company producing high-quality wood pellets for grilling and smoking.
The best thing about these pellets is accurate processing. Lumber Jack doesn’t use any trial and error to process smoke pellets. Instead, it tests the chemical composition of the wood.
Not only that, the original wood is analyzed for ash as well.
After that, it manufactures high-quality pellets, which produce a smoky aroma and hotter burn.
These pellets consist of 100 percent natural tree bark instead of castoffs from sawmills. Not only that, these pellets are made from Lumber Jack’s trees.
The Lumber Jack doesn’t include any chemicals or additives during the production process. The pellets are of small diameter, which consequently aids in achieving higher temperature.
We all know that higher temperature translates to shorter cooking times.
Furthermore, you need to monitor the smoking process carefully. The wooden pallets contain dense wood such as hickory, which may overpower the food flavor if not appropriately monitored.
Pros
- 100 percent natural wood pellets
- Smaller diameter
- Blend of hickory, maple, and cherry
Cons
- May overpower food flavor
- Dense wood
#8. Oklahoma Joe’s 100% All-Natural Hardwood Competition Blend Wood Pellets
The Oklahoma Joe’s 100% All-Natural Hardwood Competition Blend Wood Pellets infuse a sweet and smoky flavor to your beef, pork, chicken, fruit, and vegetables.
These food-grade pellets are composed of 100 percent natural hardwood.
You can use these pellets with all kinds of smokers and grills.
Since they burn clean and produce low ash, they ensure easy cleaning after the grilling.
This 20 pounds bag contains a mixture of hickory, cherry, maple, and oak woods.
Additionally, you can also combine these pellets with other flavors to create your customized blend.
The bag not only stores the pellets but also keeps them fresh and dry.
You only need to take care of one thing, and that is to protect these pellets from moisture.
Pros
- Produces clean smoke
- Affordable
- 100 percent hardwood
Con
- Requires a pellet bucket for storage
#9. Jack Daniel’s Smoking BBQ Pellets
The Jack Daniel’s Smoking BBQ Pellets feature whiskey-soaked charcoal and oak pellets. This unique combination produces a distinct flavor and smoke to elevate your smoking experience.
These pellets are made of the same oakwood that is used to house whiskey.
The whiskey seeps into the wood of the barrel and age. That’s why you get to enjoy a unique taste and aroma.
The oak charcoal produces more smoke and consequently adds a more smoky flavor to your char-grilled burgers.
These pellets don’t contain any chemicals or additives to modify the original taste or smell. Another reason for not adding the chemicals is to prevent any harmful effects on your health.
Like Jack Daniels whiskey’s smooth taste, these smoking pellets ensure smooth performance when used for smoking.
These pellets are perfect for barbeque hamburgers and other similar foods. Not only that, you can use these pellets on a gas, smoker, and electric barbeque.
This 20 pounds bag consists of 100 percent natural oak wood mixed with flavor wood.
These pellets guarantee high BTU, low moisture content, and clean-burning. Additionally, they produce low ash to facilitate convenient cleaning after use.
It would be best to store them in an airtight container to keep the moisture away from these pellets. We all are aware of the fact that external moisture may affect these pellets’ performance.
Pros
- Oak soaked in whiskey
- Versatile use
- Yields more smoke
- 100 percent natural
- No additives or chemicals
Cons
- Expensive
- Hard pellets
#10. Green Mountain Grills Premium Fruitwood Pure Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellets
The Green Mountain Grills Premium Fruitwood Pure Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellets offers a bold blend of orchard cherry, sweet pecan, and American beech.
You can add a fruity sweet flavor to all kinds of food, including beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and vegetables.
These gold pellets ensure a flavorful light smoke to add character and aroma to your food.
The GMG pellets consist of 100 percent kiln-dried sawdust, which remains clean throughout the process.
The natural lignin, available in woods, binds the pellets together without any additional additives.
These pellets produce a long burn with modest smoke.
Moreover, they ensure low moisture content for enhanced performance. These pellets also produce lesser ash, thus facilitating easy cleaning.
You can use them in combination with oak-based and large diameter pellets. This type of variety allows the GMG pellets to last longer than the standard-sized pallets.
The best thing about these pellets is their versatile use. You can infuse pure wood flavor while grilling, baking, roasting, braising, or barbequing.
These pellets come in a 27.8 pounds bag, which is smaller than the standard wood pellets’ bag.
Pros
- Long burn
- Clean smoke
- Natural lignin binder
- Low moisture content
Con
- Smaller size
RELATED:
Wood Pellet Flavors
You must be excited to try any of the above wood pellets for your next barbeque party.
Before that, let’s discuss the different wood pellet flavors and, most importantly, which flavors are more suitable for different types of grilling.
- Alder pellets – Give a mild and neutral flavor with a hint of sweetness. It produces a fair amount of smoke but doesn’t overwhelm the delicate meats such as fish and chicken.
- Apple pellets – Ensures a mild, sweet, and smoky flavor while cooking poultry and pork.
- Cherry pellets – Are one of the flavorful pellets to add a smoky and sweet taste.
- Hickory pellets – Give a rick, smoky, bacon-like flavor. It’s one of the most widely used pellets in barbecue.
- Maple pellets – Give a hint of sweetness to pork and turkey.
- Mesquite pellets – Are one of the favorite pellets for Texas BBQ that give a strong, tangy, and spicy flavor.
- Oak pellets – Are stronger than apple or cherry but lighter than hickory. They are recommended to grill fish and vegetables.
- Pecan pellets – Give a nutty and spicy flavor to beef and chicken.
- Tennessee Whiskey pellets – Ensure an intense sweet smoke to red meats with aromatic tang.
Conclusion
If you want to ace your grilling game, you should go for one of the wood pellets discussed above.
You can easily feed the pellets to the furnace without worrying about running out of the propane/gas tank.
The wood pellets come in a dense quality with low moisture content below 10 percent to ensure a high combustion rate.
You can always combine different types of wood pellets to enjoy your kind of aroma and flavors.
We guarantee that the above wood pellets will enhance your grilled meat’s final taste, and your guests won’t stop licking their fingers.
Leave a Reply