big H

big H

New member
howdy, I'm pretty much a newby in the world of smoking with pellets, and after chopping up my own apple wood and smoking some nice trout that I caught, I,m hooked
(so to speak) the flavor is great. I recently purchased a Orion smoker/cooker and I'm wondering if pellets would be better than chips, it seems that i could get more pellets in it to add a more smokey flavor. any thoughts out there?
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Here is my journey....Gassers, Orion, Traeger, Primo, and then it just blossomed into a full on addiction! You wount need many pellets to smoke the orion just right
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Welcome to the forum!

The biggest advantage of using pellets in a charcoal cooker is they give a more controlled light smoke that enhances your food instead of overwhelming your food. Chips can be good, but they can also be hard to control how much smoke comes off them and can create a heavy white smoke which can then leave a bitter creosote taste on your food.

Another big advantage to pellets is you can easily and precisely control a mix of pellet flavors. For example I like a mix of 2/3 apple & 1/3 Hickory for brisket or a mix 1/2 apple 1/2 hickory for ribs & Pork Shoulder.

Just seal some pellets in a foil pouch, poke a small hole and lay it inside your orion where you'd place you chips. You'd be surprised how much good clean smoke flavor you get! :)

Edit: Oh yeah and Like BP said it won't take many pellets. Just one or two pouches with about 1/3 cup in each is about all I ever use.
 
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scooter

Moderator
Welcome to PelletSmoking big h! I use mostly chunks (some chips) in my WSM. I prefer to keep my pellets reserved for my pellet cooker.
 

big H

New member
thanks TentHunter- great feed back, My next question is where can I get good pellets and how much should I be paying for them? I'm in slc,utah.
 

ACW3

New member
Welcome big H from North Carolina. I hope your adventure into pellet cooking is as much fun as mine has been so far. So many possibilities (meat, cheese, pellet flavors, etc.), so little time. Enjoy the ride.

Art
 

TentHunter

Moderator
...My next question is where can I get good pellets and how much should I be paying for them?

You can get the bulk BBQ'rs Delight pellets intended for the pellet grills from Big Poppa Smokers They are a 2/3 oak and 1/3 flavorwood blend (example: apple pellets are 2/3 oak + 1/3 Apple wood). You will pay around $40 - 45 for 40 pounds of those. If you use those you will simply use more per cook to get the desired flavor.

Or alternately you can order the BBQ'rs Delight 100% flavor wood pellets in 1 lb bags directly from BBQr's Delight for about $4 per bag.

Either way they're economical to use. Get a small bag or two and give them a try; You won't be disappointed! :)


P.S. check out the Ask Candy Sue section for a flavor chart and lots of other info re: pellets! Enjoy!
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
welcome guys the orion smoker has the coals on the outside of the cooking chamber You would only need a smal tiny handful to give you the smoke you need
 

txpgapro

New member
I've found the small bags of BD pellets at Walmart and Home Depot. Great for 6 cooks or so and very inexpensive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I've found the small bags of BD pellets at Walmart and Home Depot.

I've gotten them from Walmart. Unfortunately, they are seasonal at both locations (I had my wife check; she's a co-manager for WalMart). But always available from Candy Sue(bbqrsdelight.com) or BPS website.
 
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