Bob

RWH

New member
I bought some Oak pellets from Lowes at a bargain price. BUT I don't know if using Oak is good!
 

scooter

Moderator
Welcome to PS.com Bob. Oak is great to use for smoking. I've never seen pellets at Lowes. What brand of pellets were they?
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Welcome to the forum!


The only pellets I have seen at Lowes are heating pellets. Unless they specify that they're for cooking, they're most likely not suitable for use in a pellet grill. You don't know for sure from where the wood was sourced, it may contain a lot of bark and they may be using lubricants that are not food safe.
 

scooter

Moderator
Sheesh Tent, I feel sorta thick for not making that connection myself! Of course he bought heating pellets! Lowes has never carried cooking pellets as long as I've known them.
RWH, yes, heating pellets are MUCH cheaper than cooking pellets because there are less strict regulations governing their production than cooking pellets. Everything used to produce cooking pellets must be food grade which increases the cost to produce. So, while those heating pellets seem cheaper out of the gate, the health risks you're exposing your family and friends to from eating food exposed to whatever carcinogens that could possibly be lurking in those cheaper heating pellets are simply not worth the few bucks you saved in purchasing them. I suggest you take them back and get a refund.
 

Kite

New member
Sheesh Tent, I feel sorta thick for not making that connection myself! Of course he bought heating pellets! Lowes has never carried cooking pellets as long as I've known them.
RWH, yes, heating pellets are MUCH cheaper than cooking pellets because there are less strict regulations governing their production than cooking pellets. Everything used to produce cooking pellets must be food grade which increases the cost to produce. So, while those heating pellets seem cheaper out of the gate, the health risks you're exposing your family and friends to from eating food exposed to whatever carcinogens that could possibly be lurking in those cheaper heating pellets are simply not worth the few bucks you saved in purchasing them. I suggest you take them back and get a refund.

I could be wrong about this, but I don't believe there are any regulations what so ever on the production of BBQ pellets. If someone wants to use WD-40 for lube on their pellet mill no one is going to stop them. That being said, I agree with scooter and would not recommend using heating pellets for cooking. But the bottom line is that you have to trust the manufacturer and the manufacturer's suppliers to know what is right and be diligent about doing the right thing. So I would recommend chosing the manufacturer of your "cooking" pellets wisely. The $100 you save on pellets will seem pretty foolish if someone gets sick..
 
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