?'s for users of 100% flavor wood pellets

[gwapogorilla]

Hey gang. I'm doing some research before I get my pellet grill. I got some questions answered by RickB concerning why Oak is infused into pellets. (Thank you again Rick).

Now, I have questions for users of 100% flavor wood pellets.
Does your grill still get hot enough to sear burgers and steaks?
Do you have problems with your food being too smokey?
Do you mix your own blends?
What brand do you use?
What type of grill are you sporting?

Currently I am sitting on quite a few pellets, all of the 100% flavor wood variety.(100% Hickory, Maple, Cherry & Apple...plus some perfect mix from cookinpellets) I use them in my smoker for doing my hams, bacon and sausages. But, as you can see...I have no Oak. And I was wondering if I should get some Oak pellets to help "tune down" the flavor woods and add heat, or if people are having good results running 100% flavor woods?

Thanks folks!

 

[sparky]

what brand i use is a secret but i mix oak / cherry / apple. i get the heat i want and great flavor. got burn out on hickory.

 

[ACW3]

It seems to me that you are "stepping on the ants and letting the elephants go" by with this research. Each type of grill is just different enough that there will be slight variations between grills as to the results. I have used most of the major brands. I have found that there are certain ones that I like better, depending on what I am cooking. I don't get too hung up on the amount of ash I generate, either. I am looking for a flavor profile that complements the particular meat/fish/vegetable I am cooking at the time. At lower temperatures you will generate more "smoke". When you reach 300 and up, the smoke flavor basically becomes a non-issue. That is why you will see people using their pellet grills to bake bread, cakes, pies, etc.

Something else that impacts what pellets I use is their availability and price. Here in North Carolina pellets are more dificult to come by unless you can do a bulk order from one of the manufacturers. A group of us got together and ordered over 2200 pounds this past summer. The price per pound was really good. I now have about ten different flavors to choose from in my "collection". I now just try to match the flavor pellet to whatever I am cooking. I no longer worry about the cost, just the end result. This is what makes pellet cooking so great. Everyone develops the flavor profile they like best for a particluar cook. It's all about the fun of trying different flavors with different foods.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

Art

 

[scooter]

You will need to do your own research to find what you like to use best. I've used most all of them and can find little flavor difference in any of them except mesquite. I can detect mesquite clearly.
I've used 100% oak from BBQrs Delight and I've used their 100% hickory that they made by mistake. Gun to my head I'm not certain I could tell a difference in taste with either of them. I can tell a difference in the aroma of the smoke but not in the smoke flavor on the meat.
I've used 100% cookinpellets also. I have a bag of Fast Eddy comp hickory pellets that I haven't tried yet.
100% hickory pellets give a marginal increase in smoke flavor but are difficult/expensive for me to come by so I pretty much just buy the cheapest pellets I can find and suppliment the flavor with wood I burn in my smoke daddy. That's where I get the boost I need.

Does your grill still get hot enough to sear burgers and steaks? I prefer grilling over natural hardwood coals

Do you have problems with your food being too smokey? Never on a pellet smoker. Only time I got too much smoke was using my Smoke Daddy which is attached to my 2 Star

Do you mix your own blends? I used to in the beginning. Not anymore

What brand do you use? I used to use BBQrs Delight hickory exclusively but now that my local supplier dried up, I'm switching to Bear Mtn hickory

What type of grill are you sporting? The best! See my signature

 

[gwapogorilla]

So far...sage advice. I purchased 1000 lbs. of lumberjack pellets in prep for getting my grill, all 100% types. They were dirt cheap, 38 cents per pound delivered where I live.
I use to get pellets from cookinpellets.com , but Chris has a hard time getting Hickory, and I won't do a ham or bacon with anything else (and I have tried).

Like I said guys, so far my "smoke experience" is literally on a smoker...and I am really able to tell the difference in smoke flavors. But, those meats are cured, and you rarely get temps over 180*...even when doing a large ham. So, the flavors really settle into the meat, as the curing process has tons of salt which opens the meat pure.

Oh, and don't be afraid to get on your soap boxes. I am asking for advice from people with experience, simply so I can cut my learning curve down a little bit. When I first started curing meats, I to throw a lot of meat out....KA-CHING$$$$. Of course, back then they didn't have sites like this. I want to eliminate as much waste as I can, that's why I am asking, and I want to thank everyone for answering.

I also am not worried about ash, clean up is unavoidable no matter what grill type you have. I am concerned about flavor, heat stability and obtaining enough heat to do those pizzas, steak and burgers.