Nuking The Pellets

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brickguy221

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
May 27, 2015
614
25
Oklahoma City
I have posted a few times about the inability of Jack Daniels Pellets not producing as much smoke as other pellets do, regardless if the Maze or Tube is used. We all now know that the JD Pellets are not made directly from the oak barrels wood, but made from the charcoal which is burned from the oak barrels prior to it being used to filter the whiskey.

I used the Maze the first time which produced very light smoke. I used the Tube the second time which produced a bit more smoke but still too light for my tastes. 

Yesterday at the advice of a friend here in OKC, I nuked the JD Pellets. I nuked them 2 minutes at a time for 3 times and then 1 minute more a fourth time. I then placed them in the TUBE and lit it. It took only 10 minutes or a bit less to get the "hot red cherry or rose" at the end of tube. I then placed the ribs and the tube in my 40" BT Smoker and ....... "HOLLY SMOKE" .... Look at all of that smoke .... Waaaaay too much smoke ... Couldn't even see the ribs or shelves for the first 30-40 minutes before it thinned some but still too heavy until approx 1 1/2 - 2 hrs had passed ... Should have used the MAZE this time even though it failed previously. I was overly amazed that the JD pellets produced such heavy smoke after previously not producing even close to enough smoke the 2 times I used them. 

Sooo, for those of you that might use the JD Pellets, if they don't produce enough smoke, nuke them like I did and you will have plenty of smoke.
 
Good Info!

BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Pellets are made with charcoal that was used to filter their whiskey.  The charcoal is them mixed with oak sawdust to form pellets.  They typically burn a little hotter and produce less smoke.  Obviously, nuking them helped produce more smoke!  Try using less pellets in the TUBE SMOKER and that in-turn will produce less smoke

THX!

Todd
 
 
Good Info!

BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Pellets are made with charcoal that was used to filter their whiskey.  The charcoal is them mixed with oak sawdust to form pellets.  They typically burn a little hotter and produce less smoke.  Obviously, nuking them helped produce more smoke!  Try using less pellets in the TUBE SMOKER and that in-turn will produce less smoke

THX!

Todd
After nuking the pellets, I will try the MAZE again next time as I think with it and the small amount of pellets in each row, it could very well be the right amount of smoke. I will then report my findings.
 
 
Good Info!

BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Pellets are made with charcoal that was used to filter their whiskey.  The charcoal is them mixed with oak sawdust to form pellets.  They typically burn a little hotter and produce less smoke.  Obviously, nuking them helped produce more smoke!  Try using less pellets in the TUBE SMOKER and that in-turn will produce less smoke

THX!

Todd
Just curious why nuking the JD pellets results in more smoke output from them. What does the nuking do?
 
 
Gets rid of any residual moisture in the pellets.  I always microwave my pellets, regardless of the type of wood.
I live in Western Washington. Surprisingly humidity is not an issue here. I keep my pellets of various wood types in the plastic bags Todd shipped them in. All pellets are stored in my uninsulated garage. I never nuke my pellets because I've never needed to. 
 
 
I have posted a few times about the inability of Jack Daniels Pellets not producing as much smoke as other pellets do, regardless if the Maze or Tube is used. We all now know that the JD Pellets are not made directly from the oak barrels wood, but made from the charcoal which is burned from the oak barrels prior to it being used to filter the whiskey.

I used the Maze the first time which produced very light smoke. I used the Tube the second time which produced a bit more smoke but still too light for my tastes. 

Yesterday at the advice of a friend here in OKC, I nuked the JD Pellets. I nuked them 2 minutes at a time for 3 times and then 1 minute more a fourth time. I then placed them in the TUBE and lit it. It took only 10 minutes or a bit less to get the "hot red cherry or rose" at the end of tube. I then placed the ribs and the tube in my 40" BT Smoker and ....... "HOLLY SMOKE" .... Look at all of that smoke .... Waaaaay too much smoke ... Couldn't even see the ribs or shelves for the first 30-40 minutes before it thinned some but still too heavy until approx 1 1/2 - 2 hrs had passed ... Should have used the MAZE this time even though it failed previously. I was overly amazed that the JD pellets produced such heavy smoke after previously not producing even close to enough smoke the 2 times I used them. 

Sooo, for those of you that might use the JD Pellets, if they don't produce enough smoke, nuke them like I did and you will have plenty of smoke.
JD uses stacks of Sugar Maple and burns this wood down and starves it from oxygen so it turns to almost pure carbon.  Then loads vats 10 feet deep to drip their liquor through it to give it the Tennessee whiskey flavor. JD is qualified as a bourbon, being made of over 50% corn mash and a brand new charred Oak barrel for aging and being aged over two years.  Charcoal filtered keeps the word Bourbon off of their label.  Apparently carbon from Sugar Maple wood gives JD it's unique taste.  Maybe blending JD pellets with Maple or Sugar Maple pellets would stay with the theme.    Oak seems to be the standard medium for flavored/rub pellets or Alder.  There's a cool You Tube video that was aired on How it's Made and how the natural lignin in dried saw dust binds the pellets under pressure from the heat from being extruded.  The video is about heating pellets but it's all the same.  I put JD in a spray bottle.  That's my glue for some rib smokes.  My favorite rib smokes!!!!

-Kurt   
 
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JD uses stacks of Sugar Maple and burns this wood down and starves it from oxygen so it turns to almost pure carbon.  Then loads vats 10 feet deep to drip their liquor through it to give it the Tennessee whiskey flavor. JD is qualified as a bourbon, being made of over 50% corn mash and a brand new charred Oak barrel for aging and being aged over two years.  Charcoal filtered keeps the word Bourbon off of their label.  Apparently carbon from Sugar Maple wood gives JD it's unique taste.  Maybe blending JD pellets with Maple or Sugar Maple pellets would stay with the theme.    Oak seems to be the standard medium for flavored/rub pellets or Alder.  There's a cool You Tube video that was aired on How it's Made and how the natural lignin in dried saw dust binds the pellets under pressure from the heat from being extruded.  The video is about heating pellets but it's all the same.  I put JD in a spray bottle.  That's my glue for some rib smokes.  My favorite rib smokes!!!!

-Kurt   
Kurt, are you saying that you spray the ribs with Jack Daniels? 

JD Black Label was always been my favorite bourbon/whiskey back when I used to drink bourbon/whiskey. I seldom drink it any more but if I want a bourbon/whiskey drink, it is still JD, so I do have some in my cupboard.

I once toured their distillery many years ago. It was back in the early 1990's I think it was.

Thanks for the pellet detail though as I didn't know about all of that. 
 
 
Kurt, are you saying that you spray the ribs with Jack Daniels? 

JD Black Label was always been my favorite bourbon/whiskey back when I used to drink bourbon/whiskey. I seldom drink it any more but if I want a bourbon/whiskey drink, it is still JD, so I do have some in my cupboard.

I once toured their distillery many years ago. It was back in the early 1990's I think it was.

Thanks for the pellet detail though as I didn't know about all of that. 
Yes Yes!  I do spray not slather with JD.  My rub has no salt in it.  I put salt on right before cooking.  I mist JD over the rub that's on the meat the night before or two whenever I open the fridge.  In 1997 when I turned 30 years old I lost the mop a went to spraying,

--Kurt 
 
 
Yes Yes!  I do spray not slather with JD.  My rub has no salt in it.  I put salt on right before cooking.  I mist JD over the rub that's on the meat the night before or two whenever I open the fridge.  In 1997 when I turned 30 years old I lost the mop a went to spraying,

--Kurt 
Kurt, when spraying the JD on the ribs, do you ever "accidentally" turn the spray nozzle the wrong way and spray into your mouth????  
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Kurt, are you saying that you spray the ribs with Jack Daniels? 

JD Black Label was always been my favorite bourbon/whiskey back when I used to drink bourbon/whiskey. I seldom drink it any more but if I want a bourbon/whiskey drink, it is still JD, so I do have some in my cupboard.

I once toured their distillery many years ago. It was back in the early 1990's I think it was.

Thanks for the pellet detail though as I didn't know about all of that. 
I use Ezra Brooks Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey but rarely take a sip. Why Ezra? My wife's dad's first name was Ezra. So I bought a bottle a and put masking tape over the last name on the bottle label and wrote his last name over it. I've got a photo of it somewhere. Also, it's inexpensive bourbon.
 
 
Kurt, when spraying the JD on the ribs, do you ever "accidentally" turn the spray nozzle the wrong way and spray into your mouth????  
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Yes.  Especially when priming the sprayer to make sure it's misting.  I'd catch my dad drinking the spray mop to.  I don't mop anymore with all the insulated smokers while cooking.  Just when it sits in the fridge with the rub on.  When I had my offset smoker I'd lift the lid and spray real quick because it recovered real fast. 

-Kurt
 
 
I use Ezra Brooks Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey but rarely take a sip. Why Ezra? My wife's dad's first name was Ezra. So I bought a bottle a and put masking tape over the last name on the bottle label and wrote his last name over it. I've got a photo of it somewhere. Also, it's inexpensive bourbon.
I'll have to look for it.  I'll let you know if I find it.

-Kurt
 
 
I'll have to look for it.  I'll let you know if I find it.

-Kurt
We do part of our weekly grocery shopping at a supermarket chain store called Safeway. I've seen it at other stores too. Unlike wine, I don't know much about hard liquor so I don't know how to tell what's good and what isn't. We bought it for the label and for cooking.
 
 
Yes.  Especially when priming the sprayer to make sure it's misting.  I'd catch my dad drinking the spray mop to.  I don't mop anymore with all the insulated smokers while cooking.  Just when it sits in the fridge with the rub on.  When I had my offset smoker I'd lift the lid and spray real quick because it recovered real fast. 

-Kurt
I just attended my first pro/am BBQ competition on Sunday. Note I said attended. I went there to eat, not cook. I tasted some of the most incredible briskets and pork ribs I've ever had. I could for the most part tell who had applied a mop and who didn't. The stronger apple juice/cider flavors gave them away. I came away from the competition knowing that while I'm a pretty good home backyard BBQer I can never hope to reach the level those pitmasters are at. And just think, as good as they were, none of them may be at the level of an Aaron Franklin or a Myron Mixon or any of the pitmasters working in the top BBQ joints across the country. But damn they were good!
 
 
I just attended my first pro/am BBQ competition on Sunday. Note I said attended. I went there to eat, not cook. I tasted some of the most incredible briskets and pork ribs I've ever had. I could for the most part tell who had applied a mop and who didn't. The stronger apple juice/cider flavors gave them away. I came away from the competition knowing that while I'm a pretty good home backyard BBQer I can never hope to reach the level those pitmasters are at. And just think, as good as they were, none of them may be at the level of an Aaron Franklin or a Myron Mixon or any of the pitmasters working in the top BBQ joints across the country. But damn they were good!
I recall you attending competitions.  Peoria, IL's population at 116,000 vs.Seattle, WA at 653,000 offers no competitions.  Just a Taste of Peoria event not specializing in Q.  I live right between St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL.  I hate Chicago.  It needs to be the 51st state.  I'd rather drive to St. Louis to attend a BBQ competition.  The only thing Chicago produces are dead people and corrupt Governors.  Needless to say I'm a Cardinals fan and have family in St. Louis so I'm a little biased.  I'll attend a competition to taste one day (bucket list!)

-Kurt
 
 
I recall you attending competitions.  Peoria, IL's population at 116,000 vs.Seattle, WA at 653,000 offers no competitions.  Just a Taste of Peoria event not specializing in Q.  I live right between St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL.  I hate Chicago.  It needs to be the 51st state.  I'd rather drive to St. Louis to attend a BBQ competition.  The only thing Chicago produces are dead people and corrupt Governors.  Needless to say I'm a Cardinals fan and have family in St. Louis so I'm a little biased.  I'll attend a competition to taste one day (bucket list!)

-Kurt
I share your assessment of Chicago although the only place there I've ever been is inside of O'Hare waiting for a plane transfer.

You recall wrongly, my friend. I've never been to a BBQ competition before. You must have me confused with another daRicksta.

I only rooted for the Cards once. It was the '85 World Series against the KC Royals. My wife's dad was a Cards fan. He once got Stan Musical to contribute uniforms and baseball equipment to the Little League baseball team he was managing in a small Northern California town. I loved my dad-in-law, had no love for the Royals, so my wife and I rooted for the Cards although at the time she was an A's fan and I loved the Giants.
 
 
I share your assessment of Chicago although the only place there I've ever been is inside of O'Hare waiting for a plane transfer.

You recall wrongly, my friend. I've never been to a BBQ competition before. You must have me confused with another daRicksta.

I only rooted for the Cards once. It was the '85 World Series against the KC Royals. My wife's dad was a Cards fan. He once got Stan Musical to contribute uniforms and baseball equipment to the Little League baseball team he was managing in a small Northern California town. I loved my dad-in-law, had no love for the Royals, so my wife and I rooted for the Cards although at the time she was an A's fan and I loved the Giants.
Or maybe you mentioned in the past that you had no interest in competing in a BBQ completion but would like to go to one. 

-Kurt
 
 
Or maybe you mentioned in the past that you had no interest in competing in a BBQ completion but would like to go to one. 

-Kurt
You got it. My little MES 30 with the AMNPS wouldn't even have matched up to any of the amateur rigs. But it was a blast eating some great Q from some of the best teams on the Pacific Northwest BBQ competition circuit.
 
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