# Recommendation needed - cost effective flavorful pellets



## nomad_archer (Mar 3, 2020)

So the title says it.  I am looking for a fairly cost effective pellet to use in my new bargain priced Smoke Hollow pellet grill.  I am used to the results from my WSM and I know that's not a fair comparison.  I've done a few cooks using Traeger Hickory pellets and the smoke flavor has been hardly noticeable.   I found lumberjack pellets on amazon that has a at $34 for a 40lb bag that seems like a good price per/lb.     But before I spend the money I'm looking to leverage some of the knowledge here as to what everyone likes for pellets that give good flavor and are fairly cost effective.  So what does everyone use?

I have also picked up the a-maze-n tube which should also help.  I primarily use hickory  as it is the family favorite.


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## Central PA Cowboy (Mar 3, 2020)

See if stores near you get or can get Ol' Hick (made in Mifflintown,  PA). They are 100% hardwood, no fillers and are $20 for a 40 lb bag. I have used the Hickory pellets and enjoyed them.


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## smokerjim (Mar 3, 2020)

I have luck with pitboss pellets, Walmart usually has them for around 6-7 bucks for 20lb. i've tried the more expensive ones and really didn't see a difference.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Mar 3, 2020)

If you have a rural king store around you they sell the 40 pound bags of lumberjack pellets for $9. 100% wood no fillers and put off nice smoke flavor. If no store near you they might ship not sure.


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## mike243 (Mar 3, 2020)

SmokinVOLfan those are 20lbs bags, still a good deal imo, don't overlook the comp blend also, its really good, also the charhickory ect… lol


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## mike243 (Mar 3, 2020)

Also all pellets don't taste the same to me, pitboss is ok but LJ beats it 3 ways from Monday lol


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## bregent (Mar 3, 2020)

I doubt any company selling BBQ pellets adds non-hardwood fillers.
When some folks talk about 'fillers' in BBQ pellets, they are usually referring to species of hardwoods other than what is listed on the bag. This is most commonly oak and alder. Most pellets out there have fillers - hardwood fillers - but fillers.  A few exceptions are Lumberjack, Cookin Pellets, and Smoke Ring. Looks like Ol Hick mentioned above does as well. They sell 100% flavorwood pellets, as well as blends that are clearly listed.  Some other companies sell blends that list the species, but very few sell single species pellets, other than oak or alder.

I use only Lumberjack 100% hickory because it gives me the richest smoke flavor. I buy them in bulk and get them delivered for about 40 cents a lb.


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## Winterrider (Mar 3, 2020)

Only Lumberjack here. If I didn't have a bunch already, our local Home Of Economy has 20# bags thru March for$6.98. I did get 1 Char Hickory for my pellet tube. I still have 4 - 40# bags  Rec Tec competition ( pretty fair) I got with purchase of Stampede.


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## JWFokker (Mar 3, 2020)

Your choices are Lumberjack, which is a steal if you live near a Rural King ($9/20lb), a bit pricey if you're near a Dick's Sporting Goods ($15/20lb), the online price is pretty steep at roughly $1 per pound. But the other options are Pit Boss, which is dirt cheap, or some other private label mystery blend that may cost as much as Lumberjack but is the same grade as Pit Boss (Traeger pellets, Louisiana, Camp Chef, etc). Unfortunately almost all of the brands you can find are blends that contain little of the wood they advertise on the package. Lumberjack is unique in having 100% oak, 100% cherry, 100% hickory, etc. Hopefully you can find it at a better price than Amazon.


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## nomad_archer (Mar 3, 2020)

Unfortunately rural king isn't local to me.   The least expensive pellets locally are Bear Mountain at 12.99 for 20#.   Treagar pellets are 14.99 for 20# or roughly $0.75 per lb.  The lumber jack pellets from Amazon are $0.85 per lb which isn't great but worth a try.  If I ever end up at a rural king I'm leaving with a few hundred lbs of pellets.  Unfortunately shipping kills any deals.   I'll keep looking locally hopefully I can get lucky and find the right flavor cost balance.  Thanks for all the replies.


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## smokngun (Mar 4, 2020)

Shortly after purchasing  my Louisiana  pellet grill did I realize I needed more quality pellets. I used Trager, GMG, Cameron's, Louisiana, ect… but non really gave that smoke flavor I was looking for then  I contacted Lumberjack  pellets and I found other pellet smoker users in my area and did a group buy. I ordered 6Klbs of 40#lbs bags 2K of which was mine own.  At the time the price was well less than half of the other brands around $17 per 40lbs ,but it depends on quantity and shipping distance. FWIW I used my 2K lbs in about 2 years. And a side note: everyone I let try the lumberjack pellets has said they are the best pellet they have used.


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## mike243 (Mar 4, 2020)

I liked the Bear Mountain they were a lot higher than LJ but cant say they were better, Seems like the smoke smell was really good best I can remember, been a lot of pellets ran thru since I used them lol


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## SmokinVOLfan (Mar 4, 2020)

mike243 said:


> SmokinVOLfan those are 20lbs bags, still a good deal imo, don't overlook the comp blend also, its really good, also the charhickory ect… lol



Sorry typo on that one I meant to put 20 pound bags lol. And I second the char-hickory I have used it on my last few smokes and really enjoying it.


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## bregent (Mar 5, 2020)

nomad_archer said:


> Unfortunately rural king isn't local to me.   The least expensive pellets locally are Bear Mountain at 12.99 for 20#.   Treagar pellets are 14.99 for 20# or roughly $0.75 per lb.  The lumber jack pellets from Amazon are $0.85 per lb which isn't great but worth a try.  If I ever end up at a rural king I'm leaving with a few hundred lbs of pellets.  Unfortunately shipping kills any deals.   I'll keep looking locally hopefully I can get lucky and find the right flavor cost balance.  Thanks for all the replies.



You might be able to get LumberJack shipped to you for a lot cheaper if you do a bulk buy from BBQPelletsOnline.com.   I pay about 40 cents/lb for them shipped to California - should be cheaper shipped to PA.
You need to commit to 520lbs (13 x 40lb bags). They will find 3 other folks (or more) in your area to combine for a 1ton order. I've done it 3 or 4 times - it's easy.


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## nomad_archer (Mar 6, 2020)

bregent said:


> You might be able to get LumberJack shipped to you for a lot cheaper if you do a bulk buy from BBQPelletsOnline.com.   I pay about 40 cents/lb for them shipped to California - should be cheaper shipped to PA.
> You need to commit to 520lbs (13 x 40lb bags). They will find 3 other folks (or more) in your area to combine for a 1ton order. I've done it 3 or 4 times - it's easy.



I'm going to have to find and buy a single bag first to make sure I like them.  After that the group buy sounds like the winner.  The local pickup terminal is 50 minutes away which is pretty typical of almost everything.


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## Buttah Butts (Mar 6, 2020)

I’ve had good luck with GMG and BBQ delite pellets. But have since switched  to lumberjack pellets. Very happy with them and for the price they are hard to beat


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## nomad_archer (Mar 6, 2020)

So cant wait to get some better pellets.  But a 2hr cold smoke with the amazen tube and pellets then cooked on high turned out some pretty tasty steaks last night.  I'm going to have to try the lj char hickory pellets to see if I can get higher temps for a better seer.


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## Crazy88 (Mar 6, 2020)

I really like bbqpellets.com. You can get them from Amazon free shipping.  They sell 100% flavor wood pellets no oak or alder filler. I think they produce a little more Ash then lumberjacks pellets, but I really like them.


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## nomad_archer (Mar 6, 2020)

C
 Crazy88
  are you talking about CookinPellets?  BBQPellets.com takes you to Traeger's website.


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## Crazy88 (Mar 6, 2020)

nomad_archer said:


> C
> Crazy88
> are you talking about CookinPellets?  BBQPellets.com takes you to Traeger's website.


Yes sorry, cookinpellets . I get them from Amazon, they work great.


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## bregent (Mar 6, 2020)

Cookin Pellets are excellent. I didn't compare the ash levels, but I did a blind taste test with my family between LumberJack Hickory and Cookin Pellets hickory and none of us could taste any difference. Cookin Pellets are expensive on Amazon ($1/lb right now) but you can get them in bulk (600lbs) delivered for about 65 cents/lb.


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## Crazy88 (Mar 6, 2020)

bregent said:


> Cookin Pellets are excellent. I didn't compare the ash levels, but I did a blind taste test with my family between LumberJack Hickory and Cookin Pellets hickory and none of us could taste any difference. Cookin Pellets are expensive on Amazon ($1/lb right now) but you can get them in bulk (600lbs) delivered for about 65 cents/lb.


I wish I could order 600 lbs of pellets at once, but it may end my marriage, lol. Mostly due to the obvious space required to store them.


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## bregent (Mar 6, 2020)

Crazy88 said:


> I wish I could order 600 lbs of pellets at once, but it may end my marriage, lol. Mostly due to the obvious space required to store them.



Understood. But the space might be less than you think. It's only 15 bags and I can fit them on one shelf of a gorilla rack in my garage. Of course, if you live in an apartment that's not gonna work.


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## ross77 (Mar 7, 2020)

You might have a local independent Lumberjack seller nearby.  Check the Lumberjack website, Craigslist or Facebook marketplace.  I have a guy close to me who sells 40lb bags for $17.  You can also order a bunch and split with other people.  I ordered 1.5 tons of LJ pellets and split it with 4 others.  Ended up being about $12 per 40lb bag delivered.  100% hickory is the way to go.  LJ or otherwise.


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## Smokin' in AZ (Mar 8, 2020)

Have only used Lumberjack and they are the best.

Atwoods has them on sales right now...$6.99 for a 20lb bag.





__





						Search results for: 'pellets wood 20 lb for pellet grill'
					

Because at Atwoods - It's Just Like Coming Home




					www.atwoods.com
				




John


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## WV_Crusader (Mar 8, 2020)

I am strictly Lumber Jack only. Virtually no dust and pure real flavor!


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## nomad_archer (Mar 9, 2020)

I found some locally.  I had a once a year coupon that got them down to $11. 99 a bag. Not great but beggars can't be choosers.  I bought all they had to try them out.  Next step is probably a group buy.  I got 5 20lb bags.  These won't last too long as I went through 20lbs in just over a week.


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## mike243 (Mar 9, 2020)

good choice, did you get apple or comp blend? great flavor on those also


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## RCAlan (Mar 9, 2020)

nomad_archer said:


> I found some locally.  I had a once a year coupon that got them down to $11. 99 a bag. Not great but beggars can't be choosers.  I bought all they had to try them out.  Next step is probably a group buy.  I got 5 20lb bags.  These won't last too long as I went through 20lbs in just over a week.
> 
> View attachment 435361



Great buy and just a few tips for you to get you started.   It’s best to use the 100% hickory pellets just as it is to have a nice hickory flavor profile on your bbq... or you can mix it with some of the char-hickory pellets to have a touch of charcoal flavor as well.   Using just the char-hickory pellets for some, has cause their pellet grills temps to run a little hotter/higher due to the charcoal being burned.  If you want higher temps from your grill for searing, mix the 100%  hickory pellets and the char-hickory pellets 50/50 for some great flavor.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy the flavor profile from the Lumberjack Pellets and always keep the fire pot in your Smoke Hollow pellet grill clean of ash from prior cooks as well to allow the pellets to burn cleaner and to help prevent flame outs.  Good luck.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods...  in SoCal and Always...  Semper Fi


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## Wildwill532 (Mar 9, 2020)

https://www.farmandfleet.com/s/?keyword=lumber jack pellets

Used to be spend 35$ to free shipping they may have upped it to 50$ now. 

Looks like they don't have the free shipping after a certain price point now. I got six bags shipped for free a couple months ago.


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## nomad_archer (Mar 9, 2020)

Thanks 
W
 Wildwill532
 I'll keep an eye out there if free shipping comes up again I'll be ordering.


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## nomad_archer (Mar 9, 2020)

R
 RCAlan
  thanks for the info.  I learned years ago after my first propane grill caught fire to keep the inside of the grill clean.  So I shop vac out the pot and grill the day after each cook.  

Also my plan for the charhickory pellets was to see how hot I can get the grill for searing.  I've been using it more for a grill and less as a smoker.  I can't get away from using my WSM when it comes to doing a long smoke.


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## Crazy88 (Mar 9, 2020)

bregent said:


> Understood. But the space might be less than you think. It's only 15 bags and I can fit them on one shelf of a gorilla rack in my garage. Of course, if you live in an apartment that's not gonna work.


Thanks for the recommendation of buying in bulk. Just ordered my 15 bags, after first clearing it with my wife of course.  It will save me $210 compared to buying one bag at a time off Amazon.


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## runway1 (Apr 5, 2020)

Between Rectec and CookinPellets, what do you folks think? 
I'm almost out of my 200# of Rectec pellets from when I bought my Stampede.  I think they're working good, but I really have nothing to compare them to.


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## mike guy (Apr 5, 2020)

The rectec pellets are merely ok in my opinion.  They are delegated to heat fuel source only for me.  I got a bunch of the competition blend with my cooker and I don't really use them for main cooks.  I'll throw some in there if I'm going to cook at 350+ and then use a smoke tube for something like a bunch of chicken thighs.

Or if I'm doing a large brisket or butt and I need to refill around hour 12, I might throw them in there just to finish off the cook because there isn't a lot of point of continuing to use a good pellet when it's time to wrap.


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## runway1 (Apr 5, 2020)

ok, so you would prefer Lumberjack or CookinPellets ?


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## SmokinEdge (Apr 5, 2020)

smokerjim said:


> I have luck with pitboss pellets, Walmart usually has them for around 6-7 bucks for 20lb. i've tried the more expensive ones and really didn't see a difference.


This is sound advice. I use them in a pinch and never disappointed. GMG gold are very good also.


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## BC Buck (Apr 11, 2020)

__





						How I get more smoke flavor with pellet grills
					

I like cutting my own smoking woods but dont always have time to baby sit a smoker. My Memphis pro is a true turn it on and forget but smoke profile is mild. Iv tried many, many,ways but this works every time.      If you use foil pack you dont need to worry about flareups. You will need to...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## tallbm (Apr 11, 2020)

nomad_archer said:


> I found some locally.  I had a once a year coupon that got them down to $11. 99 a bag. Not great but beggars can't be choosers.  I bought all they had to try them out.  Next step is probably a group buy.  I got 5 20lb bags.  These won't last too long as I went through 20lbs in just over a week.
> 
> View attachment 435361



Congrats on finding a bunch of lumber jack pellets!  I dont run a pellet grill/smoker but I do use LJ pellets for my MES with an A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray.  BTW. Dick's Sporting Goods also sells LJ pellets and I bet you can order to the store to get any they sell online but dont have in the store... like Mesquite for amazing flavor with beef! :D

I didn't see anyone mention it (but might have missed it) but I have read a ton of threads where pellet smoker guys want more smoke flavor. 
The best solution they come to seems to be the A-Maze-N Pellet Tube, the extendable version  here:

You can get 4-6 hours of smoke generation from it AND the important thing is that it was made to work in lower oxygen environments like your pellet smoker!

If I owned a pellet grill I would do the following strategy:


Buy and use the cheapest, well working and locally availble pellets to put into the hopper, something like Bit Poss Competition Blend which can be found at most walmarts and lowes
THEN I would use the good LumberJack pellets in the tube to generate my real flavor smoke
The idea is that less expensive pellets provide heat and higher quality better pellets provide flavor.

See when wood burns the hotter the fire the less smoke you get.  The lower the fire temp the more smoke you get.  Pellet smokers/grills use your wood pellets for heat and to get more heat they have to burn hotter thereby reducing your smoke production. 

That is the one thing to understand with pellet smokers/grills.  If you want heat u get less smoke.  If you want more smoke u get less heat.  Finally, your control over heat may not be so fine grain so you are at the mercy of the machine.

As others have reported in the past, getting and using a tube to generate smoke gives more control and a better smoked product.

Again, I don't own a pellet smoker/grill so I can't tell you that I do this BUT if you search and scour over the forum and the internet you will find the cases that report what I'm relaying to you 2nd hand :)

I hope this info helps! :D


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## candurin (Apr 12, 2020)

Right now dicks has $20 off $100, so I can get 7 lumberjack bags shipped for $90 (tax included).  Free shipping over $49.

Debating on pulling the trigger.


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## tallbm (Apr 15, 2020)

candurin said:


> Right now dicks has $20 off $100, so I can get 7 lumberjack bags shipped for $90 (tax included).  Free shipping over $49.
> 
> Debating on pulling the trigger.



Is that the text alert promotion giving u the $20 off $100?


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## candurin (Apr 19, 2020)

tallbm said:


> Is that the text alert promotion giving u the $20 off $100?


Yup!  Sorry for the delayed response.


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## mike243 (Apr 19, 2020)

bought some B&B mesquite , think its 100% , will give a report when I get a chance to burn some. thinking chicken to start


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## mike243 (Apr 19, 2020)

Well not 100%  hate the false advertising/trick wording, I am sure they will be fine but wanted to try a 100% version .


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## MN LakeBum (Apr 19, 2020)

I just ordered 160 pounds of Cabela’s pellets which are made by Lumberjack.  They were free delivery, come in 6 flavors, and are $9.99 for a 20 lb bag.


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## candurin (Apr 19, 2020)

I pulled the trigger on the LJ pellets from dicks.  $90 for 7 bags, shipped.  Looks like it’s coming via FedEx in 7 individual packages.  Pretty sure the driver is gonna egg our house!


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## tallbm (Apr 19, 2020)

mike243 said:


> Well not 100%  hate the false advertising/trick wording, I am sure they will be fine but wanted to try a 100% version .



Yeah only brand of pellets that I know u can get 100% mesquite is Lumberjack (or Cabelas = rebranded Lumberjack).
There are 2-3 other brands where u can get 100% Hickory but I dont like to try and figure out all the brands and combos so I stick to Lumberjack cause they do 100% of the wood on the label UNLESS they specifically call out a blend, which they do in the title like "Mesquite Blend" or "Fruitwood Blend"

That makes life simple for me and LJ pellets are great!  U can get them at Dick's Sporting Goods, Atwoods, and apprarently at Rural King (east coast'ish chain).  Or get Cabela's brand.

I hope the info helps! :)


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## mike243 (Apr 19, 2020)

Been getting my LJ at rural king since I got my smoker 2 years ago, they don't carry all the flavors though, $8.99 a bag is hard to beat , I see it priced a lot higher on the net, last year they were selling it for $5 a bag for a few weeks, bought 12 bags got 2 left I think. had some others , looks like I went through about 20 bags in less than a year. Not long til charcoal sales will start to lol


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## tallbm (Apr 20, 2020)

mike243 said:


> Been getting my LJ at rural king since I got my smoker 2 years ago, they don't carry all the flavors though, $8.99 a bag is hard to beat , I see it priced a lot higher on the net, last year they were selling it for $5 a bag for a few weeks, bought 12 bags got 2 left I think. had some others , looks like I went through about 20 bags in less than a year. Not long til charcoal sales will start to lol



That's some good info on usage there.

As an MES user with the AMNPS it takes me FOREVER to go through a 20 pound bag of pellets of any kind.  LJ used to make some options in 40lb options and I have a few bags of those in various wood types but I think they have switched to only 20lb bags these days.
In any case its taken 2 years to go through a 20 pound bag of Mesquite pellets smoking beef items about once every 2 months for 2 years AND giving some away .

So for MES + AMNPS usage you can buy a 20 pound bag of each flavor you want and it last for years.
Also as an MES + AMNPS owner I liked that I could buy a variety pack of LJ pellets to see what I liked and didnt like before buying the bigger bags.  Yeah the price of the combo variety packs is not great when it comes to $/lb HOWEVER it is actually a fantastic option when it comes to crafting the best BBQ with meat/wood combos you can.
This is how I found that my favorite bacon combo is 70/20  apple/hickory, with 50/50 cherry/pecan as #2 and I found that I like the 70/20 apple/hickory combo for general sausage smoking as well.
I also found that I'm really not a super fan of pecan alone and that I LOVE maple as my general and safe middle of the road option.... I'm worn out on oak since that is mostly what people use in TX and to me it is THE most generic and safe wood smoke you can use.  Maple is sooooo much preferable to me!

Anyhow just some food for thought and some info for those wanting flavor and using LJ pellets with the MES + AMNPS :)


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## mike243 (Apr 20, 2020)

I like the LJ apple blend but want 100% apple to try


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## tallbm (Apr 20, 2020)

mike243 said:


> I like the LJ apple blend but want 100% apple to try



Oh just to clarify, manually make my blends.  I have individual LJ bags of 100% Apple, Mesquite, Cherry, Pecan, and Maple.
My 100% Hickory is Perfect Pellet (40 pound bag) that I have not even used half of and my 100% Alder is Camp Chef Alder.  I read that Camp Chef blends all their pellets with Alder as the base so when you buy Alder its blended with Alder making 100% Alder hahaha.

I have some random blends like maple/mesquite and alder/mesquite, which I bought before I learned that most pellet brands are a blend without really telling you.

The only blend I purposely buy is the Pit Boss Competition Blend so I have a cheap pellet I can doctor up and all I do is add more Hickory to it to get like 60 hickory and 20/20 Maple/Cherry.

So long story short, I suggest buying individual 100% LJ wood flavors and then making your own mixes/blends anyway you like :D


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## mike243 (Apr 21, 2020)

I seen PB has a fruit blend now and will give those a try soon, tried the B&B mesquite on a few steaks yesterday, added a little spiciness to them. not sure about smoked chicken but I will find out lol


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## tallbm (Apr 21, 2020)

mike243 said:


> I seen PB has a fruit blend now and will give those a try soon, tried the B&B mesquite on a few steaks yesterday, added a little spiciness to them. not sure about smoked chicken but I will find out lol


I think most Mesquite blends like the B&B you bought has no more than 25% mesquite.
Lousiana Grills I think had  30-35% Mesquite in their "Mesquite" options (blend of mesquite and maple).
Knowhing that bit of info I wouldn't expect too much mesquite flavor from anything that cooks up fast.  Something that takes 5+ hours might be a better test case or maybe 2-4 whole chickens at once that takes 4 hrs or more to smoke may show off some mesquite flavor.

Let us know what you find out on your smokes.  Thanks! :)


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Apr 21, 2020)

tallbm said:


> As an MES user with the AMNPS it takes me FOREVER to go through a 20 pound bag of pellets of any kind.  LJ used to make some options in 40lb options and I have a few bags of those in various wood types but I think they have switched to only 20lb bags these days.
> In any case its taken 2 years to go through a 20 pound bag of Mesquite pellets smoking beef items about once every 2 months for 2 years AND giving some away .



That whats making it so hard for me to pull trigger on new Rec Tec.  The MES with LJ turns out some good BBQ and pellets last forever.


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## candurin (Apr 21, 2020)

So, Cabela’s is LJ just in Cabela’s bag?  I have a bass pro 15 minutes away that has them.


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## tallbm (Apr 21, 2020)

candurin said:


> So, Cabela’s is LJ just in Cabela’s bag?  I have a bass pro 15 minutes away that has them.


In my research a while back I was 99% sure that was the cause because I believe the box for the Cabela's pellets used to list the manufacturer of the pellets and that addressed happened to be the LJ address :D


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## tallbm (Apr 21, 2020)

Brian Trommater said:


> That whats making it so hard for me to pull trigger on new Rec Tec.  The MES with LJ turns out some good BBQ and pellets last forever.



I have never used a pellet smoker/grill so I can't speak to person experience of loving/hating/indifference to it BUT when I did my research before buying the MES I didn't like the idea of pellet grills using the pellets as both the heat source and smoke source. 
When burning wood to get higher temps you get less smoke and to get more smoke you get lower temps.  I wanted higher temps without hurting my smoke output and I wanted lower temps without producing more smoke than intended.

So I went with the MES + the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) tray and a mailbox mod. 
Then I continuously modified my MES until I landed on bypassing the onboard controller to use a much better PID controller.  Then I basically hit a damn near perfect smoker for set and forget with both temp management and smoke production :D

I think the best MES you can buy is a $40-50 used one off craigslist or facebook, do the simple rewire (cut 4 wire ends and splice to become 2 wires) for use with an Auber PID controller, and do the mailbox mod + AMNPS.  In all you spend about as much as a new MES40 cost BUT it obliterates a new or any stock MES in performance which improves BBQ making :D


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## candurin (Apr 21, 2020)

I currently have a Gen 2.5 MES and and AMPNS and it has never disappointed.  Now, I’m looking to up my game a bit.  Have no fear, I just received my expandable pellet tube and that will give extra smoke for higher temp smokes.

Having said that, you can start smokes at 180-190 degrees on a pellet smoker and really intensify the smoke flavor from the get go.


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## matty gunns (Apr 22, 2020)

FWIW I used Weber hickory pellets for some baby back ribs yesterday and they gave the ribs a pretty good smoke flavor in my opinion and I’m used to smoke flavor from a WSM.  Only about my 6th cook on a camp chef but I believe those pellets tasted better than the LJ Comp blend I have been using.


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## Steff3 (Apr 25, 2020)

MN LakeBum said:


> I just ordered 160 pounds of Cabela’s pellets which are made by Lumberjack.  They were free delivery, come in 6 flavors, and are $9.99 for a 20 lb bag.


So I understand they are manufactured by LJ using Calbela's mixes and combinations that are unique to *Cabela's* and proprietary to them.  So my question is.....have you noticed any difference in your cooks using these?  More ash, less flavor or burning hotter?


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## danbono (Apr 28, 2020)

bregent said:


> I doubt any company selling BBQ pellets adds non-hardwood fillers.
> When some folks talk about 'fillers' in BBQ pellets, they are usually referring to species of hardwoods other than what is listed on the bag. This is most commonly oak and alder. Most pellets out there have fillers - hardwood fillers - but fillers.  A few exceptions are Lumberjack, Cookin Pellets, and Smoke Ring. Looks like Ol Hick mentioned above does as well. They sell 100% flavorwood pellets, as well as blends that are clearly listed.  Some other companies sell blends that list the species, but very few sell single species pellets, other than oak or alder.
> 
> I use only Lumberjack 100% hickory because it gives me the richest smoke flavor. I buy them in bulk and get them delivered for about 40 cents a lb.



Hi Can you give me more info. on buying LumberJack Pellets by bulk?
Sorry just read your post on it How did it work out any problems?.
Thanks Dan


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## bigfurmn (May 9, 2020)

Runnings also carries Lumberjack pellets if you have one near you. I know MN has a few and upstate NY also. Not sure where else they are but I do love that store!


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## Dr. Dobbins (May 10, 2020)

Lumberjack, I am in Arizona that has BBQIsland and I use those pellets. I am getting great smoke flavor. Lumberjack is a close second, I would use them as a good all round pellet.


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## Panama_Red (May 25, 2020)

Check out Blains Farm Supply. I believe they are in Indiana. They handle Lumber Jack pellets. I was looking for some 100% Hickory pellets and found Blains on the internet. They were running a special at the time. Any order over $50.00 free shipping. I ordered five 20# bags to get the free shipping. They shipped 100# of pellets via UPS to South Texas. I only use the 100% pellets in a smoke tube, so 100# will last several years. I buy the cheapest pellets I can find locally for the hopper as this is basically a heat source only.


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## tallbm (May 25, 2020)

Panama_Red said:


> Check out Blains Farm Supply. I believe they are in Indiana. They handle Lumber Jack pellets. I was looking for some 100% Hickory pellets and found Blains on the internet. They were running a special at the time. Any order over $50.00 free shipping. I ordered five 20# bags to get the free shipping. They shipped 100# of pellets via UPS to South Texas. I only use the 100% pellets in a smoke tube, so 100# will last several years. I buy the cheapest pellets I can find locally for the hopper as this is basically a heat source only.



Hi there and welcome!
Nice to hear you do what I always recommend... except i have to use that caveat that I don't run a pellet smoker/grill lol.
Thanks for the info on ordering from Blains too, that should help a lot of folks out!


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## catavalon21 (Jul 28, 2020)

tallbm said:


> Congrats on finding a bunch of lumber jack pellets!  I dont run a pellet grill/smoker but I do use LJ pellets for my MES with an A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray.  BTW. Dick's Sporting Goods also sells LJ pellets and I bet you can order to the store to get any they sell online but dont have in the store... like Mesquite for amazing flavor with beef! :D
> 
> I didn't see anyone mention it (but might have missed it) but I have read a ton of threads where pellet smoker guys want more smoke flavor.
> The best solution they come to seems to be the A-Maze-N Pellet Tube, the extendable version  here:
> ...



Nailed it


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