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How To Use Wood Pellets In Charcoal Grill

December 27, 2020 by Tim Leave a Comment

There are various ways for you to grill your food and bring out its best flavor. Two main types of grills you usually meet in daily life are charcoal and gas. Nonetheless, electric and wood pellets grills are becoming common now in many BBQ parties.

However, why do many people keep asking the question, “How to use wood pellets in charcoal grill”. Here’s our answer!

Perfect Combination of Wood Pellets and Charcoal Grill

how to use wood pellets on charcoal grill

Have you ever thought that charcoal and wood pellets would be the best perfect duo for grilling? 

Let’s thank God for this discovery first! Some experts in the grilling field have found out that charcoal is the king of outdoor cooking because of its easy accessibility, and wood pellets are the best fuel to add an extra smoky flavor to your tasty and juicy steak!

Nowadays, people commonly follow the weird trend in this modern era called the nostalgic vibe. For that reason, they start to reject their habits of cooking by electric and gas grills. Instead of that, they find interest in grilling outside with their pals. Two main fuels they usually use are charcoal and wood pellets for the following reasons: 

  • Evoke a sense of nostalgia
  • Bring out a unique smoky flavor even in the first bite. With the long-lasting burn, hot temperature, and even smoke level, wood pellets will help you perfectly grill your meat with a delicious flavor.
  • Easy to purchase and affordable.

Combine all of these reasons above; there is nothing to prevent us from creating the most delicious and flavorful dishes using charcoal and wood pellets as fuels. We guarantee you won’t regret it.

Here’s our step-by-step guide to clarify how to use wood pellets in charcoal grills and tips on buying and using it. What are you waiting for? Let’s check it out!

How To Use Wood Pellets In Charcoal Grill

The steps below are easy-peasy to follow. Glue your eyes on this post, and we will show you the best step-by-step guide to use wood pellets in a charcoal grill.

Step 1: 

This step is A MUST when you choose charcoal as the fuel for grilling.

Remember to heat charcoal before using it. Firing charcoal will take you some time. A nice medium flame will be the best condition to heat the charcoal. 

You have to wait until the charcoal gets shaded and ashy. Don’t hurry to put food on the grate too soon. Because the heat isn’t in the best status, your fresh meats will meet the most annoying problem: stuck on the grates.

After the charcoal reaches the light gray color, we will jump into the next part.

Step 2:

can you use wood pellets in a charcoal grill

You will start to spread a thin layer of wood pellets evenly on the charcoal surface. Due to the various sizes of grills, you should find the precise amount of the wood pellets needed. 

Step 3:

Let’s wait for the wood pellets to light up. This will also be a signal for you to know that there’s only one step left before tasting your delicious dishes. It’s time to put your food on the grates and start to cook it. 

Step 4

Close the grill’s lid to create the best space for your foods to absorb the unique smoky flavor. This action also keeps the ideal heat for cooking your meat and vegetables. 

Tips On Using Wood Pellets In Charcoal Grill

can u use wood pellets in charcoal grill

With this grilling method, it would be best if you purchased good wood pellets, as the cheap and low-quality products will strongly affect your lungs because of its toxic smoke.

While scattering wood pellets on the charcoal, pay attention during the whole process because you may get burnt from the high heat charcoal that we have fired before. 

While cooking, you will want to set fresh meats in the center of the grate and vegetables along the edge because meats usually take time to be cooked.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pellet Grills? – 5 Best Pellet Grills In 2020

The Last Word

We hope after reading our post, you will be clear on how to use wood pellets in charcoal grill, and some useful tips when you apply this method at your BBQ party. With this wood-pellets-in-a-nutshell guidance, we desire to give you the best solution for your BBQ party. 

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Your contribution will be the brick to build a strong knowledge of our community.

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Tim
toppelletsmoker.org

Filed Under: Grill

Buying Guide: Best Pellet Tube Smoker You Need

December 27, 2020 by Tim Leave a Comment

If you want to infuse delicious smoky flavor to your dishes during a BBQ party, you need the best pellet tube smoker. This simple device can allow you to add a delicious smoky flavor to your grilling, and you can also use it for cold smoking nuts, cheese, and other foods.

What to Consider While Buying The Best Pellet Tube Smoker

best pellet smoking tube

Size, shape, and material

You have spent hours researching and reading other previous users’ reviews about the excellent pellet tube smoker and decided to bring one home. But wait! Before you jump into any decision, let’s read through our detailed buying guide for a deeper insight!

A pellet tube comes in various designs: round, square, strangle, and hexagon shapes. The unique hexagon shape and perforated design of the tube smoker enable the unit to stay lit and burn well for a long time. 

We’ve listed some factors you need to consider when buying:

  • Size of tube: it will determine how far the smoke can reach within your grill, normally 12 inches.
  • Shape: The pellet tube smokers have a variety of shapes you can choose. The tube’s shape is important for the smoke distribution and the stability to stay at a position.
  • Material: Stainless steel is the best choice. The material not only enhances your tube smoker’s longevity but also limits smoke dissipation.

The pellet tube smoker works well with many types of wood pellets, such as mesquite, pecan, hickory, cherry, and wood chips for better flavor and taste.  Your ideal pellet tube smoker should perform both cold and hot smoking and create an additional flavor to the foods through the use of wood pellets.

How Does A Pellet Grill Work – Best Way To Save Your Time Grilling

Quality

The most important factor when shopping for a pellet tube smoker is its quality. Nowadays, people tend to shop online as it is convenient and time-saving. However, online shopping makes it harder for buyers to have control over the product’s quality.

In that case, it’s advisable to read through the reviews of previous buyers to have an overview of that product. Besides, it would be best to ask your friends, family, or anyone who has experience in buying smokers to go with you.

Is the best pellet tube smoker worth buying?

best pellet smoking tube

The popularity of pellet tube smokers is the amazing smoky flavor that it brings to the food. Keep in mind that this device doesn’t help much with the heat or cooking process.

You should know that when you burn pellets in the smoker tube, it doesn’t affect the cooking time or the cooking method. Thus, you really can’t compare smoke-free grilled meat with pellet smoked foods.  

As with the best pellet tube smoker, your foods smell and look delicious with a moderate smoky flavor.

Tips to Buy The Best Pellet Tube Smoker

Let’s scroll down for many useful tips when buying and caring for the best pellet tube smoker!

Easy to clean up

Cleaning is the boring part after a party, no doubt! Depending on the model of your pellet smoker, the method for cleaning your device may differ slightly. Thus, avoid angle-shaped smokers as this device’s shape will give you a painful time cleaning up after use!

It would be best if you went for the shape that is easy to clean and straightforward to use. 

Keep an eye on promotions of major brands

best smoke tube for pellet smoker

Without a doubt, online shopping gives you an endless list of options when purchasing a pellet tube smoker. 

If you are on a budget, watch out for major brands’ promotions and sale programs to bring home a cheaper yet still high-quality product. Don’t forget to do some research, compare the cost among different brands, go through users’ comments, etc., to make the right buying decision.

Conclusion

As we mentioned earlier, the best pellet tube smoker should come with a suitable shape, size, and durable material. After reading our buying guide, we hope you are now able to settle on a smoker for your next BBQ parties with friends and family.

Besides, consider your budget and the taste of foods you wish when shopping for this device as these two factors will also have a direct effect on your decision. 

Thank you for reading, and see you on our next sharings!

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Tim
toppelletsmoker.org

Filed Under: Smoke

How to Choose Best Rated Wood Pellets for Cooking?

December 20, 2020 by Tim Leave a Comment

In terms of eco-friendly energies, wood pellets have surpassed Biomass to use in daily life. We can conveniently buy the best-rated wood pellets at a supermarket or online stores. There are various types, flavors, and brands of pellets to choose from, which gives us a headache to decide. 

This article will help you with the decision of what are the best-rated wood pellets to buy and vital keys to select high-quality ones. Let’s dig in now!

Best Rated Wood Pellets – How to Differentiate High-Quality from Inadequate ones?

top rated wood pellet grills 2020

It is impossible to assure 100% whether wood pellets are high quality or not by the appearance. Though there are some significant differences between the decent and the low-quality wood pellets, we can recognize the look and feel when touching them. 

Evenness of Pellets

Highly qualified wood pellets are often produced in chain production. They will have better consistency and even size. Meanwhile, low-quality pellets usually lack firmness and synchronization of length in the same bag. 

The evenness of shots in bulk makes combustion efficient because every pellet provides a similar heat and burning duration. 

Moisture Level 

10-15% is the perfect moisture level wood pellets should contain to burn evenly. The higher moisture wood pellets content, the lower quality they are. 

When selecting wood pellets for cooking, you need to check this criterion carefully. You can check moisture level with your hands, but it is tough to define the pellets’ humidity correctly. Therefore, you should check with a thermometer to get more precise humidity. 

Evenness and moisture level of wood pellets let us know whether the pellets are high quality or not. However, in terms of ash content and energy density, we need deeper examinations and trials to develop a correct evaluation.

Ash Content

best rated wood pellet grills

According to the European Pellet Council, the ash content represents how efficient the combustion is. The more ash content left after combustion, the worse wood pellets become. 

Experiments show that high-quality wood pellets leave less ash than others, usually below 0.7%. The low ash content also makes cleaning after cooking easier for us.

Besides, wood pellets with several materials, such as pine, polar, and beech, have high efficient combustion. 

Fine Amount

Fine is another term for dust discharged during wood pellets’ combustion. The amount of dust directly affects the burning and heating process’s efficiency. 

Wood pellets are restrained from falling down to the in-feed auger by fines. Nevertheless, fines prevent fuel from feeding the boiler smoothly. 

The amount of fines should be below 1% compared to the weight of wood pellets you use. Buyers prefer wood pellets sold in packs because they make fewer fines than those delivered in bulk. 

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pellet Grills? – 5 Best Pellet Grills In 2020

Energy Density

Regarding energy density, also called calorific value, you cannot check it yourself. Energy density is reflected by Heating Value (unit: kW/kg). This figure appears on the packaging of the wood pellets and often varies around 4,6 – 5,1 kW/kg. 

The high density of energy provides the pellets with better combustion. Specifically, the pellets burn longer and give more extreme heat. 

If wood pellets contain high energy density, they heat evenly and effectively; as a result, you can use less pellets at one time.

How to Choose Flavours of Wood Pellets for Different Dishes? 

top rated wood pellet stoves

There are some popular flavors of wood pellets, including Mesquite, Hickory, Apple, Cherry, Pecan for cooking, but choosing the perfect one for your food is not easy.

Here is some experience for you to cook the best meals with the use of wood pellets.

  • Poultry: Poultry goes well with most flavors, so it is up to your taste to choose which is preferable.
  • Pork: Except for Mesquite’s strong flavour, you can smoke or grill pork with any other flavour of wood pellets.
  • Beef: Cooking beef is trickier. You should use Mesquite, Hickory, and Pecan flavour to perfectly neutralize the unpleasant smell and embrace the beef’s freshness. 
  • Seafood: Cherry flavour is the most perfect match for seafood. 
  • Veggie: Apple and Cherry flavour are changeable to use for cooking veggie. 

5 Best Rated Wood Pellets for Cooking & Grilling

#1 CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets 

#2 PIT BOSS 55433 BBQ Wood Pellets

#3 Green Mountain Grills Hardwood Outdoor BBQ Grilling Pellets

#4 Traeger PEL313 Apple Barbecue Pellets

#5 Camp Chef Competition Blend Pellets

The Bottom Line

The insightful knowledge in this article is from our experience as well as trustable research.

We hope that this brings you enough guidance to choose the best-rated wood pellets and the most suitable flavor for your cooking. 

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Tim
toppelletsmoker.org

Filed Under: Smoke

Wood Pellet Brand Comparison – Look for What Your Choice Is

December 20, 2020 by Tim Leave a Comment

There are lots of wood pellet brands in the market. Thus, consumers need to consider carefully before buying so that the pellets can enhance the food flavors effectively. 

In this article, we give you a list of wood pellet brand comparisons so that you can have a better view before choosing good wood pellets.

[toc]

Wood Pellet Brand Comparison – A Detailed List Of Popular Brands

wood pellet brand comparison chart

#1. Cookingpellets

Established 16 years ago, Cookingpellets aims at producing innovative wood pellets for users. Thus, you can hardly find the brand’s distinctive formula in any other manufacturer! 

This pellet brand provides three main types of wood pellets, including hickory pellets, apple mash pellets, and black cherry pellets. Besides, you can mix all of the three types as well. 

Despite marketing only three major pellet products, the Cookingpellets brand has become bestsellers and received the highest rating for more than six years in the industry. Whether you want to use wood pellets for smoking or grilling, Cookingpellets can meet all your expectations.

#2. Lumberjack

The brand was established in 2005 by three expert loggers during their discussion regarding the timber industry’s potential. In October 2008, renewable and high-quality timber fiber products began their “invasion.” 

To create wood pellets that meet all of the customers’ demands, LumberJack offers pure wood pellets that set the brand apart from other wood pellet manufacturers.

LumberJack produces diverse types of wood pellets for their customers to choose from, such as the pecan blend, the supreme blend of hickory, cherry, oak, mesquite blend, MHC competition, fruitwood blend, and so on. Most of those products are suitable for BBQ parties.

#3. Traeger

wood pellet btu comparison brand

The main “star” of Traeger is wood-fired grills invented in the past 30 years. The company also provides wood pellet products containing 100% natural hardwood, making it stand out in our wood pellet brands’ comparison list. 

Several unique Traeger wood pellets types have satisfied even the most demanding users. Those products include Traeger turkey blend W/brine kit wood pellets, Traeger signature blend wood pellets, Traeger Texas beef blend wood pellets, and other classic wood pellet types.

#4. Rec Tec

Similar to Traeger, Rec-Tec produces both wood-fired grills and wood pellets. Besides, this brand also widens its customers’ choices by manufacturing Icer, smokebox accessories, etc. The more products Rec-Tec provides, the more choices clients get. 

However, one disadvantage customers often encounter purchasing wood pellets along with a wood-fired grill. Otherwise, their orders are not processed.

#5. Camp Chef

The idea of establishing powerful and portable grills for delicious BBQ meals came to Ty Meason – Camp Chef’s founder when he was so disappointed with bulky cooking equipment. 

Thanks to the simple but durable design, Camp Chef grills have received many compliments and avid users’ recognition. 

After that, more grill types, grill box attachments, and pellet grills have been produced. That is not to mention other kinds of Camp Chef products such as flat-top grills, portable ovens, and so on. 

Cam Chef gives clients various flavors, such as orchard apple, classic alder, southwest mesquite, and so on, at affordable prices in wood pellets. To use them for grilling, you should read the instructions below to get perfect results.

(Premium Hardwood Camp Chef Pellet Guide)

#6. BBQr’s Delight

BBQr’s Delight supplies wood pellets mainly for smoking and grilling. For smoking, clients could mix 6 out of 13 flavors, forming their favorite recipes based on their hobbies and purposes. 

For grilling, you can choose various flavors provided right on its website. Some of the most popular flavors are mastering your beef, apple, black walnut, cherry, hickory, and so on. Besides, you can mix two of them for grilling.

#7. Memphis

Memphis provides users with six different flavors, each of which can bring out the flavor and essence in a specific food type. You can follow the instructions right below to get the best out of the pellets.

Memphis Pellet Instruction

While Apple gives you a sweet and fruity flavor, cherry brings out an extra taste of mild. Hickory includes intense bacon flavor, whereas pecan provides you with a light smokey one. Meanwhile, Mesquite contains a spicy flavor, a typical Southwest cooking feature. Moreover, oak includes the flavor of a mild wood fire.

Pit Boss Pellet Grill Reviews- What You Should Know?

The Bottom Line

Wood pellets are used for heating, grilling, and even generating process electricity or steaming. We hope that today’s post has given you enough information about wood pellet brand comparison to help you choose products fitting your purposes.

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Tim
toppelletsmoker.org

Filed Under: Smoke

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pellet Grills? – 5 Best Pellet Grills In 2020

December 3, 2020 by Tim Leave a Comment

Using pellet grills nowadays is becoming more and more popular. This is an improved device instead of using a grill that pollutes the environment.

Everything has two sides, and so does the pellet grill. Let us help you know the pros and cons of pellet grills and find out the 5 best products on the market nowadays.

What are you waiting for?

Scroll down to discover it now!

What Are the Pros and Cons of Pellet Grills?

pros and cons of wood pellet grill

So let’s see what the pros and cons of pellet grills are. Then, you can know if you should buy it or not. 

Pros

Ease of use

The greatest thing about a pellet grill is easy to use. Whether you are old or young, you can activate the grill as easy as pie. 

Please follow these steps:

  • Make sure your grill is filled with wood pellets
  • Remember to plug in the power plug before starting (use an extension cord if the power outlet is too far away)
  • Start the pellet grill and set the temperature accordingly
  • Wait for another 15 to 30 minutes for the grill to reach the desired temperature
  • Add the food to the grill.

It is simple, right? Just by following these steps, you can start your BBQparty to the fullest.

Consistent temperatures

Different from a conventional grill, the pellet grill gives you a stable temperature, which is the same as an indoor oven. You can also set the grilling mode to the actual temperature. 

For example, if you want to bake at 200 degrees, the pellet grill will maintain this temperature for many hours. In addition, the electronic auger system can automatically feed pellets into the firepot when the temperature starts to drop.

Versatility

Pellet grill is quite versatile, and you can use them for many different baking styles. Normally, the temperature range of the grill is from 170 degrees to 450 degrees. 

It can smoke slowly but cook at high heat. With the convection cooking design and the mentioned temperature stability above, you can also add some amazing flavors to different baking or roasting applications, such as biscuits, casseroles, or vegetables.

Clean

pros and cons of pit boss pellet grill

If using a gas grill makes the smoke scatter, the pellet grill is really clean and does not affect the environment. 

As you know, wood pellets are very efficient-fuel because they only produce a small amount of ash after grilling. A 40lb tablet will yield only half a cup of ash.

In addition, the cleaning is also much simpler and easier than other ash removal systems. It only takes you a few minutes to remove them.

High popularity 

Pellet grill gradually gained popularity and replaced conventional grills. And you can find pellet grills everywhere, from local stores to online shopping. 

According to many resources such as the Internet, Youtube, and so on, you can find a variety of recipes or technical problem-solving tutorials online. Namely the social network Facebook or Youtube website, you will find those useful results.

Because pellet grill is super popular in the recent market, many manufacturers and companies focus on producing it. That is why whenever an issue appears in this grill, it can be fixed after a short period of time. This is definitely a big plus for those who like to own a durable product.

Cons

Lack of portability

With the high weight of the pellet grill, it is difficult to move as often as you want. Therefore, when deciding to purchase a pellet grill, please specify location and place them near electrical outlets.

Less Than Ideal Searing Temps

 pros and cons of pellet grills

There are some dishes that require a high amount of heat, especially beef steak. Many chefs believe that making a perfect steak requires temperatures up to 750º Fahrenheit. 

However, the maximum temperature of the pellet grill is 450 – 500 degrees. Therefore, with a pellet grill, you need to have the right food choice.

5 Best Pellet Grills in 2020

There are top 5 products that you can refer to in the following list:

#1. Z Grills ZPG-7002E 2020

#2. Camp Chef SmokePro

#3. Z GRILLS 2020 Upgrate Wood Pellets Grill

#4. Traeger Pro Series 575

#5. Camp Chef PG24XT Smoke Pro Pellet

Conclusion 

In conclusion, everything has two sides. You should choose the one which meets your needs first. 

Hope that with those pros and cons of pellet grills, you will have more knowledge about this item and can choose the best pellet grill for yourself. 

tim toppelletsmoker's avatar
Tim
toppelletsmoker.org

Filed Under: Grill

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  • How To Use Wood Pellets In Charcoal Grill
  • Buying Guide: Best Pellet Tube Smoker You Need
  • How to Choose Best Rated Wood Pellets for Cooking?
  • Wood Pellet Brand Comparison – Look for What Your Choice Is
  • What Are The Pros And Cons Of Pellet Grills? – 5 Best Pellet Grills In 2020

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