Are the best wood pellets for smoking as essential as many people have believed? 

Our answer is exactly YES. 

It is a typical case that some food does not get your desired flavor after smoking. One of the apparent reasons affecting the cooking is that you are not using suitable wood pellets. To improve the situation, why don’t you try some of our recommendations?

Now, we will turn to the discussion and reviews of top-rated wood pellets right away. 

The list of 5 best wood pellets for smoking

#1: Traeger PEL319 Hickory Pellets – Editor’s choice

The first, also the most trustable brand for wood pellets in the list, is Traeger. And their product that we choose to bring you is the Premium PEL319 Hickory pellets certified by FDA.

Made of 100% hardwood, this USA original PEL 319 product is much easier to get burnt. How can you understand that 100% hardwood? Undoubtedly, these premium wood pellets come without any additives. 

They also give smoked or grilled meat a fantastic flavor. 

The pellet can meet most requirements of the long cook. In comparison with other pellets, the Traeger PEL319 one can maintain the heat better with the lesser BTU. The low BTU means low volume. The Traeger PEL319 will be more economical, then. 

Another bonus point for the product is because of its clean output. After smoking, there is nearly no ash left. As a result, you can minimize the negative impact on the environment.

In general, the Traeger PEL319 is suitable for beef, poultry, and pork. However, due to its strong smoky taste, we will not recommend the it for those who enjoy mild-flavored food.

Traeger PEL319 must be the top-rated product for many reasons. It is useful for your food and harmless for the environment too. 

#2: CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix – Best flavor

Besides Traeger, CookinPellets is another common big name in the pellet industry. Among great products of this retailer, we appreciate the 40PM Perfect Mix at best. 

We call it a “4-in-1” pellet pack. It includes the best combination of four top-listed smoking tastes, namely Hickory, Cherry, Maple, and Apple. And because of a mix of four, this product is perfectly suitable for most types of meat.

For the composition, there is no bark. To manufacture these pellets, CookinPellets uses heartwood only. Hence, under the fire, these pellets do not release any oil as well as filler and produce the top quality along with great flavor for food. 

For the minus point, we do not feel very comfortable with the small blue plastic pieces in these pellets. Don’t know what they are! 

There is nothing to complain about the CookinPellets except for ugly plastic pieces that are sometimes mixed with the pellets (must be mistakes during the manufacturing phase). So, you should not forget to check after opening the package. If you find some, send the product back to the providers right away!

#3: Camp Chef Bag of Premium – Best smoking duration

The next recommendation is not a mix of tastes; it is a 100% applewood pellets instead. Now, we recommend the USA-quality Camp Chef Bag of Premium. 

Since it does not come in the form of a mixture, the apple smoking taste will surely stand out. So, you should make sure that kind of flavor is your favorite before picking. Also, you can mix these pellets with others for exceptional smoked food. 

Like the two products mentioned above, the Camp Chef pellets are the product made of 100% hardwood. It means that there is no oil or any additives included. 

As the ultra-low moisture pellets, starting the smoke will become easier for you. The natural composition will help to maintain the smoke much longer, especially for the long cook. 

Some food that you should smoke with the applewood taste is pork, poultry, and veggies. 

One note is that after smoking, the pellets leave ashes behind. So, they may affect the tasty look of the food. 

Regardless of the high quality, the Camp Chef Bag of Premium should not work for picky users. Some people may not like its prominent applewood flavor. 

#4: BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets – Best packaging

Another suggested pack of pellets is the BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels. A package of one pound is a perfect option for almost all kinds of food, from beef, poultry, fish to veggies. 

1/3 cup is a reasonable amount for each smoking session. So, each pack of the BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels wood pellets will enable you to smoke up to ten times. 

Not only offering the Jack Daniel flavor, but BBQrs Delight also provides many other ones with the same volume and the same content of 100% hardwood. So, if you love to create a fantastic smoking taste for grilled meat, you can mix them all. 

The Jack Daniels does not have the strong smoky taste as the Mesquite does. Hence, if you love the stronger taste, feel free to mix pellets with different flavors of the same brand together.

One minus point we mark on this product is the short heat duration. Smoking can be on for no longer than 25 minutes. In the case of the long cook, you must add more pellets continuously. 

Since the whiskey smoking flavor seems to be a bit strange, mixing this product with others will be better. And don’t forget that it is only the best choice for a short cook! 

#5: PIT BOSS 55436 BBQ Wood Pellets – Best burn-getting

At the end of this list, we would like to refer to the PIT BOSS 55436 BBQ wood pellets. It is a promising pack to work well with both grill and smoker. 

The product has its origin in the USA, so you do not need to worry about its quality. In comparison with the lower-rank choices, this one gets hot so quickly with less ash produced. 

In terms of composition, the PIT BOSS produces these pellets from 100% hardwood. There are entirely no chemicals included. 

People often use these pellets to smoke beef, poultry, and pork. After smoking, you will see that they leave on the meat a perfect smoky taste combined with the rich sweet flavor. 

The PIT BOSS 55436 BBQ wood pellets will surely be a perfect option except for a problem regarding the net weight. On the package, the net weight is 40 lbs. But it is only about 30 lbs in reality. 

Honestly, the PIT BOSS 55436 is an acceptable option for the incredibly smoky taste. However, its real net weight may cause people to consider more. 

How to select wood pellets for smoking? 

To choose the best wood pallets for smoking, we base on two elements. One is types, and the other is flavors. 

Types

People divide the wood pellets into three types: Premium, Standard, and For-food grade. And their big difference lies in the composition.

Premium

In the premium pellet, organic ash does not make up more than 0.5%. Besides, there is no bark at all. This type is often more expensive than the others because of the oak/maple wood content.  

Standard

Waste from industry wood is mainly in use to produce this type of pellet. Unlike the premium one, the standard pellet has at least 0.5% of the organic ash in its content. 

For-food grade

When processing, some manufacturers add binding agents into their pellets. If the ones that you choose do not have this addition, you also can consider them as the for-food-grade pellets. 

Regardless of types of pellets you choose, you had better take careful consideration of both ash content and moisture. Firstly, the ash content should not be higher than 1%. Secondly, the drier the pellets are, the easier you can smoke. 

Flavors

All wood pellets do not give the same flavors. Each of them owns the uniqueness to fill the missing part of different meat types. 

Nowadays, you can easily find six common kinds of wood pellet flavors. They include mesquite, hickory, cherry, apple, pecan as well as some blends which are in use for different types of meat.

• Mesquite is the most prominent one with its strong smoky taste. People often use this wood pellet for beef and poultry.
• Hickory is less strong than the Mesquite. Besides beef and poultry, the second pellet is suitable for pork, too. 
• Cherry and Apple are interchangeable with the mild flavor. However, the Cherry is a little bit outstanding since it can produce a smoke ring significantly and help meat have an attractive color. Beef, poultry, seafood, and veggies are food that should go with these pellets. 
• Pecan is a perfect blend of the Hickory and some vanilla. Enjoying the smoked meat with Pecan wood pellets gives you a pretty palatable flavor. Like Hickory, Pecan, and meat types, including beef, poultry, pork, match well.    

How to Thicken BBQ Sauce

Conclusion 

Among five best wood pellets for smoking above, we are truly falling in love with Traeger PEL319 Hickory. It not only comes from the USA but also receives a FDA approval. Plus, food smoked with these pellets captivates us by its charmingly strong smoky taste without any ash left. 

How about you? What is your favorite? Let’s share your experience with the fantastic wood pellets that you have chosen.

It really doesn’t matter when you are using BBQ sauce, it is always delicious. The only problem that most people have with this sauce, is that it is really not thick. It runs all over the plate, and can’t really be brushed on meat when you are marinating the meat in the BBQ sauce.

The good news is that we have some great methods on how you can thicken the BBQ sauce, without messing around with the taste of the sauce. In fact, without methods, you can even have some better tasting BBQ sauce than before. These are the different ways on how you can thicken your sauce to make it easier to use and tastier to eat.

Campfire BBQ 101. Everything You Need to Know About Purchasing a BBQ

Reduction of the Sauce

Yes, this is an easy way to make your BBQ sauce thicker. However, it is also easier to burn your sauce and to make the amount of sauce a lot less than what you had before the reduction.

This isn’t always a recommended method, because most of the BBQ sauces have a sweetness that can burn easily, making your sauce taste bitter. Or, the reduction will work, but the sauce doesn’t really get a lot thicker. You are only going to lose quantity. This really should be a last resort, if nothing else work in making your BBQ sauce thicker.

Adding Starch to Your BBQ Sauce

This is the easiest and most common method that people are using to make the sauce thicker. The only problem with this method is that it can make the sauce taste starchy as well.

When you are thinking about making sauce thick, using starch, you normally think about cornstarch. However, the good news is that there is more than just cornstarch that you can use. Especially for those that don’t like the taste of cornstarch.

• Wheat flour
• Rice Starch
• Arrowroot
• Potato starch
• Tapioca starch

Just remember that you need to reheat your starch with your BBQ sauce if you want to get the right thickness. And, don’t add too much starch to start with. It can get really thick, fast.

Things That You Might Want to Add to Your Sauce When You Want to Fatten Up the Sauce

In some cases, you want to make sure that you are adding some fattening ingredients as well to your BBQ sauce. Especially when you are thickening your sauce. There is some meat that doesn’t have as much fat to ensure that the meat is moisture. And, this can mean that your meat ends up dry, even if you are marinating your meat with BBQ sauce.

So, if you are thickening your sauce, you might want to add some fattening ingredients as well. But, then you need to know what ingredients you can add to fattening your BBQ sauce to make it even taste better. These are some of the fattening ingredients that you can use without any problems.

• Butter. The real thing. We don’t talk about margarine here.
• Coconut oil and cream. You will be surprised about how great these taste with BBQ sauce
• Olive oil. This isn’t tasting the same as with butter or coconut oil, but it will still work to get a fattening BBQ sauce.

Making Your Own Sauce

Most of us are purchasing our own BBQ sauce and then adding it to our meat. Or, we are purchasing the sauce and adding ingredients to thickening the sauce and too fattening it. However, did you ever consider making your own BBQ sauce? By making your own sauce, following some of the best recipes online, you can make sure that your sauce is thicker and fattier for lean meat.

It is a lot easier to make your own BBQ sauce than what you might think. You only need to have some time to do some research and to find a recipe that you can make. And, you can still add the starch and the fattening ingredients to make your sauce your own.

Tips to Consider When Thickening Your BBQ Sauce

Remember that it is always best to use a small amount of sauce when you are thickening it for the first time. You will not know what the results are going to be. You don’t want to lose all your sauce at once. It is better to start with a small amount and taste it before you thicken all your sauce.

Read the instructions carefully. Especially, if you are purchasing the ready-made BBQ sauce. Not many of them can be thickening because it is already been thickening as much as possible.

It isn’t hard to thicken BBQ sauce. Especially if you are using a small amount of starch. You don’t need to worry about changing the taste of the sauce, when you are thickening the BBQ sauce and when you are adding some fattening ingredients to it. You will just make it thicker and taste a lot better.

Campfire BBQ. The one thing that everyone likes to do during the summer. There is just nothing as great as having a campfire, enjoying family time and eating your favorite BBQ meal. However, when it comes to purchasing a BBQ griller, you need to make sure that you are purchasing the right one. The right one for your family and the best one on the market. This is the best and only way that you can be sure to have an even better time around the campfire. With all this info, you will be able to make sure that you are purchasing the right griller for your next get together.

The size of your BBQ griller

Before you can start looking for your campfire BBQ, the one thing that you should make sure about is that you are knowing the size that you’ll need.

There are different sizes available, and because not many people realize it, they are purchasing the wrong one. If you are a large family that is always grilling together, then you should want to make sure that you are getting a larger BBQ. If your family is just a couple of people, then a larger BBQ will be a waste of money and energy. So, this is the first thing that you should consider before you choose your very first grill.

The old fashion charcoal griller, the gas griller or the electric griller?

Which one should you want to consider? The charcoal one that we all know, the gas griller or the electric griller? You need to make sure that you have knowledge about each of them before you can make this decision.

• Charcoal BBQ. This is the one that we all know. This is the griller that gives the smell of barbeque meat. This is also the one that is taking the longest to heat up and to cook the meat thoroughly. Buying the charcoal BBQ is cheaper and the maintenance on it is cheap as well. The only thing that you need to barbeque your meat, is charcoal.
• The gas BBQ. Besides the charcoal, the gas campfire BBQ is the most popular. This is because people prefer the method that is giving the least amount of smoke, and that is a lot faster to cook the meat. The gas isn’t that expensive and you can refill it easily. The BBQ itself is more expensive and the maintenance is more than with the charcoal griller as well.
• Electric BBQ griller. The electric BBQ griller is the least popular one. This is because it is the most expensive one, and the power it uses can cost you a lot of money at the end of the month. However, there isn’t much maintenance that you need to consider or refills that need to be done before you are able to grill again.

Where should you start looking for your Campfire BBQ griller?

Most people will say that finding a quality campfire BBQ isn’t that hard. You can walk into any store and you will be able to choose between these three grillers. However, not all of them are equally great and value for money. This is why you should make sure that you know where to start looking for your new campfire BBQ.

The best place is to start searching online. There you can find all sorts of grillers. And, you will be able to choose the one that will be best for you and your family. You can look at the cost, the features and the size that you are willing to spend. Making it easier and faster to find the perfect barbeque griller.

The features that you should look at

When you are purchasing your griller, you should make sure that you are considering the different features that you can find. You want to make sure that you are going to get value for money. So, this is why you should look at these features, to know what makes a perfect griller.

• Smoker and griller in one. This is great if you like the grill and smokey meat.
• How easy to clean is the griller?
• Material that the griller is made of.
• Is the BBQ energy sufficient? And, is it cost sufficient?
• Does it offer temperature control?

Smoker versus griller

What is the difference between a smoker and a BBQ griller? Which one should you consider when you are looking for a griller? For those that don’t know, the smoker is giving the meat a smokey taste and not the normal grill taste.

First of all, if you like to smoke and grill your meat, you should look for a 2-in-1. This is where you have the option to grill and to smoke your food, using one BBQ grill. This is the best option; however, this can be expensive as well. If you don’t want both options, you should consider the one that you are enjoying the most. Most people are just looking for a griller, but this doesn’t mean that this is the one that you should purchase as well. You should make sure that you are finding the one that is best for your family.

Last things to consider when choosing your griller

You might have an idea now which campfire griller you want to purchase. However, there are still a couple of things that you should consider before you can make the final decision.

• Do you want to take your BBQ with you when you are going on holiday?
• Are you looking for the traditional way of barbequing or are you looking for a faster modern way?
• The more features your BBQ has, the more expensive it will be. However, the better value for money you will have as well.

Campfire BBQ. Everyone wants to have the perfect BBQ griller. And, with this guide, you will be able to find the right one for you and your family. There are a couple of things that you should consider in order for you to make sure that you are getting value for money. And, that you have a griller that you will enjoy all the time.