Wood pellets for smoking and grilling

At Pit Boss Grills we welcome you aboard the Pellet Grill revolution. In order to understand all things pellet grilling and smoking, it's important to understand what fuels these innovative BBQ products. We’re going to look at wood pellets for smoking and grilling specifically, and dive into how they’re made, how they stack up against other fuel sources, and which types of wood pellets are the best for smoking and grilling.

What are Wood Pellets and How are They Made?

Wood pellets are the fuel source of pellet grills and smokers. Pit Boss Grills hardwood pellets are made from 100% all-natural hardwood that is dried and ground into saw dust. The dust is then pressurized at extreme heat to create the compact pellets that are coated and held together with the wood’s natural lignin. Wood pellets are also known as the easiest fuel to use. They produce less than 1% of ash, so an entire 40lb bag of pellets will only turn into ½ cup of ash, which makes clean up a breeze. They also provide immense flavor without needing to think about babysitting the air to fuel ratio like with wood chips or chunks.

Food Grade Wood Pellets for Smoking and Grilling

It’s important to note that there are food grade pellets and non-food grade or heating pellets. Heating pellets (or pellets used in wood-burning stoves) can be made from wood that isn’t meant for smoking meat. Woods like pine or spruce can ruin the flavor of your food. Who wants their brisket tasting like a car air freshener anyway? Heating pellets may also contain glues or other chemicals as binders, which is not only bad for flavor, but obviously terrible for your health as well.

Definitely NOT food grade

Food grade wood pellets, on the other hand, are made purely from hardwood and lack any chemical binders or glues. Since food consumption is the priority they are made with the same standards and practices as any other food grade product, meaning sanitation and health is at the forefront of production and packaging concerns.

Since food grade wood pellets are made specifically for cooking, certain hardwoods are chosen due to the flavor and aroma they produce when smoking. We’ll get into which flavors are produced and how they pair with certain foods a little later.

Food Grade Hardwood Pellets Include:

• Mesquite
• Hickory
• Cherry
• Pecan
• Apple
• Oak
• Alder

Wood Pellets and the Environment

You might be thinking to yourself:

• “Is all that wood burning good for the environment?”
• “What about all those trees?”
• “Are wood pellets really better and more efficient than other fuel sources?”

These are fantastic questions and we’re glad you asked. Wood pellets are sourced from tree farms (which replace the trees they process), storm damaged trees, and trees at the end of their lifecycle in hardwood forests across the United States:

Low CO2 Production

Including manufacturing and transportation costs, it is estimated that burning wood pellets produces 34g carbon dioxide per KiloWatt Hour of heat produced (g/kWh). Compare that with 211 grams for gas and 64 for wood chips. “The Carbon Balance of Woodfuel”, Northern Woodheat, 2010”

The Best Wood Pellets for Smoking and Grilling

If you’re going to smoke or grill a meal on a wood pellet grill, it’s best to know which type of hardwood to use to enhance the flavor on your food.

• Should you use a flavored or blended pellet?
• Which flavors go best with different types of food?

These are great questions to ask when choosing wood pellets. You also want to be sure to pick a quality brand of pellets as well. A cheaply made brand can not only ruin your food but can wreak havoc on your pellet grill as well. For this reason, we recommend using Pit Boss Grills Wood Pellets on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill. Since we know where they came from, we know they will work fine on our products. If you don’t own a Pit Boss Grill, feel free to use them on other pellet grills as we stand firmly behind our wood pellets.

Wood Pellet Flavors

Competition Blend - Sweet and smoky with an aromatic tang. A premium blend of cherry, hickory, and maple hardwoods. Masterfully craft sweet, savory aroma combined with a soft fruity undertone for your beef, pork, chicken, seafood, desserts, fruits, or veggies.

Mesquite - Strong aroma with a tangy and spicy flavor. The perfect level of bold taste to compliment your Tex-Mex cuisine.

Hickory - Rich with a smoky bacon-like flavor. Highly recommended for roasts and smoking your favorite meats.

Apple - Smokey with a mild sweetness flavor. Highly recommended for baking and pork.

Classic - A bold southern blend of pecan, hickory, and mesquite wood. Full-bodied, robust flavor that will bring out the best in chicken, pork, seafood or vegetables.

Fruit Mild with fruity undertones, Pit Boss All-Natural Fruit Premium Barbecue Hardwood Pellets enriches your pork, poultry, seafood, and baking, Grill up shrimp or chicken, bake your cobbler, or smoke any of your favorite meats

Charcoal Blend – A bold aroma of oak hardwood with the robust, classic taste of smoky charcoal. The perfect choice for uniting the greatest flavors in outdoor cooking. Use this powerhouse blend to enrich the mouthwatering flavors of beef, pork, poultry, or game.

Pit Boss Grills Pellet Flavors Guide

We manufacture the perfect wood pellet flavors for any type of food you can cook on a pellet grill or smoker. The following are flavors we recommend for each type but feel free to experiment on your own:

Beef

Charcoal, Georgia Pecan, Mesquite, Competition Blend, Hickory, Classic Blend.

Poultry

Competition Blend, Mesquite, Classic Blend, Hickory, Apple, Fruit, Charcoal.

Pork

Competition Blend, Mesquite, Classic Blend, Hickory, Apple, Fruit, Charcoal.

Seafood

Competition Blend, Apple, Fruit

Veggies

Competition Blend, Apple, Hickory, Fruit

Unmatched Wood Pellet Flavor and Quality

Pit Boss Grills makes wood pellets that set the standard for flavor and quality in the pellet grill industry. We make our wood pellets with the highest quality food grade hardwood, free of artificial flavors, spray scents, glues or chemicals. Burn hotter and cleaner. Our pellets are easy to use, great tasting and all natural, forcing the natural juices in the wood to bind the pellets together.

View all of our wood pellet flavors and blends today.