RT-1250 Best Pellets?

[1MoreFord]

I was going to suggest Cookin Pellets as they usually get good reviews and they have a number of dealers in CA. Bear Mtn. at TSC was a good suggestion. Have you tried any Kingsford Pellets? They should have good distribution in CA. My favorite so far is LumberJack Hickory. Don't know about them in CA though.

 

[RHEINLEIN]

Maybe there is something with your unit or temps? I use them and actually feel the flavor is a bit too strong personally. I will not reverse sear steaks with them as the smoke flavor is too pronounced in an hour.

Curious if you've tried "Knotty Wood" Almond or Plum yet? I have not but would like to hear any feedback?

 

[BadgerFan]

Bear Mountain pellets are $6.49 and $7.99 at Fleet Farm for those in Wisconsin, Minnesota etc. Not sure how many states they are in.

 

[sdynak]

Curious if you've tried "Knotty Wood" Almond or Plum yet? I have not but would like to hear any feedback?

Not yet.. I got pretty much a lifetime supply of Kingsford when they had deals at Lowes a while back.

 

[BadgerFan]

I must live in a BBQ wasteland. I can't find decent pellets for prices you all mention. Of course it is Commiefornia. All of our pellets come with warning labels that smoke causes cancer.

No one around here carries Lumberjack or Bear Mountain. I found a local supplier that sells Smoke Ring for $30 per 40 lb bag, but as a home-based "business" he's hit or miss on inventory.

Have you considered ordering a pallet of them and then you put it out there you have some for sale? I would thin k you would get a decent price ordering a pallet.

 

[mtross21]

Got my new 1250 arriving tomorrow. I've been looking at pellets that are a general go to.

I keep seeing Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ. I've also heard B&B are good. What brand and flavor are y'all's go to?

I expect for burgers, chicken, Pork Butt, Ribs, and Brisket to be most commonly cooked meats.

I have had good luck with Lumber Jack if they are in your area. Bear Mountain was good for me too but Lumber Jack is my go to.

 

[agaffer]

I don't know if they are available by you but, of the pellets I have tried, Green Mountain has the least amount of crushed pellets and dust at the bottom of the bag. Not real intense smoke though, which is fine with me.

 

[Motodad1776]

I currently have 160 pounds of Pitboss competition pellets down in the basement, boy I love those 40 pound bags of woody goodness......and they are CHEAP!!!

 

[jasonbr1975]

Kingsford and put boss work well for me in my bullseye. Can get at lowes and Walmart.
I’m gonna have to try the Bear Mountain all you guys rave about.

 

[Waterboy]

Curious if you've tried "Knotty Wood" Almond or Plum yet? I have not but would like to hear any feedback?

I tried som Knotty Wood almond pellets. They were fine but nothing special. I didn’t like the smoke flavor from the almond. I live in the California Central Valley where they are made (and almonds are grown) so I thought I’d support the local enterprise but they won’t be my go to pellets. It’s a good idea though as they burn or grind almond wood when they pull orchards out so it’s a better use of the wood. We use it around here for wood stoves and fireplaces.

 

[Pacman]

Have you considered ordering a pallet of them and then you put it out there you have some for sale?

The thought has definitely crossed my mind, but I'm already beginning to get the "How much did you spend?" questions after the 1250, pellets, 5 gallon buckets with wood chunks, and a garage firdge/freezer. I suspect a pallet in my garage might be the tipping point and I'm still wanting a meat slicer.

 

[Pacman]

Curious if you've tried "Knotty Wood" Almond or Plum yet? I have not but would like to hear any feedback?

I've tried them both a number of times as Home Depot ships for free and has periodic sales. I also liked that they support veterans' programs. I still have some of both in buckets.

The smoke is okay, but not discernably different than other pellets. They are a smokier pellet with the bark they include in them, but neither produces a strong flavor compared to using a smoke tube with wood chunks.

I will say that their pellets produce 2 to 3 times more ash than some of the other pellets I've tried and while I saw the mismatched pellet lengths I had no problem processing them, but others have reported pellet bridges and jams.

 

[Dubs]

I tried the Bear Mtn gourmet last weekend on ribs. More smoke flavor than the LJ, seem to burn very clean. Not much smoke rolling out though. Got a couple of bags to try out. If not I’ll try out Pitboss I guess.

 

[SmokinHog]

I'm a Bear Mountain guy myself.

 

[davidr2340]

I have to say Bear Mountain is tough to beat for the quality and price point!

 

[Rectec700Miami]

Got my new 1250 arriving tomorrow. I've been looking at pellets that are a general go to.

I keep seeing Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ. I've also heard B&B are good. What brand and flavor are y'all's go to?

I expect for burgers, chicken, Pork Butt, Ribs, and Brisket to be most commonly cooked meats.

I’ve had an RT 700 for two years. The unit came with rectec pellets. I was initially disappointed with the lack of smoke flavor in my cooks. I began using other brands of pellets to increase the smoke flavor and have been very successful with the Bear Mountain brand. I have used 100% hickory and a mix. The flavor is robust cooking everything from chicken to brisket. The Bear Mountain pellet price has been good and they deliver.

 

[1MoreFord]

................................... I have used 100% hickory and a mix................................

Bear Mountain does not make 100% Hickory. They make 100% Hardwood pellets.
https://bearmountainbbq.com/collections/frontpage

 

[Motodad1776]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here "ha", and say that the pellets which make more ash are likely "more wood based" than the ones that do not.

 

[Mozekian]

Bear Mountain does not make 100% Hickory. They make 100% Hardwood pellets.
https://bearmountainbbq.com/collections/frontpage

Seems most all of the Bear Mountain pellets say
"The perfect blend of 100% premium, all-natural hardwoods – no flavorings, fillers, or additives"

So if its not 100% Oak, 100% Hickory, 100% cherry etc...whats the added cheap hardwood they are adding to the pellets?

 

[1MoreFord]

Seems most all of the Bear Mountain pellets say
"The perfect blend of 100% premium, all-natural hardwoods – no flavorings, fillers, or additives"

So if its not 100% Oak, 100% Hickory, 100% cherry etc...whats the added cheap hardwood they are adding to the pellets?

Unless it says it is 100% the flavor wood you want, it is a blend. 100% hardwood means exactly what it says. Everything in the pellet is a hardwood that is suitable for using to cook with. Most of these blends use Alder or Oak as the base wood depending on where the pellets are made and what is the most common, easily procured, and cheapest hardwood. In the case of Bear Mtn. I *think* it's Oak. Some pellets, like LumberJack, actually tell you what is in their blend while many/most don't.