Pellets, Pellets, Pellets

Roaniecowpony

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  1. Bull
I'm about 12 hours of run time on my RT-700 Platinum Package with 400lbs of Ultimate Blend stacked in my garage. I'm already regretting having got the package instead of picking what I wanted. The spices and other accessories were probably a good thing as it pushed me to try new stuff, like the Grill Mats and Grill Grates, and spices/sauce. But the flat griddle thing just isn't me. I had a flat griddle for my komados for maybe 7-8 years until I finally gave it to a friend that recently got a komado.
But, really what's a regret is the 400lb commitment of Ultimate Blend pellets. They're not bad, just light on flavor.

I've been reading as much as I can find on pellets and still have questions. I do see that there's significant following of the Lumberjack pellets. I was wondering about Pit Boss pellets. They seem to be in retailers near me (Southern Cal).

Another question was regarding what is stated as discontinued Lumberjack "mesquite flavored" pellets on Amazon. Given the Traeger pellet deception scandal, should I avoid these "discontinued", "flavored" pellets?

Please share any relevant pellet information and experiences.
 
Here's some pellet info I posted awhile back, maybe it has some useful info? I haven't tried Pit Boss so I'm no help there. But, have you tried Rural King for the Mesquite?

https://www.rectecforum.com/threads/pellets-101.561/

Screenshot_20191229-145909.png
 
It's nice that folks want to be helpful and make suggestions for "what's best", but we're talking about a very much subjective idea called taste. What's light for you might be heavy for someone else, or vise versa, or some other level of variation. I would think that someone who is seeking a specific, or "better" profile begin buying various brands/species pellets. Many companies make 8 pound bags that would be a nice size for testing purposes. Yeah, the price per pound is high, but for experimentation that's a price worth paying versus having cheaper pellets that you dislike but feel compelled to "suffer" through til they're gone. Just a suggestion...………..
 
UB,
For my beef, mesquite is the kind for us. Not too much mesquite, but it has a tang like nothing else we've tried. If I can get 1 1/2 to 2 hours of smoke on my tri-tip without overcooking it, they are killer. For fish chicken and pork, I like cherry and apple. The hickory comes out for the ham on the holidays. That's about the range of woods I've been using. Although someone gave me some mountain mahogany recently and I used a little for some pork with apple wood. Pretty strong stuff.
 
Buckeye,
thanks for the post with the link. I had read that too. As for the mesquite blend from Lj, I'm looking for the 100% stuff. I don't smoke on mesquite for long, so I want the full strength of straight mesquite.
 
I still have 120 lbs of the original Rec Tec pellets 200 lbs. I have not had any issues with them. The last 40 lbs I have been on, I got at Sams for $15. They have been good so far, they are a blend similar to the RT blend. I have not tried Lumberjack or any mesquite pellets yet.
 
I still have 120 lbs of the original Rec Tec pellets 200 lbs. I have not had any issues with them. The last 40 lbs I have been on, I got at Sams for $15. They have been good so far, they are a blend similar to the RT blend. I have not tried Lumberjack or any mesquite pellets yet.

I still have 382 lbs of RT Ultimate Blend... I'm gonna have to figure out how to mix it.
 
I bought 3 different flavors of Lumberjack pellets using a holiday discount at Dick's Sporting Goods. The mission now is to burn through the RT pellets that came with the bundle package, so I can get into the LJ ones.
 
The few bags off lumberjack I have used were ok. I want to compare them more to the Cookinpellets I use a lot of.
Also In SoCal, (san Diego area)
 
There's different kinds of Even the Lumberjacks...did you try the 100% all wood 1 flavor style or the mixed? Because I've found this to be a big factor in all brands.
 
I inquired with the pellet forum moderator over on the Texas forum, a long time pellet head. He said "...most pellets that align themselves with pellet cookers have been good. Lumberjack are good, Pit Boss are good, Cooking Pellets are very good, Louisiana Grills good, Traeger are variable."
 
The best I could find for mequite and apple Walmart 8.88 / 20 lbs, free delivery over $35. I had to drive an hour each way to get cherry for $22/40 lbs.
 
I just changed from the RECTEC to Lumberjack. Is does not have the bitter smoke smell or taste of RT.
 
Just got my 590 right before Christmas. I did a bit of research for pellets that would make sure my holiday cooks hit the middle of the taste spectrum. I actually tested out a few via my gas grill, Weber, and Orions. So many cool ways to do great BBQ! I'm finally getting my pellet grill fix, and I decided on the Pit Boss Comp Blend for these start up cooks. I am looking forward to using more of the single wood pellets and see the range of the Lumberjack pellets and think that's going to be a lot of fun to explore. That HD bucket vac idea is amazing for switching pellets out. I'd appreciate any experienced recommendations for other options on blends.
 
Just got my 590 right before Christmas. I did a bit of research for pellets that would make sure my holiday cooks hit the middle of the taste spectrum. I actually tested out a few via my gas grill, Weber, and Orions. So many cool ways to do great BBQ! I'm finally getting my pellet grill fix, and I decided on the Pit Boss Comp Blend for these start up cooks. I am looking forward to using more of the single wood pellets and see the range of the Lumberjack pellets and think that's going to be a lot of fun to explore. That HD bucket vac idea is amazing for switching pellets out. I'd appreciate any experienced recommendations for other options on blends.

Ixolib1699,
I changed out my pellets yesterday. The hopper was down to 5-8 lbs of Rectec Ult Blend and I wanted to put in the cherry I had just bought. I used a small square tupperware like container to scoop out most of it, leaving maybe a pound in the bottom where the container was too big to fit. I scooped the rest out by hand in a minute or two and used a shop vac to suck out the residual pellets in both ends of the auger. But the bucket vac is on my mind.

My favorite smoking woods lean toward apple and cherry.
 

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