Wood has always been a classic, tried, and trustworthy fuel source for outdoor cooking and producing smoke that perfect flavor your meat. One of the great options available for wood-based fuel sources is wood pellets.
This article will dive into how to use wood pellets in a smoker to give a significant and smokey flavor to the BBQ you are looking for. Wood pellets are a combination of compressed down hardwood shaving and sawdust.
Most wood pellets are mainly made of oak, a stable burning wood. Most of the air and moisture are removed during the compression so that you would have raw wood. Wood pallets have a lot of advantages.
They are meager cost and more accessible to maintain temperature. They produce less than 1% of ash, making for easy cleanup. They also produce lower carbon dioxide and are more energy efficient compared to other fuel sources.
Table of Contents
How to Use Wood Pellets in a Smoker?
Using wood pellets in a smoker is easy if you have a good guide. We’ll let you know the surest way how to use wood pallets on a gas grill in our detailed guide. Here are discussed 3 steps on how to use wood pellets in a smoker. Let’s get started with our article.
1. Start the Fire
Remove the grilling grate. Tuck a few crumpled newspapers into the bottom of the chimney, add some charcoal and light it. Wait for 15 minutes. Transfer the coals from the chimney to the cooking chamber when they are coated with light gray ash.
2. Fire up the Pellets
Once the grill has achieved the desired temperature, it’s time to add wood pellets in smoker box. Add about ½ cup of wood pellets in smoker box and adjust the pellets on the burning charcoal. Wood pellets will give you 45 minutes of smoke flavor.
3. Start Cooking
When the pellets have ignited, lightly oil the grilling grates, place your meat on the grill, and cook as you usually would. I advise you to add more pellets after 30 minutes. This will help new pallets catch fire before the old ones burn entirely.
How to Use Wood Pellets in an Offset Smoker?
Offset smokers are very similar to smoker grills, and hardwood pellets can be used in either grill. Pellets are great fuel for offset smokers because they are affordable, easy to find, and produce a lot of heat.
In addition, it also gives flavor to the meat. Here we will explain how to efficiently use pellets in an offset smoker and provide tips for getting the most out of your pellets so your taste buds will thank you! Keep reading to learn more!
1. Start the fire
Offset smokers consist of two main parts. One is a firebox, and the other is a cooking chamber. First, you need to get your fire started. Put some charcoal in the firebox and light it. When the charcoal starts turning white, put a big wooden log on the charcoal.
2. Add wood pallets
After about 15 minutes, put one cup of wood pellets on the charcoal and let them make smoke. Wood pallets do not burn for long, so you have to be quick. This smoke will give your BBQ extra smoker flavor.
3. Place your ingredients
As soon as the pellets ignite and start smoking, you are ready to start cooking your meat. Place your meat inside the cooking chamber on the grill and cover the lid. You can also put a pan of cold water along to give extra moisture to the meat.
4. Check the temperature
After covering the lid, let the temperature rise and keep checking the temperature. We would suggest you cook your stuff between 215 to 250 degrees. If the temperature is not high enough, ensure the fire has not gone out.
5. Open the vents
Ensure your vents are open to maintain the perfect temperature for your meat. It helps airflow in the smoker, and it is best to leave the vent fully open while applying smoke to your meat.
How to Use Wood Pellets in an Electric Smoker?
Electric smokers are suitable for beginner smokers, and you cannot go wrong with pellets. We will give some of the easiest ways on how to use wood pallets in an electric smoker to improve your BBQ taste.
1. Heat the smoker
The first step is to heat your electric smoker. The heat rods are found at the smoker’s bottom, and one or more electric rods heat the device and allow the smoker to simmer the meat.
2. Add wood pallets
Now add wood pallets to the wood chip tray. The wood chip tray is where you place your wood chips or pellets. The wood chips burn slowly, infusing the BBQ with a smoky flavor that improves the food’s taste.
3. Add water
The electric smoker water pan is on top of the wood chip tray, and you can fill it with cold water. Cold water controls the temperature and will steam up, helping convection cooking.
4. Place your ingredients
The next step is to place the meat and BBQ food on the grills, which roast the meat in the electric cooker. The electric cooker grill racks are primarily stainless steel which prevents rust.
5. Check the vents
Vents have two jobs. First, Allow the combustion gases, heat, and smoke to escape. Second, help regulate the temperature by controlling the electric smoker’s oxygen intake and outtake.
Wood Pallets for Smokers Walmart
Walmart provides several varieties of wood pallets that you can get and use easily. Here we have listed some best wood pallets and their benefits, so you do not have to worry about the next time you go to buy wood pallets.
1. Expert Grill Hickory and Oak blend
The expert grill provides 100% all-natural hardwood pellets that are conveniently available in 20-pound bags for use in pellet grills and charcoal and gas grills. Their Hickory Oak Grilling Smoking Pellets provide a blend of genuine wood-smoked flavor.
2. Pit Boss All natural wood pallets
Mild with fruity undertones, Pit Boss All Natural Fruit Premium Barbecue Hardwood Pellets enriches your pork, poultry, seafood, baking, grill up shrimp or chicken, bake your cobbler, or smoke any of your favorite meats. Made of 100% all-natural hardwood.
3. Kingsford Maple wood pallets
The fruity smoke of 100% pure maple wood is an excellent choice for most proteins and vegetables and pairs particularly well with salmon. No fillers. No binders. No dyes. No preservatives. Not just for grilling, they’re also great for baking and roasting.
4. Cuisinart California
The California Red Wine Hickory Pellets create a bold aromatic smoky flavor infused with the essence of hickory wood for a hint of a sweet woodsy taste pared perfectly with the oak-aged flavor. Cooks low and slow will create a juicy interior with that crispy skin.
5. Jim Beam premium pellets
These premium pellets are for premium cooking. These bourbon barrel pellets are made directly from the bourbon barrels from Kentucky. The smoky and smooth flavors of bourbon fuse well with beef, chicken, pork, seafood, and desserts.
FAQs: How to Use Wood Pellets in a Smoker?
How to use Wood Pellets in an Electric Smoker?
Put a small number of pellets in the tray at a time instead of trying to fill it. Spread out the pellets on the tray to decrease the density, which in turn allows them to smoke better. The pellets smolder better and provide more smoke.
Wood Chips or Pellets for an Electric Smoker?
Wood chips are small and irregularly shaped. Wood chips combust more quickly. This provides shorter, more intense bursts of flavor. On the other hand, Wood pellets burn hotter and steadier. This gives pellets the edge when it comes to convenience.
Final Remarks
We hope this article has helped clear some things up for you and how to use wood pellets in a smoker so that you feel confident trying out pellet smoking yourself. So, keep all the points in mind before cooking your BBQ. Until next time, Bye!