Wood Pellets

Manchester Barbecue Pellets won a First Place Prize at the National Barbecue & Grilling Association 2023 Awards of Excellence! It was an honor to receive such an award, and we hope that more pellet grill owners will try our pellets and notice our superior, natural wood flavor.

We start with 100% natural, green hardwood chips and then minimally process them into barbecue pellets. We never use sawmill waste, such as saw dust, to make our pellets, which means more wood flavor with every cook. We also never use artificial flavoring oils. 

Find a dealer near you or order directly from our online store. We are also available on Amazon.

Many restaurant owners have considered adding barbecue items to their menu offerings. Whether it's brisket or pulled pork, Americans are crazy about barbecue - both at home and in restaurants. So, if BBQ is so popular, should restaurants try to get in on the action?

Restaurants like to add new barbecue menu items for a variety of reasons:

1. To attract new customers: Adding new menu items can be a way to bring in new customers who are looking for something different or unique.

2. To keep existing customers coming back: Adding new menu items can help keep existing customers interested and coming back to the restaurant. Nothing like brisket or pulled pork to get your customers coming back for more!

3. To stay competitive: Restaurants may add new menu items to keep up with trends or to offer items that their competitors do not have. Adding barbecue items is a good way to do this.

4. To increase sales: Adding new menu items can be a way for restaurants to increase sales and profits.

There are three factors that might discourage someone from adding barbecue items to their list of offerings: rising labor costs, soaring meat prices, and the lack of consistent flavor outcomes when using a traditional BBQ pit, which requires expertise and constant attention. That's where commercial smokers come in!

What exactly is a commercial pellet smoker? A commercial pellet smoker is a type of cooking equipment that uses wood pellets as fuel to cook and smoke food. These smokers typically have a large cooking chamber where the food is placed, and a hopper where the wood pellets are stored. The pellet smoker uses an auger to feed the wood pellets into the cooking chamber, where they are ignited and burned to create heat and smoke. The pellet smoker is controlled by a thermostat or other temperature control system, which allows the user to set the desired cooking temperature and maintain it throughout the cooking process. Commercial pellet smokers are often used by restaurants and other food service establishments to prepare large quantities of food for events or catering.

Commercial pellet smokers allow restaurants to offer a consistently good menu item (such as brisket), without the many hours of labor required for traditional offset smokers. Also, because pellet smokers are "set and forget," restaurant kitchens can produce large amounts of consistently good barbecue dishes, with very little investment.

Should I use an Offset Smoker or a Commercial Pellet Smoker?

Depending on where your restaurant is located, you might not be permitted to use a traditional offset smoker that uses wood logs. This is because log burning BBQ smokers emit a large amount of smoke (because they burn the wood inefficiently). So, if you are in an urban or suburban location, be sure to check with your municipality, to find out what types of commercial grilling and smoking equipment is allowed.  

Pellet grills are generally allowed in most restaurants, because they burn very efficiently. The main difference between a pellet smoker and an offset smoker is the type of fuel that is used to produce heat and smoke. A pellet smoker uses wood pellets as fuel, while an offset smoker uses charcoal or wood. Another key difference is the design of the smokers. A pellet smoker is typically a compact, self-contained unit that uses an electric motor to automatically feed the wood pellets into the firebox. An offset smoker, on the other hand, is a larger, more traditional-looking smoker that has a separate firebox attached to the side of the cooking chamber. This allows the cook to control the heat and smoke levels more precisely by adjusting the amount of fuel and air that flows into the firebox.

Commercial Pellet Smokers = Lower Labor Costs

An offset smoker requires more labor than a pellet smoker. This is because an offset smoker typically requires more frequent attention and adjustment to maintain the desired temperature and smoke levels. The cook must also regularly add fuel to the firebox and monitor the fire to ensure that it does not get too hot or go out. A pellet smoker, on the other hand, is largely automated and requires less frequent attention. The electric motor automatically feeds the wood pellets into the firebox, and the smoker is typically equipped with temperature controls and other features that make it easier to maintain the desired cooking conditions.

What Types of Wood Pellets Should I Use?

Wood pellets for barbecue are made from hard woods such as oak, hickory and maple, and there are many different brands of wood pellets available for use in pellet grills. In general, there are two ways that pellets are manufactured - either from dry sawdust waste from a saw mill (limited flavor), or directly from green hardwood chips. Pellets made from fresh, green wood chips are dried immediately before manufacturing, which results in superior wood flavor. Lower-quality, mass market pellets, which are available in places like Lowe's and Home Depot, are widely available and made from sawmill waste. Look for a wood pellet manufacturer that specializes in making premium pellets for smokers.

Conclusion

Adding barbecue items to your restaurant's menu offerings will increase revenue and keep your customers coming back for mouth watering items like brisket and baby back ribs. Using a commercial pellet smoker, combined with high-quality wood pellets, will keep your costs down and deliver consistently flavorful offerings to your customers. Using a pellet smoker to prepare barbecue items will allow you to produce top-quality BBQ at a very competitive price, which means more profit!

The economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is being felt globally. Both food and energy markets have been severely disrupted. A substantial amount of economic pain is being felt in Europe, where the Kremlin has used natural gas supply as a geopolitical weapon. Now that the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline will be offline for some years (if not indefinitely), the EU will need to reorient its energy procurement policies away from Russian resources, towards other forms of energy, such as nuclear and renewables, including biomass.

In addition to Russian gas no longer flowing to Europe, Russia, as of July 2022, has also stopped exporting wood pellets to the European Union, due to sanctions. This has created a perfect storm for European consumers of electricity and heat.

There are three general categories of wood pellets: low-grade power generation pellets manufactured by industry giants such as Enviva, heating pellets for pellet stoves, and cooking pellets for pellet grills and smokers.

In this article, I’m focusing on the supply and demand dynamics for home heating pellets used in pellet stove appliances, as well as pellet boilers used in commercial and industrial heating applications. In the U.S. market, the demand for heating pellets is largely dependent on annual weather conditions and heating oil prices. The increase in the U.S. year-to-date heating pellet price appears to be related to higher oil prices and other domestic inflationary pressures. If colder winter conditions prevail in the coming months, the domestic price per ton in the U.S. market could move up further. The current retail price for wood pellets in the Northeast (which is a key market), is $300-$400 per ton.

European Heating Pellet Prices are Now Higher Than U.S. Prices

Bloomberg recently reported that European Union wood pellet prices reached ~$600 per ton in September. Given that the heating season has not yet arrived in Europe, one might infer that the price of heating pellets could rise much more, as households attempt to reduce dependence on more costly natural gas. While there is room for prices to increase materially, a limiting factor will be that new pellet stoves must be installed in large quantities, in order to increase overall demand in the European market.

That said, the parabolic year-to-date move in natural gas prices, combined with the sanctioning of Russian wood pellet exports, means that there will most certainly be a serious deficit of heating pellets (for consumers who already have a pellet stove) until other producers can make up the difference. An article in Fortune notes that, “As much as 70% of European heating currently comes from natural gas and electricity, and with Russian deliveries drastically reduced, wood — already used by some 40 million people for heating — has become a sought-after commodity.” Given that it generally takes 2-3 years to engineer, build and commission a new pellet mill, we could see an EU pellet deficit for some time. Note also that LNG imports will take years to increase, due to limited port regasification infrastructure.

For that reason, European buyers have been increasing imports from American wood pellet manufacturers. While there is not a tremendous amount of excess capacity in the U.S. heating pellet industry, it is likely that this trend will continue and that American pellet mills will divert part of their annual production to the European export market.

Russian Sanctions Are Likely to Remain in Place for Many Years

Given Russia’s inability to achieve its military objectives in Ukraine, it is likely that the war could continue for at least another 12-24 months. The problem is that, even in a ceasefire scenario (which seems unlikely at this point), the US and EU would be very slow to reverse Russian sanctions. On October 14^th, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted unanimously to declare Russia a “terrorist regime.” So, unless the current Russian regime is completely overthrown, there will be no normalization of relations with the Kremlin for many years. The history of sanctions against Soviet Russia should provide some guidance. Note that the Cold War era “Jackson–Vanik amendment”, which was implemented in 1974 was repealed 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The key point is that once sanctions are in place, it can take a very long time to unwind them.

Conclusion

With demand for heating pellets in the EU being driven by high natural gas prices and a wood pellet supply deficit, the higher E.U. price level will allow U.S. wood pellet manufacturers to profit from exporting, despite high transportation costs. And with transatlantic container rates declining as global economic activity cools, we should see a steady increase in the flow of American wood pellets to European consumers.

Pellet grills provide superior flavor when cooking meats and vegetables. Many people ask if wood pellet grills are cheaper to operate vs. other grills. Specifically - are barbecue wood pellets cheaper or more expensive than propane grills? We hope to give you a rough idea of the cost differentials.

Grilling with propane costs about $1.25 per hour of use (based on the March 2021 propane retail price), for a 62,000 BTU grill running at ~75% capacity, which would mean cooking at medium heat level for most grills. An average propane tank used for grilling has 20 pounds of capacity. One pound of propane contains 91,502 BTU's of heat Because propane infuses zero flavor, many people add wood chips, which further increases the cost.

Pellet grills set at 225 degrees burn pellets at about one pound per hour.  So, the cost of pellet grilling is about $0.77 per cook. So you get more flavor for less money if you barbecue with a pellet grill vs. a traditional propane gas grill.

Barbecue wood pellet fuel is much cheaper than cooking with propane, offers superior flavor and is much easier to handle. Most barbecue wood pellets are available in 20 pound bags, so they are easy to carry. If you switch from propane to a pellet grill, it also eliminates that annoying trip to the gas station for a refill. After all, who wants to carry around a 40 pound propane tank on a Saturday afternoon?! Barbecue wood pellets can be ordered on Amazon and many other sites for easy home delivery.

To conclude - pellet grills are cheaper to operate, more convenient and offer better flavor than a propane grill could ever hope to. If you cook with a pellet grill, you will get the best flavor for the lowest price.

Pellet grills (such as Traeger, Pit Boss, Weber, etc.) are the fastest growing grilling segment in the United States. People who use propane or natural gas for grilling can control their cooking temperature easily, but they pretty much give up a lot of flavor because there is no wood smoke flavor when you use a gas or electric grill. Let's face it - who wants a steak that tastes like gas? Pellet grills, on the other hand, offer a superior grilling experience vs. propane and electric grills because pellet grills use wood pellets to smoke or cook your meal. Because you can accurately and easily set the temperature on your pellet grill, you have the same level of control that you get from a propane grill, but with more smoke flavor. Barbecue wood pellets for pellet grills are available at most local hardware stores and big box retailers. An increasing number of pellet grills give the ability to sear meats on direct flame or use the indirect cooking method by covering the flame box. With both methods, you get the smoke flavor that just isn't there with propane and natural gas grills.

Have you noticed that American grillers are starting to buy pellet grills more instead of traditional gas grills? Gas grills have been the most common type of grill on folks' decks and patios for many years, but now this trend is changing , with gas grill sales starting to decline as consumers look for better grilling options. Wood-fired pellet grills are becoming the top barbecue choice in the backyard and even at tailgate pareties. Pellet grills' user-friendly design and superior wood-fired flavor are loved by pellet grill owners and the best cooks. You can be come a BBQ Pit Master with a pellet grill.

People love pellet grills for a variety of reasons, but below are the top 5 reasons why buying a pellet grill will elevate your outdoor cooking experience to the next level, with very little effort.

1.  Pellet Grills Are Easy to Use and to Clean

One of the greatest features of a pellet grill is the fact they are very easy to use and to clean. Simply fill the hopper with the food grade wood pellets and select your desired temperature and smoke level. The pellet grill takes over from there as an electric auger feeds the burn pot with wood pellets from the hopper.

Once you set the temperature, the pellet grill automatically maintains it and feeds wood pellets as needed. Pellet grills are highly precise with temperature control from their lowest to highest settings (180-500 degrees on many grills). Most pellet grills can hold the target temperature within a 5-degree range, so they are very precise.

Pellet grills are also easy to clean when you’re finished cooking. Whether it’s a quick clean-up or a deeper clean, no effort takes longer than 15 minutes to maintain your grill.

2.  Set It & Forget It

With pellet grills, you can set the temperature and walk away. You get a wood-fired taste and there’s no need to constantly check the grill temperature or level of smoke. So, unlike a Kamado grill (which requires the periodic adding of charcoal to maintain temperature), the pellet grill runs on its own, once you fill the hopper.

Newer models even monitor temperature levels from your mobile phone. Traeger and Camp Chef now both feature, easy-to-use, WiFi controlling technology. Change the temperature, adjust smoke levels, and receive notifications from your phone. You can even remotely monitor the internal temperature of the meat you are cooking when using a pellet grill.

Have you noticed that American grillers are starting to buy pellet grills more instead of traditional gas grills? Gas grills have been the most common type of grill on folks' decks and patios for many years, but now this trend is changing , with gas grill sales starting to decline as consumers look for better grilling options. Wood-fired pellet grills are becoming the top barbecue choice in the backyard and even at tailgate pareties. Pellet grills' user-friendly design and superior wood-fired flavor are loved by pellet grill owners and the best cooks. You can be come a BBQ Pit Master with a pellet grill.

3. Versatility To Cook Anything

One might even say that pellet grill is like an outdoor stove. A pellet grill is great for smoking and grilling, but it’s also great for all your favorite dishes that are usually cooked or even baked inside your kitchen oven.

Barbeque

Pellet grills are now recognized for their quality and are even sanctioned in contests sponsored by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), winning many bbq competitions in recent years. The combination of smoke quality and convenience with pellet grills is unbeatable.

Pick your favorite wood pellets created from green woodchips (rather than low-quality pellets made with sawdust from sawmill waste), set the grill on low and barbeque. You’ll love the beautiful smoke ring, tenderness, and delicious flavor you get from home-cooked ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken quarters and wings. Fresh salmon, trout, and even sides such as mac and cheese are wonderfully smoky and tasty as well.

Bake

The beauty of a pellet grill is in its convenience of use. Anything cooked in an oven can also be done on a pellet grill. Pellet grills primarily work like a convection oven powered by natural wood fire. Indirect heat and smoke are produced from the grill's burn pot and then circulated around the pellet grill for a perfect, evenly cooked finish.

Bake bread, cakes, pies, breakfast casseroles, and delicious, wood-fired pizzas. Plus, when you bake your favorites outside in the summer months, you avoid heating up your house and kitchen.

Grill

Pellet grills used to only have an indirect heat option, but that has changed in recent years.

To improve the grilling feature, many manufacturers now offer models with perforated drip trays, direct heat over the burn pot, and/or temperatures exceeding 500 degrees. This allows your burgers and steaks to sizzle and get those beautiful grill marks and a good crust on the outside, while still preserving a medium to rare center, if desired.

Roast

Try your family's favorite oven-roasted or crockpot recipes in a roasting pan or Dutch oven, or new techniques such as a spatchcock roasted chicken. Winter holidays will also never be the same. Oven-roasted and fried turkeys are great, but – in our opinion – neither matches a brined and smoked turkey for the holiday season. Consider trying a pellet grill when cooking up that holiday turkey!

Braise

Braising creates melt-in-your-mouth comfort food by tenderizing the meat and enhancing the flavors of everything in the pot. Give your favorite cut of meat a sear, and then simmer it on low heat in a covered roasting pan or Dutch oven with vegetables, herbs, and a little liquid (recipes with stock or wine provide the boldest flavors).

4. Great Wood-Fired Flavors

All of your favorite dishes are simply better on a pellet grill. While there are many grilling options out there, nothing produces better tasting food than a pellet grill.

With pellet grills, you also have flavor options when choosing wood pellets for your grill. Each pellet flavor, or type of wood, has a unique taste that naturally complements and enhances your favorite foods. Specific hardwood blends are also available. Note, however, that "single-species" wood pellets such as pecan or apple may contain perfumes and other additives and usually contain lots of other woods like oak.

Experiment with different food-grade wood pellet options and find the flavors you and your family enjoy the most. Make sure that you never use heating pellets in a pellet grill. Heating pellets are usually cheaper than grilling pellets because heating pellets are frequently made from construction waste or other types of wood materials that could be hazardous.

5. The BBQ Community

With a pellet grill, it’s simple and so easy to make all of your favorite meals! They will only taste better, and options now available will improve evening dinners and weekend get-togethers.

Pellet Grill Barbecue Party

The versatility and easy-to-use pellet grill features allow you to have more time on your hands to spend with your family, on your hobby or to watch that game you have been looking forward to.

There’s a barbecue community on social media you can be a part of! Look for #bbqlife, #bbqnation or #traegergrills on Instagram and follow some of your favorite bbq masters and home cooks. Pick up tips and recipes and share your own experiences.

Let your new pellet grill lead you to new flavors and cooking with ease and confidence.

Wood-fired pellet grills are very popular on the West Coast and now they are becoming the new backyard go-to on the East Coast as well. They are user-friendly and produce superior wood-fired flavor that comes in a variety of natural woods that pellets are made from: hickory, cherry, maple just to name a few. It’s hard not to love a grill that gives you so much variety of flavor, is easy to use and clean and gives you a wonderful new hobby if you are looking for something new to try. We only listed 5 reasons people love pellet grills and we hope your next delicious barbeque comes from a pellet grill in your backyard.