So you bought a pellet grill and are thinking about trying some different brands of wood pellets. But you ask yourself -which pellets are the best value for my money? What flavors should I buy? How can I tell which pellets are high quality and which I should avoid? This article provides a quick analysis, to help you weed out the bad pellets, to get to the best barbecue pellets. At the end of the day, the quality of the pellets you use in your pellet grill and smoker will have the greatest influence on the flavor of your meal.
Barbecue wood pellets have revolutionized the way people cook and enjoy their grilled meat. BBQ pellets are manufactured using different types of raw materials, including sawdust, planar shavings waste, and fresh green wood chips. However, the source of the raw material is critical when it comes to the quality of the final product. Pellet grills that use barbecue wood pellets manufactured by a round log pellet mill tend to be superior compared to those that use sawdust and planar shavings waste.
A round log pellet mill is designed to use fresh green wood chips as a raw material. The fresh green wood chips contain natural oils, resins, and other flavor compounds that are responsible for the unique smoky taste associated with barbecue meats. When the wood chips are subjected to the pellet mill's compression process, these compounds are squeezed out, resulting in a highly flavorful barbecue wood pellet.
On the other hand, pellet mills that use sawdust and planar shavings waste as raw materials, do not produce pellets with the same flavor intensity. That's why cheap pellets create heat, but usually lack flavor. Dry sawdust and planar shavings waste are often sourced from different types of wood and may not contain the same natural oils, resins, and flavor compounds as fresh green wood chips. Furthermore, the heat generated during the manufacturing process may cause the volatile flavor compounds to evaporate, leading to a less intense smoky flavor.
The source of the raw material used in the manufacturing process of barbecue wood pellets has a significant impact on the final product's quality. Pellet grills that burn pellets manufactured by a round log pellet mill using fresh green wood chips as raw material, tend to produce pellets that are superior in flavor, burn rate, and temperature consistency compared to those that use sawdust and planar shavings waste. Therefore, if you want to enjoy the best smoky flavor from your barbecue meats, it is advisable to use pellets made from fresh green wood chips.