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Wood pellets are a popular fuel source for grills and smokers, infusing meats with rich, smoky flavor while maintaining consistent heat. To help you choose the right pellets for your next cookout, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the top-rated options available on Amazon. Read on to explore our top picks.
Top 4 Wood Pellets
- Best Hickory Pellets: Traeger All-Natural Hickory Hardwood Grill Pellets
- Best Mixed Pellets: CookinPellets Perfect Mix
- Best Gourmet Blend: Bear Mountain BBQ Pellets
- Best Variety Pack: BBQr’s Delight Wood-Smoking Pellets Variety Pack
Best Hickory Pellets
Traeger All-Natural Hickory Hardwood Grill Pellets
- $19.95
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- One 20-pound bag
- Hickory flavor
- Good with beef, chicken, pork, and more
- Made in the United States
- Available in other flavors
What Customers Are Saying
Customers were impressed with the results that these pellets produced with a variety of food, including cheese and salmon. Many also said that the pellets provided consistent quality and were available at an affordable price. A few disappointed customers shared experiences about receiving orders that contained excessive sawdust.
Best Mixed Pellets
CookinPellets Perfect Mix
- $32.99
- $34.69
- 5% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- One 40-pound bag
- Made in the United States
- Hickory, cherry, hard maple, and apple flavors
What Customers Are Saying
Satisfied customers recommended the CookinPellets Perfect Mix for its flavor and versatility. Several also commented on the quality of the pellets and the results they produced. On the other hand, a handful of customers called these pellets overpriced.
Best Gourmet Blend
Bear Mountain BBQ Pellets
- $18.99
- $19.99
- 5% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- One 20-pound bag
- Gourmet blend
- Good with beef, seafood, lamb, and more
- Made in the United States
- Available in other flavors and quantities
What Customers Are Saying
Satisfied Bear Mountain BBQ Pellets customers said that the gourmet blend provided a rich, delicious flavor as well as an efficient burn and little sawdust. Those who were disappointed said that this product was poorly packaged, arriving with spilled contents.
Best Variety Pack
BBQr’s Delight Wood-Smoking Pellets Variety Pack
- $39.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Six one-pound bags
- Apple, cherry, hickory, mesquite, pecan, and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey flavors
- Good with chicken, pork, ribs, and more
- Made in the United States
What Customers Are Saying
Satisfied customers said that this product was ideal for those who have just started using smoking pellets. In general, customers enjoyed being able to try multiple flavors from one purchase. Disappointed customers said that the flavor was mediocre and that the bags didn’t last for as long as advertised.
Buyer’s Guide
Wood pellets power your pellet grill or smoker and give your meat a distinctive smoky flavor. This buying guide will help you pick the best wood pellets for your barbecues.
Wood Type
Many types of wood are used to create wood pellets, including:
- Hickory
- Beech
- Alder
- Maple
- Oak
- Pecan
- Mesquite
- Walnut
- Apple
- Peach
- Pear
- Cherry
Bag Size
Wood pellets are sold in bags ranging in size from a few ounces to several pounds. Consider how large your grill is and how many pellets you need per load before making a purchase. In general, larger pellet bags are best if you want to use the same flavor for every meal, while smaller bags are best for experimenting with flavors.
Burn Speed
A pellet’s burn speed will depend on its size, wood type, and filler material, if there is any. How fast your pellets burn will determine how quickly your grill or smoker is ready for cooking and how frequently you have to refill the pellet container.
Ash
Different types of wood pellets produce different amounts of ash. Wood pellets that produce a lot of ash take longer to clean from your grill or smoker after a cooking session. You can tell if a certain type of wood pellet will produce a lot of ash by looking at the manufacturer’s product description and by reading customer reviews.
Flavor/Meat Pairing
Different flavored wood pellets pair best with different types of meat. Common flavor pairings include:
- Beef and chicken with hickory or mesquite
- Fish and vegetables with fruit wood, such as apple and pear
- Pork with apple, hickory, or smoke and fruit blends
- Turkey with cherry or apple
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between heating pellets and smoking pellets?
Both types of pellets are made from compressed wood. However, heating pellets are used in stoves and fireplaces to warm your house. They can be made from most types of wood, including woods that don’t taste good, such as pine. Smoking pellets are usually made from hardwood because it’s food-safe and has a good flavor.
Can I mix different types of wood pellets together?
Yes. Mixing wood pellets produces a unique flavor. Some brands even sell pre-mixed bags of wood pellets to save you from having to do the work yourself.
Which wood pellets have the strongest flavors?
Nut-related woods, such as hickory, pecan, and walnut, have strong flavors. Maple, beech, and fruit woods have much milder flavors. Generally speaking, darker meats pair best with stronger flavors, while lighter meats go well with milder flavors.
Why Trust The This Old House Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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