We tracked just how long the unit would run on 4 pounds of pellets, and we tracked this test using our Thermoworks Signals thermometer. We took an air probe and placed it center grate and another air probe within 1 inch of the grill’s internal thermometer, and here’s what we saw. Pellet grills aren’t exactly designed to keep all of the smoke in during a cook. There’s an open smoke stack that doesn’t have a baffle, so smoke can exit freely. I still like to know that the grill I’m buying seals well enough that smoke isn’t going to be exiting from every joint and seam.
This product contains wood dust, a substance known in the State of California to cause cancer. Use a dust mask or other safeguards to avoid inhaling wood dust or wood combustion by-products. Additionally, smoking wood pellets are safe as long as they have been adequately stored. Do not open your pit boss electric smoker bag of smoking wood pellets until you are ready to use them. Bags of smoking wood pellets that are stored directly touching the ground are run a high risk of being exposed to moisture. Many people believe they have to only use wood pellets that are sold by their pellet grill manufacturer.
Typically when smoking pellet usage will be around 1-2lbs per hour. When grilling pellet usage will typically go up to about 3lbs per hour maybe more. If the bag was properly sealed and protected from moisture/humidity after been opened the pellets are probably fine. Hence, when comparing prices, make sure you divide the price of the bag by its weight so you can compare the price per lb of pellets.
Then, using heat and other natural processes, they bind the sawdust together to create wood pellets. This website is intended to be an educational resource on BBQ pellets, pellet grills & smokers. All Pit Boss pellets are currently hardwood blended pellets. What Lumber Jack does provide, which many other pellet blend brands don’t offer, is the breakdown of wood species in their blends. You may not be aware of ASMOKE as they are a relatively new brand of budget pellet grills/smokers.
If there’s one argument I hear about wood pellets over and over again it’s that any wood pellet that isn’t from Traeger. But there are problems with pit boss pellets too, and I’ll cover that below. The wood pellets are all manufactured and sourced in North America, which might not be a pro to some people, but for me, that’s exciting. The reason you need to try the different brands is because the true composition of the pellets is not always obvious. Weber is highly transparent in the composition of their wood pellets but most companies are not. When you use high-quality pellets, you’ll notice the difference immediately.
We didn’t open the lid for 3 hours, and then we simply spritzed the pork with water from a spray bottle every hour until the 5 1/2 hour mark. It’s taken on a beautiful mahogany pit boss flat top color on the outside and was by far the best-looking pork shoulder in our testing group of 5 grills. The Pit Boss 820D3 comes with one meat probe to monitor meat doneness.
The reason moisture is so detrimental is because it can cause you to spend extra money. You do not want to waste your purchase by having to replace your inadequately stored pellets. Leaving wood pellets in their original bags may become punctured. Puncturing a pellet bag exposes them to oxygen or moisture. So long as you use a quality smoking wood pellet, there’s no reason why you can’t experiment with different brands.
As referenced in Traeger’s adjacent overview, Dansons ultimately worked with Joe Traeger in an unlikely joining of forces. Pitt Boss remains Dansons’ lower-end pellet grill line that has carved out a niche among BBQ chefs seeking greater affordability without sacrificing the low-and-slow experience. Traeger Ironwood Series – An upgrade over the Pro series, the Ironwood series gives you larger sizes plus a bunch of new features known ad DownDraft Exhaust and TRU convection. You also get Super Smoke mode, the option to push a button and ramp up the smoke produced. This gives you an insane 2136 square inches of cooking space, all within a fairly moderate footprint (assembled dimensions are 55.12L x 31.50W x 66.93H).
For instance, the GMG Apple blend is a mixture of Applewood, Hickory and Oak. Great pellet grills, just like the grill masters operating them, love to work hard and play hard. In addition to general durability, quality construction helps ensure even heating and evenly cooked food. All Traeger pellet smokers are solidly built, with materials ranging pit boss pellets from powder-coated steel to the 304-grade stainless steel found along the interior of Timberline models. Pit Boss’ painted steel is a minor step down, though its high-heat coating and porcelain-coated cooking grates are useful additions to shore up construction. Sourced across North America, the raw wood makes for a superior finished product.