Compare the Best Smoker Pellets for Your Pellet Smoker

In this video, we will compare the best smoker pellets for your pellet smoker. We'll look at different types of smoker pellets and help you find the perfect pellet for your smoker.
Pellet smokers are one of the most popular types of smokers on the market today, and for good reason. They're simple to use, easy to clean, and produce delicious food.
In this video, we will help you find the best pellets for your pellet smoker so you can make the most of your cooking experience. Are you ready to smoke some meat on your pellet smoker? Do you have the right pellets to make the best-smoked meat? This video compares the brands of Smoking Pellets available in my area.
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I have included links for the Smoking Pellets on Amazon:
CookinPellets - amzn.to/3vgyGlC
Knotty Wood Pellets - amzn.to/3M73uwb
Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend - amzn.to/3JMvjs8
Jack Daniels Pellets - amzn.to/3rvthq5
Traeger Signature Pellets - amzn.to/3KQQWJ6
B & B Championship Pellets - amzn.to/3jQQ9M9
Pit Boss Chery Pellets - amzn.to/3Og5ZOq
Here are some links to items I use when smoking on my Pellet Smoker:
Inkbird IBT-26S 5G thermometer - amzn.to/3N1cYLF.
Z GRILLS Smoker - bit.ly/3LIQ2OT
Oklahoma Joe’s Rider DLX 1200 - amzn.to/3GgPnCL
Oklahoma Joe’s Rider DLX 900 - amzn.to/3wMjm11
Oklahoma Joe’s Pellet Bucket - amzn.to/3AxOyEB
Portable Outdoor Table - amzn.to/3dN5Cu9
Rubber Spatula - amzn.to/3yN9EeY
Chef knife - amzn.to/3uwJQQV
Carving knife - amzn.to/3p4P8SB
Cutting Board - amzn.to/3yLgeCK
Heat-resistant gloves - bit.ly/34YMyHP
Nitrile Gloves - amzn.to/3GgnWY2
OXO Good Grips Meat Shredding Claws: amzn.to/2SByEFs
Stainless Steel Tongs - amzn.to/3nMwf6V
Spatula: amzn.to/3Cws8Sy
Full-Size Aluminum Pans - amzn.to/3dLxfDM
½ Size Aluminum Pans - amzn.to/3yZ9l0S
⅓ Size Aluminum Pans - amzn.to/3uC3YBf
Wireless thermometer - amzn.to/3mpSv70
Instant Read Digital Food Thermometer - amzn.to/3tG5WTe
Butcher paper - amzn.to/34tlsVF
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil - amzn.to/2SDsMvm
Bristle-freegrill brush - bit.ly/3g6Mqs5
Stainless Steel Grill Brush - bit.ly/3skKD8m
Nylon Grill Brush - bit.ly/3op1UfN
Lumber Jack Pellets - amzn.to/3WgSvER
Cooking Pellets - amzn.to/3kdmAYO
Bear Mountain Pellets - amzn.to/3ZEdBjq
Traeger Pellets - amzn.to/3CPNdJQ
PitBoss Pellets - amzn.to/3GKooAb
B&B Pellets - amzn.to/3H4PkMg
Timestamps
00:00 Smoker Pellets Comparison - Buying Guide for Pellet Smoker Pellets
00:26 Intro
00:41 What are the 4 Things I look for in Pellets?
01:21 What Pellets are Available in my Area?
02:09 What is the Quality of These Pellets
04:27 How do I Store my Pellets?
05:16 Best Pellet for Smoke Flavor
05:57 Availability and Cost
07:25 Availability Online
08:10 Most & Least Consistent Heat
08:52 Overall Ranking of Pellets
09:44 Avoid making these 7 HUGE mistakes on a PELLET Smoker
EARNINGS DISCLAIMER
This video contains affiliate links for Southern Backyard Cooking LLC. This allows us to support the channel and allow us to make more videos such as this video. Thank you for your support.
#southernbackyardcooking, #smokerpellets
bear mountain review, smoker pellets review, top wood pellets

[@paulhughes8364]

I have diabetes and bad eyes, but i could have swore that thumbnail was William Shatner with a bunch of pellets bags🤣

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

That was my main gig for many years.

[@showmeyourkitties]

Stop! I thought this, too!

[@Ryan-yi6su]

Not pellets but marijuana

[@ryant5067]

Watched this video a few months back and since switched my pellets to bear mountain and have not regretted it. Thanks for the detail in this video and just subscribed.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I am glad you like the Bear Mountain Pellets, I sure do.

[@BBWsFiend]

thx Sir for this amazing review - by far the best & honest review

[@leahprescott509]

Thanks! New to pellet smokers so this is helpful.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Your welcome, thanks for watching!

[@tomrichter9079]

Love the B&B line of pellets

[@neygarcia8472]

I buy Pit Boss to save on fuel, but I use a smoke tube for flavor

[@Trumpetmaster77]

New subscriber here, great comparison video! I highly recommend the reteq pellets! Give them a shot!

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I may

[@philoreilly6019]

Knotty wood plum is my favorite

[@chrispurse3931]

Thanks for your 2¢. I like lumberjack myself. We have it available here in Dodge City Kansas. Good video.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheHungarianchick]

I picked up a 10 lbs bag of Traeger from HD to start up my brand new zgrill. It clogged the auger. Cleaned it out, and put the Bear Mountain in when it arrived. Worked like a champ. Nice smoke, very little ash.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Yes, I do not like Traeger Pellets.

[@kanklebreaker]

I think I will try out bear mountain. I have a new z grills too and dealt with a lot of ash from Kirkland's pellets. Cant be to surprised by how cheap it is but I think I will shell out a little more for bear mountain.

[@gearjammer2107]

I just started smoking, picked up a bag of bear mountain apple wood at my local TSC ... I couldn't be happier.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

That sounds great!. Thanks for watching!

[@mattnogalski9317]

Thank you for the information Don!

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

You bet!

[@robertschuster312]

I ordered some cooking pellets, they are about $1 lb and have much better smoke flavor than signature from Traeger, thanks for the recommendation

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Glad I could help.

[@ironKurgan]

Saw a youtube video by a well known pitboss and his chef friend, They did a blind taste test with all the big name brands with 20 people, and the winner was Traeger for slightly better smoke flavour and taste. This clearly show's that there is no difference in pellet taste since their is very little smoke flavour and taste in any pellet brand. I can understand pellet quality, because of dust/raw wood quality/etc in the manufacture. but outside that, no difference in brands.

[@ivanhamlyn]

Vermont Castings seem good

[@Mixwell1983]

Bought 3 bags of pitboss mesquite for my new austin xl and also the cheap walmart expert grill. Theyre burning fine but I did buy a bag of Knotty Wood thats supposed to arrive tomorrow. Cant wait to try em. Ive only done a handful of cooks with the longest being ribs so im still playing around with it. Definately didnt know pellet grills lack in the smoke flavor area, i do have a vertical propane smoker that i use woodchips for and while it isnt a set it and forget it, it isnt bad changing chips every 45 mins. I did have an offset that was pretty rusted and i gave it to a friend when i moved out of state, wasnt worth hauling it and im okay with the smoker/grills i have. Also have a cheap 5 burner gas grill so between the 3 im fine

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Please let me know what you think of the Knotty Wood pellets.

[@tomx7889]

The Walmart Pitboss pellets are different than the ones sold at Lowes. I had good results with Lowes Pitboss pellets until I bought the Walmart ones last month. The ones from Lowes are less powdery, darker, and longer. They also produce a better flavor. Even the packaging is different. Example - Lowes Pitboss Comp blend is in a nice, dark plastic bag. Not a lot of broken pieces. The Walmart one is in a bag like the one you showed. I am thinking Pit Boss provides different grade of pellets to different retailers.

[@deanm5325]

I get that you tested pellets readily available, but if you want to truly cook the best bbq my $ is with Knotty Wood pellets! I mix the two, almond & plum, and have the best results since I started using a pellet smoker 6yrs ago. And they are available online at Lowes or Home Depot! Just my 2 cents

[@BlueRhino600]

I have used a variety of pellets and I actually really like the pittboss pellets from Lowe’s. I think they give my meats a great smoke flavor, and are inexpensive. I’ve done 20 hr briskets with the boss pellets and haven’t had an over abundance of ash. I’m acting really surprised on how little I get when I go to clean. I am interested in trying the bear mountain though.

[@johnmanthey2683]

I have a Pit Boss pellet cabinet smoker and love it. I do agree with you 100% on Pit Boss and Traeger pellets. To me your paying for the Traeger name, over rated over priced. My favorites are Lumberjack and Bear Mountain. I prefer straight wood and not blends. My all around is Lunberjack pecan. Then I opt for Hickory, mesquite and oak. On a rare, very rare, occasion cherry and apple.

[@Ryan-yi6su]

Costco has pellets here in Canada $17 for 40 lb

[@PrimeDonut_]

Great video. I bought I pit boss pellet grill last week and picked up a bag of the hickory blend pit boss pellets and noticed a lot of ash. I was wanting to try to Weber competition blend have you used that before?

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

No, I have not ried the Weber brand pellets. They are not available in my area.

[@robinfarmer9134]

I really liked your video and found it very helpful. I would like to know if you can mix charcoal pellets with wood pellets.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

You can, but why would you want to? Using charcoal pellets has 2 benefits, they are waterproof and they usually produce more smoke. I do not want that much smoke in my meats so I do not use them.

[@williewatkins5069]

Is the pellets that don't break the bank and work the best in your grill plus lots of people want the smoke to find out that it was too much smoke for them.

[@GuitarBailey]

Bear mountain for the 🏆

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Yes sir!

[@2steps69]

Hello. First time watching your videos on these choices of pellets.. My order arrived today. I purchased the bear mountain gourmet and the hickory . I would like too know , what you think plus I purchased a 885 ironwood from traeger. Please what's your thoughts .....

[@ryant5067]

I have an ironwood 650 and exclusively use bear mountain gourmet blend after using pit boss and Traeger pellets. My food has been a hundred times better with just switching out the pellets. I also didn’t make any adjustments to seasoning or quality of meat. I now have much more smoke flavor and a better smoke ring. Can’t beat the quality for a 12 dollar bag from Lowe’s.

[@AGC828]

It's there any flavorless pellets sold eg from Bear Mountain or B&B? Fort times you don't want eg Mesquite Hickory... Etc

[@andreastullgren7595]

Finaly an honest review not afraid to tell the truth. I have a Traeger pellet smoker. Works perfectly fine. Steady temps. Byt traeger pellets have zero smoke. So Im testing and looking for alternatives witch are few unfortunately in the north of Europe. I can get Traeger, Pit Boss, Camp chef, BBQs Delight, GMG and Bear Mountain.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Thanks!

[@stevegrieb6596]

I haven't yet tried Bear Mountain but they do get great reviews and here in Texas I can buy a 20 pound bag for $9.99, so I'm going to take a chance.

[@andreastullgren7595]

@@stevegrieb6596 i managed to get 2 bags of Bear Mountain to a very affordable price! Will try a cook this weekend. Seems as if Bear Mountain prices are lower than Pit Boss and Traeger in Sweden, which I sure welcome if the reviews are right :D

[@stevegrieb6596]

@@andreastullgren7595 Thank you for the reply. I plan on trying the Bear Mountain soon. I'm only waiting on my wife and daughter to make a run to Amarillo. I'll keep you in the loop :)

[@stevegrieb6596]

@@andreastullgren7595 My wife and younger daughter do frequent trips to Amarillo to hit thrift stores, buy absurd useless things and just spend time together. Maybe I can encourage them to make a side trip :)

[@Plubes]

Thanks for the video… any thoughts on the Kirkland pellets?

[@kanklebreaker]

I got the Kirkland pellets from my local costco and I have had many issues with amount of ash that is produced. Additionally I have had inconsistent temperatures using them but I can't necessarily just attribute that to the pellets. Overall smoke flavor is good but I will probably switch to a more natural pellet and hopefully cut down on the ash. Nothing will beat the price of $13 for 40 lbs though

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

We do not have a COSTCO anywhere near me so I have not tried them.

[@kernlee154]

Thanks for the review, very helpful. Roll Tide!!

[@moblegames4833]

I agree Traeger pellets have no smoke flavor they suck and they are expensive as heck. I do like the bear mountain best also I always get them at fleet farm.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Thanks for watching!

[@Moorfeeus]

B&B all day- good review though

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

A good choice. Thanks for watching!

[@tlwayman]

Lumber Jack has 100% cherry and it works great

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

They are not available locally.

[@allisonpage8991]

If they are not available, how do you know that they do not work good. I live about 1 mile from the big pond on the east coast. I've have had a hopper full of lumberjack 100 % cherry pellets in there for 16 months and worked great. I prefer to use lumberjack ,bbq delight. Will try bear mountain next. Good video

[@ItsCarlnotCarla]

Pitt Boss is 100 natural wood no additives

[@randypowell1980]

Lumber jack should be in there

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I have not tried them as they are not available in my area.

[@timmyteague8362]

what you think of cabelas pellets?

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I have never tried them.

[@timmyteague8362]

@@SouthernBackyardCooking i am still fairly new to the pellet game but i went get a few bags, im satisfied.

[@maknbacon7367]

​@@timmyteague8362F.Y.I. .....Lumberjack makes Cabela's pellet's. Very good pellet's.

[@Chillomatic1]

You try lumber jack pellets?

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I did a review with LumberJack pellets/ Yopu can watch it here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp3PkKuXgpKbqNk

[@marineassassin9213]

I like the Lumber Jack 100% hickory, apple, pecan. They have a 100% which INCLUDES the bark of that tree where some essential oils are, and a NON - 100% which omits the bark in the grind. Traeger grills to me don't impart that much smoke flavor to the food so the 100% is a no brainer. LOVE my Traeger but sometimes I want it more smoky than it can manage. Every tool has some limitations. Unfortunately, the Lumber Jack company is saying they can't produce the 100% kind right now outside of a rare 100% hickory you might see. Traeger is overpriced and still isn't as good as the Lumber Jack 100% to start with. If I want something really smoky I COLD SMOKE it first and love my Amazi-n-smoker 3 row burner, and it's about 3 hours per row, and plug where you want it to stop with a rounded river rock that fits right in the trough. In a tall red Brinkman smoker shell, on a 60 degree day with no breeze, after 3 hours the slowly smouldering pellets still only raised the internal temp about 12 degrees, so PERFECT for smoking cheese using apple, or PRE-SMOKING whatever you want, including bacon, burgers, ribs, meat loaf, chicken, sausage, brats, chicken lips, whatever, using Hickory or Pecan. Apple is great for some foods that take smoke well and you want a sweeter less punchy flavor. I've no use for Mesquite or Oak. I cold smoke the jerky like pieces and ends ya get at Menards for $10 too, to spark em up. LIGHT your Amazi - n - smoker (ANY brand pellets are fine!) using your plumbers blue propane torch, and I shove a sliver of the lighter cardboard stuff in there too. It cuts easy on a work bench with a sturdy sharp knife like the one you have laying there. Like pencil width is all, maybe an inch long, to help keep it lit for the REQUIRED 10 minutes before it can go out, so it's lit properly. Doesn't take much breeze at first to blow it out, so keep the wind off of it. I've only used the Lumber-Jack, Traeger and Pit Boss. Lumber-Jack 100% hands down winner AND a value, Traeger (which uses Elder neutral wood as filler) and overpriced, and Pit Boss was completely acceptable too and a great value if you go through loads of pellets. Thankfully, at my local Midwest (Omaha) Fareway Grocery or many Feed & Grain stores carry the Lumber-Jack. Again, right now, Sept 2022, if you get lucky and find a dusty lost bag of 100% Lumber-Jack pellets, ANY flavor, just buy em! The non-100% was fine too, just not as flavor inducing at the 100%. Watching this excellent video makes me want to try some new brands! Well done, and thank you for the video.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

You are Welcome, and thanks for watching.

[@teslaslc3049]

Ranger treagar did amazing meats for. Crazy hickory flavor and bark. I got bigger Treager it actually does not produce same bark. Love it though no lifting

[@atishdeo]

Pittboss pellets that I started using is the worse. I will never buy again..He is right....and too much ash is produced,,it's not consistent

[@BabyDiego10599]

😂 I’ve tried all the good pellets at 215 degrees which is what I’ve found produces the most smoke and still no smoke flavor at all!

[@danthony8603]

I've tried so many different pellets and techniques and still NO smoke flavor. Nice juicy chicken but no smoke flavor. I don't get it.

[@beermaker1100]

I have found Pit Boss to be the best and readily available in my area.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

They are readily available in almost every area but I found them to be very susceptible to any moisture or humidity. This is why I rated them as being the worst.

[@beermaker1100]

@@SouthernBackyardCooking I have not hat that problem. I did with treager

[@Pje3ski]

I like the Pitt boss pellets as well. I try not to put more in my hopper than I need to, but I wouldn’t regardless of the brand because I live in humid Florida. So far haven’t run into any problems with them sticking together, but as soon as I load the hopper I tie wrap the bag closed to try and keep the moisture out.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

With the Bear Mountain brand pellets, i do not have to keep my hopper near empty. They don't disintegrate with the humidity.

[@diggernash1]

​@@Pje3skiI keep my pellets dry in the living room...priorities. lol

[@darrenbeller5440]

Bear mountain is good and my favorite at my local store is 11.99 for 20 pounds vs traeger 20.99 .Traeger to much ash and burns really fast.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I agree, it is one of the best, especially for the money.

[@michaelbradley770]

I've used most of these the treager stuff isn't natural they even had a class action lawsuit for i believe was false advertising for added fillers to get the flavor they were advertising. Bear mountain is a go to for me as far as smoke flavor added to what I'm cooking Jack Daniels is a close second but if you live in Northern climates and will use your grill in single digit temps the pit boss hickory seems to be the only one I've found so far that won't make my grill struggle to maintain max temp

[@Todd.T]

I've been using Traeger Pellets since 2009. With the oils, they were way better. Each pellet had a specific flavor/scent that was easily recognizable. I don't care for the new pellets they make and truth be told, the old ones gave me flavor and smoke ring that no other pellet has to date. They were so strong, sometimes I would cut the pellets with another weaker one on certain meats. I'm not sure why people worried about oils in the pellet. It seems more a pride/conspiracy thing. I have an offset, and that to me would be more of a source of pride than whether or not there was oil added to pellets. If I could buy the old Traeger pellets, I would. For now, I can get LumberJack and Cookingpellets. Pit Boss really brought nothing to the table. I did have good flavor from Weber Smoke-Fire pellets. I also use a cheap heating pellet at $6 for 40 lbs that tastes like oak. I checked with the manufacturer to make sure they don't use any binders that will kill me.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

The Traeger pellets that are out now, do not produce enough smoke for anything.

[@Todd.T]

@@SouthernBackyardCooking You can't even tell what wood they are. They all smell the same, what little smell there is...

[@brucerogers3253]

Wood pellet manufacturing for barbecuing is an unregulated industry.. that allows the manufacturer to say whatever they want on the bag just to get you to buy their pellets but you may ask how do I know well I'm going to tell you here in just a second... Low and slow will get you the best flavor when smoking or at least it's supposed to. Any pellet I used that have the color brown never did produce any blue smoke ever... I can smoke with an offset smokerand keep my pellets in tupperware to keep them away from the moisture in the atmosphere because moisture in the atmosphere is the pellets enemy... You can't get a hot fire if you have too much moisture in your wood because it will just sit there and smolder and create white smoke and white smoke is the phase of a fire that is supposed to be telling you that it's trying to get actually get up to temperature to where you want it to be because that's where you start to get the blue smoke that has the flavor in it that gets on the meat and everybody goes wild I can't wait to get more of your cooking but you keep using pellets that turn out billowing white smoke and maybe you didn't know this since you have been smoking for so long you just become accustomed to the bad taste of white smoke.. After wasting $150 buying different brands of pellets trying to find one brand that worked I picked up a bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets it was at the end of barbecuing season about December and I seen this single bag sitting on the shelf at Walmart so I picked it up I'm so well let's try one more so I brought them home and put just a small handful in the hopper and turn the grill on I went inside and come back out and then about 10 or 15 minutes I walk outside and just glance over at the smoker like I always do whether it's running or not I think it's just a habit just to make sure it's still there and make sure it just didn't wander off somewhere.. So I glance over at the smoker I can't believe my eyes all I saw was blue smoke coming out of the smoker mixed with no white smoke I mean it was so thick you could have cut a square out of the smoke in the air and and set it on your plate it was the blue smoke over I've ever seen in my entire life so I throw some ribs in there smoke them for 5 hours without peaking and Spritz the meat every now and then to keep it from drying out but after 5 hours of smoking there was absolutely no smoke flavor on the meat and you could have never told me they were in a smoker if I didn't actually see them in a smoker... just because the package says 100% hardwood doesn't mean there has to be any hardwood in the pellets at all but since everybody keeps buying the bags to create white smoke everybody just got used to it so they think that's how the pellets are supposed to taste... That's all from personal experience that I'm writing about.. I really did want to get good tasting barbecue from a pellet smoker but you'll never catch me buying another one I'm sorry to say so this actually is how they say it's too good to be true better save your money and buy a good heavy belt offset smoker and it'll last you forever,..

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

I'm glad that you found a pellet brand that you like. Personally, I will never use Pit Boss pellets again. They break down faster than any other pellet I have tried. A dirty smoker will always produce white or gray smoke when it first starts heating up. It is burning off all of the residue left over from other cooks. Then the smoke should turn to an invisible or blue looking smoke. It still should not be billowing blue smoke out. Thanks for your comments and have fun smoking!

[@Ryan-yi6su]

Ive been using Kirkland 40lbs for 17$ canadian, its not that great for flavor

[@buyingthedip8929]

You don’t mention the best, Lumberjack.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

They are not available in my area.

[@wsmc8275]

B&B is good quality. Trager is over priced hot garbage.

[@SouthernBackyardCooking]

Yep

[@Pika2508]

Tell you what I have used bear mountain, lumber jack and traeger, guess what…. Traeger always gave 100% more flavor to my smoked meats 🤷‍♂️ they do burn fast tho

[@ryanjofre]

Traeger must be making a fortune from all these poor fools!! Least smoke flavor when cooking and a distinct chemical/plastic aroma on the pellets. Pit Boss is terrible too. Bear Mountain has a good smoke flavor. I use B&B wood chips(from Texas)because they’re excellent and Albertsons always has them. I’m curious about the Cabelas pellets. 10 bucks for twenty pounds. It’s bone dry here so storage isn’t an issue.

[@curtisowinfrey4375]

Bro your spot on wife got me a traeger so I wanted to be safe and tried the signature and hickory no smoke flavor what so ever what a waste !!

[@uuzd4s]

100% personal opinion or reciting labels w/o any objective blind taste testing. In fact, no tests offered up whatsoever, it's just one persons personal preferences. The only comparison offered was cost per Lb.

[@rsxfreak03]

Geaux Tigers

[@ShaneT-dl8gi]

not a fan of Pit Boss