What are wood pellets?
Today, the majority of pellets are made from a mixture of sawdust and wood waste. These are perimeter specialist packed before being warmly presented. It’s small and looks like a projectile, but it has a powerful impact. They are primarily used in wood pellet grills, and fans never cease to rave about the beautiful and extraordinary wood flavor they bring to their food. Basically no flavor gas or charcoal or anything like that.
- Pellets also come in a variety of flavors, which means you can enhance your cooked meat by using flavors like hickory, apple, or mesquite.
- This is why pellet stoves and barbecue grills are becoming more and more popular, as people look to further develop their grilling business.
Transform your charcoal grill by finishing it around some charcoal. Wait for the charcoal to heat up, then sprinkle a large amount of wood pellets under the stone grate. Wood pellets ignite quickly. This is the cue to start cooking, as the smoked wood smells nice. Close the lid to keep the smoke inside. Using wood pellets alone is fine, but if you don’t use charcoal they will quickly run out. Some people add foil or use a smoking box to curb their use. Generally speaking, his 1/3 cup of wood pellets he smokes for 30 minutes. On the other hand, a pellet tube smoker can be used to keep the wood pellets inside while connecting to the charcoal. This enhances the smokiness of the flavor as it enhances the smoke produced. Pellet tube smokers are also reasonable, so looking at them will be worth your time and energy.
How to properly use wood pellets into your grill?
- Mix pellets with charcoal
It’s perfectly fine to use these little wood snails on a charcoal grill, but you need to make sure you’re using grill pellets (not the heated type mentioned above).
Some people use pellets alone, but I like to mix them with charcoal. Alone, it often wears out quickly on a charcoal grill.
- Use a chimney starter
Light the grill using the chimney starter. If you don’t already have one, make sure you have a decent, solid starter (very cheap, but it lasts a lot longer), then check out my helpers on how to start a charcoal grill.
Transfer the burning coals from the starter to the grill. Replace the cover, but leave the vents fully open.
- Add pellet
Once your charcoal grill is warm, add the wood pellets to the charcoal. Try sprinkling a little bit on top or stacking piles. I just need to add some flavor here, so I add a very light layer on top of the coals. A good rule of thumb is to use about a 1 cup serving. This will allow approximately 30-40 minutes of smoking.
When the pellet lights up, it’s ready to eat. It is ideal to be patient up to this point. Because then you’ll notice that the pellets give off a lot of woody scent.
- Open the vent in the middle
Replace the cover and adjust the grille vents so that they are half open. Use a grill thermometer to gauge if it really opens and closes.
If you need more time, remove the cover from the grill after about 30 minutes and add more wood pellets.
- Consider a pellet tube smoker
Pro Tip: Try a Pellet Tube Smoker. These big little cylinders work by filling them with pellets before placing them on top of the burning coal. The pellets are then tightly packed. That means more grounded smoke is produced, giving food a more grounded and strong flavor.
What are the advantages of using wood pellets for grilling?
Unlike charcoal, wood pellets are undeniably more environmentally friendly. They are made from wood chips and sawdust, which means they are reusable materials. Make sure to stay away from pellets containing synthetic compounds or supplements, as they are undeniably toxic.
Wood pellets are also undeniably more energy-intensive (source) and come in a wide range of flavors and scents. Perhaps the most famous flavors are oak, hickory and mesquite, while there are more fruity varieties, such as apple or maple. What I especially like about them is that different flavors match different meats better. For example, apple wood pairs perfectly with pork, while a deeper wood like hickory can really bring out the best in meat breast.
Likewise, pellets are generally much easier to maintain because they don’t leave much debris behind, and they also burn more evenly with much less variation in intensity than conventional charcoal.
Wood pellets offer several advantages when it comes to cooking meat, they are not the best known fuel source for charcoal barbecues. Many people actually use different fuels such as gas, charcoal, and non-renewable energy sources. The biggest test individuals face with wood pellets is that they are hard to find. However, if you are lucky enough to have a place that sells them, you should try giving them a plate.