For those who consider smoking foods as a hobby or a career, they pay close attention to the selection of best wood pellets for smoking and consider it an extremely important task.
To give you a better idea of how important it might be, you can imagine it on par with learning how to season your barbecue.
In fact, when smoking, you not only make the meat smokier but depending on the different woods will create a unique flavor. Not to mention the blending of various woods also creates a different level of richness for the meat.
My reviews will probably show you a shortcut and save more time to choose among hundreds of wood pellets in the market.
What Is Wood Pellets for Smoking?
Wood pellets are fuel pellets from sawdust, which is pressed during high velocity making it compact into small pellets.
Wood pellets are more environment-friendly and sustainable than some fossil fuels.
There are also wood pellets for heating. This kind of pellet includes chemicals and other substances that are toxic to your health so that you couldn’t use it for cooking purposes.
Wood Pellets Vs. Wood Chips
They are both available in a variety of flavors. Wood chips are small pieces of wood about 1-2 inches. Wood chips burn faster and generate less heat compared to wood pellets.
Either wood pellets or wood chips are easy to use. But for wood chips, you need to keep track closely to add more materials if the smoker is run out of woods when cooking.
Last but not least, wood chips require being soaked in the water at least 30 minutes before smoking.
What Are The Best Wood Pellets for Smoking?
Have a glance at 15 best wood pellets for smoking I have listed to understand their special features, then we will evaluate later.
- Best Overall – CookinPellets Mix Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Contain hickory, cherry, hard maple, and apple woods; good for almost all kinds of meats, burgers and pizza, work well with all types of pellet smoker.” - Best Budget – Louisiana Grills Cherry 55404 Wood Pellets For Smoking
“40/60 blend of cherry and maple, available in bulk size with affordable price for economical use.” - Best for Beef – Traeger EL328 Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Complement every cut of beef, consistent heat and smoke with excellent nutty flavor.” - Best for Burgers – Bear Mountain Hickory Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Used in many popular branded grills and smokers, all-natural hardwoods with no flavorings, fillers, or additives, good smoke and flavor.” - Best for Chicken– Louisiana Grills Georgia Pecan Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Suitable for all smoking options, no artificial flavors, spray scents, glues or chemicals, ideal for smoking chicken.” - Best for Turkey – ASMOKE Apple Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Pairs with everything you want to grill perfectly, add the light and sweet flavor to your meat, fish and vegetables, especially turkey, authentic flavor without a hint of artificial taste.” - Best for Salmon – Smokehouse Alder Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Special blend of Texas mesquite wood and Pacific northwest alder, perfect for salmon, dried thoroughly for easy burning.” - Best for Cheese – BBQR’s Delight Apple Flavor Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Blend of 1/3 apple wood and 2/3 oak wood, complement the cheese and makes it taste wonderful than before.” - Best for Brisket – BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets For Smoking
“A hint of charcoal flavor for your food, all-natural 100% hardwood pellets, strong flavor, burn cleanly and leave minimal ash.” - Best for Pork – A-MAZE-N Apple Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Pure applewood, offers mild, slightly sweet and fruity flavor to your food.” - Best for Pizza – Traeger Grills PEL314 Pecan Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Make your pizza taste better than ever especially ones with bacon on top, steady burning with low-ash.” - Best for Ribs – Pit Boss Competition Blend Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Versatile and convenient, clean and hot burning, cover ribs with authentic aroma from woods.” - Best for Pulled Pork – Smokehouse Products Cherry Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Sweet flavor with a hint of tartness, add flavor to your foods, ideal for pulled pork and other light meats.” - Lumber Jack BBQ 7 Varieties Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Contain apple, cherry, pecan, hickory, maple-hickory-cherry, mesquite and maple, easy to use, great smoky flavor.” - Camp Chef Competition Blend Wood Pellets For Smoking
“Available in 1-pound bag each as a starter kit, contains 7 different flavors for testing.”
Wood Pellets for Smoking Comparison Table 2021
As you examine best wood pellets for smoking, it’s essential to go through some necessary information about dimension, weight, and flavor
Top 15 Best Wood Pellets for Smoking Reviews in 2021
It’s time to look into the pros and cons of 15 best wood pellets for smoking products in the market.
1. CookinPellets Mix Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best Overall)
Buying only one package and getting four different wood pellets flavors is quite convenient. CookinPellets features four hardwoods: hickory, cherry, hard maple, and apple.
This wood mix is suitable for almost all kinds of meats, burgers, and pizza.
In addition, CookinPellets is up to 40 pounds in size to be used for a long time. The packaging of the product is designed as a bag; therefore, you don’t have to move wood pellets to another container or bin for storage.
CookinPellets guarantees that their smoking wood pellets will not void any manufacturers’ warranty on your pellet smoker.
Key Features:
- 100% hardwoods
- 100% no filler: no oak or alder filler
- Mix of four hardwoods
- Comes in large quantities
- Will not void any manufacturers warranty
Pros
- Easy to store
- Convenient to use
- Economical smoking pellets
- Work well with all types of pellet smoker
Cons
- These wood pellets might leave a fair amount of ash after use
- Inconsistent quality
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 40 pounds |
| Dimension | 22 x 12 x 6 inches |
| Brand | CookinPellets |
| Good for | All smoking options |
2. Louisiana Grills Cherry 55404 Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best Budget)
The Pennsylvania Cherry Pellet is a 40/60 blend of cherry and maple. All the materials are sourced across North America to ensure product quality.
Louisiana Grills Cherry 55404 offers a lightly sweet flavor, which is excellent for light meat like chicken, pork, seafood and vegetables. They also give a rosy tint finish for your meat.
These wood pellets burn slowly and steadily in good length of time to deliver perfect results.
It’s packed in bulk size at an affordable price for economical use.
Key Features:
- Lightly sweet flavor of cherry
- Give great flavor to meats and seafood
- Burn slow and steady
- Low dust
Pros
- Affordable price
- Fantastic flavor and smoke
- Economical bulk size
- Covers many smoking options
Cons
- These pellets seem to produce more ash than expected
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 40 pounds |
| Dimension | 20 x 6 x 24 inches |
| Brand | Louisiana Grills |
| Good for | Light meat: poultry, pork, veggies |
3. Traeger EL328 Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Beef)
Traeger Grills EL328 wood pellets features three hardwoods: oak, mesquite, and pecan, which are perfect for smoking beef.
In my opinion, buying a mixture like this is very convenient. You do not need to think about which wood pellets to buy to suit cuts of beef. It’s what the manufacturer has done for us before.
Traeger Grills is well known for its variety of wood pellets for smoking and other equipment. All the wood pellets are made from 100% hardwood without any binding agents or fillers.
Material is sustainably sourced and manufactured by Traeger in the USA.
They provide steady heat, consistent smoke and excellent nutty flavor. They also leave the meat with mouthwatering bark.
The company strongly recommends replacing gas and charcoal with wood pellets.
Key Features:
- Product of USA
- 100% hardwood with no filler
- Mixture of oak, mesquite, and pecan hardwoods
- Offer nutty, sweet and bold flavor
Pros
- Well-known brand
- Enhance the flavor of beef greatly
- Give the meat a nice bark
- Convenient to use
Cons
- Pricey
- The wood pellets might get clogged if you don’t store them properly
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 24 x 2.5 x 16.5 inches |
| Brand | Traeger |
| Good for | Beef |
4. Bear Mountain Hickory Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Burgers)
Bear Mountain earns its reputation through high-quality products and excellent customer service.
Their wood pellets work well with many branded grills and smokers in the market. They are also all-natural hardwoods with no flavorings, fillers, or additives.
Another special feature here is that Bear Mountain wood pellets contain low moisture, catching fire quickly and creating large amounts of smoke. Therefore, it’s superb for making juicy smoked burgers.
Additionally, hickory wood enhances the flavor of pork, even chicken and beef.
It comes in a 20 pounds plastic bag with an affordable price.
Key Features:
- Product of USA
- All-natural hardwoods – no flavorings, fillers, or additives
- Less moisture for the perfect smoke
- Great smoke
- Low dust and ash
Pros
- Easy to heat up
- Work well with many grills and smokers
- Great for burgers
Cons
- These wood pellets are packed in quite thin plastic bags, so I recommend you store them in another bin
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 14 x 4 x 20 inches |
| Brand | Bear Mountain |
| Good for | Chicken, beef, pork, veggies |
5. Louisiana Grills Georgia Pecan Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Chicken)
These Louisiana Grills Wood Pellets contain Georgia Pecan woods, which are suitable for all smoking options.
They are food-grade with no artificial flavors, spray scents, glues or chemicals. Louisiana woods are harvested across North America to guarantee consistent quality through time.
You can use these wood pellets to mix with other woods in your own ratio to create the nice blend with flavor and smoke you want.
Last but not least, pecan wood pellets are ideal for smoking chicken. Their flavor pairs wonderful with the meat to make mouthwatering dishes. You should try this combination as soon as possible.
Key Features:
- Georgia pecan wood pellets
- All-natural hardwood with no artificial flavors, spray scents, glues or chemicals
- Sourced in North America
- Less amount of dust
Pros
- Able to mix with other wood flavors
- Go with all smoking options
- Great for chicken
- Consistent burn
Cons
- The wood pellets might disintegrate if you don’t store properly
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 40 pounds |
| Dimension | 18 x 26 x 5 inches |
| Brand | Louisiana Grills |
| Good for | Chicken, beef, pork, veggies |
6. ASMOKE Apple Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Turkey)
This product pairs with everything you want to grill in a perfect way. They add the light and sweet flavor to your meat, fish and vegetables especially turkey.
Asmoke Apple Wood pellets come in good shape and are made without any filler and binder. Therefore, they burn clean with minimal amounts of ash and fewer grill cleanups.
This applewood is handpicked from real fruit orchards and produced in several days after harvesting to maintain their freshness.
Asmoke pellets come from only pure applewood so that you’ll have a chance to grill your food with authentic and natural flavor without a hint of artificial taste.
Key Features:
- Only high-quality apple woods
- 100% natural with no additives or a mix of other wood chips
- Light and sweet flavor
- Consistent quality
Pros
- Come in good shape and quality
- Handpick woods
- Enhance the flavor of whatever you grill
- Clean and low ash
Cons
- Pricey
- It would be nice if they are available in a large bag size
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 17.91 x 12.4 x 4.53 inches |
| Brand | ASMOKE |
| Good for | All smoking options |
7. Smokehouse Alder Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Salmon)
Choosing wood pellets for salmon? You have come to the right place. These wood pellets are made from a special blend of Texas mesquite wood and Pacific northwest alder.
Alder woods are known for their neutral and balanced smoke. When it comes to smoking salmon, nothing can beat alder. That’s why I recommend selecting Smokehouse Alder Wood pellets for any grilling recipe related to salmon.
These pellets’ flavor is all-natural, so they’re food-safe and bring authentic taste to your ingredients.
Moreover, they’re dried thoroughly not to give you a hard time burning them up; and when burning, the smoke will cover entire the grill for wonderful and tasting meats.
Key Features:
- Comes in 5 pounds bag
- Special blend of Texas mesquite wood and Pacific northwest alder
- Completely dried for fast heating
- Bitter tree bark removed
- All-natural
Pros
- Easy to use
- Great smoke quality
- Wonderful smell and bring amazing flavor to your food
Cons
- After some smoking, these wood pellets might catch fire and you need to store a spray nearby for use
- In some cases, you might need to put them into the microwave for extra drying
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 5 pounds |
| Dimension | Not specific |
| Brand | Smokehouse |
| Good for | Fish especially salmon, beef, steaks |
8. BBQR’s Delight Apple Flavor Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Cheese)
If you prefer mild woods for smoking cheese, BBQR’s Delight Apple Flavor Wood Pellets might be your top choice.
These pellet woods’ flavor complements the cheese and makes it taste wonderful than before. While 1-2 hours is recommended for a complete smoke, it is also important that your cheeses become fully exposed to the smoke for the perfect flavor.
It has a capacity of 20 pounds and can use nearly 20 times. If you do not cook often, this high volume is enough, because if the wood pellets are not well-preserved, they will get moist easily.
This product also blends well with beef, chicken, pork, fish, or vegetables.
Key Features:
- 100% wood
- Blend of 1/3 apple wood and 2/3 oak wood
- Go well with all smoking recipes
- Packed in 20 pounds bag
- Provide nearly 200 uses per bag
Pros
- Natural, light and fruity flavor
- Great for smoking cheese
- Affordable
- Low dust
Cons
- This product might not be suitable for Rec-Tec Smoker so you should consult sellers for further information before purchasing
- There might be a lot of ash left after cooking
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 19 x 13 x 4 inches |
| Brand | BBQR’s Delight |
| Good for | Beef, Chicken, Pork, Fish, or Vegetables |
9. BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Brisket)
If you want a hint of charcoal flavor for your food, then go ahead and purchase BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets. I like to use it to smoke briskets. To balance the flavor, I often mix Jack Daniels wood pellets with hickory.
Since brisket needs to be cooked in smoke for hours, these all-natural 100% hardwood pellets play an essential role in creating the brisket’s authentic flavor.
It’s up to you to customize the mixture which suits your preference. You can also use these wood pellets directly, but the taste will be quite substantial.
These pellets burn cleanly and leave minimal ash.
This product is highly recommended for a lot of pellet-fired smokers & applications in the market.
Key Features:
- All-natural oak with flavorwood
- Consistent burning with steady heat
- Cleaning-burn
- Strong flavor
Pros
- Low ash
- Simple to use
- Impart charcoal flavor to food
- Allow mixing with other wood pellets
Cons
- Pricey
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 17.8 x 12.2 x 4.5 inches |
| Brand | BBQR’s Delight |
| Good for | Beef, Chicken, Pork, Fish, or Vegetables |
10. A-MAZE-N Apple Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Pork)
A-MAZE-N Apple Wood Pellets contain only applewood without mixing any other types of wood such as alder or oak.
In terms of flavor, this product offers a mild, slightly sweet and fruity flavor to your food. Moreover, its distinctive aroma comes from natural 100% applewood with no added fillers, binders or oils.
For fast heating, you could put the wood pellets in the microwave for extra drying before use.
These pellets go well with electric smokers, pellet grills, charcoal grills, or propane grills to enhance smoke flavor while cooking.
Key Features:
- 100% applewood
- All-natural product with no added fillers, binders or oils
- Light, sweet and fruity aroma
- Solid packaging
Pros
- Natural and authentic flavor
- Comes in small size for convenience
- Great smoke quality
- Great for pork
Cons
- It might take a bit longer time to light the fire up
- Because of its 100% applewood, it costs much more than other wood pellets in the market
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 2 pounds |
| Dimension | 7 x 6 x 3 inches |
| Brand | A-MAZE-N |
| Good for | poultry, pork and for cold smoking cheese |
11. Traeger Grills PEL314 Pecan Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Pizza)
Why not infuse your pizza with the aroma of smoke for better bites? Traeger Grills PEL314 Pecan Wood Pellets make your pizza taste better than ever especially with bacon on top.
These pellets feature 100% natural hardwood, which adds no binding agents or fillers to reserve the original natural flavor.
They are sustainably collected and produced by a well-known Traeger company in the USA.
The wood pellets burn well with steady heat and leave not much ash.
In terms of quality, Traeger Grills PEL314 Pecan Wood Pellets’ moisture to smoke ratio stays at 5% to ensure the thick smoke for your cooking.
Key Features:
- All-natural pecan hardwood
- No binding agents or fillers
- Slow and steady burning
- Moisture to smoke ratio stays at 5%
Pros
- Well-known brand
- Good flavor
- Low ash
- Burn fast and last longer
Cons
- You might find the smell is too mild for some kinds of meat
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 3 x 16 x 24 inches |
| Brand | Traeger Grills |
| Good for | pulled pork, chicken, vegetables, beef, and lamb. |
12. Pit Boss Competition Blend Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Ribs)
I love how these wood pellets smell when cooking, and meats, especially ribs, seem to be fully covered with the aroma from woods.
I usually stock Pit Boss Competition Blend wood pellets in my pantry because they’re versatile and convenient. You can use them with different recipes and still get perfect results.
You also don’t need to figure out how to mix a variety of woods before grilling and smoking. This product saves me a lot of time and energy so I can focus on preparing meats and other ingredients.
Last but not least, they burn hotter and cleaner for perfect taste and create nice barks for your meats, veggies and other foods.
Key Features:
- 100% natural wood
- Wood sourced across North America
- Has no flavorings and added fillers
- Comes in 2 packs of 40 pounds for more extended use
- Great smoke and flavor
Pros
- Versatile
- Great for smoking ribs
- Clean and hot burning
- Go well with a variety of smokers
Cons
- There might be quite a fair amount of sawdust in the bag
- The size of each wood pellets might be larger than other products so if you want to cook low and slow, you should pick another option
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 40 pounds |
| Dimension | Not specific |
| Brand | Pit Boss |
| Good for | All type of meats, veggies, and other foods |
13. Smokehouse Products Cherry Wood Pellets For Smoking
(Best for Pulled Pork)
Cherry is one of the most versatile wood due to its mild and slightly sweet flavor. That’s why smoking or grilling meats with cherry woods is a simple way to enhance food’s flavor significantly without a doubt.
Smokehouse Products Cherry Wood Pellets is my go-to product for smoking pulled pork and other light meats.
It contains 100% cherry wood with Pacific Northwest alder base wood. When burning, they form dense smoke and cover cooking meats so that the meats are soaked with smoky smell until finish.
Alder wood offers more balance to the mixture and makes these wood pellets suitable for all smoking options, including cheese, beans and other foods.
Key Features:
- Made in USA
- Slow and even burning
- Sweet and light flavor with a hint of tartness
- 100% hardwood with no additives and fillers
Pros
- Works great with smoke tubes
- Produce a lot of smoke
- Versatile
Cons
- It might be a bit smaller than you expected so if you cook often, you should buy larger size; or only use it to mix with other woods
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 5 pounds |
| Dimension | Not specific |
| Brand | Smokehouse Products |
| Good for | All smoking options |
14. Lumber Jack BBQ 7 varieties Wood Pellets For Smoking
If you are not sure how to choose the flavor of wood pellets for your smoked dishes, try Lumber Jack BBQ 7 varieties Wood Pellets available in 7 1-pound packages of different aromas.
You can take time to try each of these, and you can also mix them together to match the recipes. There are apple, cherry, pecan, hickory, maple-hickory-cherry, mesquite, and maple.
They are easy to use and require no soaking before cooking.
Lumber Jack BBQ 7 varieties Wood Pellets imparts great smoky flavor to your foods and make them taste better.
All in all, this is an amazing starter kit for newbies who are on the way to discover many smoking, grilling, barbecue recipes as a hobby.
Key Features:
- Made in USA
- Come in combo 7 packages of different flavor
- Available in 1-pound bag each
- Go well with smoking wedgie, electric smoker, tube smoker or tray smoker
Pros
- Trusted company
- Easy to use
- Allow you to test the flavor to find your favorite
- Bring fantastic flavor to your foods
Cons
- Bags are small; therefore they are more suitable for tube smoker
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 7 pounds |
| Dimension | 12.13 x 4 x 9.25 inches |
| Brand | Lumber Jack |
| Good for | All smoking options |
15. Camp Chef Competition Blend Wood Pellets For Smoking
This product is a great mix of woods for smoking. It lends an excellent flavor to meats including ribs, porks, chickens, fish or steaks.
These pellets are made of 100% maple, hickory, and cherry woods without flavorings and fillers.
I think this combination is good for everything and suitable for people who don’t want to switch pellets each time they cook.
Camp Chef Competition Blend has less dust and produces minimal ash when cooking.
Last but not least, Camp Chef delivers excellent customer service which you can reach whenever you have questions or need help with products.
Key Features:
- Made in USA
- Made of 100% natural hardwood
- Food-grade pellets
- No fillers or binding
- Combination of 3 types of hardwoods including maple, hickory, and cherry
Pros
- Pellets come in nice form
- Easy to use
- Unique smoke flavor
- Low moisture
- Clean burning
Cons
- These pellets might burn more quickly than you expected
Product Specifications:
| Weight | 20 pounds |
| Dimension | 21 x 14 x 4 inches |
| Brand | Camp Chef |
| Good for | All smoking options |
How To Choose Best Wood Pellets for Smoking
The wood selection is very important because it will decide the overall result of your cooking. Below is a list of the best wood pellets for smoking that you can refer to.
Hickory Wood Pellets
On a scale of the power of flavor, hickory lies in the middle. Hickory wood alone goes best with pork. Medium strong aroma of these pellets makes the meats taste richer and more palatable. Besides pork, it’s also good for chicken and beef.
Cherry Wood Pellets
Cherry is my favorite wood because of its versatility. When burning, cherry gives off a sweet, not overpowerful, fruity flavor that you can confidently add to the meat.
For newbies, it’s impossible to go wrong with this flavor. In short, you can use it with all smoking options.
Alder Wood Pellets
Alder is my other go-to wood when it comes to beef and salmon. Alder is often used to mix with other woods to balance the overall flavor. It complements the taste of beef, chicken, pork, seafood, baked goods, vegetables.
Oakwood Pellets
Oak can enhance the aroma of almost any foods you grill and smoke, including baked goods, fish, beef. I recommend blending it with different flavors for better results.
Mesquite Wood Pellets
Mesquite is the strongest of all flavors. Nothing can beat it when it comes to smoking beef and poultry.
Pecan Wood Pellets
Paring it with beef, chicken, baked goods like pizza, also vegetables, and you’ll be amazed at how good your foods turn out. Pecan imparts the richness to whatever you are cooking.
Apple Wood Pellets
Apple is the most commonly chosen flavor for smoking because it can go well with a variety of recipes. If you want to infuse the meats with light and a bit fruity aroma, purchase apple wood. Additionally, you can try it with chicken, pork, vegetables, burgers, baked goods.
FAQs
Let’s find the answer to your questions which you have in your mind about best wood pellets for smoking
My Top Pick
My reviews have elaborated on 15 best wood pellets for smoking products in the market. I hope it helps you reach a conclusion and find your best flavors for your next BBQ on the weekend.
And my favorite product is CookinPellets Mix Wood Pellets For Smoking for its easy-to-use, versatility, and rich flavor.
I am looking forward to hearing from all of you, barbecue and grilling hobbyists or pitmasters, about best wood pellets for smoking in the comment section.
