Cooking pellets are hardwood sawdust pressed into small rods, held together by the wood's own lignin, with no glue. Buy food grade hardwood pellets in a flavor you like, never heating pellets. Keep them dry and sealed: damp pellets swell into sawdust and can jam the auger. A typical hopper holds 20 lb, about 10 to 20 hours of smoking.
Types of pellets
- Single wood: every pellet is one species, such as hickory, cherry or mesquite. The clearest flavor, usually the dearest.
- Blends: a mix such as hickory, maple and cherry, built as an all rounder. Most pellet grill owners start here.
- Flavor on a base wood: some pellets are mostly a mild base wood like oak or alder, with a share of the named flavor wood. They burn steadily and cost less; the bag's ingredient list says which you have.
- Heating pellets: made for stoves, not food. They can contain softwoods and other material. Never cook with them.
Which flavor suits which meat is the same as for any smoking wood: our smoking wood chart pairs them.
How long a hopper of pellets lasts
A pellet grill burns roughly 1 to 2 lb an hour when smoking, and more when it runs hot or in cold and wind. Here are the hopper sizes on the 19 pellet grills we have scored that print one, from the makers' specs, and how long a full one lasts when smoking.
A standard bag is 20 lb, so a typical hopper takes about one bag. For an overnight brisket, start with a full hopper and check it once.
How to store pellets
Moisture is the only real enemy. Pellets that take on water swell, split and fall apart into sawdust. In the hopper, that sawdust can jam the auger and smother the firepot, which means a stalled cook and a messy cleanout.
Stored dry and sealed, pellets keep for many months. Shiny, hard pellets that snap cleanly are good; dull, crumbly ones that bend or smell musty have taken on moisture.
DoA sealed bucket or bin with a lid, indoors or in a dry garage.
DoOff the floor, on a shelf, away from damp concrete.
DoSift out the dust before filling the hopper; dust smolders and can jam the auger.
AvoidAn open bag outside, even under a cover. Humid air alone softens pellets.
AvoidA full hopper left for weeks or over winter. Empty it after the season.
AvoidHeating pellets, which may contain softwood and binders not meant for food.
Our top pellet grills
Questions people ask
- Can you mix pellet brands or flavors?
- Yes. Pellets from different makers burn much the same, and mixing flavors is a good way to build your own blend. Run the hopper low before switching if you want a clean change of flavor.
- Do I have to use my grill maker's pellets?
- No. Any food grade hardwood pellets work. Check the warranty, though: a few makers say other pellets can affect coverage, so read yours.
- Can I leave pellets in the hopper?
- For a few days in dry weather, yes. For weeks, or through a damp season, empty the hopper; many grills have a trap door for it.
- Do pellets go bad?
- Not if they stay dry. Damp pellets crumble and burn poorly; throw them out rather than risk a jammed auger.
- Can I use pellets on a gas or charcoal grill?
- Yes, in a smoke tube or a smoker box. Our guide to smoking on a gas grill shows how.