For unmatched wood-fired flavor, Traeger wood pellets are your go-to choice. Whether you're a seasoned griller or a newbie, selecting the right pellets is essential for achieving epic results. Dive into the world of wood-fired cooking and discover the best pellets for smoking to elevate your culinary masterpieces.

Read this Traeger Pellet Guide to learn everything you need to know about pellet flavors, how to use them, and everything in between.

First off though, what are wood pellets? What makes a pellet the best pellet for smoking?

Traditionally, wood chips or chunks have been used in grills, smokers, and outdoor ovens large enough to use them. Grillers with smaller setups can also use wood chips or wood pellets in gas or charcoal grills by using a smokebox, and recently, wood pellet grills have been making BBQ magic at homes as much as at restaurants. Many grillers enjoy using hardwood pellets because of their convenience and effectiveness compared to other fuels.

Like wood chips, wood pellets are made from the byproducts of sawmills that would otherwise go to waste. The byproduct gets ground, dried, and then sent to a forming die. The forming die rotates while pressurizing the wood, and a knife inside the machine cuts them into uniform-sized pellets. Then it’s time for the pellets to cool down so they don’t stick to one another.

The process for making industrial wood pellets and flavored wood pellets for smoking food is the same. However, the best pellet makers are more selective in the types of wood they use. For example, flavored wood pellets will often source trees from local apple orchards and blend them with pecan or hickory.

Many revere wood pellets for being all-natural. There’s no need to use chemicals or glues because once pressurized, the lignin (an organic polymer) found in wood helps the pellets bind together naturally. The only added ingredient in wood pellets might be a hint of food-grade soybean oil which is sprayed on the dry wood fibers to feed them into the forming die.

Wood pellets typically come in a 20-pound bag, but the pellets themselves aren’t large or heavy at all. It’s easy to scoop your wood pellets into your pellet grill hopper, close the lid, and turn the switch to ON. Depending on cooking time, you may have to add more pellets to the hopper, but you never have to worry about soaking, stirring, poking, or prodding.

Working with wood chips can get tricky because you have to soak them so that they’ll burn slowly and long. Wood pellets, on the other hand, burn hot and long by design. You don’t want to get them wet, or they’ll quickly ruin. Experimenting with flavors is as easy as mixing and matching the flavors of wood pellets. You can buy popular blends, or invent your own.

How To Choose Wood Pellet Flavors

Choosing the wood pellet flavor to use during your cook, entirely depends on what you’re cooking. While the wood pellets can be used across many different dishes, the experts at Traeger have a few suggestions for which flavors go best with each cook.

Signature Blend Wood Pellets

The flavors of hickory, maple, and cherry hardwood combine for a blend that can take on just about anything you cook. From classic BBQ meats to fish and veggies, these versatile Signature Blend pellets give you a full-bodied flavor you’ll go back to time and time again.

Try these recipes:

• Beer Can Chicken
• Tortilla Soup
• Smoked Salsa

Pecan Wood Pellets

Deliciously nutty and even a little spicy, pecan pellets are great with beef, pork, or poultry. They add a great depth to baked goods as well. It’s sweet, it’s savory, and it’s everything you want for an epic cook.

Try these recipes:

• Honey-Balsamic Salmon
• Pickle-Brined Pork Chops
• Pecan Pie

Hickory Wood Pellets

Probably the most widely used pellets in barbecue, hickory pellets release a strong flavor that complements most meats. Some people find hickory can be a little strong and like to mix it with a milder pellet like oak or apple.

Try these recipes:

• Corned Beef
• Louis BBQ Ribs
• Smoked Deviled Eggs

Cherry Wood Pellets

One of the more flavorful pellets, cherry wood lends itself to applications where you want to add a hearty smoke flavor. These sweet, fruity, slightly tart cherry pellets add a delicate balance of sweetness and smokiness to poultry, pork, fish, baked goods, and more.

Try these recipes:

• Cherry & Pepper Smoked Cream Cheese
• Competition Pulled Pork
• Cherry Pie

Mesquite Wood Pellets

A favorite of Texas BBQ, mesquite pellets infuse your meat with hearty smoke flavor. That super smoky flavor is great for recipes that are able to handle a bit of extra bold flavor.

Try these recipes:

• Smoked Pork Chili Verde
• Chorizo Armadillo Eggs
• Meat Church Prime Rib

Apple Wood Pellets

Most often used with poultry and pork, apple pellets offer a light fruity smoke that helps enhance mild flavored meats. These wood pellets are also excellent for when you want to make baked goods on your grill.

Try these recipes:

• Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
• Garlic Bread
• Applewood Smoked Bacon

Best Pellets for Brisket:

Pecan pellets offer a subtle nuttiness that goes well with the rich flavor of smoked brisket. If you’d like a deeper dive into the best pellets for brisket take a look at our guide.

Best Pellets for Chicken:

Mesquite pellets deliver a bold punch of flavor that shines in grilled chicken and other poultry.

Best Pellets for Ribs:

Hickory pellets provide a bold, assertive flavor that enhances BBQ pork ribs.

Best Pellets for Ham:

Apple pellets have a subtle touch of fruitiness that goes well with the sweet & salty taste of ham.

Best Pellets for Steak:

Cherry pellets have a hearty flavor that stands up to the rich, beefy taste of steak.

Best Pellets for Turkey:

Turkey Blend pellets feature Maple & Hickory accented with a hint of Rosemary to elevate your turkey’s flavor whether it’s roasted or slow-smoked. Pro tip: Read our guide on the best pellets for turkey so you’re more than prepared for Thanksgiving.

*Subject to seasonal availability.

Best Pellets for Pulled Pork:

Apple pellets have a slightly sweet taste that pairs perfectly with tender, slow-smoked pulled pork.

Best Pellets for Smoked Salmon:

Cherry pellets will add a subtle sweetness with a. touch of fruitiness, complementing the fish’s flavor. Perfect for the delicate nature of smoked salmon.

Choosing the best pellets for smoking comes down to:

1. Wood type and flavor
2. Quality and purity
3. Burn efficiency

Luckily, with Traeger wood pellets, you get all three of those things. Traeger wood pellets use high-quality, all-natural hardwood pellets to achieve consistent, flavorful smoke. These pellets are free from additives and binders, ensuring pure hardwood flavor. They are also engineered for an optimal moisture ratio, which is crucial for producing the best thin, blue smoke rather than bitter white smoke (AKA that wood-fired flavor you love).

As you already know, Traeger also offers a wide range of wood pellet flavors that allow for a customizable cooking experience.

Using wood pellets when cooking is not only extremely simple but will also transform your cooking. Fill the pellet hopper with your desired pellet, set the desired temperature (Pro Tip: You can also do this in the app), and the grill does the rest. Once the grill reaches temperature, place your food on the grates and let the wood-fired magic happen. As the pellets burn, they infuse your food with delicious wood-fired flavor, turning ordinary dishes into culinary masterpieces. Learn how to properly store your pellets and change them out by reading our articles.

How Long Does A Bag Of Wood Pellets Last

This all depends on favors like the temperature you’re cooking at, grill type, and size of the bag. On average, an 18-20 pound page of wood pellets can last anywhere from 6-20 hours. If you’re cooking at higher temperatures (like grilling), you might go through a bag in about 6 hours, while lower temperatures (like smoking) could last up to 20 hours.

In order to keep your quality pellets at peak performance, you need to know how to store wood pellets properly. The most important part of storing your pellets is keeping them dry. Keep them dry and airtight like in a staydry pellet bin. If you want to keep them in an unopened bag, that’s fine as long as you live in a drier region. If you live somewhere with a lot of humidity, the moisture can seep into an unopened bag and add moisture to your pellets.

How to Change and Remove Pellets

The more you use your Traeger, the more you’ll need to swap pellets whether it’s because you want a new pellet flavor, because you’re out, or because you won’t be grilling for a bit. Make sure to learn how to change and remove pellets by reading our article.