Best wood pellets have been widely used over the recent few years for many applications ranging from heating, cooking, and even to generate industrial energy. This research is aimed to help readers in making a better decision over purchasing wood pellet products depending on different needs and preferences. Some people look for pellets for heating or best wood pellets for heat. Some people only look for best wood pellets for home heating.

What problem people faces while buying wood pellets?
Wood pellets came in a various range of quality and species material. Sometimes, the technical jargons used in a wood pellet product can be highly confusing, making choosing your wood pellets a daunting task. Sometimes people ask one another “what are the best wood pellets?”

Best wood pellets for pellet stove
If you have only best wood pellets not a good pellet stove then you can’t get a good recipes. So you have to have a good combination. If you look into the bellow comparison then you have the best wood pellets to burn.

Wood pellet brands
In the bellow we have try to compare the top wood pallets so that you can easily decide which one will be best for you. From here you will be able to find best low ash wood pellets as well. We have also come up with the best wood pellet ratings after comparing.

Top 10  Best Wood Pellets Overview

“Among wood pellets, CookinPellets 40PM Pellet has the quality with great price and most user reviews during our research indicated overall satisfaction with all aspects. A minor issue will be its incompatibility with certain grill or smoker kits, especially with lower quality kits. Overall a very great product.”

What does it mean when it’s 100% hardwood? What fillers should I avoid? Is hardwood or softwood better? Those are the common questions people asked when deciding to buy a wood pellet product. This guide will attempt to help you understand the differences between the products, and make a better purchase decision.

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Which one is better for room heating applications? Is Hardwood better for cooking BBQ?

CookinPellets 40M Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets

CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets

Smokehouse Products 5-Pound Bag All Natural Apple Flavored Wood Pellets

Traeger PEL313 Apple Barbecue Pellets, 20-Pound

MoJack Myron Mixon Hickory Wood Grilling/Smoking/BBQ Cooking Pellets

Lumber Jack 100 Percent Apple BBQ Grilling Pellets 40 LB Bag

American Wood Fibers Bedding Pellets PinePellet Bedding, 40 lbs

Bear Paw Products Premium Oak-Pecan-Apple Blend Smoker Pellets 1.5 Lbs

Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lb Competition Blend

1 X BBQ’rs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets 1lb Bag

Ultimate Buying Guideline

Best Wood Pellets Product Reviews and Buying Guideline

Image	Product	Feature	Price
Best pick	Lumber Jack LJACK40	Made from actual trees, not just residual wood. Made using the bark and cambium layer of trees. This is the area where the most flavor in a tree resides. Made in a smaller diameter to create a hotter burn and more smoke with more surface area.	Check On Amazon
Best Budget	CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix	Top 4 hardwoods only 100% of what we say it is NO oak or alder filler 100% hardwoods Will not void any manufacturers warranty!	Check On Amazon
Runner Up	American Wood FIBERS PELLETS	Provide hassle-free use Super absorbent Available in a 40lb size	Check On Amazon
ALSO GREAT	Smokehouse Products BBQ Pellets	Apple BBQ Pellets use 100% apple wood blended with Pacific Northwest alder base wood to get a consistently mild, sweet smoke that apple wood is famous for	Check On Amazon
ALSO GREAT	Traeger Grills Hickory	Traeger Hickory Hardwood Pellets are great for naturally enhancing beef, chicken, pork, and veggies with full-bodied, bold flavor. So it should come as no surprise that Hickory’s assertive flavor is one of the most popular choices for classic BBQ cooking.	Check On Amazon
ALSO GREAT	MoJack 47202 Myron Mixon	Myron Mixon Wood Pellet-Hickory All Natural Hardwood No Binding Chemicals Smoke Grill Bake	Check On Amazon
ALSO GREAT	Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets	100% hardwood blend – Maple, Hickory & Cherry No fillers 100% Natural – No scents, sprays, glues or chemicals Versatile blend is perfact for pork, chicken, beef or vegetables	Check On Amazon
ALSO GREAT	BBQrs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets	10 uses per bag Bag contains 1 pound of grilling pellets Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Flavoring Resealable Bag Works with any type of grill, instructions included on back of package.	Check On Amazon

1. Lumber Jack 100 Percent Apple BBQ Grilling Pellets 40 LB

BBQ Lumberjack has been one of the top names in the cooking pellets industry ever since its invention in 2005. Specialized on wood pellets as its core product, the amount of research and dedication they put on their products are unquestionable.

Lumberjack is famous for their high-quality wood material. They always use 100% wood materials with no fillers, and it’s no different with their 100% Apple BBQ Grilling Pellets.

The product consists of 100% apple tree material, bringing utmost quality of consistent burns, authentic apple flavor, and efficiency.

Here are some notable features we found in the product:

CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets

CookinPellets.com is a major online retailer specialized for hardwood pellets. As the name of the company suggests, they only sell pellets for cooking applications. CookinPellets.com maintained their reputation as one of the best of the industry, having best selling products in major retailers for 2 straight years.

CookinPellets’ Perfect Mix is a mixture of 4 best-quality hardwoods available: Hickory, Cherry, Hard Maple, and Apple woods. They guarantee that no Oak or Alder materials, which is lesser quality hardwoods are included in the final mix.The product has been a best seller in Amazon and other various platforms for over two years, clearly a testimonial of its quality.Here are some pros and cons we found regarding the product:

American Wood Fibers Bedding Pellets PinePellet Bedding, 40 lbs

American Wood Fibers is the U.S.’s largest supplier of wood flour and wood by-products, with vast wood pellet products ranging from home heating use, bioenergy, and pet products.

Unlike previous products we’ve discussed, the American Wood Fibers PinePellet Bedding is not intended for cooking applications, but rather for pet bedding use.

Wood pellets have been widely used as beddings for animals because of their high absorption rate to absorb liquid and odor, and this product is among one of the best available in the market.

Here are some notable qualities of this product:

Smokehouse Products 9770-020-0000 5-Pound Bag All Natural Apple Flavored Wood Pellets, Bulk

Smokehouse has been a well-known smoker products manufacturer since the 1960s. Being a manufacturer with cooking products specialty, its wood pellets products are intended for cooking and especially smoking applications.

The Smokehouse Products All Natural Apple Flavored Wood Pellets is a hardwood pellet made 100% from alder woods. Its main characteristic, as the name suggests, is producing apple-flavored smoke to enhance cooking aroma and flavor. The apple flavor has a sweet and mild aroma suitable for grilling and smoking meat such as poultry, beaf, and pork as well as many other kinds.

Traeger PEL313 Apple Barbecue Pellets, 20-Pound

Traeger is a well-known manufacturer of grill and smoker kits, sauces, spices and is exceptionally famous for its hardwood pellet products. Its hardwood pellet products have many flavors ranging from hickory to maple, and the Apple Barbecue Pellets is one of its best sellers.

Last long for longer cooking needs, great apple-flavored smoke, and high-quality hardwood ensuring consistent and clean burns with high efficiency.

Some notable Pros & Cons

MoJack Myron Mixon Hickory Wood Grilling/Smoking/BBQ Cooking Pellets

MoJack is actually a hardware manufacturer. Based on Wichita, MoJack has been a well-known manufacturer of lawn mowers, hand trucks, and many other hardware. Recently they partnered up with the celebrity chef Myron Mixon to develop a wood pellet grill, deemed the Pitmaster Q3, which is highly successful in the market.

Along with the grill kit, they launched the Myron Mixon Hickory Wood Cooking Pellets, an all natural hardwood cooking pellets. As mentioned, Hickory is well-known for its flavor to enhance any smoke, grill, and barbecue cooking’s.

Some notable pros & cons of the products are:

Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lb Competition Blend

Pit Boss BBQ, as one of the most recognized grill equipment and supplies brand in the U.S.A, developed the 55405 Competition Blend Pellets with great success

Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lb is one of the most experienced manufacturers in the BBQ industry

The hardwood pellet utilized a 50% maple, 25% hickory, and 25% cherry blend to create a unique flavor of savory, tart, and sweet combination.

Only using North American woods, their raw material is also superior and is manufactured with a high-quality compression process to increase density and lower the included moisture.

Some notable pros and cons we found in the product are:

BBQ’rs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets 1lb Bag

Coming from the famous whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s that needs no introduction. The main characteristic of this product is how it came with Jack Daniel’s signature flavor and aroma.

Jack Daniel’s whiskey has been widely used for some grilling recipes, and using this wood pellet product can achieve the same results.

Some notable quaities we found on the product:

Bear Paw Products Premium Oak-Pecan-Apple Blend Smoker Pellets 1.5 Lbs

Bear Paw is a famous player in the BBQ industry for its ‘Bear Paw’ product, a paw-like tool to shred chicken, pull pork, and many other uses. Invented in 1993, they have since expanded to other smoke and grill products, including the wood pellets.

Their wood pellet product has gained recognition in recent years, and the Premium Oak-Pecan-Apple Blend Smoker Pellets is one of the best sellers in the market.

Manufactured with a combination of oak, pecan, and apple wood materials, the pellets produce a strong apple aroma, desired for a lot of grilling and smoking applications.

Some of the notable pros & cons of this product are:

CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets

The second product came from the same manufacturer, CookinPellets.com, so you can expect the same quality. The difference of this product over the CookinPellets’ Perfect Mix is the fact that it’s manufactured with 100% Hickory woods as its material.

Hickory is sometimes preferred for cooking and barbecue because of its strong release of unique flavors. Being a 100% hickory, this product will enhance your flavor with the expected quality from CookinPellets.com.

Some notable PROS & CONS

PROS

• 100% selected hickory material, fully pressed and not glued together
• Low moisture content
• Unique aroma, as expected from a hickory pellet
• Trusted manufacturer with best selling products on reputable retailers
• Consistent burns
• High-quality manufacturing process and raw material selection

CONS

• As with any hardwood pellets, produces denser ash

Hardwood VS Softwood: FAQ

There is a never ending debate of hardwood vs softwood pellets, and indeed, not all wood pellets are created equal. What is the main difference between both? First and foremost thing to remember is that hardwood pellets are generally heavier than their softwood counterparts. Meaning, you will get more pellets in a pound of softwood pellets compared to hardwood ones.

Why would this fact be a big deal? Because then, a pound of softwood pellets can generate more heat compared to a pound of hardwood pellets of the same quality. In general, softwood pellets will produce 10-20% more BTU (heat measurement unit) per pound compared to hardwood ones.

The density of the wood materials will also affect the waste production in the form of ash. Thus, a softwood pellet will generate less, lighter ash than the hardwood counterpart. However, hardwood pellets will produce a ‘cleaner,’ more consistent burns and will generally produce a better aroma, useful for cooking applications. In return, hardwood pellets produce denser ash as waste.

Which one will suit my needs better?

Some retailers, manufacturers, or even fellow users often claim that softwood is better for certain applications, while hardwood is better for the others. Some might also say that hardwood is more ‘premium’ than softwood. To end the debate once and for all, we will say that there’s no strict guidelines and rules to determine hardwood or softwood is better.

Rather, the manufacturing process, the ‘purity’ of the material used (100% bark and no by-products), and thus the end quality of the pellet, will determine its efficiency and performance more than the wood species used.

Which one is better for room heating applications? Is Hardwood better for cooking BBQ?

However, as a generalization, softwood pellets are better used for home reheating applications, due to more heat generation for efficiency purpose. Hardwood pellets, however, are better for cooking applications with more consistency and more pleasant aroma.

Pros and Cons of Hardwood Pellets

PROS

• Consistent and clean burns
• Will produce stronger flavor and aroma
• More widely available, especially those of premium quality

CONS

• Less heat generation per pounds
• Denser residual ash produced

Pros and Cons of Softwood Pellets

PROS

• Higher heat production per pounds, better for home heating applications.
• Less residual ash
• Can also be used for other applications besides heating and cooking, such as animal bedding applications.

CONS

• Burns a bit more inconsistent, hard to control heat
• Won’t enhance flavor as strongly as its hardwood counterpart
• Softwood pellet products are a bit harder to find in the market

How to Determine a Pellet Quality?

With that idea in mind, what will really matter in choosing your wood pellets is how clean the wood materials are, how ‘pure,’ and the moisture content of the materials.

The easiest way to determine a pellet quality is by smelling it. A good pellet with pure wood materials (100% bark preferred), will have a fresh, pleasant wood smell. If you notice any strange odor, commonly those of paper and cardboard, avoid purchasing the pellets.With those ideas in mind, the findings of our research pointed us to these 10 products, which are among the best of the best in the market.

• CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets
• CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets
• Smokehouse Products 5-Pound Bag All Natural Apple Flavored Wood
• Traeger PEL313 Apple Barbecue Pellets, 20-Pound
• MoJack Myron Mixon Hickory Wood Grilling/Smoking/BBQ Cooking Pellets
• Lumber Jack 100 Percent Apple BBQ Grilling Pellets 40 LB Bag
• AMERICAN WOOD FIBERS BEDDING PELLETS PinePellet Bedding, 40 lbs
• Bear Mountain BBQ 100% All-Natural Hardwood Pellets 20 Lbs
• Pit Boss BBQ Wood Pellets, 40 lb Competition Blend
• 1 X BBQ’rs Delight Jack Daniels Wood Pellets 1lb Bag

Ultimate Buying Guideline

After we’ve learned about all the best products available in the market, we would be able to understand the different qualities, unique characteristics, and how they may apply to your needs.

To make a better purchase decision, here are a few more things you might want to consider:

1. Price
   Depending on whether you are running a smokehouse or only using it for recreational BBQ use, your budget allowance might be different. Remember that you’re buying by weight, so divide up the price of the product with the weight content of the package to understand your cost-per-pound for each product.
2. Compatibility
   Some products are great with a certain grill kits, and some products with other brands. Although this will need a bit of trial and error, you can do a little bit of research through user reviews, forums ,and many other platforms.As a general rule of thumb, though, if your wood pellet manufacturer also has a grill or smoker kit product, it will go well with each other.
3. Residual Ash
   Every wood pellet will produce residual ash as its waste, so you must be prepared with some form of disposal methods.
4. Flavor
   For cooking applications, the flavor will be a strong factor in determining your purchase needs. Make sure to research your recipe and flavor needs before deciding to purchase your pellets. Pellets can greatly enhance the flavor of your cooking, but can also ruin it if the application is inappropriate.

best wood pellets editors choice
Based on our findings and research, here are some of our final recommendations

1. Best Cost-Per-Pound Cooking Pellets
   Cost will be a determining factor for most of us, and the best in this category are:

Winner: CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets

Runner-Up: CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets.

2. Best Quality
   Although this will be a debatable one, the winner of this category is:

Winner: Lumber Jack 100 Percent Apple BBQ Grilling Pellets 40 LB BagBest overall quality with 100% apple wood material, no filler and additives found

Runner-Up: Runner-Up: CookinPellets 40H Hickory Smoking Pellets and 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking PelletsBoth products from CookinPellets.com came with great quality, especially for its price.

3. Best overall Pellets
   Winner: CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets
   Great price, great quality, and most user reviews during our research indicated overall satisfaction with all aspects. A minor issue will be its incompatibility with certain grill or smoker kits, especially with lower quality kits. Overall a very great product.