Best pellet for smoked turkey

[PaulTSenior]

Going to smoke our Thanksgiving turkey this year. Looking for pellet / brine recommendations. Thanks in advance.

 

[mixed up]

look up the best brine recipe my go to is butter milk bay leaf garlic , salt and I smoke mine with apple but everyone has the favorite

 

[Jimsmokes]

For a whole turkey I like apple wood. For a brine try Naturiffic or Meat Church for store bought.

 

[Private]

Apple is very good. I personally like pecan (getting hard to find 100% pecan). I have used maple with good results. A buddy uses beech or alder because they are very mild (also great for fish and cheese). I love mesquite, but it is REALLy easy to get it too strong for most people (my wife has threatened my life if I ever use mesquite on poultry again).

 

[Dad_Roman]

Did ours like this last year....best we ever had.

B&B Championship blend....all the fruits

 

[Redoctapus]

Did ours like this last year....best we ever had.

B&B Championship blend....all the fruits

Smoking and flavoring with wood: .

Alder — the wood of choice for Pacific salmon, but also good for most seafood, pork,
poultry, and other white meats, because of its light and sweet flavor.

Apple — light and fruity, and works well for the same foods as alder, except for swordfish.

Cherry — also a mild and fruity wood, suited to almost everything from beef to
chicken and pork to salmon, but again, not swordfish.

Grapevine — described as tart, and good with poultry, red meats, and wild game, but
not lamb or fish.

Hickory — tends to impart a stronger flavor, and is better suited to red meat and game.

Maple — sweet and mild, good for pork and poultry; less popular for fish.

Mesquite — a strong wood, also described as sweet, particularly good for red and dark
meats. Not so good for lamb, and imparts a bitter taste to swordfish.

Mountain mahogany — hard to come by, but mild and well-suited to poultry, beef and
salmon.

Oak — for many, the wood of choice for beef, but also good for any full-flavor meat,
including mutton and wild game.

Pecan — another mid-range wood, with more flavor than the fruit trees, but less than
hickory and mesquite. Good for white meats.

We haven’t come across anyone who grills with pear wood, or peach,
plum or crabapple either, for that matter. But it is probably more an issue of availability and cost. In any event, just keep them away from that swordfish. idk

 

[Redoctapus]

Smoking and flavoring with wood: .

Alder — the wood of choice for Pacific salmon, but also good for most seafood, pork,
poultry, and other white meats, because of its light and sweet flavor.

Apple — light and fruity, and works well for the same foods as alder, except for swordfish.

Cherry — also a mild and fruity wood, suited to almost everything from beef to
chicken and pork to salmon, but again, not swordfish.

Grapevine — described as tart, and good with poultry, red meats, and wild game, but
not lamb or fish.

Hickory — tends to impart a stronger flavor, and is better suited to red meat and game.

Maple — sweet and mild, good for pork and poultry; less popular for fish.

Mesquite — a strong wood, also described as sweet, particularly good for red and dark
meats. Not so good for lamb, and imparts a bitter taste to swordfish.

Mountain mahogany — hard to come by, but mild and well-suited to poultry, beef and
salmon.

Oak — for many, the wood of choice for beef, but also good for any full-flavor meat,
including mutton and wild game.

Pecan — another mid-range wood, with more flavor than the fruit trees, but less than
hickory and mesquite. Good for white meats.

We haven’t come across anyone who grills with pear wood, or peach,
plum or crabapple either, for that matter. But it is probably more an issue of availability and cost. In any event, just keep them away from that swordfish. idk

Buttonwood for swordfish...

 

[MKinHB]

I put my swordies on the grill with spike seasoning

 

[Private]

Smoking and flavoring with wood: .

Alder — the wood of choice for Pacific salmon, but also good for most seafood, pork,
poultry, and other white meats, because of its light and sweet flavor.

Apple — light and fruity, and works well for the same foods as alder, except for swordfish.

Cherry — also a mild and fruity wood, suited to almost everything from beef to
chicken and pork to salmon, but again, not swordfish.

Grapevine — described as tart, and good with poultry, red meats, and wild game, but
not lamb or fish.

Hickory — tends to impart a stronger flavor, and is better suited to red meat and game.

Maple — sweet and mild, good for pork and poultry; less popular for fish.

Mesquite — a strong wood, also described as sweet, particularly good for red and dark
meats. Not so good for lamb, and imparts a bitter taste to swordfish.

Mountain mahogany — hard to come by, but mild and well-suited to poultry, beef and
salmon.

Oak — for many, the wood of choice for beef, but also good for any full-flavor meat,
including mutton and wild game.

Pecan — another mid-range wood, with more flavor than the fruit trees, but less than
hickory and mesquite. Good for white meats.

We haven’t come across anyone who grills with pear wood, or peach,
plum or crabapple either, for that matter. But it is probably more an issue of availability and cost. In any event, just keep them away from that swordfish. idk

There is a company near Sacramento called Knotty Woods that makes plum and almond pellets from trees from the orchards in the valley. I got some at a trade show to sample but I haven't gotten around to it (I am embarrassed about it because they gave me the pellets more than a year ago and I had forgotten about them)

I had pork smoked on almond (from a stick burner at the Harris Ranch BBQ off I-5) and it seemed pretty good, but hard to really tell because of the rub. Pitmaster just cut me off a little piece to try (we were talking smoking while I waited for some people to show up). I want to try it on poultry. I like to try new varieties of pellets on chicken first because it is so mild.


I saw some peach pellets displayed at a trade show last year (I think?). I couldn't get them to let me have (or buy) a sample.

I know a few people who really like charcoal/hickory blend pellets (lumberjack makes them - others may too). I have never tried them.

Lots of choices out there.

 

[Redoctapus]

There is a company near Sacramento called Knotty Woods that makes plum and almond pellets from trees from the orchards in the valley. I got some at a trade show to sample but I haven't gotten around to it (I am embarrassed about it because they gave me the pellets more than a year ago and I had forgotten about them)

I had pork smoked on almond (from a stick burner at the Harris Ranch BBQ off I-5) and it seemed pretty good, but hard to really tell because of the rub. Pitmaster just cut me off a little piece to try (we were talking smoking while I waited for some people to show up). I want to try it on poultry. I like to try new varieties of pellets on chicken first because it is so mild.


I saw some peach pellets displayed at a trade show last year (I think?). I couldn't get them to let me have (or buy) a sample.

I know a few people who really like charcoal/hickory blend pellets (lumberjack makes them - others may too). I have never tried them.

Lots of choices out there.

I am going to get some Royal Oak Charcoal at Tractor Supply. I use Sam's Comp Blend. It works fine for me. I prefer hickory and red oak in my stick burner. Red Oak burns long and hot. Most wood is too dry, I think 4-6 months is really good. My friend uses charcoal and green hickory branches from his property.

 

[WT2121]

I use pecan. Did one last year it was awesome. I brined it and injected it with a butter seasoning. The white meat was not dry whatsoever. I got most of info from Traeger recipes and came up with my own brine and seasonings from what I like.

 

[AZ Medic]

Buttonwood for swordfish...

Thanks! I have been looking for a list like this!