A Guide to BBQ Wood Pellets and Pellet Barbecues
When it comes to grilling, the choice of fuel can make all the difference when it comes to flavour and cooking performance. Whilst charcoal and gas barbecues are the most popular options, wood pellet grills and barbecues certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. Having gained significant popularity amongst BBQ enthusiasts over the years, we’re going to be exploring the world of wood pellets for barbecues in this comprehensive guide. We’ll take you through everything there is to know about the different types of wood pellets and their benefits, as well as sharing our best tips and tricks for using them effectively.
What are wood pellets?
Wood pellets are small, tablet-shaped pieces of compressed wood made from sawdust and wood shavings. They are a natural and sustainable alternative to traditional barbecue fuels, offering excellent heat efficiency and infusing a distinct smoky flavour to your food.
Types of pellets
There are a few different pellet options to choose from on the market, depending on what kind of taste or aroma you want to infuse into your food. Understanding the characteristics of different wood pellets is key to achieving your desired flavour and cooking results, so let’s go through the most popular types of pellets on the market, and how each of them can enhance your grilling experience.
Hickory Pellets
Hickory is the most popular and classic choices of pellets for many BBQ enthusiasts, typically because of the strong and smoky flavour it infuses into the food. Hickory pairs well with various meats such as poultry, pork and beef.
Applewood Pellets
Applewood pellets emit a sweet and fruit aroma, making them great for poultry, pork and seafood. The flavour is slightly milder than that of hickory pellets.
Mesquite Pellets
Mesquite pellets have a more robust, bold and savoury flavour profile, making it great for grilling red meats such as steak and lamb, or even a rack of delicious ribs.
Cherrywood Pellets
Cherrywood pellets give off a mild sweet and fruity flavour that compliments a wide range of meats such as pork, poultry and game. The pellets create a beautiful reddish hue on the surface of the food.
Oakwood Pellets
Oakwood pellets offer up a very versatile flavour profile, providing balanced and medium smokiness that pairs well with various meats, all the way from ribs, right up to burgers.
How do wood pellets differ from a traditional gas or charcoal BBQ?
Using a pellet barbecue not only adds a distinctive flavour, but it also paves the way for a range of creative cooking techniques for you and your barbecue. Firstly, and perhaps the most obvious point, is that when using wood pellets, it seriously enhances the flavour of your grilled foods. You can even mix and match between different pellets to create your perfect blend.
Secondly, pellet barbecues and wood pellets are fantastic for adopting low and slow cooking methods. Cooking like this will allow you to achieve tender, smoky and flavourful results using brisket and ribs, where the bone simply glides off of the meat.
Tips for using wood pellets
To get the most out of your pellet BBQ, we’ve put together some handy tips and tricks to get you grilling to perfection!
1. Preheating
Ensuring that your barbecue is preheated and at the right temperature before adding in your wood pellets. This helps to prevents inconsistent burning and also enhances the flavour of the pellets.
2. Create your own blend
Experiment with different wood pellets to create your own distinct flavour profile and broaden the depth of flavour in your foods. Grilling should always be fun, so mix it up a little!
3. Keep an eye on pellet levels
It’s super important to monitor the pellet hopper and make sure you always have an adequate supply of pellets throughout your cook. If not, running out of pellets halfway through can disrupt the cooking process and affect the stability of the temperature.
4. Use a probe thermometer
We think it’s worthwhile investing in a quality probe thermometer to ensure that your food is cooked to perfection. By doing this, you can accurately monitor the internal temperature of your food and make sure it’s cooked as you like. We have a range of thermometers in our stores and online to choose from.
Wood pellets are a real gamechanger for BBQ enthusiasts, offering a super convenient, efficient and flavourful fuel source to switch up your BBQ game, no matter your experience level. By understanding the different types of wood pellets and employing our effective techniques, you can take your BBQ experience to new heights.
Wood Pellets and Pellet Barbecues at The Barbeque Shop
Whether you’re a pro-griller or if you’re just starting out, our team at The Barbeque Shop in Javea, Calpe and Torrevieja, are ready and on hand to lend their help and advice when it comes to choosing your pellet barbeque and wood pellets.
We have a wide range of pellet grills from some of the world’s leading BBQ brands including Traeger, Broil King and Weber, as well as a huge selection of wood pellets in various blends to choose from, so you’ll never get tired of creating new pellet mixes.
Pop into any of our stores on the Costa Blanca in Javea, Calpe and Torrevieja to speak with our team about the best pellet barbeque for you, or simply visit our online store. We ship to both the Spanish Mainland and Portugal, as well as the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.
Happy grilling!