Mesquite Wood Smoking Pellets • $26.22 (2024)

FAQs

What wood pellets give the strongest smoke flavor? ›

Hickory, mesquite and pecan grill pellets create the strongest flavors. In general, hardwood pellets will produce more smoke than pellets from fruit trees, like cherry and apple. Cooking at a higher temperature produces less smoke.

While many who are new to pellet smokers and BBQ immediately choose mesquite pellets, be forewarned: it has a strong assertive flavor than can overpower food. When buying pellets for the first time, its wise to choose flavors that are versatile enough to be used on many different foods.

Traeger Mesquite pellets are perfect for naturally enhancing Chicken, Beef, and Fish with a hearty BBQ flavor.

Mesquite, hickory, and apple are just a few of the best types of wood for smoking meats. Try experimenting with different types of wood to find the flavor that best suits your taste.

MESQUITE: Strong, earthy flavor that produces lots of smoke. Sweeter and lighter than hickory, but can also become overpowering. Creates great flavor with rich meats when used correctly.

Hardwood in its raw form burns longer, as it has a higher density. Softwood, on the other hand, typically has higher BTU's due to the lignin concentration in the wood, so it burns hotter for a shorter period of time.

Hickory gives a sweet, yet strong bacon-flavor flavor to the meat, which is more intense than cherry, apple, or alder wood. However, its profile is milder compared to mesquite wood. The main reason most people prefer using hickory is that it gives a dark color to the meat.

Mesquite Pellets

They're fantastic with brisket but versatile enough to use with chicken, fish, or steaks as well.

Due to the fact that it's about the only hardwood that will grow in the desert-like conditions of western and southern Texas, mesquite wood is the choice of many pitmasters in those regions. It generates one of the most potent flavor profiles of any wood, but can often make the meat taste bitter when smoked too long.

Another great idea is to mix two flavors of cooking pellets such as apple and mesquite at a 50/50 ratio. This mix is great for pork and gives a balanced smoke flavor between mild and tangy.

What is the best food to smoke with mesquite? ›

Mesquite wood is the best wood for smoking dark meats that can stand up to the strong flavor of mesquite, such as Texas-style brisket, wild game meat, duck, lamb, and Tex-Mex barbacoa. Try mesquite coals for grilling steaks, vegetables, and other quick-cooking, flavorful foods.

Our all-natural Mesquite pellets create a strong, earthy, uniquely bold smoky flavor that enhances every cut of beef. It's also fantastic with a rack of ribs or a pork butt. Mesquite pellets are also great to blend with a milder flavor, like Apple or Pecan, so go ahead, and be adventurous!

Woods to avoid

Some woods aren't suitable for smoking and could be harmful, eg. Pine, Fir, Spruce, Redwood, Cedar, Cypress, Elm, Eucalyptus, Sassafras, Sycamore, Liquid Amber and Redwood. Generally, you're OK with trees you eat fruit or nuts from; orchard trees or nuts are fine.

This wood must be very dry and aged for about 9 to 12 months before you can cook with it. To ensure your mesquite is dried correctly, look for the following signs: the bark is falling off, the wood sounds hollow, or the cambion layer appears to be a grey or reddish color.

Some smoked meat tends to become bitter because of the formation of a substance known as creosote. Creosote is a rather thick and oily coating that covers the meat when smoking has gone on for too long. To strike a balance between heat and time is the ultimate key to getting the right amount of smoke.

If you're a smoke enthusiast, opt for an offset or charcoal-powered smoker but be prepared for a learning curve. Otherwise, a pellet grill will get you good flavor (albeit not quite as smoky) and is almost entirely hands-off.

Heating Pellets are NOT the same as BBQ Pellets

There are two types of wood pellets: heating pellets and BBQ, or smoker pellets. Though they look alike and are both made of compressed wood, they are not same. BBQ pellets are food-grade pellets made only from 100% hardwood.

Since smoke flavor is a matter of preference, there will always be folks who like more smoke on their food than a pellet grill provides. To get that, we recommend using a pellet tube smoker to add more smoky flavor.