arod757
Member
Anyone know if Weber pellets are made of actual mesquite, cherry, apple, etc. wood? Or are they just compressed sawdust infused with wood-flavored oils? I messaged Weber about this but never heard back.
Pellet composition
- Thread starter arod757
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MemphisBBQ
New member
No oils. Most have either an oak or maple base with the flavor wood ie: hickory pellets would be 40% hickory 60% oak. Weber web site has %'s listed for each type pellet
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arod757
Member
They basically say the same thing that Traeger says: "all-natural hardwood," "0% fillers." I don't know how much of this is true or not, but Traeger is being accused of using wood flavorings and either oak or alder to create their pellet flavors.
And I'm wondering if these accusations are true as I'm staring at a bag of Traeger mesquite pellets I have on hand now that says "Natural Mesquite Flavor; 100% Pure Hardwood." What the heck is that? If they're just mesquite, why not say "100% Pure Mesquite Hardwood" and avoid any ambiguity? Seems fishy to me, and I'm hoping Weber isn't doing the same thing. At least Weber states percentages of flavor wood vs. oak, so that's good.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just creating a conspiracy where there is none. It's all this waiting for my EX4 to arrive driving me insane. LOL.
And I'm wondering if these accusations are true as I'm staring at a bag of Traeger mesquite pellets I have on hand now that says "Natural Mesquite Flavor; 100% Pure Hardwood." What the heck is that? If they're just mesquite, why not say "100% Pure Mesquite Hardwood" and avoid any ambiguity? Seems fishy to me, and I'm hoping Weber isn't doing the same thing. At least Weber states percentages of flavor wood vs. oak, so that's good.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just creating a conspiracy where there is none. It's all this waiting for my EX4 to arrive driving me insane. LOL.
Brian Vallotton
Active member
I think Memphis in the above post has it right. They use a base wood and then a percentage of the flavor woods. My understanding is that there are no fillers and no flavorings added. IF that was not the case they would be having some major issues! I heard one of the BBQ UTube guys saying that Weber has a different formula of bark and wood. Apparently the bark gives more smoke... God bless.
The advertisement by Traeger is misleading. They say they don't use fillers (sawdust etc) but they do use oils. There is a class action lawsuit ongoing.
Lawsuit claims Traeger Grills misleads customers about wood in pellets
Traeger Grills sued by customer claiming its wood pellets consist of more than the wood advertised on the package
www.statesmanjournal.com
Brian Vallotton
Active member
IF that is true they are in big trouble! I have a bunch of Traeger bags left from when I had a Traeger. I am thinking of taking them back to Costco and getting my money back... and then only using the Weber brand. It is too bad they are not available on Amazon yet. You would think they would let Amazon sell them in advance of the release of the SmokeFire so that we could have the pellets already at home.The advertisement by Traeger is misleading. They say they don't use fillers (sawdust etc) but they do use oils. There is a class action lawsuit ongoing.
Lawsuit claims Traeger Grills misleads customers about wood in pellets
Traeger Grills sued by customer claiming its wood pellets consist of more than the wood advertised on the packagewww.statesmanjournal.com
Maybe I'm just generally skeptical but this doesn't surprise me. Companies are looking for ways to increase profits by achieving the same end result. In reality, the pellets are still fine and will produce great meats. The only difference is you were paying for a premium pellet product and getting a cheaper variety. The cheapening of their pellet variety is just another data point that the Traeger brand over the years has become worse in quality and just trying to capitalize off brand recognition. This opened the door for other pellet manufacturers to meet and surpass Traeger as a better pellet smoker/grill. Hopefully, Weber's Smokefire will not disappoint.
Brian Vallotton
Active member
Well said. I could swear that the pellets from 4 years ago were better than the last ones I bought for my Traeger. I had read that Weber is putting a different mixture of wood to bark that will make more smoke... I hope it is the case. WE loved my Traeger, but my wife always wanted more smoke than I could get it to make... could be operator error! I have 6 bags of Traeger pellets that I am returning to Costco. Going to try some other brands.
RedGrave
Member
Weber says their pellets are pure and contain more of the flavor part of the wood which is the outer rings and the bark.
Brian Vallotton
Active member
I had heard that too. I am going to use the Weber stuff. I am not all that thrilled about Traeger right now. I had a 34" Texas elite I bought at Costco. I took it back, the auger failed. But in fairness to Traeger it was over 3.5 years old. I could never get it smoky enough.
RedGrave
Member
Honestly I was sold on buying on Traeger Timberline before. But when I saw the Weber, heard how they engineered it, their commitment and the reviews I was blown away and changed my decision. I’ve always loved Weber and they are the only one that could compete with mainstream Pellet smokers in any meaningful way. I am also excited I’m going to save $800 over the Traeger! I’m also happy hearing about the pellets!
Brian Vallotton
Active member
I did not know about the SmokeFire and was going to buy an Ironwood. I am glad I seen the Smokefire first! So we are both in the same camp. I love my little Weber kettle and even through these years when my Traeger was working well there were times when we just wanted to have some old fashioned BBQ with briquettes. As a matter of fact one of the two I have is a wedding present from a buddy from almost 21 years ago. I recently sprung 30 bucks and got a new grill grate and charcoal grate. Cannot beat them!
Brian Vallotton
Active member
BTW... have you seen the YouTube videos that Harry Soo has put out? I have watched the first of the three over and over just so I could know all about the SmokeFire. IF I can't have it at least I can see it!
Billybo
Member
I've watched them a couple of times. Babyback Maniac has a couple of videos as well, he was also at the SmokeFire event at Weber's head office.
Brian Vallotton
Active member
I learned a lot for Babyback. I subscribed to his channel and Harry Soo's too. I figure I can learn a lot from those guys! I am not even a weekend warrior, I just like to have a quick way to cook meat that tastes good, but I am willing to up my skill set... IF it is not to strenuous!
SmokeFire Photos
SmokeFire Photos
