How To Use Wood Pellets In Charcoal Grill?
Wood is considered as the classic source of fuel for any outdoor cooking. Besides, it produces smoke that will flavor the meat. Previously, people used hardwood logs for grilling or smoking. It was the only option at that time. But, in today’s world, you can use various types of wood for grilling. Now, one of the best options available for grilling with a wood-based fuel source is the wood pellet. It is a comparatively newer fuel source for barbecuing in a versatile way. In this article, we will be taking a deeper dive into every way on how to use wood pellets in charcoal grill? So, if you want to achieve a perfect smoky flavor in outdoor cooking, then stick with this post.
What Are Wood Pellets?
Wood pellets are mainly the compressed type of wood and sawdust which are created by the method of exposing specific binding factors to heat. So, they are commonly used for fueling the grills. Moreover, you will get a rare smoked flavor of wood in the meat.
There are usually two forms of wood pellets:
Barbecue Pellets: As the name says, they are particularly created as the fuel for grills or smokers. Using them provides you a wood-fired flavor.
Heating Pellets: They are designed for fueling up any home heaters. As they have some harmful ingredients, you should avoid using them as the fuel for cooking anything in the smoker or grill.
Benefits Of Wood Pellets
Most people like to use a charcoal grill. And if they can add wood pellets as the fuel of a charcoal grill, it will be the best combination. Now, let’s have a quick look into the benefits of wood pellets:
- As wood pellets are made from renewable materials, they are environment friendly. Their production will encourage the recycling of materials.
- Wood pellets are more efficient in comparison with other fuels such as gas and fossil oil. Because they can use 90% of the contained energy while turning this into heat.
- They are available in various types. Besides, each will offer a distinctive wood-fired flavor. This includes cherry, oak, apple, maple, mesquite, and hickory wood pellets. We will discuss them later in this post.
- Wood pellets give a wonderful smoky flavor to the food. It is slightly similar to charcoal. Whereas the main difference is that your hands will not get dirty with the wood pellets.
- Wood pellets will produce a clean and nice burn. Moreover, they will not produce much ash debris. That’s why it is easy to clean the grill after cooking.
[dpress_single_pro pro_title=”Small Pet Select All Natural Pellet Bedding” pro_ratings=”4.5/5″ pro_url=”https://amzn.to/3ohm8Gs” /]
Variations
There are many varieties of wood pellets available on the market:
Mesquite: It is one of the strongest flavors you can get from the wood pellets. Mesquite will produce a heavy aroma with a more spicy and savory flavor. This kind of wood pellet is perfect with beef and any type of meat.
Hickory: This contains a stronger and richer flavor. But, it is not strong like mesquite. With an intense savory flavor, this can be used for grilling any kind of meat.
Pecan: This wood provides a robust flavor that is lighter in comparison with hickory and mesquite. It can be used for cooking pork and chicken.
Maple: This wood has a smooth and milder flavor which is used by the outdoor cookers for cooking pork.
Oak: Oakwood has a versatile but medium flavor. This will give you stability while burning wood. Therefore, most kinds of wood pellets are available on the market made of commonly oak mixed with another flavor or variation of wood.
Apple: Apple can provide a sweet and stronger flavor. This wood can pair perfectly with chicken and pork.
Cherry: This is a milder fruitwood which will give you a sweet flavor. This wood can pair completely with chicken or pork. As it has a milder intensity, some pitmasters like to use it for lamb and beef.
These are a few benefits and variations that you will get from using the wood pellets for the charcoal grill. But we are here to inform you about how to use wood pellets in charcoal grill? Now we will start discussing the point.
Steps Of Using Wood Pellets In Charcoal Grill
Fire Up The Grill: When you start grilling, you have to mix up the wood pellets and fire up. There are many ways to fire up your charcoal grill. But we suggest you use a charcoal starter. It might be expensive but it is easy and fast. They are durable, so you will not have to change them frequently.
Move The Coals To Your Grill: While burning coals into the grill, it can warm up after you move them out of the charcoal starter. After this, put your grill lid into the heat. To allow the process faster, keep the chimneys open.
Adding The Pellets On The Charcoal: Before you attach the wood pellets, you have to ensure that the grill is fired properly with the intended temperature. And, it can be depended on the food you want to cook. They have no limits on adding pellets to your grill. You can decide on your requirements. Generally, a handful of wood pellets can keep the entire flavor rolling for nearly 20 minutes. We already mentioned the different kinds of pellets. The choice is in your hands.
Time Of Grilling: When you will add wood pellets in the charcoal, you have to provide them sufficient time for burning before serving the food. This will take time depending on the food quantity. It helps to get the flavor while cooking perfectly.
Deactivate The Grill Lid: The last process is the deactivation of the grill. Then allow them to take a rest. As the vents keep opened throughout the whole time, leave them half-open at this time. And keep the ventilators completely open so that the fire can come out. Besides, you can add fuel. Now you have to close this. By using the grilling thermometer, you can get an idea about the grill temperature. Therefore, you can easily guess the cooking duration. It will help you to add any extra wood pellets for completing it.
Serve The Food: Now, the time has come to serve your food with friends and family. You can easily serve your grill with some tomatoes, cucumber, lotus leaf, etc. You can add anything according to your choice.
[dpress_single_pro pro_title=”Small Pet Select All Natural Pellet Bedding” pro_ratings=”4.5/5″ pro_url=”https://amzn.to/3ohm8Gs” /]
Conclusion
So, this is all for today. We hope the concern of how to use wood pellets in charcoal grill has been described perfectly for you in today’s post! Indeed, wood pellets are the perfect addition to the charcoal grill because they will offer the wood-fired flavor to your foods. They are great for using when you grill with various kinds of meat or vegetables at any time. You will get the best-smoked flavor with it. Happy eating!
Read More
