Then when you get up to large pellet grills/smokers the hopper capacity can be in excess of 20+ lbs.Īs you would expect, the larger the hopper the longer the pellet grill/smoker can run unattended. For instance, some portable pellet grills have a hopper of just a few lbs. Now the size of that hopper varies quite a lot. Whether you looking at a dedicated vertical pellet smoker or a combined horizontal pellet grill/smoker, there will be a hopper for the pellets. Let’s look at each component in a bit more detail. They include the pellet hopper, auger motor, combustion/induction fan, burn pot with hot rod igniter and control panel. So as shown in the image at the top of this article, and in the video above, there are a couple of key components to a pellet grill/smoker, whether its made by Traeger or any other brand. However, the general core principles of how every pellet grill/smoker works remains the same.Ī basic introduction on how a Traeger (and every pellet grill/smoker) works in the most basic terms: Video – Heck, not even every Traeger pellet grill works in the same way. Now, not every pellet grill works in exactly the same way as Traeger’s pellet grills (and I’ll discuss that more below). However, Traeger is where the concept of pellet grills started in the 1980s, and they are still the most popular brand to this day ( here’s proof). There are now over 30 brands of pellet grills/smokers. Its not because Traeger is the only brand of pellet grills/smokers, far from it.
Now, you’ll notice I’m referencing Traeger quite a bit here. This section provides a bit more detail, but its still a basic guide compared to what I’ll discuss later in this article. How Does A Pellet Grill/Smoker Work? (Basic Guide)Īt the start of this post, I gave a very simple explanation of how a pellet grill/smoker works (image above). Its not that softwood pellets won’t burn in a pellet grill, but they are not graded as ‘food safe’, and they also don’t produce a smoke taste in the food which is anywhere near as appealing. Softwood pellets are not used in pellet grills and smokers, softwood pellets are used in pellet stoves/boilers for heating purposes. There are now even charcoal pellets available. The ‘backbone’ material for making wood pellets for grills/smokers is oak, though there are lots of other hardwood species used to provide different flavours including apple, cherry, hickory etc. If you’re curious how the process of turning wood into pellets actually works, this video is worth a watch: Video – īBQ wood pellets are not just made of one type of wood.
I have another post on how Traeger wood pellets are made, but I’ve also included the video from Traeger below which shows the process. Most people are familiar with animal feed pellets, well the process is (almost) exactly the same, its just the raw material that is different. In the simplest terms, you take real wood, chip it, dry it, turn it into sawdust, then process it through a pellet mill/press to compress the wood into pellets. Wood pellets are simply a compressed form of real wood residues. My background is actually in marketing wood pellet manufacturing equipment, it’s how I got into pellet grills/smokers in the first place. A to Z List of The Best BBQ Wood Pellets.A to Z List of Pellet Grill/Smoker Brands.Conclusions On How Pellet Grills/Smokers Work.Which Pellet Grills/Smokers Work Via WiFi/Apps? – Do You Really Need It?.Not All Pellet Grills Achieve The Same Maximum Temperatures.But Do PID Controllers Produce As Much Smoke?.Which Brands Are Not Currently Fitting PID Control Panels?.Is It Only Traeger Who Uses PID Control Panels?.The Different Types of Pellet Grill/Smoker Control Panels.How Does A Pellet Grill/Smoker Work? (Advanced Guide).The Control Panel (Where The Magic Happens!).Burn Pot and Hot Rod Igniter (Light My Fire!).The Fan (To Feed The Fire/Aid Cooking Performance).How Does A Pellet Grill/Smoker Work? (Basic Guide).The Fuel: What Exactly Are Wood Pellets?.
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