Wood Pellet Grills

With wood pellets quickly becoming the most viable home heating alternative in the cold weather regions of the North America, it is no surprise that other uses of wood pellets will either be developed or simply come to the forefront. One such use of wood pellets might soon be found on the back deck of almost every home in the US during summer barbeque months - the Grill.

In 1985, a man by the name of Joe Traeger introduced the first pellet grill through his newly formed company, Traeger Grills. The company has gone on to make top quality pellet grills and smokers starting a trend that has seen the increase of many more manufacturers. They currently list six models for sale on their website.

Now when an individual searches the internet to find a pellet grill, or to research the potential use of them, they will see Traeger Grills at the top of the page followed by companies such as Louisiana Grills and American Grills. The industry is still fresh and quite small from the standpoint of the number of manufacturers, however the potential for explosive growth from wood pellet grills is more imminent then ever due to the expansion of home heating with wood pellets.

One key factor in the growth of the industry will be the materials that wood pellet manufacturers are using to create their product. Many wood pellets for home heating are created from recycled materials. Due to federal health standards, the use of these recycled materials is prohibited for their use in wood pellets in grills or any type of cooking process. Pellets used for grilling must be sourced from virgin wood.

Though this means the average pellet producer cannot sell pellets for grills, a change is rapidly approaching the industry. The consumption of recycled wood for the manufacturing of wood pellets has grown so much in recent years that there is a rapidly developing shortage of materials. This shortage is drawing focus in the industry to the potential of using fresh round wood from the forests, or virgin wood. This will potentially make pellets for grill applications more prevalent and create a greater demand for grills. The concept of heating and cooking with the same fuel is not a new one, but has the potential of taking hold of the wood pellet industry.

Wood pellets could also gain the upper hand on the back deck due to flavor. Consumers can buy pellets made from different types of hardwoods, such as hickory and oak to cherry, apple or mesquite, to suit one’s taste. This offers a potentially healthy and delicious alternative to conventional charcoal and lighter fluid, which is a petroleum distillate that emits volatile organic compounds, or even gas.

Traeger currently sells ten flavors of its pellets for $18.99/20-pound bag, or about $0.95 per pound. Pellet grills on the high setting, considered to be the steak and burger grilling temperature, will consume approximately two pounds of pellets per hour. While Traeger is a quality source for grills and pellets alike, the possibility of getting pellets even cheaper then Traeger’s in the local market does exist. These pellets will potentially be of mixed hard wood that will still provide the wood fire taste however will not necessarily provide the woods such as hickory or apple. When buying pellets, consumers need to make sure they are clearly marked, and are not manufactured from recycled materials that may have been treated or exposed to substances that are generally not healthy for consumption.