Did you just recently get started with a pellet grill? Does it feel a bit confusing or even intimidating? That’s perfectly understandable. A pellet grill is similar to traditional grills, but they have significant differences as well. If you’re grilling for the first time (particularly for other people) it’s natural that you want to get it right. We offer wood pellets for all pellet grill brands, yes, but we also wanted to offer some of these beginner tips below. 

Do: Prepare and Clean Up 

Cooking meat begins long before the grill has actually started. Many have found great success by oiling the grill grate ahead of time. Yes, that will keep the food from sticking (in fact, you may want to oil the food, too), it seasons the grill, and it also makes it so that heat can transfer faster. In the end, this can make your meat cook that much more evenly throughout. Once you’re done, be sure to clean the grill’s grate, too. In fact, do this even if you didn’t use that oil. This will lead to better food and also keep your grill in its best shape, too. 

Do: Know Your Grill  

Traditional grills can produce a lot of smoke. So, when using pellet grills early on, it’s natural to try to produce smoke by bumping the settings higher. However, that’s often a mistake. See, as a general rule, pellet smokers actually produce far more smoke at settings that are lower than what a traditional grill would. In fact, as the temperature rises, they actually produce less smoke. So, to get the most smoke flavor, start your grill low. Like, as low as it can get. Do this for about half an hour to an hour. Then, crank it up to 250, 225 or so to finish. 

Don’t: Rush Things 

You’re grilling, you’ve got company, you want everything to be perfect… but it feels like it’s taking so long. Can’t this just hurry up? Not really. Grilling really is one of those activities that can’t be hurried. The faster you go, the more likely you are to make a mistake. One common mistake folks make: cutting into meat to check if it’s done. Bzzzt. Don’t do that. All the juices will rush out (at best). Instead, get a thermometer you can trust and stick it in there. You (and anyone who eats your food) will be glad you did. 

The Right Amount of Wood Pellets for Your Pellet Grill 

When it comes to grilling with a pellet grill, you have to know how many pellets to use. A good rule of thumb: it’s about a pound of pellets per hour of grilling. Of course, they have to be the right pellets. That’s another area where we can help. You can find our pellets at our site or at Home Depot online. You can get them for your next BBQ right here. Good luck and happy grilling!