Have you ever found yourself wondering if the quality of your smokehouse pellets really matters in your grilling? Does it seem like one kind of pellet is just the same as the others? The truth is that quality matters a great deal. The wrong kind of grilling pellets can have a big effect on your grilling. Now, you might think “of course you say that, you sell grilling pellets.” It’s one thing for us to say, it’s something else for scientists to say it. Indeed, that’s what we found in this report from Indiana University.

How to Study was Conducted 

These university scientists really went all out when creating this study. By their own words, they “looked at 45 types of BBQ wood pellets and wood chips available in the United States and Europe.” They found as many different kinds of pellets as possible. The study found that the quality of wood pellets matters a lot, in terms of both grilling and environmental impact. 

What the Study Found 

“The quality check of grilling wood pellets should be of critical importance as smoke from their combustion has a direct contact with food, impacts human safety, and pollutes the atmosphere.” In short, bad wood pellets are bad for all parties involved: your food as well as the environment. What are “bad wood pellets?” Well, as the study found, “while most (wood pellets) were composed largely of biomass, undesirable components like bar, mineral matter, charcoal, coke, metal, rust, slag, and petroleum products were also mixed in, many in elevated amounts.” That is, to put it simply, not good. This study shows that  “as a general rule, wood pellets of poor quality should never be used,” as some contaminated pellets “can not only ruin the flavor of the food but also be dangerous to human health.” 

The Right Smokehouse Pellets 

Lastly, the researchers suggest checking for quality ingredients in wood pellets and wood chips to protect human health and the environment.” In fact, those are the exact kinds of pellets that we offer. Here at Knotty Wood Barbecue, we make our pellets of the highest quality. That way, you can trust them to cook your food without harming yours or anyone else’s health. You can find them at the Home Depot website or you can purchase them through a local retailer.