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CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix, 1 Pack, Brown?
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26 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
Im using this right now and you can get them on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/CookinPellets-40PM-Perfect-Smoking-Pellets/dp/B00819OICI/ref=sxin_14_ac_m_pm?keywords=pellets+for+grilling&pd_rd_i=B00819OICI&pd_rd_r=787eba47-e73a-4795-8dc8-7e5153b85648&pd_rd_w=TKYpY&pd_rd_wg=N7qxs&pf_r...
I am not happy with the pit boss competition blend. Not a lot of smoky flavor. I really liked the cookin pellets, link below. I will try the Dick's sporting goods blend next.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bkzoFb77ADZJ1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5Jl.EbG23K5HB
If you are looking for new wood shavings to use I got these off amazon and they've been pretty good so far. They say it's 100% all hardwood and the pellets expand a lot too. I inoculated a few bags with Lions Mane and Oysters LC about a week ago and see some good growth already.
I've been using CookinPellets for a year or 2 now, and I really like them. It's a blend, but they burn nice and give a great flavor.
I have been religiously using these for the past 6 months. When you have quality pellets the fire is more efficient and uses less. The cost of pellets is relative to the cost of propane in my experience. https://www.amazon.com/CookinPellets-40PM-Perfect-Smoking-Pellets/dp/B00819OICI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493992890&sr=8-1&keywords=cooking+pellets
I have a Masterbuilt electric smoker and an Amaze N Smoker which I think is honestly the best of both worlds. I love the form factor of the Masterbuilt as well as the ability to use wood chips. The Amaze gives up to 12 hours smoke and can run it in cold smoke mode. Plus a 40 lb bag of pellets from Amazon for $35 is a long-time supply of wood.
I can't speak highly enough for the Amaze N smoker. I think it gives the most possible bang for the buck.
Traeger pellets are junk. Give these a try, I've used them for quite a while now and always get lots of smoke on my Yoder YS640.
CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hvuuybY5THNPM
If you have a pellet smoker, I use cooking pellets perfect mix for things like chicken and lamb.
http://www.amazon.com/CookinPellets-40PM-Perfect-Smoking-Pellets/dp/B00819OICI/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407869037&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=cooking+pellets+perfect+blend
People kind of need two things to hear new information:
- External: A good, clear explanation so that they can become aware of what opportunities are available for them
- Internal: Being open to hearing it
The implementation of that is:
- Awareness (learning something exists & what it can do)
- Being personally receptive (willing to learn)
- Being personally ready (willing to use it)
So to be fair, it IS fairly easy to write-off because it's hard to wrap your mind around the capabilities it has & real benefits it offers. imo, everyone on the planet should have an APO oven; it's the absolute pinnacle of residential convenience & performance.
But I 100% brushed it off at first...I have a BSOA, already looked at the June & Brava, checked out the Miele Dialog & Turbochef lines, so it was just YACO (Yet Another Countertop Oven). I didn't know a lot of things until I dug into it:
- What a Combi oven was
- That you could do bagless sous-vide in it
- That you didn't need a water bath to do sous-vide
- That you could do sous-vide "express" & cut your time down
- That you could do true steam-injected baking
- That you could reheat leftovers with steam
- That it works in the same fashion as an air-fryer
- That it can do precision low-temp control, including dehydrating
- That you can run 100% humidity for 24 hours & refill mid-process without interruption, so if you want to do a 48-hour SV job, no problem
Granted, it's important to calibrate your expectations as to what it can & cannot do:
- This does not sear like a hot skillet will; the max temp is 482F, so you're still going to need a chimney, grill, a baking steel, a cast-iron skillet, a weed torch, etc. to get a real sear. Technically you could preheat something like a Lodge reversible griddle, but then you're also going to have to deal with the smoke from the fat in say a steak or burger, so unless you have the APO positioned underneath an externally-vented exhaust hood (or near a window with a fan), you're going to risk smoking your kitchen out if you do that.
- The max temp is 482F. You can get pretty good results for things like pizza, but you're also not going to get 932F like you would with an Ooni pizza oven or even an indoor 750F Breville Pizzaiolo appliance. This is one of the limitations of coming off a 15A outlet. So view this for what it does best: a large countertop oven for baking, roasting, convection cooking, and sous-viding (without a bag, without a bath, with a temp probe for express SV speeds, etc.).
- This does not smoke. You can use liquid smoke, and you can smoke the food before or after the sous-vide process. I used to smoke in a Traeger pellet grill & switched to a more compact Oster Smoker Roaster, which gives me the same results in a smaller & easier configuration. I use these pellets & recommend this setup to anyone who does sous-vide & wants to smoke without making a huge space or financial investment for a bigger smoker.
- This does not have a microwave in it. Some of the newer microwaves are combination convection ovens, so you can do baking & air-frying in them as well as traditional microwaving. Granted, you can reheat leftovers with steam in the APO, which is pretty nice - not as fast as a microwave, but you have more control over the temperature (especially with the probe)
- This does not have a chiller in it. I have a pair of Mellow SV appliances that I use almost daily & find the chilling feature to be SUPER handy due to my schedule. I may gift them to family down the road due to the SV Express & bagless functions of the APO. I'm considering saving up for a residential blast chiller down the line to kind of do the reverse function: sous-vide, then freeze to use later.
So is it a be-all, do-all device? Nope! It's more of a super-enhanced modern-cooking appliance: precision temperature control combined with precision heat control combined with app-driven saved steps-sequencing technology, the combination of of which can produce some incredibly powerful results!
So I definitely didn't appreciate any of this at first blush, partly because this is a weird combination of ultra-advanced residential cooking technology & an incredible simplification of advanced cooking processes. Like, it's a lot to take in, especially if you're not already familiar with sous-vide processes, but it's also phenomenally approachable: stick the probe in, express-SV your steak or chicken, then take outside to sear or throw back in the oven to crust using a baking cycle.
My list of stuff to do with it is over like 40 items long now lol. I like to make a quart of ice cream every week to keep in my freezer; now I can just blend up the ingredients, pour them in a bowl, and pop in the APO! I also love love love mini jarred desserts done sous-vide...creme brulees in various flavors, deconstructed pumpkin pies, cheesecakes, pot de cremes, etc., and just being to stick the jars on a sheet & slide them in to SV is enough of a tipping point for me to invest in an APO lol.
In all seriousness, I think the Anova team has done the world a huge favor with this device. It does require that the end-user "dig for gold" to push past the price & apparent complexity, but if you can wrap your mind around what it can really do & how convenient it is to use all of those advanced yet simple features, then you can start to see the value of things like wet-bulb cooking & multi-cycle cooking.
This thing is just bananas, I'm so dang excited to get mine lol.
This guy is my bible for all things on the smoker. He has never steered me wrong. I use his technique and rub recipe and just leave the ribs on High Smoke for about 3 hours. I usually make two racks, and leave one with just the rub and an hour or so before they're ready I'll brush the other with Trader's Joe's Sriracha Garlic BBQ sauce (OMG it's good). But my taste for ribs is relatively low on the sticky sweetness, so I dial the sugar way back from a lot of ribs I've tried out in the wild.
As for pellets, I just use these guys from Amazon. I know some folks get worked up about what wood to use but I've carefully avoided training my taste buds to be able to notice the difference so I have no strong opinion.
I started with a Traeger, and thus with Traeger branded pellets which they themselves acknowledge as being primarily alder or oak with infused oils along with other woods. As a fuel source, the Traeger pellets were always fine to work with; not too much ash, nothing outrageous in terms of fuel consumption. Fine generic smoke flavor. Later, due to online forums and reviews, I switched to other pellet brands (CookinPellets and Lumberjack). Ultimately, I have not gone back to purchasing Traeger pellets.
I'll be honest: If you're just looking for a fuel source and generic smoke, go for the reliable pellet at the cheapest price most readily available in your area (or which has free delivery). I now use the above-linked Lumberjack brand because 1) they use 100% the wood they advertise, 2) it's 'cheap' at $0.75/pound, and 3) I can pick up 20# bags from my local Dicks Sporting Goods only a few miles away. Traeger pellets in my area are actually a bit more expensive (~$0.95/pound), though they too are available to pick up in multiple areas around me. There are other folks who have found better value for pellets in their region, and that might apply to you as well. Pro tip: don't just look at Amazon; those same Lumberjack pellets cost at least twice as much there than at Dicks.
Personally, I prefer brands which use 100% the advertised wood on the bag and don't use infused oils, though this is subjective at best. I prefer the smell of the actual pellets (the hickory pellets smell like hickory, cherry=cherry, etc), the smoke, and the end result reflects the pellet wood/blend I've chosen. I believe these kind of pellets are worth a premium, but I wouldn't pay twice the cost of Traeger pellets, as an example. I spent a good grip on a Yoder last year, and I'm willing to focus on getting good pellets (and it's nice I can get them relatively cheap). With pellet smokers, you're never going to get the same as if you used a stick-burner with proper hickory or oak splits, but there is a difference between alder+infused hickory oil and 100% hickory pellets. I'm a fan of Lumberjack pellets, but others have mentioned their favorites throughout this subreddit; I would try out a few cost-effective options and see if you notice any difference--YMMV.
An additional suggestion, not related to the OP: For longer cooks and if you have a smoking tube, I strongly recommend filling the tube with the "Char Hickory" blend from Lumberjack if you've missed that 'kiss' of charcoal smoke in your final product--end results have been phenomenal and well worth the slight extra cost of burning additional pellets. I have not used this blend in my pellet hopper, however, and I'm not sure I will--I would assume the burn will be different and I'd rather not mess with what works at this time.
I have tried traeger Bear mountain several others. This one is my favorite
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_813KFbRFS3AH1
If you are gonna spend as much money on Pellets as the Traeger brand costs, then I suggest go to Amazon for some CookinPellets, they have either the Perfect Mix, or Hickory
Those are twice the size bags of Traeger, so keep that in mind when comparing price.
I use the perfect mix when I'm smoking stuff. If I am just using the Traeger for heat, for example when I have ribs wrapped in foil or I'm grilling burgers, I use cheap stuff that I get at Cash and Carry. They are $6.99 a bag and basically the same as Traeger, which is Alder wood mixed with a little flavor wood.
If I recall correctly, I used CookinPellets Perfect Mix in the hopper and CookinPellets Hickory in an A-MAZE-N tube to add more smoke.
Cooking pellets are available on Amazon. I was buying lumberjack but had to drive a bit.
CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix, 1 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9BYMF465BA65QJNMVVZQ
Prerequisites
A Turkey
Oak Ridge BBQ Brine: https://www.oakridgebbq.com/product/game-changer-brine/
A bucket for brining: I use a brine bucket
For a 26 lbs turkey, I was able get away with 3 gallons of water to be use which equals 3 whole bags of brine
Oak Ridge BBQ Secret Weapon: https://www.oakridgebbq.com/?product=secret-weapon
Cookin Pellets: https://www.amazon.com/CookinPellets-40PM-Perfect-Mix/dp/B00819OICI/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=729LNAF00XRE&keywords=cookin+pellets+40+lb&qid=1575300460&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sprefix=cookin+pell%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyS0NURkRSV0UzOTNMJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODI4NzY4MVk2TEM3VFNGME5KUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDE3OTg5M0o2SkZXMkk4RklNMSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Keri Gold garlic and herb butter: 4 or so sticks
Regular Salted Butter: 4 or so sticks
3 Large Apples (I use pink ladies)
Apple juice, at least 1 gallon
Small disposable pans, 8-12 of them
Roasting pan, preferably non disposable with handles
Heavy duty aluminum foil
A very large cooler that will fit the roasting pan you have
A couple large towels you don't mind being destroyed
A thermometer per quarter of the turkey, or a digital one that will have multiple probes, I use this one, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XNTJKY4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_Piz0DbK6B50S8
A few bags of ice
A turkey baster, preferably one that is metal
Olive oil
Prep Work
The Brine
Put the brine in a very large pan or bucket that will NOT be used when brining the turkey to let the salt dissolve and create the solution. (do this 30 hours before your cook is starting)
After you are convinced all the salt in the brine has dissolved into the mixture (4 or 5 hours)
Put the brine bucket in your very large cooler, surround the bucket with ice inside the cooler
Remove giblets and neck from inside the turkey
Put your turkey in the bucket
Pour room temperature brine onto the turkey inside the brine bucket (DO NOT POUR HOT BRINE OVER THE TURKEY)
Let the turkey sit in the brine for 24 hours
The Turkey
Cube the 3 large apples into medium sized pieces
Mash the garlic and herb keri gold butter into globs you can put under the skin of the turkey along the breast
Take the turkey out of the brine and rinse as much of the brine off with cold tap water
Put the rinsed turkey in the roasting pan
Cook Time
Set your pellet grill to Hi smoke setting and let it warm up while you prep the turkey for cooking, should be somewhere around 225
Pour apple juice into the small little pans around the sides of the grill, I have 3 on the back, 3 on the front and 1 on each end, (the 3 in front you can position once the turkey is in)
Start stuffing the inside of the turkey with the cubed apples
Once the turkey is full, carefully work your fingers between the inside of the skin and outside of the turkey breasts to make room for the butter
Put globs of the keri gold herbed butter, as much as you can possible fit, in between the skin and breast of the turkey
Cover the entire turkey with olive oil
Put the secret weapon rub all over the turkey
YOU ARE NOW READY TO ACTUALLY COOK
Cooking
Put the turkey on the center of the smoker and place the temp probes in every quarter of the turkey
Place the apple juice pans in front of the turkey that you moved before
Put 3 sticks of butter in the bottom of the pan for basting, this will be important during the rest of the cook
Close the lid and let the turkey cook until the internal temp reaches 170 degrees (for the 26 lbs turkey I had it was 11 hours)
Baste the turkey with the juices at the bottom of the pan every hour to keep the bird moist and juicy
Resting
Remove the turkey from the grill and cover the bird and pan with heavy duty aluminum foil
Wrap the pan and turkey in the large towels you don't mind throwing away
Put everything in the large cooler to rest for at minimum 30 minutes
Pull the turkey out and carve it up
ENJOY
Head north to Racine, or Amazon. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yGwJFb19KQV4C
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00819OICI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
How often is often then? I did the burn in, cooked some chicken for a few hours, next day hit the dead fire then flameout issue about an hour into a pork tenderloin.
Yeah, the first thing I plan on making is that 18-hour pulled pork recipe they posted. Really interested to learn & implement the wet bulb & use relative humidity & all that jazz. I do meal-prep for both my family & part of my extended family, so I constantly have my machines running - VERY excited to try out some new effort & time-saving techniques!
I typically alternate between pellet-smoking pork shoulders & just doing them in the Instant Pot (with or without liquid smoke). So I'm very interested to see how it plays out with the APO. I plan on doing one shoulder following their recipe & a second by smoking for a couple hours first.
I've had pretty good success using the SV + Smoke combination (deli meats are really awesome done this way!). Not having to bag up a pork shoulder sounds amazing tbh lol. I know the APO can do a lot of functions, but I'm primarily drawn to it for (1) the bagless SV method, and (2) steam-injection baking, because that sounds awesome!
Side note: I transitioned from a Traeger pellet grill to a very unique device called the Oster Smoker Roaster:
This is basically a giant, hi-temp crockpot with smoke (designed to be used outdoors when using wood). I successfully tested pellets on it a couple years ago & it's been my go-to smoker ever since! imo this is the perfect smoker for people who sous-vide & is the perfect companion to the APO because it's so approachable. I use these pellets:
So it's basically an ultra-cheap, super-compact version of a Bradley digital smoker that you can just walk out to your deck, plug in, dump a couple cupfuls of pellets into, and be on your way! I line mine with foil so I don't even have to clean it up haha. I use it with a cheapo deli slicer for doing thin cuts of meats & it works super awesome!!
I put them on smoke for 2 hours or so, and then cranked up to 275 for another 4 or 5 hours. I never wrapped them in foil, but they still came out moist and fall-apart tender. I had them rubbed at the beginning and then painted on BBQ sauce to make them really sticky and sweet. Turned out great.
I think I was using this 4 wood blend: https://www.amazon.com/CookinPellets-40PM-Perfect-Smoking-Pellets/dp/B00819OICI/ref=sr_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1531510889&sr=1-5&keywords=wood+pellets+for+grilling#HLCXComparisonWidget_feature_div
The cookin pellets CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CEHizbMJ3WQQ6 are one of the biggest recommended brands and i used a smoke tube. I'm going to try putting a gasket on the lid.
CookinPellets 40PM Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00819OICI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Sfnayb7H3P7CY
Airflow was good. I believe the positive airflow created by the internal fan helped. The exhaust velocity was very similar to the OEM short stack.
I noticed I had to run the temp a little hotter during this cook, but this could also be due to cooking variables such as new (different) pellets and outside temps ~93 °F.
The chimney looked pretty badass in person (industrial look) with some comic relief mixed in. Consensus was to throw a Stars and Bars flag on it or possibly a satellite dish in hope of making contact.
Cooking hot wont require the flag pole since it burns much cleaner at hotter temps.
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