The price of pellets for Traeger grills at retail is $18 and change.
The description of the pellets is "All Natural BBQ Pellets are made
from 100% recycled hardwood sawdust." They warn you not to use other
brands and will void your warranty if you do. Not sure how they could
tell if you did Anyway after going through about 10 bags of their
pellets I realized that this is NOT a cheap grill fuel and I found
most bags to have a lot of crumbled pellets and so much saw dust that
I had to shift them. I found that the dusty, crumbled pellets also
did not consistently fall into the auger reliably either causing my
grill to go cold on a couple occasions as the heating element shuts
down when pellets stop coming. I tried grape, hickory, apple, alder
and could not tell an appreciable difference in flavor and my
preliminary conclusion is that pellets just don't give off neat the
smoke or infuse meats like wood chips, chunks and logs.

BUT, since it is very convenient way to go low and slow, I located
another source of pellets made for pellet furnaces by Ozark Wood
Products. They describe their pellets as: "hardwood pellets are made
from 100% oak hardwood sawdust..." I just finished my first 40lb
bag. It cost $4.50. My Traeger works just fine, the pellets are more
consistently sized and have almost no dust. Do the math.

Nunya Bidnits wrote:

> A couple of points:
>
> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! They are not food
> grade. Therefore they will contain glues and other material which is
> probably toxic. There's a reason they are so cheap. They are not for
> cooking.

Man, I'll second that advice big time!!!! This is the reason why I
personally don't like pellet cookers...they are not flexible with what fuel
one may use.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message

> yelnoc > typed:

>> BUT, since it is very convenient way to go low and slow, I located
>> another source of pellets made for pellet furnaces by Ozark Wood
>> Products. They describe their pellets as: "hardwood pellets are made
>> from 100% oak hardwood sawdust..." I just finished my first 40lb
>> bag. It cost $4.50. My Traeger works just fine, the pellets are more
>> consistently sized and have almost no dust. Do the math.
>
> A couple of points:
>
> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! They are not food
> grade.
> Therefore they will contain glues and other material which is probably
> toxic. There's a reason they are so cheap. They are not for cooking.
>

I disagree, mostly. First, they state 100% hardwood. That would preclude
the use of fillers and glue. Pellets are made with pressure and the lignin
in the wood hold it together, not glue.

Stove pellets are sold by the ton, BBQ pellets are sold by the bag, thus the
higher price and even higher markups. I'd call or write to the company and
ask what may be in them but I'd not make blanket statements.

I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places where
we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it for $5 an 8
ounce bottle and call it some special potion.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>
>> yelnoc > typed:
>
>>> BUT, since it is very convenient way to go low and slow, I located
>>> another source of pellets made for pellet furnaces by Ozark Wood
>>> Products. They describe their pellets as: "hardwood pellets are made
>>> from 100% oak hardwood sawdust..." I just finished my first 40lb
>>> bag. It cost $4.50. My Traeger works just fine, the pellets are more
>>> consistently sized and have almost no dust. Do the math.
>>
>> A couple of points:
>>
>> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! They are not food
>> grade.
>> Therefore they will contain glues and other material which is probably
>> toxic. There's a reason they are so cheap. They are not for cooking.
>>
>
> I disagree, mostly. First, they state 100% hardwood. That would preclude
> the use of fillers and glue. Pellets are made with pressure and the
> lignin in the wood hold it together, not glue.
>
> Stove pellets are sold by the ton, BBQ pellets are sold by the bag, thus
> the higher price and even higher markups. I'd call or write to the
> company and ask what may be in them but I'd not make blanket statements.
>
> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places where
> we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it for $5 an 8
> ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>

The Bradley pucks are held together with collagen, as I recall.

--
Fred

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>>>
>>> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! They are not food
>>> grade.

>> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places
>> where we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it
>> for $5 an 8 ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>
> So until you knew it didn't have any toxins in it, you would go ahead and
> use it?
>
> If he can prove it's pure, that's one thing, but if he doesn't know that,
> and he is using a non food grade product to make food, then he's taking a
> risk. IMO it's that simple.
>
> MartyB in KC

But you said to stop using them RIGHT NOW. I say he should investigate.
They do state 100% oak hardwood. That is certainly a good start. If it
said 99% and 1% filler, I'd be a tiny bit concerned. If it said 905 wood
and 10% binders, I'd be more concerned.

From Energex http://www.energex.com/common/product_residential.php
Energex manufactures hardwood and softwood varieties of pellets. Both types
of pellets are made from clean sawdust that is free of additives and bark.

From http://www.heatresource.com/pellet.html
Pellets are made of hardwood, primarily oak. Sawdust is generated by oak
flooring plants in southeast Arkansas. Resins and binders that naturally
occur in wood hold the pellets together without the use of additives. Pellet
mills grind, compress and dry wood by-products into a neat, conveniently
handled fuel.


Note the certification this outfit has. They also private label, like a
smoker supplier would want.
http://www.koettersmith.com/index.ph... lam0be3a0mli0
Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across North
America and Europe. If you use a pellet stove, this is the product for you.

a.. Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI)-certified “Premium”
b.. Hearth Patio Barbecue Association (HPBA)-certified
c.. Hardwood pellets
d.. Low ash (less than 1%)

Some manufacturers of pellets do use soft wood and they do specify that they
do. I'd not hesitate to use the premium stuff that says 100% hardwood
though. Would you use wood that has deer **** on it? You never know where
that tree has been.

In article >,
Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
[snip]

> Note the certification this outfit has. They also private label, like a
> smoker supplier would want.
> http://www.koettersmith.com/index.ph... lam0be3a0mli0
> Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across North
> America and Europe.
Not very carbon friendly if true

I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here. I bbq on
local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain local charcoal or
propane in UK

regards
john

--
John Mulrooney
NOTE Email address IS correct but might not be checked for a while.

The school of experience has very few holidays.

On Jun 21, 12:01*am, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>
> >>> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! * * They are not food
> >>> grade.
> >> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. *I've worked in places
> >> where we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it
> >> for $5 an 8 ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>
> > So until you knew it didn't have any toxins in it, you would go ahead and
> > use it?
>
> > If he can prove it's pure, that's one thing, but if he doesn't know that,
> > and he is using a non food grade product to make food, then he's taking a
> > risk. IMO it's that simple.
>
> > MartyB in KC
>
> But you said to stop using them RIGHT NOW. *I say he should investigate..
> They do state 100% oak hardwood. *That is certainly a good start. *If it
> said 99% and 1% filler, I'd be a tiny bit concerned. *If it said 905 wood
> and 10% binders, I'd be more concerned.
>
> From Energex *http://www.energex.com/common/product_residential.php
> Energex manufactures hardwood and softwood varieties of pellets. Both types
> of pellets are made from clean sawdust that is free of additives and bark..
>
> From *http://www.heatresource.com/pellet.html
> Pellets are made of hardwood, primarily oak. Sawdust is generated by oak
> flooring plants in southeast Arkansas. Resins and binders that naturally
> occur in wood hold the pellets together without the use of additives. Pellet
> mills grind, compress and dry wood by-products into a neat, conveniently
> handled fuel.
>
> Note the certification this outfit has. *They also private label, like a
> smoker supplier would want.http://www.koettersmith.com/index.ph...=12&zenid=dvdp...
> Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across North
> America and Europe. If you use a pellet stove, this is the product for you.
>
> * a.. Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI)-certified “Premium”
> * b.. Hearth Patio Barbecue Association (HPBA)-certified
> * c.. Hardwood pellets
> * d.. Low ash (less than 1%)
>
> Some manufacturers of pellets do use soft wood and they do specify that they
> do. *I'd not hesitate to use the premium stuff that says 100% hardwood
> though. *Would you use wood that has deer **** on it? *You never know where
> that tree has been.

Thanks for all the comments folks.

I talked to Ozark Hardwood Products on the phone. They have made,
with the same process, pellets of other woods for pellet grills. The
demand for pellets for heating applications is great enough that they
do not plan to make pellets marketed for grills again soon, note I say
"marketed". There are a number of people that use their pellets in
grills. As far as I know Traeger provides less information on their
pellets than OWP, Traeger does not say who makes their pellet and does
not claim they are made by a member of the PFI. When I posted
similar on the Traeger site the only warning was about voiding
warranty. One could conclude that they obviously want to sell their
pellets for almost 10 times more and would site the threat of horrible
consequences beyond voiding the warranty and lose of revenue - they
did not.

Certainly pellet grills provide the easiest way to produce a
consistent low temperature over long periods of time. I also have a
10 year old Kamado 7 which in spite of all the problems surrounding
that manufacture has served me well, but I hate to have to unload
completely 8 shoulders to refuel after 8 hours - good lump is as hard
to find as anything.

I would love to have a nice wood fired setup with guru and someone to
mentor me on using that type of setup, obviously that produces the
most contest winning BBQ, but you can't have everything. I am going
to send these concerns, which I think are unfounded to OWP, but I
think when I had them on the phone (especially since they can sell all
the make for heating) and I told them I was using them for cooking,
they would have warned me.

Anyone recruiting for BBQ team members in north central Illinois let
me know.

On Jun 21, 12:01*am, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>
> >>> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! * * They are not food
> >>> grade.
> >> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. *I've worked in places
> >> where we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it
> >> for $5 an 8 ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>
> > So until you knew it didn't have any toxins in it, you would go ahead and
> > use it?
>
> > If he can prove it's pure, that's one thing, but if he doesn't know that,
> > and he is using a non food grade product to make food, then he's taking a
> > risk. IMO it's that simple.
>
> > MartyB in KC
>
> But you said to stop using them RIGHT NOW. *I say he should investigate..
> They do state 100% oak hardwood. *That is certainly a good start. *If it
> said 99% and 1% filler, I'd be a tiny bit concerned. *If it said 905 wood
> and 10% binders, I'd be more concerned.
>
> From Energex *http://www.energex.com/common/product_residential.php
> Energex manufactures hardwood and softwood varieties of pellets. Both types
> of pellets are made from clean sawdust that is free of additives and bark..
>
> From *http://www.heatresource.com/pellet.html
> Pellets are made of hardwood, primarily oak. Sawdust is generated by oak
> flooring plants in southeast Arkansas. Resins and binders that naturally
> occur in wood hold the pellets together without the use of additives. Pellet
> mills grind, compress and dry wood by-products into a neat, conveniently
> handled fuel.
>
> Note the certification this outfit has. *They also private label, like a
> smoker supplier would want.http://www.koettersmith.com/index.ph...=12&zenid=dvdp...
> Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across North
> America and Europe. If you use a pellet stove, this is the product for you.
>
> * a.. Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI)-certified “Premium”
> * b.. Hearth Patio Barbecue Association (HPBA)-certified
> * c.. Hardwood pellets
> * d.. Low ash (less than 1%)
>
> Some manufacturers of pellets do use soft wood and they do specify that they
> do. *I'd not hesitate to use the premium stuff that says 100% hardwood
> though. *Would you use wood that has deer **** on it? *You never know where
> that tree has been.

Yes that HPBA should tell it all - does not seem that they are that
available - when you get any wood products shipped - well you know the
story. OWP I can get in my area.

On Jun 21, 9:05*pm, "Nunya Bidnits" >
wrote:
> ,
> yelnoc > typed:
>
> > On Jun 21, 12:01 am, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> >> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>
> >>>>> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! They are not food
> >>>>> grade.
> >>>> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places
> >>>> where we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it
> >>>> for $5 an 8 ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>
> >>> So until you knew it didn't have any toxins in it, you would go
> >>> ahead and use it?
>
> >>> If he can prove it's pure, that's one thing, but if he doesn't know
> >>> that, and he is using a non food grade product to make food, then
> >>> he's taking a risk. IMO it's that simple.
>
> >>> MartyB in KC
>
> >> But you said to stop using them RIGHT NOW. I say he should
> >> investigate.
> >> They do state 100% oak hardwood. That is certainly a good start. If
> >> it
> >> said 99% and 1% filler, I'd be a tiny bit concerned. If it said 905
> >> wood
> >> and 10% binders, I'd be more concerned.
>
> >> From Energexhttp://www.energex.com/common/product_residential.php
> >> Energex manufactures hardwood and softwood varieties of pellets.
> >> Both types
> >> of pellets are made from clean sawdust that is free of additives and
> >> bark.
>
> >> Fromhttp://www.heatresource.com/pellet.html
> >> Pellets are made of hardwood, primarily oak. Sawdust is generated by
> >> oak
> >> flooring plants in southeast Arkansas. Resins and binders that
> >> naturally
> >> occur in wood hold the pellets together without the use of
> >> additives. Pellet
> >> mills grind, compress and dry wood by-products into a neat,
> >> conveniently
> >> handled fuel.
>
> >> Note the certification this outfit has. They also private label,
> >> like a
> >> smoker supplier would
>
> want.http://www.koettersmith.com/index.ph...=12&zenid=dvdp..
> .
>
>
>
> >> Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across
> >> North
> >> America and Europe. If you use a pellet stove, this is the product
> >> for you.
>
> >> a.. Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI)-certified “Premium”
> >> b.. Hearth Patio Barbecue Association (HPBA)-certified
> >> c.. Hardwood pellets
> >> d.. Low ash (less than 1%)
>
> >> Some manufacturers of pellets do use soft wood and they do specify
> >> that they
> >> do. I'd not hesitate to use the premium stuff that says 100% hardwood
> >> though. Would you use wood that has deer **** on it? You never know
> >> where
> >> that tree has been.
>
> > Yes that HPBA should tell it all - does not seem that they are that
> > available - when you get any wood products shipped - well you know the
> > story. *OWP I can get in my area.
>
> If it has the barbecue certification you can consider it food grade IMO,
> something that wasn't stated at all in your original post.
>
> You said they were furnace pellets, which are not generally considered food
> grade, and on that basis, my response was appropriate or correct. You did
> not state the HPBA certification.
>
> I'll stand 1000% by my statement that you should not cook with anything that
> is not certified food grade.
>
> Nevertheless, to go back to the two points in reply to your post that were
> worth writing about in retrospect, if you are having disintegration
> problems, moisture is probably getting into your pellets, and that will
> happen no matter who makes them, I guarantee it.
>
> And if you are expecting to get a lot of smoke flavor from cooking with
> pellets, you're going to be disappointed, no matter who makes them. You will
> not get the same amount of smoke flavor as you would from burning sticks.
>
> MartyB in KC

I can appreciate that point of view and certainly it is the the most
risk averse approach. And while I did recently have an fall off the
turnip truck, I did not land that hard. I can tell the difference in
a wet pellet that has crumbled and a dry pellet that is broken and/or
has returned to the sawdust from whence it came. That being said,
I'll call OWP again and make it more clear what the concerns are.
Again, I would be more concerned if Traeger would have used the food
grade warning, since they have not and they have a financial interest,
that tells me something. Since OWP who has no financial interest and
is selling as much as they make regardless, a reasonable person would
expect them to sound the alarm and certainly they would avoid risk of
law suit by advising not to use their pellets for grills.

No question about smoke flavor - burnt sticks just cannot be beat.
The other problems with pellet grills is getting to and maintaining a
high temperature, combine that with the huge heat loss when opening
the grill and I don't use it for steaks and burgers unless I am to
lazy to start the lump. No open flame either. On the other hand if
you want indirect, you can't get anymore indirect than a pellet grill.

Pellet grills just are not the thing for people that want just one
IMHO. If I was going to spend $1000 plus for a grill, I'd look at the
Komodo Kamado. I love my RJ K7, but KK have taken/are taking the
concept further. Especially in the winter there is nothing like a big
ole thick walled ceramic cooker, and while not as easy to maintain a
set it and forget low and slow, it is possible. After 40 years of
cooking out and dozens of grill (only one gas, learned my lesson fast)
if I did have to have only one it might be something like the Brinkman
two chamber - always kick myself for not buying a closeout demo at
Walmart for $169.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places where
> we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it for $5 an 8
> ounce bottle and call it some special potion.

Cutting Board and Butcher Block oil has about the same markup (mineral
oil). Or another favorite: Wok Oil (soybean or refined coconut oil).

-sw

> No question about smoke flavor - burnt sticks just cannot be beat.

Could it be due to the bark, which is in sticks but not in pellets?
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

On Jun 22, 12:46*pm, "Nunya Bidnits" >
wrote:
> ,
> yelnoc > typed:
>
> > I can appreciate that point of view and certainly it is the the most
> > risk averse approach. And while I did recently have an fall off the
> > turnip truck, I did not land that hard. * I can tell the difference in
> > a wet pellet that has crumbled and a dry pellet that is broken and/or
> > has returned to the sawdust from whence it came.
>
> I appreciate that you believe you can tell the difference.
>
> But having seen a bag of good quality pellets that crumbled away due to a
> small amount of moisture, I can tell you from experience that they won't
> necessarily seem wet, in fact, they may seem completely dry, but then,
> sawdust absorbs moisture like crazy. A little bit will ruin a whole bag.
>
> The problem with the food grade stuff is that there are no adhesives binding
> the pellets, they have been pressure formed. If there were adhesives they
> would not be food grade.
>
> So what happens is the slightest amount of moisture causes the pellets to
> expand, and once that happens, they crumble. At that point they are going to
> absorb even more moisture, and may appear to be dry. It's not so bad that I
> have seen humidity screw them up, but I have seen them go bad in a damp
> garage even though they were off the floor completely.
>
> The best bet is to keep them up high in a dry place and you won't have any
> problems.
>
> I'm not saying the Traeger pellets weren't crappy, because I have heard
> complaints about their product. I'm just saying what I know to be true about
> moisture and pellets in general, and that is that if they have been damaged
> by moisture it won't necessarily be readily apparent because you won't
> necessarily feel any dampness in the crumbles.
>
> MartyB in KC


Did I say crappy?

Regarding the affects of moisture, I believe I can tell the
difference. One telltale sign is expansion. On my deck there are
plenty of pellets that have become moist and/or wet and they are a
good example of what a moist, if not wet pellet looks like. I also
believe I can tell the difference between saw dust that is a result of
crumbling due to dampness - because it in essence no longer dust, and
dust that I am able to sift out because it is dry and fine enough to
sift. All my pellets are kept in a dry place and bags sealed after
opening. I use about 30 lb a week so they don't stay around long,

Traeger pellets are Utility grade (lowest) in terms of moisture
content and Standard grade in terms of ash content. OWP pellets are
Premium grade across the board.

I can’t find anything on my bag of briquettes or lump that says
anything about them being Food grade. If it is really important
certainly it would be there wouldn’t it? Are we just to assume that
it is food grade charcoal? Is there such a thing as non-food grade
charcoal? Is their some process of certification of the wood burned
in the manufacture of lump charcoal or charcoal for briquettes to
assure that no non-food grade wood or wood product has been used?

I looked at the CFR on GRAS and looked at the Food Chemicals Codex
which is reference in the CFR and I don’t find anything specific
relating to anything but food additives/ingredients – the closest
reference is a food “processing” aid, but in the time I’m willing to
spend I did not find anything relating to food grade fuels. I can’t
find anything on the BHPA on standards of GRAS or standards relating
to any products used in food preparation. I wonder if the difference
is in the oak? Some is food grade oak and some not? How do you tell
the difference?

Traeger pellets are PFI Utility grade (lowest) in terms of moisture
content and PFI Standard grade in terms of ash content (based on their
own informtation). OWP pellets are Premium grade across the board.

And again with all respect, neither of the two sources a reasonable
person would expect a warning from mentioned a concern, not a peep,
not an inference, nothing. And again there are plenty of people using
OWP pellets in their pellet grills without problem.

I dropped an email to the PFI to see if they had any comments.

Fred Probst wrote:

> The Bradley pucks are held together with collagen, as I recall.

They make clear cigarette rolling papers out of collagen, too. You can't
taste the "paper" at all. A little tricky to roll, just make sure your
tobacco is free of seeds and stems because they rip easy.

-sw

JTM wrote:
> In article >,
> Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

.... From the manufacturer:

>> Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across North
>> America and Europe.
>
> Not very carbon friendly if true

Hahahahahahahah! That's a good one!

But just for kicks, who exactly is being Carbon Unfriendly? The
manufacturer, the buyers, or the entire country buying them?

> I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here. I bbq on
> local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain local charcoal or
> propane in UK

Well, aren't *you* special. Do you capture all your spent smoke in a
condenser, bottle, and sell it for use in Crock Pots or does it waft up
into the atmosphere?

-sw

On Jun 23, 6:52*pm, "Nunya Bidnits" >
wrote:
> ,
> yelnoc > typed:
>
> > Did I say crappy?
>
> Well no but you implied it, and I have heard it elsewhere, so I just
> embellished. ;-)
>
>
>
> ---clip---
>
> > I can’t find anything on my bag of briquettes or lump that says
> > anything about them being Food grade. *If it is really important
> > certainly it would be there wouldn’t it? *Are we just to assume that
> > it is food grade charcoal? *Is there such a thing as non-food grade
> > charcoal? *Is their some process of certification of the wood burned
> > in the manufacture of lump charcoal or charcoal for briquettes to
> > assure that no non-food grade wood or wood product has been used?
>
> Actually a lot of people don't like charcoal briquets because they contain
> coal and perhaps other evil things. Whether it's mandated that they disclose
> it is something different, but the word char-coal should offer a hint.
>
> I think there is a difference in that the charcoal has been burnt already
> and charcoal is pure fuel. When making pellets there is an issue of what the
> binder is that holds it together, if any. Theoretically additive chemicals
> aren't in charcoal. That's theoretically.
>
> People also complain about lump charcoal. Certain brands are notorious for
> including construction scrap and other crap. People even find nails and
> such.
>
> --clip---
>
>
>
> > And again with all respect, neither of the two sources a reasonable
> > person would expect a warning from mentioned a concern, not a peep,
> > not an inference, nothing. *And again there are plenty of people using
> > OWP pellets in their pellet grills without problem.
>
> And with all respect as well, if you actually believe big corporations are
> going to warn you when their products may be unsafe if they are not under
> some sort of regulation or scrutiny, then you are very trusting indeed. You
> may have forgotten about a little thing called cigarettes, among many other
> products where manufacturers have not only failed to state the dangers of
> their products, but have attempted to conceal them. I am not saying that is
> the case with pellets, but I am saying that blind trust is not an option for
> me.
>
> > I dropped an email to the PFI to see if they had any comments.
>
> I'm interested to see what they say, and whether the food grade thing with
> pellets is just hype or legitimate.
>
> MartyB in KC

No ablo CFR? No comments on GRAS or the Food Chemicals Codex?

Is natural gas food grade? Are you saying its not ok to burn
cigarettes for fuel in a grill?

I think if this were a legitimate threat Barry would be bloating out a
new government agency to watch over all those lying killers in big
business making non-food grade BBQ fuels.

Do you wonder if pesticides are used on the corn that the "cob-smoked"
places use?

Do you eat irradiated foods?

On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:52:54 -0700, Denny Wheeler wrote:

> On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:28:01 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>> I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here. I bbq on
>>> local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain local charcoal or
>>> propane in UK
>>
>>Well, aren't *you* special. Do you capture all your spent smoke in a
>>condenser, bottle, and sell it for use in Crock Pots or does it waft up
>>into the atmosphere?
>
> What did he say or do to deserve that snarkiness, Sqwertz?

This is BBQ group, not a GreenPeace group. None of us are too
concerned with our carbon emissions if we're BBQ'ers. Tell it to Al
Gore, not us.

-sw

Nunya Bidnits wrote:
> In ,
> Sqwertz > typed:
>> On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:52:54 -0700, Denny Wheeler wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:28:01 -0500, Sqwertz >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>> I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here.
>>>>> I bbq on local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain
>>>>> local charcoal or propane in UK
>>>>
>>>> Well, aren't *you* special. Do you capture all your spent smoke in
>>>> a condenser, bottle, and sell it for use in Crock Pots or does it
>>>> waft up into the atmosphere?
>>>
>>> What did he say or do to deserve that snarkiness, Sqwertz?
>>
>> This is BBQ group, not a GreenPeace group. None of us are too
>> concerned with our carbon emissions if we're BBQ'ers. Tell it to Al
>> Gore, not us.
>>
>> -sw
>
> Who is "none of us"?

<Raising hand> :-) Me, for one.
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Nunya Bidnits wrote:
> In
> ,
> yelnoc > typed:
>
>>
>> Do you eat irradiated foods?
>
> What's wrong with them? And could you wander any further?

Man, I'd buy irradiated foods in a split second. Great storage life, and not
much chance that the germs are gonna git ya.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote:
> Sqwertz > typed:
> > On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:52:54 -0700, Denny Wheeler wrote:
> >> Sqwertz > wrote:
> >>
> >>>> I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here.
> >>>> I bbq on local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain
> >>>> local charcoal or propane in UK
> >>>
> >>> Well, aren't *you* special. Do you capture all your spent smoke in
> >>> a condenser, bottle, and sell it for use in Crock Pots or does it
> >>> waft up into the atmosphere?
> >>
> >> What did he say or do to deserve that snarkiness, Sqwertz?
> >
> > This is BBQ group, not a GreenPeace group. None of us are too
> > concerned with our carbon emissions if we're BBQ'ers. Tell it to Al
> > Gore, not us.

> Who is "none of us"?
>
> Speak for yourself.

I must say that I found nothing 'GreenPeacish' or otherwise objectionable
about someone mentioning that they BBQ on local logs in France, locally
produced charcoal in Spain and local charcoal or propane in UK. There've
been numerous discussions here and on a.b.f about using different fuels,
including electricity, and even about making your own charcoal.

Entropy rules ! ! !

--
Nick, KI6VAV. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their
families: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ Thank a Veteran!
Support Our Troops: http://anymarine.com/ You are not forgotten.
Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~ USMC 1365061

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
...

> The fear of irradiated food is about the same as the fear of modern
> nuclear
> power plants. Both are completely safe, and yet both are the continued
> victims of irrational and misinformed hysteria.

It'd be great to have a bit of radioactive cobalt or plutonium at the house
and do your own. You could use a Foodsaver to vacuum bag the 'Q, then
irradiate it and toss it in the pantry for a few years. Even better, having
your own source of neutrons would save money on having the pets neutered,
hold down mold and mildew in the house even better than an ozone generator
and would be a great incentive for a burglar to go elsewhere, rather than be
irradiated during a burglary.

Nonny

Americans worry whether the rest of the world
considers us dumb, so we go to the polls and
remove all doubt.

On 25 Jun 2009 22:29:31 GMT, Nick Cramer wrote:

> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote:
>> Sqwertz > typed:
>>> On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:52:54 -0700, Denny Wheeler wrote:
>>>> Sqwertz > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>> I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here.
>>>>>> I bbq on local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain
>>>>>> local charcoal or propane in UK
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, aren't *you* special. Do you capture all your spent smoke in
>>>>> a condenser, bottle, and sell it for use in Crock Pots or does it
>>>>> waft up into the atmosphere?
>>>>
>>>> What did he say or do to deserve that snarkiness, Sqwertz?
>>>
>>> This is BBQ group, not a GreenPeace group. None of us are too
>>> concerned with our carbon emissions if we're BBQ'ers. Tell it to Al
>>> Gore, not us.
>
>> Who is "none of us"?
>>
>> Speak for yourself.
>
> I must say that I found nothing 'GreenPeacish' or otherwise objectionable
> about someone mentioning that they BBQ on local logs in France, locally
> produced charcoal in Spain and local charcoal or propane in UK. There've
> been numerous discussions here and on a.b.f about using different fuels,
> including electricity, and even about making your own charcoal.
>
> Entropy rules ! ! !

You must have missed the part about calling somebody being "carbon
unfriendly" because they ship wood *pellets* overseas.

And who *doesn't* BBQ with local fuels? It's not like were shipping
on cords of pimento wood from Jamaica (speaking of which, anybody
want to go in on a cord?).

-sw

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
...
> In ,
> Nonny > typed:
>> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in
>> message
>> ...
>>
>>> The fear of irradiated food is about the same as the fear of
>>> modern
>>> nuclear
>>> power plants. Both are completely safe, and yet both are the
>>> continued victims of irrational and misinformed hysteria.
>>
>> It'd be great to have a bit of radioactive cobalt or plutonium
>> at the
>> house and do your own. You could use a Foodsaver to vacuum bag
>> the
>> 'Q, then irradiate it and toss it in the pantry for a few
>> years.
>> Even better, having your own source of neutrons would save
>> money on
>> having the pets neutered, hold down mold and mildew in the
>> house even
>> better than an ozone generator and would be a great incentive
>> for a
>> burglar to go elsewhere, rather than be irradiated during a
>> burglary.
>>
>> Nonny
>
> Maybe I should have said "both are completely safe as long as
> they don't
> start producing do-it-yourself-at-home kits and nuclear
> appliances."
>
> On the other hand, that opens up a whole new world of
> marketing... for
> example, the CVS Incisionless Home Vasectomy Kit, the ElectroLux
> Basement
> Reactor, and maybe Popiel's Heat-Free Countertop Rotisserie, and
> Watson's
> Bulbless Home Tanning System.
>
> MartyB
>

It's time to incorporate and start a business, Marty. That
Incisionless Home Vasectomy Kit you envision sure beats the one I
was tinkering with. My own modest prototype just consisted of a
mallet and butcher block. Afterward, it could be used in the
kitchen to pound out pork tenderloins for sandwiches.
--
Nonny

Americans worry whether the rest of the world
considers us dumb, so we go to the polls and
remove all doubt.

Nunya Bidnits wrote:

> That's very PC because it repurposes your kit instead of going in the
> trash. But I think the problem with your design is that, while
> efficient, it needs to include a morphine injection kit, and you'll
> never get that past the DEA.

OR... the mallet could also be used as a cranial anesthetic delivery tool.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nonny" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in
>> message
>> ...
>> > In ,
>> > Nonny > typed:
>> >> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in
>> >> message
>> >> ...
>> >>
>> >>> The fear of irradiated food is about the same as the fear
>> >>> of
>> >>> modern
>> >>> nuclear
>> >>> power plants. Both are completely safe, and yet both are
>> >>> the
>> >>> continued victims of irrational and misinformed hysteria.
>> >>
>> >> It'd be great to have a bit of radioactive cobalt or
>> >> plutonium
>> >> at the
>> >> house and do your own. You could use a Foodsaver to vacuum
>> >> bag
>> >> the
>> >> 'Q, then irradiate it and toss it in the pantry for a few
>> >> years.
>> >> Even better, having your own source of neutrons would save
>> >> money on
>> >> having the pets neutered, hold down mold and mildew in the
>> >> house even
>> >> better than an ozone generator and would be a great
>> >> incentive
>> >> for a
>> >> burglar to go elsewhere, rather than be irradiated during a
>> >> burglary.
>> >>
>> >> Nonny
>> >
>> > Maybe I should have said "both are completely safe as long as
>> > they don't
>> > start producing do-it-yourself-at-home kits and nuclear
>> > appliances."
>> >
>> > On the other hand, that opens up a whole new world of
>> > marketing... for
>> > example, the CVS Incisionless Home Vasectomy Kit, the
>> > ElectroLux
>> > Basement
>> > Reactor, and maybe Popiel's Heat-Free Countertop Rotisserie,
>> > and
>> > Watson's
>> > Bulbless Home Tanning System.
>> >
>> > MartyB
>> >
>>
>> It's time to incorporate and start a business, Marty. That
>> Incisionless Home Vasectomy Kit you envision sure beats the one
>> I
>> was tinkering with. My own modest prototype just consisted of
>> a
>> mallet and butcher block. Afterward, it could be used in the
>> kitchen to pound out pork tenderloins for sandwiches.
>
> That's very PC because it repurposes your kit instead of going
> in the trash.
> But I think the problem with your design is that, while
> efficient, it needs
> to include a morphine injection kit, and you'll never get that
> past the DEA.
>
> MartyB in KC
>

I suspect that the majority of purchasers will be wives and
girlfriends, so pain would not be of much concern. I envision the
mallet/block to be used as a surprise and usually on a man already
anesthetized by Jim Beams, Tanguray or Coors (to keep on topic. .
.. after eating his fill of barbecue). <grin>

--
Nonny

Americans worry whether the rest of the world
considers us dumb, so we go to the polls and
remove all doubt.

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
...
> Maybe I should have said "both are completely safe as long as
> they don't
> start producing do-it-yourself-at-home kits and nuclear
> appliances."
>
> On the other hand, that opens up a whole new world of
> marketing... for
> example, the CVS Incisionless Home Vasectomy Kit, the ElectroLux
> Basement
> Reactor, and maybe Popiel's Heat-Free Countertop Rotisserie, and
> Watson's
> Bulbless Home Tanning System.
>
> MartyB

After WW2, my Dad invested as a minority owner of a shoe store in
our home town. For a little country town, the place was neat,
with a little "pond" in the store with a bridge over it. The
other real attraction was that they scientifically "fit" the shoes
so that you wouldn't end up crippled or have "weak ankles." The
scientific part came from an upward shining fluoroscope. The kid
would stand on a box that contained the emitter and above the feet
would be the screen. The clerk would press a button and the kid's
feet and toes would be visible inside the shoe to show a proper
fit. That thing was there for at least 15 years, long after Dad
sold his interest and moved on. Perhaps that will help some here
in this forum understand my limitations. <grin>

The other thing I recall from the 50's was the tanning lamp for
sickly children in particular. The lamp was like a large flex
neck desk lamp on the floor. There were 2 bulbs: one was an IR
emitter and probably pretty benign. The other produced UV light
to "tan" the pale and sickly child. Goggles or even sun glasses
were nonexistent and the deeper the tan, the healthier the child
was.

On topic comment: The sickly child also at Bruner's BBQ to make
him/her grow up good and strong.

--
Nonny

Americans worry whether the rest of the world
considers us dumb, so we go to the polls and
remove all doubt.

i am serious here, these pellets are an excellent kitty litter if you
currently use the pine pellet brand of litter at about half the cost, Lee
"yelnoc" > wrote in message
...
> The price of pellets for Traeger grills at retail is $18 and change.
> The description of the pellets is "All Natural BBQ Pellets are made
> from 100% recycled hardwood sawdust." They warn you not to use other
> brands and will void your warranty if you do. Not sure how they could
> tell if you did Anyway after going through about 10 bags of their
> pellets I realized that this is NOT a cheap grill fuel and I found
> most bags to have a lot of crumbled pellets and so much saw dust that
> I had to shift them. I found that the dusty, crumbled pellets also
> did not consistently fall into the auger reliably either causing my
> grill to go cold on a couple occasions as the heating element shuts
> down when pellets stop coming. I tried grape, hickory, apple, alder
> and could not tell an appreciable difference in flavor and my
> preliminary conclusion is that pellets just don't give off neat the
> smoke or infuse meats like wood chips, chunks and logs.
>
> BUT, since it is very convenient way to go low and slow, I located
> another source of pellets made for pellet furnaces by Ozark Wood
> Products. They describe their pellets as: "hardwood pellets are made
> from 100% oak hardwood sawdust..." I just finished my first 40lb
> bag. It cost $4.50. My Traeger works just fine, the pellets are more
> consistently sized and have almost no dust. Do the math.

to me part of the point of cooking outdoors is to save on the utilities used
in the summer to cool the house, Now don't get me wrong, is wood or chips
perfect, but neither is blasting the oven in the kitchen while blasting the
A/C at the same time. Lee
"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:52:54 -0700, Denny Wheeler wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:28:01 -0500, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>> I only know the UK, France and Spain and haven't seen them here. I bbq
>>>> on
>>>> local logs in France, local produced charcoal in Spain local charcoal
>>>> or
>>>> propane in UK
>>>
>>>Well, aren't *you* special. Do you capture all your spent smoke in a
>>>condenser, bottle, and sell it for use in Crock Pots or does it waft up
>>>into the atmosphere?
>>
>> What did he say or do to deserve that snarkiness, Sqwertz?
>
> This is BBQ group, not a GreenPeace group. None of us are too
> concerned with our carbon emissions if we're BBQ'ers. Tell it to Al
> Gore, not us.
>
> -sw

would be interested in their written answer if/when you geet one, Lee
"yelnoc" > wrote in message
...
On Jun 21, 12:01 am, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>
> >>> 1. STOP USING THOSE FURNACE PELLETS RIGHT NOW! They are not food
> >>> grade.
> >> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places
> >> where we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it
> >> for $5 an 8 ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>
> > So until you knew it didn't have any toxins in it, you would go ahead
> > and
> > use it?
>
> > If he can prove it's pure, that's one thing, but if he doesn't know
> > that,
> > and he is using a non food grade product to make food, then he's taking
> > a
> > risk. IMO it's that simple.
>
> > MartyB in KC
>
> But you said to stop using them RIGHT NOW. I say he should investigate.
> They do state 100% oak hardwood. That is certainly a good start. If it
> said 99% and 1% filler, I'd be a tiny bit concerned. If it said 905 wood
> and 10% binders, I'd be more concerned.
>
> From Energex http://www.energex.com/common/product_residential.php
> Energex manufactures hardwood and softwood varieties of pellets. Both
> types
> of pellets are made from clean sawdust that is free of additives and bark.
>
> From http://www.heatresource.com/pellet.html
> Pellets are made of hardwood, primarily oak. Sawdust is generated by oak
> flooring plants in southeast Arkansas. Resins and binders that naturally
> occur in wood hold the pellets together without the use of additives.
> Pellet
> mills grind, compress and dry wood by-products into a neat, conveniently
> handled fuel.
>
> Note the certification this outfit has. They also private label, like a
> smoker supplier would
> want.http://www.koettersmith.com/index.ph...=12&zenid=dvdp...
> Our fuel pellets are of such high quality we ship them all across North
> America and Europe. If you use a pellet stove, this is the product for
> you.
>
> a.. Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI)-certified “Premium”
> b.. Hearth Patio Barbecue Association (HPBA)-certified
> c.. Hardwood pellets
> d.. Low ash (less than 1%)
>
> Some manufacturers of pellets do use soft wood and they do specify that
> they
> do. I'd not hesitate to use the premium stuff that says 100% hardwood
> though. Would you use wood that has deer **** on it? You never know where
> that tree has been.

Thanks for all the comments folks.

I talked to Ozark Hardwood Products on the phone. They have made,
with the same process, pellets of other woods for pellet grills. The
demand for pellets for heating applications is great enough that they
do not plan to make pellets marketed for grills again soon, note I say
"marketed". There are a number of people that use their pellets in
grills. As far as I know Traeger provides less information on their
pellets than OWP, Traeger does not say who makes their pellet and does
not claim they are made by a member of the PFI. When I posted
similar on the Traeger site the only warning was about voiding
warranty. One could conclude that they obviously want to sell their
pellets for almost 10 times more and would site the threat of horrible
consequences beyond voiding the warranty and lose of revenue - they
did not.

Certainly pellet grills provide the easiest way to produce a
consistent low temperature over long periods of time. I also have a
10 year old Kamado 7 which in spite of all the problems surrounding
that manufacture has served me well, but I hate to have to unload
completely 8 shoulders to refuel after 8 hours - good lump is as hard
to find as anything.

I would love to have a nice wood fired setup with guru and someone to
mentor me on using that type of setup, obviously that produces the
most contest winning BBQ, but you can't have everything. I am going
to send these concerns, which I think are unfounded to OWP, but I
think when I had them on the phone (especially since they can sell all
the make for heating) and I told them I was using them for cooking,
they would have warned me.

Anyone recruiting for BBQ team members in north central Illinois let
me know.

all of which come in the easy to use glow in the dark option so you can save
on utilities while you use them, Lee
"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
...
> In ,
> Nonny > typed:
>> "Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>> The fear of irradiated food is about the same as the fear of modern
>>> nuclear
>>> power plants. Both are completely safe, and yet both are the
>>> continued victims of irrational and misinformed hysteria.
>>
>> It'd be great to have a bit of radioactive cobalt or plutonium at the
>> house and do your own. You could use a Foodsaver to vacuum bag the
>> 'Q, then irradiate it and toss it in the pantry for a few years.
>> Even better, having your own source of neutrons would save money on
>> having the pets neutered, hold down mold and mildew in the house even
>> better than an ozone generator and would be a great incentive for a
>> burglar to go elsewhere, rather than be irradiated during a burglary.
>>
>> Nonny
>
> Maybe I should have said "both are completely safe as long as they don't
> start producing do-it-yourself-at-home kits and nuclear appliances."
>
> On the other hand, that opens up a whole new world of marketing... for
> example, the CVS Incisionless Home Vasectomy Kit, the ElectroLux Basement
> Reactor, and maybe Popiel's Heat-Free Countertop Rotisserie, and Watson's
> Bulbless Home Tanning System.
>
> MartyB
>

if you are going to compare these sorts of things compare the seet oil you
put in your ear for an earache and lets say mid range or even high end olive
oil... sam stuff different price, Lee
"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> I'm a bit cynical about some of that stuff. I've worked in places where
>> we'd buy $5 a gallon common chemicals, bottle it and sell it for $5 an 8
>> ounce bottle and call it some special potion.
>
> Cutting Board and Butcher Block oil has about the same markup (mineral
> oil). Or another favorite: Wok Oil (soybean or refined coconut oil).
>
> -sw