Pit Boss pellet grills have become increasingly popular pellet grills since these grills tend to cost less and offer more features than a Traeger pellet grill.
A common question I hear is if Traeger pellets can be used in a Pit Boss grill?
Even though Pit Boss produces their own line of wood pellets, sometimes other brands such as Traeger will have a wood flavor or blend that you want to try.
So can Pit Boss grills use Traeger wood pellets?
Any brand of wood pellets, including Traeger, can be used in a Pit Boss pellet grill. As long as the wood pellets are uniform in shape and are intended to be used in a pellet grill then the Pit Boss will be able to use the wood pellets.
Avoid using low-quality pellets that have a lot of loose sawdust in the bag as the excess sawdust can cause issues in the pellet grill.
Now let’s cover the main reasons why you may want to use Traeger wood pellets in a Pit Boss and highlight any differences between the two brands.
How Wood Pellets Are Made
Before comparing Pit Boss and Traeger wood pellets, it’s worthwhile to understand how wood pellets are made.
Generally, wood pellets are manufactured in a similar method where wood chips or sawdust are compressed into tiny pellets.
The natural lignin inside the wood acts as a glue that holds the compressed wood together in the pellet shape. The lignin is also what gives the wood pellets their glossy shine.
So wood pellets being manufactured by Traeger or Pit Boss will follow the same process where wood dust and chips are compressed into pellets. The only difference will between the brands will be the wood flavors and blend ratios that each brand uses when producing wood pellets.
Now that we know how wood pellets are made and how wood pellets are very similar across trusted brands, let’s cover the main reasons why Traeger pellets may be used in a Pit Boss pellet grill.
Reasons to use Traeger Wood Pellets in Pit Boss
Here are a few common reasons why I have used Traeger wood pellets in a Pit Boss pellet grill.
Availability
Depending on which store you purchase your wood pellets from, you may not find Pit Boss wood pellets there. Although Pit Boss has become a more well-known brand, there are still some stores that only carry Traeger wood pellets.
For example, my local butcher shop only has Traeger wood pellets. So when I pick up a rack of ribs and need wood pellets, I’ll just grab the 20-pound bag of Traeger wood pellets.
I have used a complete 20-pound bag of Traeger pellets in a Pit Boss pellet grill without running into any issues. In fact, the bag of Traeger pellets that I used was the Traeger Signature Blend, which created a pleasant smoky flavor on my ribs.
The wood blend flavor is another reason why you may choose to use Traeger wood pellets inside of a Pit Boss grill.
Wood Blend Flavor
Pit Boss is a great brand that produces great pellet grills and wood pellets. However, there might be wood flavors or blends that Pit Boss doesn’t offer that you want to try.
For example, you may find that you prefer using charcoal wood pellets when searing meat to create a charcoal smoky flavor while you may prefer using apple wood pellets when cooking fish or vegetables. If the store or Pit Boss doesn’t have these wood blends that using another brand is acceptable.
Selecting a different brand of wood pellets, such as Traeger, and using them in the Pit Boss pellet grill is completely fine.
Larger 40-Pound Wood Pellet Bags
Another benefit of purchasing wood pellets from other brands is that some brands now offer 40-pound bags of wood pellets. Having more wood pellets on hand is helpful so you do not have to worry about running out of wood pellets while cooking.
After much trial and error and getting feedback from online BBQ forums, I finally tried out CookinPellets.
For 40-pound bags of wood pellets, I highly recommend trying CookinPellets wood pellet blends since they create some blends hard to find elsewhere such as Black Cherry and you get 40-pounds of pellets!
Use Wood Pellets from Trusted Brands
So as long as wood pellets from a trusted brand are being used inside of a Pit Boss pellet grill then the pellet grill should operate normally.
Make sure not to use heating pellets or any low-quality wood pellets that have plastics or a lot of sawdust in the bag. Other contaminants will cause issues for the pellet grill and shorten the lifespan of the grill.
See this article for more information on how long pellet grills generally last when properly cared for.
Do All Pellet Grills Use the Same Pellets?
A common question I hear is if all pellet grills use the same pellets.
Any pellet grill that operates by feeding in wood pellets into a firepot will use the exact same type of pellets that any other pellet grill uses. Wood pellets that are uniform in shape can be used in any pellet grill regardless of the brand. A Traeger pellet grill can use Traeger, Pit Boss, or other brands of wood pellets since the wood pellets will create smoke and heat regardless of the brand.
As long as the wood pellets are uniform in shape and are intended to be used in a pellet grill then the wood pellets will work in any pellet grill.
Avoid using heating pellets or any wood pellets that are intended for heating stoves since these may contain other contaminants or lower-quality woods that might produce unpleasant flavors on the food.
Final Thoughts
Pit Boss pellet grills are versatile cooking machines that have become more popular since food can be smoked, seared, and even baked in these grills.
A common question with new pellet grill owners is if other brands of wood pellets can be used in the pellet grill.
So for Pit Boss grills, can Traeger and other brands of wood pellets get used in the grill?
Traeger wood pellets can be used in a Pit Boss pellet grill. Traeger and other brands may offer wood blends and flavors that Pit Boss does not offer which will create different smoky flavors. As long as the wood pellets are uniform in shape and are intended to be used in a pellet grill then the Pit Boss will be able to use those pellets as fuel.
So feel free to test out and try other wood blends and flavors from other brands.
You may find that you prefer using charcoal wood pellets when searing meat to create a charcoal smoky flavor while you may prefer using apple wood pellets when cooking fish or vegetables.
So don’t limit yourself to just Pit Boss wood pellets and their flavors since the wood pellets will have a dramatic impact on the smoke flavor of the food.
