Let's Talk BBQ
General => General Discussion & Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: Pappymn on May 03, 2013, 12:22:13 PM
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Was at Costco this morning, and they are having a Traeger road show right now. Guy asked me if I had one, I said no, but that I did have a pellet grill. Saw me looking at the Traeger pellets, and shared that they are the only FDA approved food grade pellet. He also said they will burn longer as they are made using 10,000 PSI of pressure when manufactured. By the way, $15 bucks for a 20 pound bag.
Thought both these comments were interesting
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I have used other pellets that I like better than Traeger but too hard for me to get here in NW Ohio. I am kind of locked in to using Treager pellets but I do like their oak as well as any I have used, they burn clean, hot and slow and I like the flavor I get. I have to pay $18.99 a bag here. Smokin Don
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As far as I know there is no such thing as a "Food Grade" pellet. If the FDA is involved now with approving food grade pellets that is new news to me. Companies offer cooking pellets but you cannot be 100% sure what you are getting due to no regulation. So unless you watched them being made who knows.
There are Fast Eddy pellet cookers that are approved for restaraunt use. He had extensive testing done for their approval.
As far as density of a pellet well that can work against you. If the pieces are too large and dense that can stop or slow the auger. And at lower temps that can cause excessive ash.
And many of the traeger brand pellets use flavored oils to create different wood flavors. This allows very consistent temp results with all types but not as much flavor IMHO.
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As far as I know there is no such thing as a "Food Grade" pellet. If the FDA is involved now with approving food grade pellets that is new news to me. Companies offer cooking pellets but you cannot be 100% sure what you are getting due to no regulation. So unless you watched them being made who knows.
There are Fast Eddy pellet cookers that are approved for restaraunt use. He had extensive testing done for their approval.
As far as density of a pellet well that can work against you. If the pieces are too large and dense that can stop or slow the auger. And at lower temps that can cause excessive ash.
And many of the traeger brand pellets use flavored oils to create different wood flavors. This allows very consistent temp results with all types but not as much flavor IMHO.
muebe is correct on all counts. Perhaps one of our pellet manufacturer members will see this and let us know if there has been any action by the FDA or what it is, otherwise.
Hub
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I don't care for Traeger's flavored pellets but their 100% oak pellets are hard to beat. For me in my Traeger 07E they burn hotter, last longer, and very little ash compared to any other pellets I have tried. Smokin Don
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Pellets....Pellets and Pellets......!
So, here's my take on the subject
Try a few different brands
Find the one you like and stick with it
All too often, guys try several different brands, and don't learn their equipment. Then, quickly blame the pellets.
Though I'm NOT the manufacturer, I have learned a few things about pellets.
I've tried a few brands, and dig LumberJack. Not because they're the best, but I'm a dealer, so it's a No Brainer for me!
I also get some 100% Peach, 100% Apple, 100% Pecan, 100% Mesquite and a few other varieties from other manufacturers. These are not meant to perform in a pellet pooper.
Some manufacturers use oil to lubricate the dies of their pellet mill. I believe this is where the term "Food Grade" is being borrowed from. The only other type of oil would be petroleum oil.
Did you know that the waste oil from McDonalds is "Food Grade".....ISH!
I just had a discussion with the guys at LumberJack last week, and there was no mention of any U.S. Government approval for any pellets. My guess is the salesman at the Costco Road Show was giving a "Sales Pitch"
So, the moral of the story...Find some pellets that perform well in your smoker, and stick with them
Todd
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My guess is the salesman at the Costco Road Show was giving a "Sales Pitch"
Traeger has not lately been known for spreading the truth and I think you are likely correct, but stranger things have happened. Using another brand of pellets in your Traeger WILL NOT void your warranty, as some believe, and the statements of the hired shills ("Traeger Reps") at Costco shows are legendary in their falsehood. Traeger dealers are getting scarcer, too, as the company continues to circumvent them and undersell them. In marketing-ese, this is indicative of a final stage in the product lifecycle wherein the seller maximizes return on an obsolete product by moving as much as possible through the lowest cost channels. This does not mean that Traeger pellets or cookers are a bad deal, but rather that they seek to occupy a bottom of market position on purpose. Bargains abound for the discerning ;D
Hub
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Let me say right off, I love my Traeger Texan and have had many successful cooks on it with excelllent results since getting it in August. Now, that being said, I voided the warranty by adding a Savannah Stoker and although I started out burning Traeger pellets and also tried Cammeron. I have gone exclusively to Lumberjack. INMHO they seem to last longer. This past weekend I did three butts over night in the rain and upper 30's and when I checked them at the 8 hour mark my hopper was down 2". With supplemental smoke using my AMAZEN tube at the end of 14 hours they were done and I had used only 1/3 hopper of pellets. In Iowa i pay $28 dollars for a 40 pound bag.
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... Using another brand of pellets in your Traeger WILL NOT void your warranty, as some believe, and the statements of the hired shills ("Traeger Reps") at Costco shows are legendary in their falsehood ...
As Hub and many others have pointed out, using another brand of pellets in your Traeger will NOT void your warranty if you don't use thier pellets. As far as I know, they are the only manufacturer, which also make pellets, to require their customers to use their BBQ pellets. I'm no lawyer so don't take my words as gospel! ... but those that know a lot more than I do claim the following:
There is one grill manufacturer who requires their customers exclusively use their BBQ pellets and threaten their grill owners by voiding their product warranty if they don’t comply. However, “tie-in sales” are addressed in a federal law as follows:
The Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act is a United States federal law, (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.). Enacted in 1975, it is the federal statute that governs warranties on consumer products.
Referring to the Federal Magnuson-Moss Act; Section regarding tie-in's..... Quoting,
"Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty." This is commonly referred to as the "tie-in sales" provisions.
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Mak just started making their own pellets too
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Mak just started making their own pellets too
I spoke with MAK Daddy last summer and their MAK All-Star Hazelnut Blend Barbecue Pellets are manufactured for them by a pellet company in Oregon :) ;) Have used their Hazelnut Blend and I really like the results!!
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My sister and her husband bought a Traeger road show at the costco. She said hey my brother been using these for years and maybe you know him?
So she tells him and he says yeah i know him.
So sis he gotcha EH
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... Using another brand of pellets in your Traeger WILL NOT void your warranty, as some believe, and the statements of the hired shills ("Traeger Reps") at Costco shows are legendary in their falsehood ...
As Hub and many others have pointed out, using another brand of pellets in your Traeger will NOT void your warranty if you don't use thier pellets. As far as I know, they are the only manufacturer, which also make pellets, to require their customers to use their BBQ pellets. I'm no lawyer so don't take my words as gospel! ... but those that know a lot more than I do claim the following:
There is one grill manufacturer who requires their customers exclusively use their BBQ pellets and threaten their grill owners by voiding their product warranty if they don’t comply. However, “tie-in sales” are addressed in a federal law as follows:
The Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act is a United States federal law, (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.). Enacted in 1975, it is the federal statute that governs warranties on consumer products.
Referring to the Federal Magnuson-Moss Act; Section regarding tie-in's..... Quoting,
"Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty." This is commonly referred to as the "tie-in sales" provisions.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx169/muebe/Album%202/20121101_155225.jpg)
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Holy s@it......wow
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Many manufacturers try to tie the product to the "dispenser". This was most famous with Gillete's motto - give away the razor and sell the blades. It is common in the cleaning industry - chemical proportioners that are tied to specific types of chemical packages - get the dispenser and be locked into the chemical. Same for paper towels - dispensers are free, but only accept certain (proprietary) rolls of paper. It shouldn't be surprising that a pellet grill maker would try to get residual revenue by requiring the use of their pellets. In other industries the manufacturer must demonstrate the nature of the proprietary requirement to pass FTC muster. I would think it will be much more difficult in this situation to uphold a warranty exclusion based on the brand of pellet. Especially if it can be shown that the majority of pellets are essentially the same (other than blends of wood) in how they are dispensed and burned.
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... Using another brand of pellets in your Traeger WILL NOT void your warranty, as some believe, and the statements of the hired shills ("Traeger Reps") at Costco shows are legendary in their falsehood ...
As Hub and many others have pointed out, using another brand of pellets in your Traeger will NOT void your warranty if you don't use thier pellets. As far as I know, they are the only manufacturer, which also make pellets, to require their customers to use their BBQ pellets. I'm no lawyer so don't take my words as gospel! ... but those that know a lot more than I do claim the following:
There is one grill manufacturer who requires their customers exclusively use their BBQ pellets and threaten their grill owners by voiding their product warranty if they don’t comply. However, “tie-in sales” are addressed in a federal law as follows:
The Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act is a United States federal law, (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.). Enacted in 1975, it is the federal statute that governs warranties on consumer products.
Referring to the Federal Magnuson-Moss Act; Section regarding tie-in's..... Quoting,
"Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty." This is commonly referred to as the "tie-in sales" provisions.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx169/muebe/Album%202/20121101_155225.jpg)
Saw that same sticker when I got my Traeger PTG. But I wonder if any Traeger owner, whose unit was still under warranty, was asked "have you used Traeger Pellets exclusively in your unit"? I had temp swing issues with my PTG using their 3-position switch and when I called their tech support we talked only about the controller. They never asked me anything about what pellets I used. Wouldn't they have to get a sample of the ash and get it analyzed to somehow verify that you only used their pellets? Then again, there's Federal Laws concerning Consumer Product Warranties.
Traeger didn't agree with my assessment of the controller but we had a nice discussion and they sent me a new digital controller for free to replace the old analog 3-position controller. Unfortunately I found out that their digital controller was not any better than the digital Ortech TR-100 I tried earlier and I finally got things dialed in using a PID controller in the manual mode.
IMHO, I think Traeger just puts that sign on their units in the hopes that people will believe they don't have a leg to stand on if they use another brand of pellets. Like I said, it's just my Humble Opinion. My Traeger PTG has never seen a Traeger BBQ pellet and it never will !!
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All I can say is WOW. Ballsy for a rep to say they have FDA approval.
Next time anyone says that they have FDA approval ask for their FDA FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION, PETITION NUMBER or their DOCKET NUMBER or even the CFR that has anything to do with it!!!
Just sends me over the edge when people do that!
There is NO Federal regulation on pellets. Or charcoal for that matter.
I suggest to stay far away from those telling you stories.
Find a pellet you like. That is somewhat close if your shipping in , due to shipping rates, and above all that you or others trust and have good results from.
I will say that we follow FDA guidelines.. but that is all there is, guidelines.
Happy Smokin
Chris