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6 Best Pellets For Smoking Turkey of 2024

By Eugene WilliamsLast update: 2024-11-28

Whether you want to eat a mild and bright-flavored turkey or consume a strongly sweet-flavored outcome, even enjoy a turkey that is smoked with a blend of many kinds of wood pellet flavors, I can also recommend some of the best choices on the market. Roll down to keep reading:

Here are the best pellets for smoking turkey you can buy in 2024:

  • Best For Turkey Breast: Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets
  • Best For Quick Ignition: Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets
  • Mild, Slightly Sweet Flavored: Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets
  • Sweet, Salty Balanced Flavored: Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets
  • Sweet Smoky Flavored: Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets
  • Cleanest Burning: recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet
6 Best Pellets For Smoking Turkey
Best For Turkey Breast
Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets
    Best For Quick Ignition
    Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets
      Mild, Slightly Sweet Flavored
      Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets
        Sweet, Salty Balanced Flavored
        Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets
          Sweet Smoky Flavored
          Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets
            Cleanest Burning
            recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet

              Best For Turkey Breast: Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets

              Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets
              Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets
              Pros
              • Great taste and smell
              • Long-lasting
              • Burns well
              Cons
              • Expensive

              Although the manufacturer said that the Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets works well for most of everything such as beef, poultry, pork, lamb, seafood, baked goods, and vegetables, its effect on turkey breast is proven by customers. When using these pellets to smoke turkey breasts, the latter has a consistent heat, great smoke and flavor.

              Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets Specifications

              Size

              20 lbs

              Material

              Wood

              Highlight Features

              Hickory, maple, and cherry blend

              Verdict

              Although the Traeger All-Natural Wood Pellets aren't designed for turkey breast only, customers used this machine on this kind of food and achieved a wonderful result.

              Best For Quick Ignition: Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets

              Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets
              Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets
              Pros
              • Good flavor
              • Burns clean
              • Long-lasting
              • Great price
              Cons
              • Dusty

              The Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets features quick ignition because it is free of oils and chemicals with a low content of moisture. So, what are the benefits of pellets' quick ignition? Why do you need these pellets?

              Quick ignition allows the wood pellets to burn more efficiently because it can reach the ideal temperature quickly.

              You can also save more money in the long run because you don't have to buy extra wood pellets for burning.

              It's easier to start the fire, so there is no need for any manual action. Therefore, you can quickly smoke your turkey without struggling.

              This feature minimizes more or less pollutants released into the environment, so it is a wonderful solution for lovers of the environment.

              Finally, rapid ignition reduces the risk of unburned pellets to decrease the risk of fire hazard.

              Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets Specifications

              Size

              20 lbs

              Material

              Premium solid hardwoods

              Highlight Features

              100% natural

              Maple, hickory, and cherry blend

              Verdict

              The Cam Chef Competition Blend BBQ Pellets bring many benefits for the best performance thanks to quick ignition.

              Mild, Slightly Sweet Flavored: Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets

              Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets
              Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets
              Pros
              • Great for increased flavor
              • Good smoke
              Cons
              • Not for people who love strong flavor

              If you want to add a mild, slightly sweet flavor into your turkey, just choose the Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets. According to the information from the manufacturer, this product is designed to easily mix it with other woods such as cherry, oak, and maple to create a balanced blend. Customers who don’t like a too strong flavor enjoy this feature very much.

              Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets Specifications

              Size

              2 lbs

              Material

              100% real wood

              Highlight Features

              Professionally crafted

              Cherry, Maple, and Oak blend

              All-purpose

              Verdict

              The Ninja XSKOP2RL Woodfire Pellets work well for those who like mild, slightly sweet flavored turkey or want to pair it with others.

              Sweet, Salty Balanced Flavored: Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets

              Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets
              Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets
              Pros
              • Great smoke
              • Good flavor
              • Reasonable price
              Cons
              • Inconsistent sizes of pellet pieces

              Don’t you like a mild and bright flavor? Do you need a strong taste of the turkey? Let this product satisfy you.

              The Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets are the combination of many wood flavors such as 100% hickory, kona premium blend and 100% oak, kona signature sweetwood blend. Thus, it can provide your turkey with a sweet, salty balanced flavor.

              Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets Specifications

              Size

              2 lbs (8 lbs intotal)

              Material

              Wood

              Highlight Features

              A blend of premium blend; kona sweetwood blend; 100% hickory; 100% oak

              Free of fillers and additives

              Artificial flavors

              Verdict

              The Kona Best Wood Smoking Pellets are a strong blend of many kinds of woods, which can provide your turkey with a sweet, salty balanced flavor.

              Sweet Smoky Flavored: Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets

              Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets
              Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets
              Pros
              • Burns well
              • Good price
              • No dust
              • No flare-up issues
              Cons
              • Too fast to burn

              If you love a sweet taste, here is for you.

              The Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets contribute in creating a sweet smoky flavored turkey because of its apple hardwood pellets.

              Do you worry if the sweetness of this type of pellet is created from any chemical? Luckily, this product is 100% natural to add a subtle sweet flavor to your turkey using no chemicals and additives.

              Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets Specifications

              Size

              20 lbs

              Material

              100% natural hardwoods

              Highlight Features

              Free of chemical starters or additives


              Verdict

              The Fire & Flavor Premium All Natural Hardwood Pellets feature a sweet smoky flavor, so your turkey can have a stronger taste.

              Cleanest Burning: recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet

              recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet
              recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet
              Pros
              • Well-built
              • Good flavor
              • Great smell
              • Burns clean
              Cons
              • Pricey

              If you don’t want to see too much smoke, this should be your solution. After using, customers said that the recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet is clean-burning. This feature brings many benefits.:

              Clean-burning can decrease air pollution because it emits fewer pollutants (nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter), which contributes to changing climate and affects your health negatively.

              This feature is more efficient because it creates more helpful energy without wasting too much energy.

              recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet Specifications

              Size

              40 pounds

              Material

              Wood

              Highlight Features

              100% natural

              A blend of red oak, white oak, and hickory hardwood

              Verdict

              The recteq Ultimate Premium Hardwood Grilling Cooking Pellet burns clean, so it is environment-friendly.

              How To Choose The Best Pellet For Smoking Turkey?

              What Kind Of Turkey Flavor Do You Like?

              Mild Complementary Flavor

              A turkey with mild complementary flavor has enough smokiness, but there is a lot of room for spices, sauces, and natural turkey flavor. If you love it, try one of the following pellets:

              Maple

              The maple pellet has a light and sweet flavor, bringing a broad appeal, especially your turkey will have a dark gold color after smoking a long time.

              Cherry

              The cherry wood can provide your turkey with sweetness and a deep and rich hue on its skin. You can enhance its flavor with marinades, rubs, or a smaĺl amount of other woods. You can try to add this type of wood with hickory for a greater depth of smoky flavor.

              Pecan

              The pecan wood which is usually used in meat smoking, can not only add sweetness but also smokiness, and sharpness to your turkey. Compared to other fruitwoods, this choice is more robust because of its deep flavor and subtle nuttiness.

              Although this wood pellet is great for smoking turkey, it isn't a wonderful combination with hickory. Both of them are strongly flavored woods, so their mix will create an unpleasant sour harshness to your turkey. However, if you need a more robust smokey flavor, you can add a small amount of hickory shavings or mesquite after smoking.

              Apple

              Apple - a classic wood pellet comes with a sweet and fruity flavor, but it is more subtle than pecan and cherry. This flavor is so mild that you need to smoke your turkey apple pellet for a long time. During this time, you must monitor your turkey to make sure that it doesn’t dry out.

              Alder

              This wood pellet comes with a mild and earthy flavor that doesn't overpower like oak, mesquite, and hickory. Thus, it is usually used to mix with apple or maple woods or tone down stronger woods.

              Strong Smoky Hit

              Although mild smoke is considered as the best choice for turkey, many people love strong smoky hits. Below are some of them:

              Mesquite

              The mesquite wood is intensely smoky, so few people love it. However, this type of wood pellet can add a brilliant color and rich smoky flavor into your turkey. I don’t highly recommend it for beginners because it is bitter and unpleasant.

              Oak

              This wood pellet is strong, but generic for smoking. The oak wood can complement savory sauces and seasonings or blend it with other fruit woods for tempering the sweetness. For example, a mix of oak and cherry can create a medium strength smoky taste.

              Hickory

              This is a greatly traditional smoking wood, but its flavor is pretty strong. Thus, you can combine it with fruitwood such as cherry or apple for a turkey with a rich smoky flavor and a deep brown coloring without overpowering taste.

              Which Brands Make The Best Pellet For Smoking Turkey?

              Kona

              Kona, which was founded in 2014, aims to produce unique outdoor products. This brand is famous for high-quality pellets that are made from 100% Douglas fir wood because of their high BTU output and low ash content.

              What are the highlights of Kona pellets?

              They burn hotter and cleaner than others since they are manufactured with less ash and emissions while offering a consistent heat output. In particular, their products are free of additive and binding agents.

              FAQs

              Are pellets better than chips?

              In most cases, wood pellets are better than wood chips:

              The wood pellets can provide your food with better flavor because they are made from compressed hardwoods. Depending on your preference, you can choose a suitable choice among a variety of flavors. Pellets burn evenly, so it can disperse into the flavor more evenly.

              The wood pellets are more versatile because they allow you to use them in many kinds of grills, including pellet grills, kamado grills, pellet grills, and charcoal grills.

              The wood pellets can produce a slow, steady and continuous smoke that helps you cook food evenly with an ultra-tender texture.

              You can control your cooking process better with wood pellets.

              What is the best pellet flavor for smoking a turkey?

              There is not the best pellet flavor for smoking a turkey because everything depends on your preference. However, you can try the following solutions:

              Cherry Wood

              The turkey's naturally bland and lean nature and the deep, rich, smoky cherry flavor of wood pellets can create a wonderful combination - a subtle sweet flavor, but it requires the right temperature, the right time. After smoking, your turkey will have a deep red color.

              Alder Wood

              Though alder wood is usually used for smoking seafood, this non-traditional choice can make your turkey more delicious.

              Maple Wood

              Maple wood can provide your turkey with a mild, sweet, and aromatic flavor. After smoking, your turkey will have a beautifully rich, golden color.

              Apple Wood

              If you love a subtly sweet flavor of apple, you will want to choose this fruitwood. The smoke isn't strongly aromatic, so it doesn't overpower the natural flavor of the turkey.

              Oak Wood

              This is a classic option for red meat, but it can give you an excellent result when applying on a turkey. Cooking your turkey for a short time with this wood pellet can create a rich and earthy flavor without needing sauces and sides.

              If you mix this wood flavor with fruitwood, you can easily have a great sweet and savory outcome.

              Hickory Wood

              The hickory wood is the most versatile type for smoking because of a wide range of its complex flavors and aromas. It can create not only a good taste but also a rich and brown appearance. But, it's hard for hickory smoke to balance your turkey without being overwhelmed.

              How Do You Keep The Turkey Moist In A Pellet Smoker?

              To keep the turkey moist in a pellet smoker, you can baste it with chicken or vegetable broth before smoking every 1-2 hours.

              Should I put a pan of water in my smoker for a turkey?

              Although using a water pan isn't a must, it can bring many benefits:

              If the weather is cold, a pan of boiling hot water can maintain the smoker temperature. It is useful because the smoker can't work well in a too cold environment.

              Moreover, the water pan can prevent flare-ups by catching the drips.

              But, the water pan can cause the high smoke chamber humidity, making the turkey skin rubbery.

              How many pellets do I need to smoke a turkey?

              If you smoke your turkey at 250 degrees for 30-40 minutes per pound, you need a 20 pound bag of pellets.

              Conclusion

              What are the differences between the best pellets for smoking turkey with other wood pellets? If you make the right decision, the former can provide your turkey with a better and more delicious taste.


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