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In my quest to produce the
best BBQ I learned long ago quality fuel is a
critical component. The data provided in this review
are observations and opinions I have formed during a
very long test in which I have burned through over
60 bags of Bear Mountain Forest Products BBQ
pellets. The pellets used during this test were
purchased from two local Cash-N-Carry stores (30
bags) and 30 bags shipped directly from Bear
Mountain Forest Products.
When buying BBQ pellets there
are a few things to consider.
Are they food grade?
- You will find two types of pellets on the market.
Heating type which are for burning in heating
stoves. These should not be used in food cookers as
they most likely contain residual chemicals that
have been absorbed into the wood. Food grade are
processed using wood that is not subject to these
chemical. Safety first!
Are they
clean burning? - Clean burning pellets will
for the most part burn down to a very fine ash
keeping your burn pot from prematurely building up
with ash and causing your igniter to not make
contact with the pellets on startup. It can also
have negative impact on airflow to your fire. Clean
burning equates to a more efficient fire and less
cleanouts.
Are they ashy?
- What this means is that when the pellets are
burning so they emits excessive ash debris into the
air. All pellets by nature will emit light amounts
of ash into the air as they burn. However some
brands will emit what I consider unacceptable
amounts into the air and this is easy to spot
because you will see a layer of ash build up on and
around your cooker in as quick as the first hour of
burning. If your getting this amount on the outside
of the cooker your getting even more on your food
inside the cooker.
Flavor - Do
you get a nice wood fire flavor into your food when
cooking with the fuel. The amount of smoke is
determined by the type of flavored hardwoods used as
well as the efficiency of the fire. Cooler burning
fire maintaining a pit temp 200 - 275 will provide
for an efficient burn that still produces ample
smoke. Burning hotter in the 350+ range will produce
allot less smoke.
Cost -
This seems to be the most important driver for most
folks who run pellet grills. With todays economy
folks just won't cook as much if its cost
prohibitive. Contact Bear Mountain and ask about
bulk shipment. In most cases you can get a better
price buying in bulk and they will ship it to you
providing you have access to a loading dock. I have
them sent to my father in-laws engine shop.
Availability -
Equally important as cost is availability. Bear
Mountain Forest Product BBQ Pellet's can be found in
your local Cash-N-Carry store. Their
store locator
will help you find a Cash-N-Carry closest to you.
My experience and
thoughts - As for the above mentioned
items, Bear Mountain Forest Products excels in all
aspects. I have burned five of the top major brands
over the years and have settled on Bear Mountain. I
was impressed with the cost and quality of their
product and personally feel Bear Mountain BBQ
pellet's have upped my cooking game.
Header
The following are some
observations while using Bear Mountain Forest
Products BBQ pellets.
The flavor is great!
Tri Tip cooed with Bear Mountain American Hickory
BBQ Pellets
Feeding: The size of the
pellets are what I consider a standard size. They
seemed to feed through my auger without issue.
Igniting: The pellets
ignite quickly, and have a great wood burning smell. Once the smoker
comes up to temp my cook chamber temps are extremely
consistent. Once food has been cooking for a
while it has an amazing smell that permeates the
surrounding neighborhood.
Burn: The pellets seemed to burn flawlessly providing a nice thin blue
smoke. How efficiently they burn is apparent in the
inspection of the fire pot. Upon inspecting the fire pot and
lower chamber after cooks, the pellets appeared to burn
down completely leaving a fine ash behind with minimal build
up in the burn pot. During cooks no excessive ash was
noticed blowing around and coating the food providing for
high quality end product. The picture below shows buildup
after several weeks of burning mostly hickory and pecan.
All
in all I am very impressed with this product. I give Bear
Mountain Forest Products BBQ pellets two thumbs up! Stay tuned and keep
watching SmokeTube video here at
SmokingPit.com.
Bear Mountain Forest Products BBQ
pellets can be purchased at your local Cash-N-Carry or by
calling Bear Mountain Forest Products directly and placing a
bulk order. Use the
store locator to find a
store near you. Feel free to call Bear Mountain Forest
Products with any questions regarding their products. You
will find their service to be impeccable and shipping to be
quick.
Bear Mountain Forest
Products
Headquarters located in Cascade
Locks, Oregon
5 NE Cramblett Way, Cascade Locks,
Oregon 97014
Brownsville Plant
34363 Lake Creek Dr, Brownsville, Oregon 97327
Tel: 503-334-1558
Fax: 503-334-1559
Email:
info@bmfp.com
Bear Mountain Website
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