Yoder Smokers Community Forum

Hey guys, I've been researching around the net before buying a pit, and while I am leaning more towards a stick burner, the set-and-forget of a pellet sounds nice. The only concern I have really, is the cost of pellets. I live in eastern Washington State and have very easy and cheap access to as much apple, cherry, etc wood as I'd ever want for a stick burner.

I'm curious what you all average in terms of cost for pellets per cook? Aside from the pellet cost itself, I'd also have to have all my pellets shipped to me, as there are no local places that sell them (even milk is a 40 minute drive one-way). Anyway, I'm trying to decide if the pellet cooker would cost me a lot more to use than a stick burner, and would like to hear you pellet-guys experiences/thoughts on it. Thanks a ton.

-Bill

I think from your statements, that you need to look at things a little deeper. From the sound of it, you would need to buy pellets in bulk, which is the only way to keep the price down, this is what I do, I buy in pallet quantities from ATBBQ.com. The secondary part of this is the storage of the bags of pellets. They must be stored so that they do not contact any floor or outside wall, and must be out of the weather, in a constantly dry location.

Obviously the colder the climate the more pellets you will use, so there isn't a perfect answer to your question. The range would be 1 to 4 pounds of pellets an hour, depending on the ambient temperature and environmental conditions.

Hi Bill,
I live on the other side of Washington so do not have the benefit of the orchards so I decided on the pellet cooker (ys640 w/competition cart). I buy my pellets (Lumberjacks) by the ton and have them shipped to my door for about .30 a lb. If you buy less they cost more. Like Herb said the colder the weather the more you use but getting a thermal blanket helps. Also of course cooking at lower temps makes a difference just as it does with natural wood.

Another consideration is how often you do the long cooks and how much your sleep is important to you. I do like starting a brisket late at night setting it @225 and then waking up in the morning to seeing that set temp close to right on the money and knowing I am only hours away from letting the brisket wrap and rest...kinda makes me smile!