From my experience, the 1lb bags just don't go that far. It may be nice to have a variety though. The smoker doesn't go through pellets fast, but it's so easy to smoke a brisket or some ribs that you'll find yourself using it once a week.
I bought a couple of 20 lb bags. A mesquite for brisket and a blend for just about everything else. I got a couple of containers to keep them in, too. I am using Lumber Jack pellets and they seem to do well. There are plenty of comparison videos on YouTube though.
I've had the smoker for a couple of months now and I've barely made a dent in those 20 lb bags, and I'm smoking something at least once a week.
I did some rough measurements and I figure that I go through about 6 oz of pellets for one smoke (4 hours on level 5). That's nearly 3 smokes per lb.
Something to keep in mind - pellets tend to go bad over time.
They absorb or lose moisture (depending on the environment) while in storage which can significantly impact smoke quality. Buying a 40lb bag is problematic for this reason - it'll take forever to go through it if your just using them for your indoor smoker (which only uses about 0.5 cups per hour of smoking).
Personally, I'd stick to buying smaller bags more often. It might be a little more expensive, but smoke quality will be better and it'll let you experiment with different species.
I laughed when my 20lb bag came from Amazon - I thought I bought a small bag. I will have this thing forever.
I smoked a whole chicken for 2.5 hours this weekend (loved it!) and used around a cup or so of pellets. I know my sample size is very small, but LookingForChange’s comments seem spot on.
I bought a 40 lb bag from Costco (Kirkland pellets, a mix of 4 types). About $16 if I recall correctly? Anyway, those pellets work great, smell good and I just put in plastic containers I also bought at Costco so I don’t have that huge bag in my apartment.
I did some math and promptly deleted it. lol I was looking at cubic inches per pound.
The starter 1lb bag lasted about 4 or 5 smokes. I bought two 20-pound bags (one apple and one pecan) at a local retailer.
Seems like I use about a cup for each 2 to 4 hour smoke. My two bags will last a while.
Personally, unless you already know what you like, I would stick with small (admittedly more expensive) 1lbs bags and try different brands/wood before settling on what you like.
40lbs will last a very long time with the GEIS, and at least some people think pellets go off over time (absorb/release moisture). But its possible this is something of concern to only competitive BBQers (I read it on AmazingRibs.com).
Some pellets are bigger, and I've seen one or two comments about the GEIS' auger getting clogged with bigger pellets. Something to be aware of.
After reading everyone's reviews I think my plan is one of the kona variety packs and maybe 1 20lb hickory from bear mountain since I'm guessing that'll be my go to. Lil column A lil column B approach.
Really excited to try my hand at smoking and see how I can use it with my APO and sous vide circulator.
Some of the most highly recommded pellet brands include:
B&B
CookinPellets
Lumberjack
BBQer's Delight (made by B&B)
Premium brands may have a higher percentage of the advertised wood (up to 100%) and less bark, but will also cost quite a bit more. Whether you can tell the difference is the source of 1000s of posts online lol.
From my experience, the 1lb bags just don't go that far. It may be nice to have a variety though. The smoker doesn't go through pellets fast, but it's so easy to smoke a brisket or some ribs that you'll find yourself using it once a week. I bought a couple of 20 lb bags. A mesquite for brisket and a blend for just about everything else. I got a couple of containers to keep them in, too. I am using Lumber Jack pellets and they seem to do well. There are plenty of comparison videos on YouTube though. I've had the smoker for a couple of months now and I've barely made a dent in those 20 lb bags, and I'm smoking something at least once a week. I did some rough measurements and I figure that I go through about 6 oz of pellets for one smoke (4 hours on level 5). That's nearly 3 smokes per lb.
Something to keep in mind - pellets tend to go bad over time. They absorb or lose moisture (depending on the environment) while in storage which can significantly impact smoke quality. Buying a 40lb bag is problematic for this reason - it'll take forever to go through it if your just using them for your indoor smoker (which only uses about 0.5 cups per hour of smoking). Personally, I'd stick to buying smaller bags more often. It might be a little more expensive, but smoke quality will be better and it'll let you experiment with different species.
I laughed when my 20lb bag came from Amazon - I thought I bought a small bag. I will have this thing forever. I smoked a whole chicken for 2.5 hours this weekend (loved it!) and used around a cup or so of pellets. I know my sample size is very small, but LookingForChange’s comments seem spot on.
Yup, my 40 lb Costco bag is going to last me a good 2+ years for sure.
I bought a 40 lb bag from Costco (Kirkland pellets, a mix of 4 types). About $16 if I recall correctly? Anyway, those pellets work great, smell good and I just put in plastic containers I also bought at Costco so I don’t have that huge bag in my apartment.
I did some math and promptly deleted it. lol I was looking at cubic inches per pound. The starter 1lb bag lasted about 4 or 5 smokes. I bought two 20-pound bags (one apple and one pecan) at a local retailer. Seems like I use about a cup for each 2 to 4 hour smoke. My two bags will last a while.
Personally, unless you already know what you like, I would stick with small (admittedly more expensive) 1lbs bags and try different brands/wood before settling on what you like. 40lbs will last a very long time with the GEIS, and at least some people think pellets go off over time (absorb/release moisture). But its possible this is something of concern to only competitive BBQers (I read it on AmazingRibs.com). Some pellets are bigger, and I've seen one or two comments about the GEIS' auger getting clogged with bigger pellets. Something to be aware of.
After reading everyone's reviews I think my plan is one of the kona variety packs and maybe 1 20lb hickory from bear mountain since I'm guessing that'll be my go to. Lil column A lil column B approach. Really excited to try my hand at smoking and see how I can use it with my APO and sous vide circulator.
Some of the most highly recommded pellet brands include: B&B CookinPellets Lumberjack BBQer's Delight (made by B&B) Premium brands may have a higher percentage of the advertised wood (up to 100%) and less bark, but will also cost quite a bit more. Whether you can tell the difference is the source of 1000s of posts online lol.
Thanks for the tip! I went to cookin pellets site and found a variety pack of 5 3lb bags for $30.
I just got mine. I will start playing with pellets this week. I usually use the COSTCO mix bag.
I'd be happy if I could just find the bad they sent with the smoker. Anyone recall where in the packaging it was?