BBQ Wood Pellets: New Zealand Buyer’s Guide
Wood Pellet Deals – Traeger & GMG Pellet Grills
Having cooked on numerous pellet grill smokers with nearly every type of wood pellet you can get in New Zealand, there are definitely some differences between the flavours of wood pellets. So, I’m here to help you match the right wood pellet flavour for your meat and where you can purchase the best deals on wood pellets.
Traeger & GMG Pellets
Have you been scouring the internet for the best deal on wood pellets but found the shipping to be too expensive? It turns out, shipping 9+ kg bags of pellets is really expensive!
Couriers charge Pellet Hub in excess of $20 just to ship a single bag within the North Island. Rural and shipping to the South Island is even more expensive. Chances are, if you’re ordering from Pellet Hub, they are already subsidising the cost.
It’s cheaper to ship bags of pellets in bulk. So, if you’re after a deal, give Pellet Hub a holler using the chat widget down below.
Where to Buy BBQ Wood Pellets
Your local BBQ specialty store should ( keyword: SHOULD!) at least be selling a quality brand of pellets. If they don’t and seem a little too apathetic to order them, let Pellet Hub know using the chat widget! The Pellet Hub team has known most of the country’s barbecue dealers for years, so they may be able to sweet talk your local dealer into stocking them.
At the end of the day, Pellet Hub is New Zealand’s #1 advocate for pellet grilling. As such, they want BBQ pellets to be readily available across New Zealand. I can’t think of anything worse than going to start your cook and learning you’ve run out of pellets and can’t easily get your hands on any more. For this very reason, pellet grill owners should be able to purchase locally! If you’re having trouble sourcing them locally, get in touch with Pellet Hub right now.
Pellet Hub – Buy Online
Best Brands of BBQ Wood Pellets to Buy
Since Traeger and Green Mountain Grills are the two biggest pellet grill brands in the world, they also offer the widest availability of flavours.
Here’s a rundown of their different pellet varieties.
Green Mountain Grills wood pellet flavours:
- Fruitwood Blend (orchard cheery, American beech, and sweet pecan)
- Apple Blend (apple wood, American hickory, and red oak)
- Gold Blend (red oak, American hickory, and red oak)
- Texas Blend (black oak, American hickory, and a hint of Texas mesquite)
- Gourmet Blend (black oak, American hickory, and a hint of Texas mesquite)
Traeger wood pellet flavours:
How to Choose a BBQ Pellet for Your Pellet Grill
This, of course, comes down to the type of meat you will be cooking/smoking. Below, I have made a cheat sheet to help you which is based on my 15 years of learnings and ideas.
Something to remember about smoke flavour perception – what you smoke and for how long will all have quite an effect.
This table is not the be-all and end-all. In fact, I suggest mixing 30% strong with 70% lighter woods to create your own unique blends!
| Wood Type | Flavor / Intensity | Meat Match |
| Alder | Strong | Red Meat, Wild Game |
| Apple | Mild | Chicken, Pork, Fish |
| Cherry | Mild | Chicken, Fish, Cheese |
| Hickory | Strong | Red Meat, Wild Game |
| Maple | Medium | Anything |
| Mesquite | Strong | Red Meat, Wild Game |
| Oak | Medium | Anything (Bacon & Cheese) |
| Pecan | Medium | Anything |
My Favourites – Wood Pellet Blending
There are a couple of blends I have found to universally work really well for heat and flavour across many different meat types. Hickory, maple, and cherry with the Traeger Signature Blend is an all-around blend that suits red meat, poultry, or fish/seafood. Green Mountain Grills does some great blends too, with Premium Gold Blend being a close match to my personal concoction.
How Much do BBQ Wood Pellets Cost in New Zealand
- 9kg Traeger bags retail for $39.99
- 12.7kg GMG bags retail for $54.99
So which is the better deal? They both roughly work out to ~ $4.40 per KG.
Purchasing online often means you will be paying for shipping costs too. If you know a few mates local to you with a pellet grill then get in touch with Pellet Hub if you’re interested in saving on shipping with a bulk deal.
Food Grade (BBQ) Wood Pellets vs Pellet Fuel
20kg of fuel source wood pellets cost roughly $15. The issue is that you often don’t know what type of wood these came from. They are often an evergreen-type wood like pine which doesn’t lead to a pleasant taste and could create issues for your pellet smoker.
Cheaper, low-quality pellets are generally lower in density and contain higher moisture content. You’ll end up burning through more pellets, and there’s a great chance your pellet grill could experience problems.
IFA Country
We get asked about Firetime® which is a popular wood pellet available at Bunnings. This is one NOT to get. It’s made of pine which is a soft wood. Hardwood is always better. Just ask the Mrs…
Can Wood Pellets Go Bad or Expire?
Sometimes, your wood pellets may become compromised from exposure to water. Other times, your pellets may just be too old. Here’s how to assess whether your bag of GMG or Traeger pellets have gone bad:
- Pellets easily crumble when you squeeze them in your hand.
- Pellets are dull. Good pellets should be shiny and very hard.
- There’s moisture in the bag.
- There’s clumps or excess sawdust throughout the bag due to pellets crumbling.
Best Way to Store Pellets
To prolong the life of your wood pellets, keep them in a dry environment. So, if you’re going to leave pellets in the grill’s hopper, make sure your grill stays dry!
Some pitmasters like to store their pellets in a large sealable plastic container so that the pellets are less susceptible to the environment such as humidity.
Is It Safe to Use GMG Pellets in a Traeger Grill and Vice Versa?
Yes, it is safe to use either GMG and Traeger wood pellets in a GMG or Traeger grill.
I grabbed a sample of both Traeger and GMG pellets to analyse and can confirm that they are very similar in size, weight and compression. Both have nearly the same circumference and a similar range of lengths. GMG and Traeger pellets are so similar, it is almost impossible for me to identify which is which. Therefore, both should burn similarly.
With both pellets being sourced from American mills and almost the same price per kilo, choosing which to use will come down to preference. If you’re wanting to use a specific wood such as pecan or cherry, Traeger have you covered. If you want to mix things up a bit, GMG have a range of blends formulated for maximum flavour.
Final Thoughts
Traeger and GMG are my go-to for BBQ wood pellets as they are readily available throughout New Zealand, are great quality and competitively priced. If you’re having trouble sourcing locally, Pellet Hub ships nationwide.
