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Post oak pellets for Traeger
If you have spent any time in central Texas or at barbecue joints serving traditional central Texas-style barbecue, you have probably eaten food smoked over post oak.
Post oak is king in central Texas and used by pitmasters like Aaron Franklin in their smokers.
If you want to follow in the steps of a legend like Franklin while using your Traeger grill, you need to find the right kind of pellets.
Does Traeger make oak pellets? Can I find post oak pellets for use in my Traeger? Are there types of wood pellets that I can and cannot use? Did Traeger stop making oak pellets?
Does Traeger make oak pellets?
Traeger does not currently make oak pellets available in its own bag.
If you look on Traeger’s website at all their available pellets, the only way you can get oak in their pellets as of April 2022 is as part of their Limited Edition Brisket Blend pellets company.
The bag notes that it is a blend of oak, pecan, an “artisanal hardwood blend” and “a hint of black pepper.” Brisket is one of the staples of Texas barbecue, so having oak in the blend makes sense.
Some pitmasters will use pecan for at least part of their brisket cook as well. However, you cannot currently get a bag of just oak pellets from Traeger.
Where can I find post oak pellets for Traeger?
If a blend of pellets that includes oak does not satisfy your desire for authentic central Texas flavors, there are other options for pellets once you look outside Traeger-branded pellets.
While B&B Charcoal is known primarily as a charcoal producer, they do make a post oak wood pellet available at H-E-B.
Other companies that produce oak pellets or blends include Bear Mountain, Lumberjack, Pit Boss, and BBQrs Delight, all of which are available through Amazon. Pit Boss’ Oak Blend is available at Lowe’s in-store as well.
If you live in an area that has Academy Sports and Outdoors stores, they carry Bear Mountain’s oak pellets and B&B’s regular oak pellets.
While you may want to use a Traeger pellet, there are other options for straight oak pellets or a blend that contains oak.
What wood pellets can I use in my Traeger?
You can use any wood pellet in your Traeger that is meant for use in a pellet grill.
That means you can use those B&B post oak pellets without any concerns beyond making sure they are in good condition.
Whether you are looking to recreate central Texas-style brisket on your Traeger or smoking pork, you can use any regular-size wood pellet in any blend.
You should never use pellets designed for use in a pellet stove to heat a home because they may contain additives and chemicals that are not food-safe.
They are designed for providing heat, whereas pellets for your Traeger should provide both heat and flavor via smoke.
You should also never put wood chips or chunks in your Traeger’s hopper because the auger is not designed to handle that.
Did Traeger discontinue oak pellets?
Traeger used to make oak pellets, but they discontinued production in 2021.
While there does not appear to be a clear reason or statement put out by Traeger regarding this, worldwide events in 2020 and 2021 shed light on possible reasons.
The pandemic affected a lot of industries and created shortages, so it seems logical that Traeger’s pellet mills encountered shortages of both work and necessary wood to produce all the pellets they were previously.
As oak forms the basis of all the pellets produced in the east coast mills, Traeger may have needed to shift their oak resources to continue production of better-selling pellets.
Final thoughts
If you are looking to recreate central Texas-style barbecue in your Traeger grill, you need to look for oak pellets, specifically post oak.
Unfortunately, you cannot find a Traeger-branded pure oak pellet currently. There are several options available, including B&B Charcoal’s post oak pellets.
If you are concerned about whether you can use different wood pellets in your Traeger grill, you can be confident that any wood pellets manufactured for use in pellet grills should work.
Just avoid pellets made for use in pellet stoves. It does appear that Traeger discontinued manufacturing their oak wood pellets for standard resale at some point in 2021, likely because of pandemic-related shortages.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.