From experience, it is OK to use hardwood smoking pellets in your electric smoker.
BUT at most, only use 5-10 at a time.
AND only add new pellets every 45-60 minutes OR when they stop generating smoke.
Are You Sure it’s OK? What Do Brands Say?
To make this abundantly clear – Masterbuilt does not approve of using wood pellets in their smokers.
I own their older 40 inch model and the newer 30 inch model and to quote their manual from Amazon:
- “Do not use wood pellets”
- “Fuels such as charcoal briquettes or heat pellets, are not to be used in electric smoker.”
Even though they say you can’t, you can – only they don’t approve of their use.
The Biggest Thing People Get Wrong is They Use Too Many Pellets
Masterbuilt notes for wood chips:
“Never add more than 1/2 cup (1 filled chip loader) at a time.
Additional chips should not be added until any previously added chips have ceased generating smoke.”
Even Masterbuilt’s instructions for 1/2 cup of wood chips at a time I wouldn’t follow.
At most, you only need 5 or so wood chips.
Pellets are even smaller and you can fit far more in the tray.
What can and will happen in both scenarios is a blowback or “backdraft.”
Electric smokers have plastic gaskets around the door that create ultra-tight seals.
When too much smoke accumulates it removes oxygen from the chamber, new Oxygen then can rapidly enter the system via the exhaust damper and cause the sudden, violent exfiltration of smoke.
Here’s an example by firefighters as this same thing happens with houses that are burning down:
Now imagine that in your electric smoker.
My recommendation is at most 5-10 pellets.
I would recommend starting with 5 first and seeing what sort of smoke that nets you as all pellet brands are different (composition of their pellets).
Even with an electric smoker, your goal is thin blue smoke – not tons of white/dirty smoke.
Another issue with adding too many pellets is that they could catch on fire since their energy density is greater than wood chips.
10 comments
ERICSON LeBlanc
I would like to purchase the East Ok 30 inch smoker..
Can i use wood pellets in this, and what amounts is recommended
Dylan Clay
Hey there!
So East Oak is no different than Masterbuilt. They DO NOT recommend using Wood pellets.
To quote their manual:
“The smoker box is designed for wood chips. Do not use wood chunks or pellets. NEVER use charcoal inside the smoker or smoker box, as it will cause a fire, create unsafe conditions, and damage the smoker.”
But my recommendations likely would be no different:
“My recommendation is at most 5-10 pellets. I would recommend starting at 5 first and seeing what sort of smoke that nets you as all pellet brands are different (composition of their pellets).”
Ensure the exhaust damper is wide open and that you don’t have billowing clouds of white smoke.
Reggie
How fast do pellets typically last before I need to add more to the tray while using wood pellets in a MB electric smoker
Dylan Clay
Hey Reggie,
So I’ve tested this before with wood chips (actually hand timing them) and it’s similar to pellets – typically around 45-60 minutes is how often they’ll smoke for.
-Dylan
Robin R Callahan
What do you think about a cold smoker attachment? Will pellets work in it? Also, is it better to soak wood chips in water before using?
Dylan Clay
So you’d have to be more specific with what you mean by attachment.
For cold smoking cheese I use a pellet tube with wood pellets or my A-MAZE-N smoker device.
I simply place the cheese in the smoker, then the tube at the bottom or A-MAZE-N device, light the pellets at one end in either device, place the tube/maze at the bottom of the electric smoker, and close the door.
The smoker is off during this process.
With regards to soaking wood chips – That concept is by and large a myth. I know because I quite literally tested the concept in this article.
I even dyed the color of the water to show that very little, if any water is absorbed – even in a 24 hour period.
All soaking wood chips does is delay the smoldering process (which results in smoke). Any initial “smoke” you may see is actually just water vapor/steam. So if delaying the smoldering process is your goal – then soaking wood chips can work great.
But if you’re just trying to get the wood chips to smoke, simply put them in your wood chip tray in your electric smoker and let them smolder.
Sherry Clark
Thank you I’m new at this you have been very helpful.
Dylan Clay
Happy to help Sherry!
-Dylan
Patrick Flesher
Thanks for the information, this is really helpful. I just inherited a Master Built electric smoker from a friend and wasn’t sure whether I could use pellets.
Dylan Clay
Happy to help Patrick!