The best wood pellets to upgrade your grilling

Add extra flavor. (Jez Timms via Unsplash/)

Fill your neighborhood with that perfect apple smoke smell, or hickory, or maple. It’s not as tricky as it sounds. The right mix of wood pellets or chips have the ability to take your smoked meat from delicious to downright decadent. But what wood pellets are the right ones? We offer you some suggestions for whatever your tastes and ability levels may be.

Buy what works. (Amazon/)

Can’t decide between hickory, cherry, hard maple, and apple? Don’t worry about it, now you don’t need to. This mix has all four of the top hard woods with no filler oak or alder. Think of it as everything you need and nothing you don’t for the perfect hardwood, smokey blend.

Cook it your way. (Amazon/)

Are you one of those little-bit-of-this, little-bit-of-that people? If so, think about this mix. You get 1 pound each of apple, hickory, mesquite, cherry, pecan, and Jack Daniel’s. Each bag has 10 uses, which means the package lasts plenty long enough for you to try most combinations. These are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to be stuck with the same mix each day.

Put that whiskey flavor in your meat. (Amazon/)

Expect nothing but the best from this 20-pound bag of all-natural, 100 percent oak and hardwoods. The pellets are guaranteed high BTU and clean-burning with low ash. With a hint of whiskey you’ll also smell and taste notes of hardwood flavors like pecan, hickory and sugar maple. And go ahead, pour yourself a glass while you’re standing by your smoker.

Give your food that hickory taste. (Amazon/)

Uses for these chips are nearly endless. Use them plain in a smoker for pork loins or briskets. Throw them on some charcoals to add flavor to a whole chicken or smoked wings. Use just the chips to cook a thin filet of trout or salmon. The hickory wood has been treated to prevent mold and rot. Cooking with these will impress anyone at your dinner table.