Rookie question can you use pellets as wood source in smoke box ?

[Cheezhead]

I know this sounds lame  😞 but was wondering what folks are using for their wood source?  I have a lot of pellets at home but never used a smoker like these... I appreciate your time and input.  I am looking at purchasing a smoker with cold smoke unit also.
Thanks again.

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[LarryD]

I've seen people post here that they successfully use pellets for hot smoking in the SI.  I have not personally done so since chunk wood is readily available and I just like it.    As for cold smoking...  there is a 'cold smoke plate' that one can use to trap a lot of the heat in the bottom of the smoker while letting the smoke rise.  It's a lot of work, honestly and I won't go that route in the future.  A lot of folks buy a smoke tube or tray and use pellets in that in the SI for cold smoking.  SI has also just announced an external smoke generator attachment for cold smoking with the SI which has limited availability currently.

[tomd8]

Hi Cheezhead - You absolutely can.  I've used pellets with chunks and chips wrapped in foil as well as pellets in a pellet tube in my #3.

[Cheezhead]

Thanks for your help 👍🏼  I really appreciate it.

[tomd8]

No problem.  BTW, up until recently I wasn’t sure a pellet tube would work but it was a last ditch effort that saved a smoke.  Smoking some bluefish I tried to start the smoker low at 140 instead of my usual 180 thinking my chips would start to smoke.  My initial chips didn’t smoke and a second load of chips didn’t smoke even after I brought the temp up to 175-180 as if the element gets hotter at startup than later on when it’s warm.  Given that almost a few hours into the smoke I lit a half filled tube with pellets and put it into the smoke box.  It saved my fish smoke and they came out great.