So first off, do you have to use only Traeger pellets in a Traeger pellet grill/smoker? No, there are many different brands of BBQ pellets that will work just fine in any Traeger model. Traeger will obviously encourage you to purchase their pellets though.

In terms of pellet flavors, the choice is really up to you, we have a video on our homepage above our BBQ pellet database that explains the different pellet flavors and meat/food combination recommendations.

Now, what I will say, is no matter what brand/flavor of BBQ pellets you buy ideally you'll sieve them before loading them into the hopper to remove dust/small pellet particles. This way you'll get a more efficient burn and more accurate temperature regulation etc.

With regards to the pellets themselves, if they look dull and have lots of cracks in them and they break apart easily, they are poor quality pellets with a poor density. You want to see pellets with a nice surface shine that snap cleanly into two pieces, those are good-quality pellets.