Buying premium 20-pound bags of wood pellets for your pellet grill is one thing — storing them the right way is another. Fortunately, wood pellet storage actually isn’t too tough once you know the fundamentals.
Use these tips and tricks to make sure that your wood pellets are in a dry, safe storage environment. When you get them out, they’ll be ready for use in your pellet grill to smoke a yummy pork tenderloin, tri-tip or maple bacon cupcakes!
Do Wood Pellets Go Bad?
Wood pellets can and do go bad if they’re not stored in the right environment. That’s because they’re made of wood that will decompose or at least become moist and pliable under the right circumstances. If you use bad pellets, your grill is going to experience some serious issues.
If your wood pellets go bad, they can cause some or all of the following problems:
- Burning unevenly
- Flame outs
- Clogging the auger that feeds pellets to the burn pot
- Huge temperature fluctuations
- Poor smoke production
Storing your pellets correctly will help you avoid these headaches, so let’s look at how to do that!
Can I Store Grill Pellets in the Bag?
Your wood pellets will be pretty safe from moisture so long as they’re in their original unopened plastic packaging. However, you won’t want to leave them in there for very long. Plastic isn’t very durable, and even a small hole in the bag can let moisture or critters get in there. This is especially true once you’ve opened the bag.
If you plan on keeping pellets for any extended period of time, rolling the top of the bag up and stashing it in the corner of your garage isn’t going to get the job done. Instead, take these six tips into account when you’re deciding how to store pellets for your WiFi pellet smoker.
Fire Up the Highest Quality Wood Pellets Anywhere
1. Pour your wood pellets into multi-gallon plastic containers with lids that seal.
Usually, the best way to store your grill pellets is in a plastic container with a sealable lid. Here are the two most widely used wood pellet storage ideas:
- Plastic Dog Food Bins: These snap-seal pet food containers are also great for storing wood pellets. They’re available from just about any pet food store, and many smaller models even have a pour spout for easily filling your hopper. Similarly, you can use the type of containers used for storing holiday decorations as they are fairly cost-effective.
- 5-Gallon Bucket: Another cheap and easily available way to store pellets is to grab a 5-gallon bucket with a snap lid from a hardware store. You’ll need to get a scoop to go with it, but these buckets are extremely tough, and you can stack multiple buckets for easy storage.
2. Keep leftover pellets in the hopper of your Grilla Grill if you know you’ll be firing it up again soon.
Your Grilla Grill’s pellet hopper can keep pellets safe and dry for up to a month. If you use your grill often like us, it’s fine to leave pellets in the hopper ‘til the next time you smoke. Keep in mind, it’s still important to keep your grill sheltered from the elements to make sure your pellets stay dry.
Before you get started, you should also perform a visual and physical examination of your pellets to make sure they’re as ready to grill as you are. See the next tip to learn more about how to do it.
3. Break a pellet in half to test the batch before you pour them into your pellet grill’s hopper.
Try snapping one of your pellets in half with your fingers. If the pellet doesn’t snap in half easily, it might not be fresh. Examine a few more pellets to see if they have soaked up too much moisture. If you have ANY hesitation to use the pellets, just don’t do it. The amount of work involved in replacing a damaged auger or dealing with poor grill performance just isn’t worth the $10-20 you’ll spend on a new bag. Other key indicators that your pellets have gone bad are excessive pellet dust, pellets that look like they’ve ruptured and clumps of pellets stuck together.
4. Store your smoker pellets in a dry area.
Choosing a dry spot to store your wood pellets will help prevent them from soaking up moisture from the air and getting squishy. Avoid your damp basement or wet shed even if you’re keeping them in a sealed plastic container.
5. Store your pellets away from heat sources and open flames.
Think about any heat sources that are in your garage, basement, shed or wherever you store pellets. Water heaters, furnaces, fireplaces, tools and even vehicles can produce enough heat or sparks to set your pellets blazing at the wrong time. Keeping them in a plastic storage container will go a long way to keeping your pellets safe and dry til you’re ready to light ‘em up.
6. Don’t store your pellets on the floor.
Storing pellets on the floor leaves them open to moisture. It’s amazing how easily water can find its way onto your floor, even in a location you’d swear was always dry. Concrete floors in areas like a garage or basement are especially prone to moisture problems, so always try to store your pellets on a shelf or cabinet if you store them in these areas.
Smoke Up the Flavor with Grilla Grills Competition Blend Pellets
Get Grillin’ with Competition-Grade Wood Pellets
Pampering your pellets with the right wood pellet storage will help you maximize your investment in a quality grill. If you want the most dependable results, it’s important to start with high quality pellets made from all-natural real wood.
That’s exactly what you get with Grilla Grills Competition Blend pellets, as well as our five other competition-grade hardwood pellet varieties. Explore our full selection of Grilla Grills wood pellets here and get free shipping when you buy 4-bags or more.
The post 6 Convenient and Efficient Wood Pellet Storage Ideas appeared first on Grilla Grills.
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By: Visiture
Title: 6 Convenient and Efficient Wood Pellet Storage Ideas
Sourced From: grillagrills.com/6-convenient-and-efficient-wood-pellet-storage-ideas/
Published Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2021 15:00:00 +0000
