Kneecaped by humid pellets with guests coming over

[RhodeHog]

I had 8 guests coming for supper. I started the Woodwind Pro at 7am for a pork butt and two slabs of baby backs at a higher temp cook (300 degrees) which I've done successfully before, though I prefer low and slow. I ran Pitboss Apple pellets supplemented with apple chunks in the smoke box. The butt was cooking fine at 300°F, added the ribs at noon, but sometime later the grill started losing temp rapidly.

Long story short: Even through I keep my pellets and grill in the garage, my pellets had failed due to the Alabama humidity (105° heat index, 64% humidity). I ended up doing an emergency field repair: dumping the pellet box, validating the auger worked, vacuuming out the burn box and grill, then swapping to a fresh bag of hickory pellets.

I moved the butt to the oven to finish the cook, then shuffled the ribs between the oven and the grill. The butt was a little tougher than usual, but reintroducing the juices during the pull made it better, and I covered the sins of the ribs with the grace of the sauce.

I’m moving to airtight storage, but I’m curious: In high-humidity climates, are there specific pellet brands that hold up better? A Google search suggested that Bear and Lumberjack may be more tightly compressed and more humidity resistant but I haven't used them yet. Also, beyond starting a cook at dark-thirty, does anyone have tips for managing pellet grills when the weather is this humid?

[Michael_in_TX]

This is something that has always perplexed me. I live in a swamp, effectively. (I'm eight miles from Galveston Bay.) I keep the hopper of my pellet grill, a Grilla Chip, full nearly all the time. I have never had a problem with pellets in four years of pellet grill ownership, yet others, like yourself are having a slew of issues.

Two things may be working in my favor. First, my grill, which stays outside permanently, faces west and that hot Texas afternoon sun may be helping to keep my pellets in the hopper relatively moisture free. (It gets hot in there....close to 110 F at time. So hot I have to use a glove to open or close the hopper or grill lid.)

Also, I store my pellets indoors (in a large bin in the living room, to keep the cats out of it). I know if I were to walk into my garage right now, it would be much more humid than just stepping outside. That high overnight humidity seeps in through the airvents, but it doesn't have an easy way to escape quickly.

I wonder if it is the prolonged garage storage that is doing you in.

The pellets I use are the B&B Championship Blend. I've always had good luck with them and they are cheap, $20 for a 40 lb bag at either Academy or my local HEB.

[smokenoob]

similar story here on Florida panhandle. maybe OP’s pellets got wet from a leak in the hopper?

[RhodeHog]

I do have a convenient room I can shift them to for the summer that would be less humid. They may have accidentally gotten some moisture since the last cook as well. I’ll keep monitoring it. Thanks for the insights.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Never had a problem with Smokehouse at Sams Club. I even store them outside in this Amazon.com : IRIS USA Dog Food Storage Container 58 Lb, Airtight Large Pet Food Storage Bin with Wheels, for Dog Cat Bird Chicken Food, Holds Up to 58 lbs, Keep Fresh, BPA Free, Made in USA, Black : Pet Food Storage Products : Pet Supplies

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Uncle Bob I've never had an issue with humidity or water... they are uncovered on the deck and the wheels fail before the lid seal does. They last me a couple years. We have another brand one my lump is in, I went to refill that and it was full of water, the plastic dry rotted and cracked and it had only been on the deck a year.

[Uncle Bob]

ItsAllGoneToTheDogs yeah, my wheels have held up, it's the formed pocket for the pivot shaft that has failed on mine. I repaired it with epoxy which is an okay repair though the caster drops out if I tilt the tub.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

That's the same failure I experience, I figured its a good enough life cycle since I keep them outside that that's just the point I replace them

[Donw]

I live with three coastal bays basically surrounding our house, a saltwater marsh behind, and the ocean a 1/4 mile away. High humidity area too. I went over to Home Depot years ago and bought a dozen ‘Homer’ buckets and lids. I store all pellets in those buckets and leave them in a garden half shed. If I’m not cooking for a while I use a HD bucket top vacuum and suck them from the hopper back into a bucket. A little more work but never had any issues with moist pellets.

[WI Bubba]

I run a dehumidifier in my garage. Mostly to keep the rust off my tools, but it has the side benefit of keeping my pellets dry as well.

[LA Pork Butt]

Good recovery! I am somewhat new at pellet cooking, but so far no problem with moisture. Dallas is more humid than one might think. My grill gets some shelter with my grilling hut, but there may be something to Michael_in_TX thought on high heat from the sun. But that wouldn’t be true for our winters. I tried to make sure I cooked on it at least every week or two. So far so good.

[bbqLuv]

When I bought my Traeger from local store, I was told to keep the Pellets Under the Bed.
Got to keep them pellets dry. Please keep us posted, thank you