I won the Searwood XL 600 in the November drawing. I’ll be assembling it tomorrow, but could use some pellet help. Of course Weber is going to recommend their brand of pellets, but I am wondering if there are other brands that folks use with success. Which ones work for you? Also, what do you store your pellets in and do you store them inside as Weber recommends or outside? Your insights and learnings will be of value to me.
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I always lean toward Bear Mountain myself, especially when I can catch a sale either locally (our Ace Hardware stocks them) or on Amazon. Also had great luck with the cheapies from Pit Boss, I think at Walmart.
I store mine outside, covered obviously. Humidity only really affects the dust in my experience, not the pellets themselves. Water leaks will absolutely affect the pellets though, so as long as they're dried in I haven't had trouble with storing them outside.
I highly recommend running the auger empty and emptying the hopper if you know it will be a long time (couple weeks +) until your next pellet cook. The dust in the auger will absolutely absorb humidity and turn nearly into concrete This will either break a shear pin or at the very least simply not run pellets into the burn pot. Pulling the auger out, while not awful-awful, is not that much fun. Best to avoid having to.
Also, since we all have talked about for a long time how pellet cookers are quite delicate on the smoke flavor, especially when you're used to charcoal and wood chunks, might I suggest skipping the preheating cycle when you're starting a cook. Put your meat on the cold grates then press go, that big thick cloud of startup smoke is valuable and IMO it's a shame to waste it up in the air.-
Thanks for the recommendations. What do you store them in and do you keep the container inside or outside? -
LA Pork Butt Me personally I keep unopened bags in a deck box and the opened ones rolled tight as possible and in enclosed cart under my Silverbac, but yours doesn't have doors. I'd probably opt for the cheapest solution, either the deck box or a small galvanized trash can. Anything water tight.
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I don't have a pellet cooker, but I do have a dog and a cat. I'm assuming (you know how that goes), that the same thing that works for dog and cat food would work for pellets. As long as it has a seal/gasket of some sort. Obviously, covered and away from temperature extremes.
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I have a MAK 2 star. I think it came with 4 bags of Bear Mountain pellets in 2018. I stored them in their original plastic bags on a covered deck. Had to throw the last 2 bags out; they apparently absorbed humidity in this arid region and would not burn. Now store in garage, without incident. I leave pellets in the hopper without incident.
I use @CandySueQ's BBQ'rs Delight pellets. When she and her brother sold to Yoder about 2 years ago, I stocked up. Have not tried any other brand for years.Comment
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Weber sent me some free pellets and they work just as good as Traeger pellets on my Searwood - no change in cooking results. I have used camp chef pellets too but I like Traeger’s signature blend flavor.
I store my pellets in Lowe’s buckets. It’s a good, airtight seal and they are inexpensive and stackable. It’s where I store my charcoal too.
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I use the Smokehouse brand pellets from Sam’s. Been using them for years now and have had zero issues. I keep a couple bags on hand and keep them in my garage. I also try to run my hopper down as far as possible before refilling. I do a deep clean after a few cooks and it works great. Hope this helps.Comment
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Bear Mountain give good flavor, and as importantly, consistent temps. Lumberjack, if you can find them, are also good burners. We have many people in a Facebook group I run express inconsistencies with generic pellets (Sam's, Tractor Supply, etc). Of course there are people who have no trouble with the generics, but more complaints come in about them than others.
I store mine in their bags, in the garage, off the floor. However, I live in dry So. Cal so I can get away with that. They will definitely absorb moisture in a humid climate. Covered Lowes or Home Depot buckets work well for storage.Comment
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I get Pit Boss at Lowes and they work well with little ash residue.Comment
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I started with Traeger's blend, but quickly switched to B&B Championship Blend, based on price. The smoke flavor is so relatively light that I am not convinced there is a major difference between brands.
Academy carries a $40 lb bag for $20. (HEB has it for $23 occasionally.)
With the exception of what is in the hopper, I store my pellets indoors.Comment
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I’ve been using B&B mostly, with a big bag of Lumberjack brand I bought at Academy. My favorite, that I’m out of, are Smokin’ Pecan Pecan Shell. https://smokinpecan.com/products/pec...42569989554354
Yeah, they are more expensive but definitely worth it. I like using these with pork and poultry.
Storing my pellets, once the bag is opened, in Home Depot buckets with gamma lids in the sunroom. Unopened bags on wire shelves in the garage.Comment
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Lid that has gasket on it, with a gasketed screw off center.
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Speaking of buckets, this is a place I’ve bought quantity of buckets and lids for long term food storage.
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I keep my food storage items in buckets with gamma lids. They are great. I just don’t think they are needed with pellets. I use up the pellets and I’m already buying fresh new ones. IMHO.
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In no particular order I’ve liked bbq’rs delight, cookin’ pellets and more recently Lumberjack, although I’m only a few bags into that one. I’ll have to try the bear mountain though.Comment
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I use Lumber Jack brand pellets in my Yoder. I like their 100% cherry and the 100% oak these days. I store them on the lanai in a plastic bin. They’ve been trouble free even in this humid environment.Comment
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B&B pellets stored in the Home Depot 5 gal buckets,Comment
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I need to get with the times and get some of the 5 gallon buckets. Trying to pour that 40 lb bag -- especially when just opened -- into the hopper is unwieldy as heck. And nothing like when you get a hole in the bag and pellets just start going everywhere.....Comment
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For storage I use these things, they last 4-5 years in my climate, never had an issue with moisture. Pet Supplies : Amazon Basics Pet Food Storage Container 30lbs+10lbs : Amazon.comComment
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Sunny, I like Greg’s idea here for storage. Easy to move around with the wheels. -
Also forgot to mention, when I mean last... the container and seal actually probably last quite a few years longer, but rolling around on my deck, usually the thin plastic that holds the steel peg for each wheel usually breaks about 4-5 years in from heat and being dragged across wood deck gaps. I'm sure there are nicer ones out there, but for the price, these are hard to beat.
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