If your pellet smoker has been running like a champ all September, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that a dry summer has been easy on your pellets. Nearly 60% of the Lower 48 is in drought right now, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That means a lot of pellet bags have been sitting in bone-dry garages.
The bad news is that’s about to change for a lot of people. Forecasters expect much of the South, and eventually the East Coast, to be wetter than usual heading into winter, according to The Weather Channel.
And here’s what most people miss. Your pellets don’t need rain to go bad. Chilly nights push the humidity up in garages and sheds, and pellets in a cut bag or open hopper soak it right up. Then the smoker starts hard, the temperature swings and everybody blames the grill.
I blame the fuel first.
Don’t put the smoker away. Put the pellets away.
I love the fall. Cooler weather is some of the best long-cook weather of the year, and I’m not giving that up.
I live in Las Vegas, where an open bag of pellets can sit on my patio longer than it should and still cook fine. But when I lived in Kentucky, Mississippi and Kansas, I had to pay more attention to how I stored my pellets.
What moisture does to pellets
Damp pellets swell, crumble and clump. They jam the auger and choke the fire, so you get hard starts and flameouts. You may see your temperature fluctuate, which means your cook is going to be off.
We love pellet grills because they’re usually so reliable, but when you see these spikes, it can be frustrating.
How I store pellets in the fall
The minute I cut a bag the pellets go into an airtight container. A five-gallon bucket or a lidded bin works great.
When I’m in rainy climates, I keep everything off concrete. It wicks moisture right into the bag. If you live somewhere really humid, bring the sealed bin into a garage or even into the house.
Use up the oldest bag first. If you like cooking with different types of woods, mix up your own blend and store them together.
When properly sealed and dry, pellets last for months, even years. A cut bag in a damp garage can be ruined in a few weeks.
Try the snap test
Grab a pellet and bend it. A good one snaps clean. A bad one bends or crumbles.
If the batch looks swollen, clumpy, dull or dusty, toss it. I know it hurts. Drying the pellets out won’t save them, and forcing bad pellets through the auger is how you end up with a sporadic grill.
My wet-weather habits
Most pellet grills have a pellet release in the hopper. This allows you to change out flavors. But it’s also a great tool for rainy days.
When you’re done with your cook, empty the hopper and store the pellets to keep them dry.
While the grill will usually keep them from getting soaked, it’s not airtight.
If you follow these simple steps, you’ll be cooking on your pellet grill throughout the fall with no issues.
