Wood pellets are essentially highly compressed pieces of sawdust, bound together with an adhesive compound. If moisture is allowed to enter the pellets then the sawdust particles will expand, pulling apart the adhesive and leaving a huge mess. The pellets are likely to have lost a lot of their shape and appear quite fluffy.
There are a few simple tests that you can carry out to check whether your pellets have gone bad. The first is to drop a pellet into a glass of water. If it sinks to the bottom then the pellet has been produced under a lot of compressions, meaning that they have a high density.
This suggests that the pellet has not gone bad. Do not use too many to perform this test, as the pellets will instantly begin to absorb the water and become unusable. Another simple test is to try and snap the pellet across the center. If the pellet is still usable it should snap into 2 clean sections with an audible snapping sound. If the pellet crumbles then it is not good to use.
You can visually tell the quality of your pellets too. Look at the outer surface. Is it shiny and relatively smooth, with very few cracks? This is an indication of a high-quality pellet that is durable. Skip to content This content contains affiliate links. Contents [Click for Navigation] show.
Related Content. About The Author. Ricky Foster What could possibly beat throwing a steak on the grill for a tasty medium rare sear? Learn how long Traeger pellets last when used regularly, whether you can leave them in the hopper, and the right way to store them long term. If you are wondering how long a bag of pellets will last, its probably because you are trying to figure out how much you will need to spend on pellets and how often, depending on how much grilling you do.
You can also find other off brand pellets, mainly online, that will work in your Traeger that are generally priced less per pound. For instance, we are big fans of the Bear Mountain Brand , and you will generally find brands liek these to be significantly less expensive than the Traeger brand pellets. Just always make sure to check whatever brand you are buying is compatible with ALL pellet grills. A Traeger grill burns roughly lbs of pellets per hour, depending on your temperature setting.
So estimate about 1 lb per hour for low and slow smoking, and 3 lbs per hour for hot and fast direct grilling. Compare that to the cost of a liquid propane tank or a bag of large bag of charcoal , and you quickly realize how expensive using pellets can be relatively speaking. Another common question people have is whether or not, and for how long, they can leave Traeger pellets in the hopper before they go bad. While it would be very convenient to leave a large batch of pellets right in the hopper of your Traeger for whenever you feel like firing it up , its unfortunately not the best practice.
With your Traeger exposed to rain , snow, humidity, and fluctuating temperatures, the pellets you leave in the hopper will quickly soften and not burn as well. If left in there long enough, they can even rot and mold, clog up the auger, and make a mess the next time you start the grill. The average pound bag of Traeger wood pellets will last anywhere from hours depending on whether you are grilling high heat or smoking low heat. Other brands of wood pellets may be less expensive; however, they are not quite as efficient as the Traeger ones.
The Traeger pellets can sit in the hopper for about 6 months. Many people have reported the longer they leave them, the stronger the flavor of smoke they emit. It might be convenient to just leave a hopper full of pellets ready to go for your next beef brisket, pork shoulder, or smoked fish, however, you may ruin your Traeger pellets if you leave them in for too long.
Especially if your grill is exposed to the elements when not in use, rain, humidity, and temperature fluctuations can cause the pellets you leave in the hopper to soften and not burn as well. When you leave Traeger pellets in the hopper for too long, you could be facing one of the following issues:. Therefore, Traeger pellets are only sold by the bag, and you should take extra precautions in storing your wood pellets when not in use.
Most people want to keep their Traeger pellets close to their wood pellet grill, however, since most grills are stored in the elements, this will probably decrease the storage life of your pellets. Since they are formed together with ground material using pressure and heat, there is no glue holding them together making them even more vulnerable to breaking down in the presence of moisture.
0コメント