Bull Is buying and storing 15) 40lb bags of pellets a bad idea?

[JohnDS]

I usually use Cookin' Pellets. For a single 40lb bag it is about $44. I see on the Cookin' Pellets website they have a 15 bag deal which comes to about $25 per 40lb bag. It's nice to save money, but I'm worried about by the time I get to using them if some of them would be ruined from humidity. I usually smoke on the weekends. What do you guys think? What does everyone else do instead of paying $44 a bag?

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I think 600 lbs of pellets is a lot of pellets....says the guy who has ~600 lbs of pellets in his garage.

 

[bfletcher]

I have no personal experience or knowledge but a couple years ago I began ordering my wood chunks (for use in my wsm charcoal smokers) from online vendors such as Fruita Wood whom guarantee fresh wood. On their site they advise that the age of wood can alter its flavor but I'm not aware that they publish a time frame on what is acceptable. I currently buy 20 lb Lumber Jack pellets from Rural King at $8.88

 

[Uncle Bob]

You've learned probably the most important storage concern...……...humidity. You don't give any indication where you're located for folks to understand how big a concern that might be for your location, so no help there. But let me throw some thought provokers.

Most folks are going to buy their pellets "as needed" from a local store; big box, specialty, farm supply, hardware, Amazon, etc. I haven't looked over my bags to see if there's a "packaged on" date, likely isn't, so have no idea how long that bag has been bouncing around the world before it got to me. It's probably safe to assume that various storage warehouses, and trucking companies don't give an iota of thought to how they handle the pallet loads of pellets in their immediate care. For all we know, that bag of pellets we fret over sat on a dock for a week while Monsoon Mary did her thing a few feet away. Even in the warehouse, how long has it sat there? Do they follow a LIFO or FIFO policy for stock turnover, and does Charlie the forklift gorilla follow it anyway? How quickly does the store you buy it from turn over their inventory? Probably has a seasonal factor in that as well. I could go on with other variables like these, but will wrap instead. Presumably by ordering directly from the supplier/marketer/maybe manufacturer you're getting the "youngest" batch of pellets available. Same age and "life" experiences as a sack buried in a pile on a pallet that will be headed out to a retailer to maybe not be purchased for a couple years given the above possibilities. From that standpoint, whatever your personal storage situations, you'll likely take better care of those multiple bags than all those other possible people who would be involved. Well............….unless the stuff you buy from the supplier are returns from "the world".........….life can be so uncertain.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I was thinking about UB's post above and it reminded me of the gun stock wood I have stashed around the house and garage. Stock wood needs to be aged for a few reasons, the biggest one of which is shedding moisture content and the others are related to that loss of moisture. I've bought "young" stock wood that had less than a year of aging since cut. Moisture content was in the double digits and it needs to get to the single digits. I live in southern California about 2 miles from the ocean. It will get to that level here. So, even in the wet winters, I don't think I have to worry about the pellets absorbing too much moisture as long as I keep them in the garage. Of course, they will absorb and shed moisture like my stock wood.

 

[Wslayer]

Keep them off the concrete and should be good to go. No plans on changing smoke flavor anytime soon ?

 

[Mike]

If you have the room to store all of it, then YES - it's a great idea.

 

[Walter Sokolowski]

I wish you guys would quit complaining , they will last for a fact two years in any dry area ! I love the people that use them in there chimneys, very little soot , just wipe off ! that coal is ruining my Santa Suits going in and out !
Santa Walter

 

[Showdawg]

I store my pellets in 5 gallon Buckets and put the label on them. Home depot has a shop vac called a Buckethead to transfer the pellets. One bucket stores 20 llbs of pellets.

 

[spartanhuntr]

Love those bucket labels. Very creative. I thought i was a genius when i used a label maker to say. Apple. Hickory. Blend. Ha.

I do the same thing (although 600 is much more than i have every had on hand). I bought five - 5 gallon buckets that have the air seal lid. I have them labeled with using a simple labeler. Apple, Hickory, Mesquite and Oak and then a blend bucket. So generally have 200+ lbs on hand. Maybe 80-100 in those buckets and 3-4 bags that are stacked in garage.

Now seeing this creativity i realize i need to use my bags to create cooler labels. Ha! Well done.

On how long they last??? I think there are some good thoughts above. No one will disagree with the point that humidity and where/how you store them is the only question (not how long or how much) that matters. They won't expire... but they must be kept in a place where they will not attract too much moisture.

Up at my hunting property my neighbor has a pellet smoker he keeps outside on an old milking station. An old farm property where they still have the set up to milk a single cow. Concrete base... lean too roof. He keeps his stove uncovered there and his pellets. It looks like a really nifty set up. (Grill in there too). Like a cool outdoor kitchen. BUT.. he has issues with his smoker all of the time. He is convinced it is the smoker age/quality... I am 100% convinced it is because his pellets are wet which gums his smoker up. He keeps his pellets in the bags out there on pallets. And yes, they are under the lean too so rain doesn't catch them... He keeps them on pallets to "keep them dry".... But, any given November hunt when i stop in, you see snow that drifted up on to the bags. I see cycles of his smoker issues and my theory to him is if it was the smoker it would always be a problem. He has issues some of the time.. i believe that has to be the pellets and using some on the bottom that contain too much moisture.

I would focus on storage - keeping them dry and you will be fine!

 

[Grilltreats]

I order a 1/4 ton (520 lbs.) at a time of the LJ pellets. I keep them in their orginal bags stacked on top of some old shower curtains to keep them from wicking moisture up from the concrete floor of my garage. I haven't had any pellet issues in a couple of years now.

 

[JohnDS]

Great information guys. Thanks. I wish there was a Rural King around here. There are not many ootions to get them cheap. Im in Long Island, NY. Lowes has Pit Boss 40lb bags for $15. But it says 100% natural wood competition blend. Im not sure if Pit Boss is legit. Anyone?

 

[Sanmanq2]

I usually use Cookin' Pellets. For a single 40lb bag it is about $44. I see on the Cookin' Pellets website they have a 15 bag deal which comes to about $25 per 40lb bag. It's nice to save money, but I'm worried about by the time I get to using them if some of them would be ruined from humidity. I usually smoke on the weekends. What do you guys think? What does everyone else do instead of paying $44 a bag?

Nope. Just store them in the orange buckets from Home Depot and get the screw top lif

 

[Mike]

I store my pellets in 5 gallon Buckets and put the label on them. Home depot has a shop vac called a Buckethead to transfer the pellets. One bucket stores 20 llbs of pellets.

View attachment 2092

Love that setup! Great idea.

 

[cookingjnj]

I get Pit Boss pellets from Lowes as I do not have much local choice (in NJ). They are serviceable pellets, have not had many complaints.

 

[JohnDS]

I get Pit Boss pellets from Lowes as I do not have much local choice (in NJ). They are serviceable pellets, have not had many complaints.

Yea they are cheap. I think i might try.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Great information guys. Thanks. I wish there was a Rural King around here. There are not many ootions to get them cheap. Im in Long Island, NY. Lowes has Pit Boss 40lb bags for $15. But it says 100% natural wood competition blend. Im not sure if Pit Boss is legit. Anyone?

I have some Pit Boss pellets and have used them. They are ok. What I don't like about them is they are not 100% of the wood type that is on the label. They use a "base" wood and blend in the wood type labeled. Many brands have a "base" wood and add the flavoring wood. That said, the Pit Boss "mesquite" provided an acceptable mesquite flavor.

However, I prefer to buy 100% single wood type pellets that Lumberjack and Smoke Ring manufacture.

 

[Mike]

However, I prefer to buy 100% single wood type pellets that Lumberjack and Smoke Ring manufacture.

I've had good luck with Lumberjack as well and lucky for me I have a Rural King about 30minutes from the house who always has them in stock.

 

[dirtyknuckles]

I usually use Cookin' Pellets. For a single 40lb bag it is about $44. I see on the Cookin' Pellets website they have a 15 bag deal which comes to about $25 per 40lb bag. It's nice to save money, but I'm worried about by the time I get to using them if some of them would be ruined from humidity. I usually smoke on the weekends. What do you guys think? What does everyone else do instead of paying $44 a bag?

I just order rec tec pellets on Amazon shipping is free and keep one bag extra in the storeroom. Never had an issue but the room does get dry air from the central house unit so that may make a difference. If you plan to store 15 bags I would make sure there is no real moisture issue. Put a scrap plain steel object such as an empty can(can of corn ). If it rusts I would not try to store 15 bags as time would be the issue.

 

[Brian Vallotton]

I just order rec tec pellets on Amazon shipping is free and keep one bag extra in the storeroom. Never had an issue but the room does get dry air from the central house unit so that may make a difference. If you plan to store 15 bags I would make sure there is no real moisture issue. Put a scrap plain steel object such as an empty can(can of corn ). If it rusts I would not try to store 15 bags as time would be the issue.

I thought I seen the Rec Tec brand on Amazon for about 37.00 for 40 pounds... Do you like the Rec Tec brand overall? Their basic blend?