Pellets and Storage

[whta]

Question from a stalker who’s researching and about to pull the trigger

I am probably going to pull the trigger on a 700, and I’m trying to figure out the real estate it will need. When it comes to pellet grills how many different flavors/bags of pellets is normal? Right now for my BGE I have about six different wood varieties, but that all stores in a simple storage bin.

from what I have read, it appears 5 gallon buckets or storage bins from various Farm stores / Amazon appears to be the way to go if that is the case right now how many do you have full of pellets and what are you storing it in?

Part of the selling point of this to my wife will be how little space and cost the pellets in storage will be - lol!

 

[mikeporter616]

I use the same type of pellet for everything. So my storage is simply a 5 gal. bucket with a screw top. Buy a 40 LB bag, fill up the 590 and 380, put the remainder in the bucket. I have a local source, so no need for excess storage.

 

[Maule Guy]

Most (if not all) pellets come in sealed plastic bags which keeps the moisture out. Once the bag is opened then I use a Home Depot bucket w/ lid and that seems to work fine. PNW can be a bit damp so buckets should work in other places as well.

The Home Depot buckets stack so if you want to store in a closet or corner buckets work.

I keep on hand a bucket of 100% Hickory and one of a blend "Perfect Mix" both by Cookin' Pellets. https://cookinpellets.com/

 

[hput2]

I got my pallet storage container from my local Sam’s club

 

[Jim6820]

The big problem with using a bunch of different pellet types with the RecTec grills is that there’s no easy way to empty the hopper. You have to use a vacuum to get them out, since RT does not put a dump door on their grills. As a result, I pretty much stick with one type of pellet as well.

 

[whta]

Well then, to hijack my own posting, since several of you use only one type - what's your go-to and why?

What do you typically cook/smoke?

 

[Greg Jones]

When I first started with a pellet grill 3 years ago, I bought all types of brands and flavors of pellets as well as 3, 5-gallon buckets for different pellets to use in 2 smoke tubes. After all that, I’ve since ditched the smoke tubes, the buckets, and I’m only buying a good brand/fair price of competition blend pellets. I’d consider recteq‘s pellets as well as Lumber Jack and Rural King’s competition blends to fall into that category. A 100% hickory pellet would not be a bad choice either. The best advice I could have used when I first started would have been to keep it simple.

As to the question what do I cook/smoke? Anything and everything. I’m the cook for my family and I use my grills year-round, almost every day.

 

[cbsmokes]

I go with the cheap pellets from Walmart i think they are :"Pit Boss competition Blend". I cannot tell really any difference in the flavor profile of all the various pellets. So i stopped over thinking it. I have no complaints. I smoke everything from whole Chicken to Venison/beef jerky to Pork.

Well then, to hijack my own posting, since several of you use only one type - what's your go-to and why?

What do you typically cook/smoke?

 

[Greg Jones]

The best advice I could have used when I first started would have been to keep it simple.

Off topic for this thread, but since I mentioned keep it simple… Some other things you might, or will be, considering and my experience with it.

1. Foil on the drip pan. I started with a drip pan liner from Traeger that was supposed to work perfectly on the RT-700, and it didn’t, so I then lined it with a roll of aluminum foil. Changing the foil was messy so I left it off, went to scraping the pan with a putty knife. Perfect solution for me, but a lot of people like the foil.

2. Bucket liners. Tried this, also messy to clean and expensive. Some people have good luck with putting a jar in the bucket. Probably a good idea if pests or pets may get in the bucket, but I’ve not had that problem.

3. Floor Mats. The grill manufacturers usually offer a pricey logo mat, but you can go to your local home center and pick up runner mats for a fraction of what the OEM mats cost. I’d put a grill cover in the same category-you can find generic covers on Amazon for a fraction of the cost of the OEM cover. Plenty of recommendations here on specific covers to fit any recteq.

4. Gasket on the lid. I put a gasket on both the RT-340 and the 700. I really doubt I would ever bother with doing this again. Does it look like it has helped keep this grill looking new?

 

[Jim6820]

You might want to take a look at this thread…

https://www.recteqforum.com/threads/grilling-pellets.5472/

…for some thoughts on using “cheap” pellets.

 

[BNeal]

I use my RT on a pretty regular basis, so I go through pellets pretty fast - thus, I just leave the pellets in the bag and stored on a dedicated shelf in my garage. As for pellet types, I pretty much stick to Hickory, Pecan, Apple, and either the RT blend or Lumber Jack.

 

[Lager1829]

The big problem with using a bunch of different pellet types with the RecTec grills is that there’s no easy way to empty the hopper

Chef Greg mentioned he uses a solo cup to scoop pellets out of the hopper. I assume the save-your-fingers grate was removed to be able to do this.

I store my pellet bags in a 30 gallon galvanized trash can with lid from Tractor Supply - no issue with moisture

 

[JGW]

I store my pellets in basic containers in the garage. I live in NM, so humidity isn’t an issue.

 

[Pacman]

I too originally had four or five pellet types for a while. I realized it was much more efficient to find a clean burning general purpose pellet and if I want to experiment, I use additional flavor wood chunks mixed in with pellets in a smoke tube.

I have stacks of now mostly unused 5 gallon buckets for pellet storage once I break open bags.

 

[hogginthegrillbbq]

Well then, to hijack my own posting, since several of you use only one type - what's your go-to and why?

What do you typically cook/smoke?

Do you have a Costco membership?

 

[Bobrectec]

I got my pallet storage container from my local Sam’s club

Just a word of warning if you use that container outside. This container doesn't have a UV filter in the plastic unless it says so. I had 3 larger containers from the same company, Budeez. After 3 years on the patio (under an awning, not inside a shed or anything) they all turned to crumbly dust. After a discussion with Buddeez, who were very nice on the phone, they have no containers that have UV filters so they don't recommend any of them be stored in the "wild".

This is what they sell at Sam's club: https://www.buddeez.com/dispensers/storage-dispenser-for-wood-pellets-and-more/

This is a larger version of what it can/will look like after bout 3 years:

YMMV, put them inside another storage box with plastics that have a UV filter... or a shed or cover them with a sacrificial tarp. I live in Arizona, we have no humidity and it sunny all the time and hot.

P.S. Highly rated Knotty Wood Almond and Plum pellets are on a big Memorial day sale shipped free at Home Depot right now. Look for YouTube taste tests from Mad Scientist BBQ for some nerdy pellet tests:

. I am sure there are other videos, but wow, they are so cheap try different brands till you are happy.

 

[Ericbc7]

I bought several hundred lbs of assorted cookin pellets some time ago and while the “perfect mix” works for everything, I notice the cherry pellets burn hotter. I use the cherry in my bullseye for searing and grilling, the perfect for everything else.

 

[Edthebook]

I go with the cheap pellets from Walmart i think they are :"Pit Boss competition Blend". I cannot tell really any difference in the flavor profile of all the various pellets. So i stopped over thinking it. I have no complaints. I smoke everything from whole Chicken to Venison/beef jerky to Pork.

Same here. Can’t really tell the difference in the taste between the woods. Wallymart will deliver for free And help avoid the hassle of going into the store. There is also a larger variety to choose from.

if you think the wood makes a difference buy a smoke tube and fill it up with the wood pellets for the smoke you want. The other is use wood chips in a smoke box

 

[FastEddie]

I store my bags of pellets in an old-school metal garbage can (new) set next to the smoker.
Sealed where the handle attaches to keep water out.

I use different woods for different cooks.
I only fill the hopper enough for the cook so I'm not scooping a lot of pellets if I change flavors.
Just top it off if needed during the cook.

I bought THESE for under the lid so I don't have to remember what's in the hopper

 

[TheRicker]

Question from a stalker who’s researching and about to pull the trigger

I am probably going to pull the trigger on a 700, and I’m trying to figure out the real estate it will need. When it comes to pellet grills how many different flavors/bags of pellets is normal? Right now for my BGE I have about six different wood varieties, but that all stores in a simple storage bin.

from what I have read, it appears 5 gallon buckets or storage bins from various Farm stores / Amazon appears to be the way to go if that is the case right now how many do you have full of pellets and what are you storing it in?

Part of the selling point of this to my wife will be how little space and cost the pellets in storage will be - lol!

My response won’t help your argument about pellet storage space. I keep several bags of pellets on a shelf in my garage. I have 3 or 4 5-gallon (Home Depot) paint buckets with lids for opened bags of pellets. One bucket is the one I scoop unused pellets into as I do switch pellets for different kinds of meats. (That’ll get used more for chicken and pork cooks.) I like using single-flavor or blends with fruit woods on chicken and pork. I like using oak or mesquite for beef.

I used to buy single-flavor pellets and do my own blends. I’ve been sampling a bunch of blends over the last year or two. That’s driven partly by price and also because I care about the “filler” that’s used. Old Traeger pellets used alder as a filler. It didn’t overtake the flavor wood. But I used to use BBQers Delight which used oak filler with the flavor woods. I liked how they burned and the overall flavor. So I try to look at that aspect when I purchase pellets.

100% flavor wood pellets were not the norm years ago. And I question whether a 100% flavor wood wouldn’t be too strong. And I question whether pellets are actually 100% flavor wood. If it’s oak, I’m fine with that.

Those are my generic thoughts on pellets over my 15 years of pellet grills.