Wooden pellets are what makes the whole grilling process all the more interesting and flavorful.
Traeger Grill Grates require pellets that can be used as and when required and the pellets need to be clean and free from any moisture.
Therefore, these pellets also need to be stored properly in a place where there is a less moisture and more air ventilation present.
The main objective of me writing this article is to actually tell you about the 5 best methods of Traeger wood pellets storage.
In my experience, the best way to store your Traeger pellets is in a place or a small storage box in your house, where there is less exposure to extreme heat and moisture.
Also, it is important to keep the old pellets separate from the newly purchased wood pellets.
Depending upon brands, you also have to segregate the pellets in a different location.
The container in which you keep the pellets must be weather proof and must provide proper cool and dry atmosphere for the pellets.
If you follow these tips, then you can easily improve the life span of your Traeger wood pellets and can use them for longer period of time without any issues.
Also Check out my 5 best recommendations to store your Traeger wood pellets safely and to maintain their freshness for longer period.
5 Best Methods to Store Traeger Pellets Safely
Here are my 5 best recommended methods that you can use to store your Traeger wood pellets safely and securely for a long period of time.
1. Use Moisture Proof 5-Gallon Bucket
5 Gallon Bucket such as Craftsman Storage Bucket provides better protection for your wood pellets against extreme weather changes, moisture and water.
They are airtight and can be easily used to store up to 20 pounds of wood pellets at a time.
Click Here to Get Craftsman 5 Gallon Storage Bucket for Your Wood Pellets.
2. Use Pellet Bucket Kit
The second best item you can use to store your Traeger wood pellets safely is the pellet bucket kit.
In this heavy duty plastic pellet bucket, you can store up to 20 pounds of pellets without any issues.
The pellets remain fresh and dry for longer period in this bucket due to its airtight and waterproof lid.
Click Here to Get Oklahoma Joe’s Pellet Bucket Kit to Store Wood Pellets.
3. Use Traeger StayDry Pellet Bin
This premium quality Traeger pellet bin comes with a stackable design and airtight lid with proper lock mechanism.
You can easily store up to 22 pounds of wood pellets in this bin.
This bin keeps the pellets dry and fresh for longer duration.
Click Here to Get Traeger StayDry Pellet Bin to Store Your Pellets.
4. Use Wood Pellet Dispenser
Another good item to store your wood pellets safely is a good quality Wood Pellet Dispenser.
This dispenser is made from heavy duty plastic container which can be used to store up to 20 pounds of wood pellets without any issues.
It comes with molded hand grips and handle at the top which makes the operating of the dispenser super comfortable.
It is also equipped with built in pouring spout which helps you fill up the hopper with pellets much easier without any spilling of pellets elsewhere.
Click Here to Get Buddeez Kingsford Wood Pellet Dispenser to Store Pellets.
5. Make Use of Pellet Storage Bag
Finally, you can also use a durable, water resistant, UV resistant and dust proof pellet storage bag to store your wood pellets.
This bag is made from premium quality polyester material which goes through special UV treatment too.
The bag has a weather resistant and UV resistant coating and sealing which keeps your pellets fresh and dry for long duration.
This highly portable bag can be used to store up to 20 pounds of pellets without any hassles.
Click Here to Get Nuuk 20 Pounds Pellet Storage Bag.
Recommended Articles for You:
Is It Okay to Use Other Brands of Pellets in a Traeger Grill?
5 Steps to Follow When You Run out of Pellets in Your Grill
6 Easy Fixes for Preventing Too Much Smoke from Traeger Pellet Box
FAQ Related to The Storage of Traeger Wood Pellets
Why Should You Store Traeger Pellets Safely?
Preservation of wood pellets is very important as far as repetitive cooking sessions and a little bit of money saving is concerned.
You must remember that the extreme air moisture is the biggest foe that your pellets will ever face.
In case your pellets absorb moisture, they will eventually crumble and break down.
Hence, it is quite important to keep your pellets safe for a clean and hassle-free cooking session.
5 Tips to Choose the Right Storage Container for Traeger Pellets
It is extremely important to use the right type of container to store Traeger Pellets.
Here are the essential tips that you must remember before you get the right type of container for your Traeger pellets storage.
1. Make sure that your pellets are kept in a cool, dry and fresh place.
2. It is also essential that you shift your pellets from their packing bags to the container.
3. The container in which you will store Traeger pellets must be weather resistant and should offer protection against the extreme heat and moisture.
4. The storage container must also help you pour the pellets into the grill pretty comfortably.
5. Kindly ensure that your container has a filter that keeps the sawdust away from the hopper.
I highly recommend you to use the storage container made by Traeger company itself.
It has a unique stackable design and it helps you keep the wood pellets fresh and clean for long period of time.
You can store up to 22 pounds of wood pellets in this container and it also comes with airtight lid.
Click Here to Get Traeger StayDry Storage Container for Wood Pellets.
Is It Okay to Leave Traeger Pellets inside the Grill?
Yes, you can do that without any issues.
It is perfectly fine to keep your pellets in the hopper for few hours to a day or two if you are planning to return to the grill sometime soon.
It is the duration of the time of storage that might matter in the end.
Traeger company recommends its users to store their wooden pellets in the hopper for up to 7 days or 1 week at max.
But if your hopper is dry and secured, then you may store these pellets for a bit longer duration.
For What Time Range Is It Possible to Keep Wood Pellets In The Hopper?
The duration of time through which you could hold your wood pellets within the hopper is dependent on few important factors.
It is important to keep your pellet grill protected with a cover that can withstand extreme weather changes.
If you store it in a cool and shady place like a garage, you can notably increase the shelf life of these pellets.
You can also try using wood pellets of a better quality and better brand such as Traeger pellets in order to make sure that they last longer than the variants that cost you less.
As mentioned above, Traeger recommends to store your pellets in the hopper up to 7 days at max.
After that, the pellets might deteriorate in terms of their burn capability due to moisture collection.
But as mentioned earlier, when you store pellets securely in a dry place, then obviously you can increase their shelf life.
4 Precautions to Take While Storing Wood Pellets
1. Keep Wood Pellets Away From Heat:
First reason is because they are flammable by nature.
Heat coming from sunrays can cause pellets to catch fire.
Therefore, make sure that they are not stored anywhere around the grill.
They should not be stored around the fireplace or even a water heater too.
2. Keep The Old And New Pellets Separately:
When you buy new pellets while you still have a few old ones remaining, make sure you do not mix them up.
Remember to use up the old ones first and then the new ones next.
And don’t forget to store them separately in two separate pellet storage bags.
3. Label Your Containers Properly:
It is important to keep track of your wood pellet containers.
Whether it is the flavour or the date of usage, it is important to separate them and label the pellets properly.
Heating and smoking pellets must be kept separately so that you remember which one to use and when.
4. Test the Freshness of Pellets Before You Use Them:
In case you do not remember exactly how old your wood pellets are, try checking them with this method.
Choose a medium sized pellet and break it clean from the middle with your hands.
If it breaks into two separate pieces, it is quite fresh and if it breaks into more than two or crumbles into several, you will need to change your pellets.
How Long Do Traeger Pellets Last in the Storage?
There are two factors that affect the shelf life of the wooden pellets.
1. Quality of the Pellets:
In case your wood pellets are cheaper and not of a premiere quality, it will not only have an extremely low shelf life but will also hamper the taste and aroma of the food.
2. Storage Method:
This is where you, as the owner of the grill and the pellets, have an important role to play.
Proper storage of the pellets enhances the shelf life and freshness of the wood pellets.
With proper storage, your pellets can stay fresh even beyond its expiry date.
Wooden pellets, assuming they have not been harmed by moisture, air etc. will burn pretty well and adequately heat your grill.
Assuming you are utilising the pellets for cooking, they should be producing proper smoke, yet the aroma will not be pretty much as strong and effective over the long haul.
If you have, at any point, left ground coffee without properly sealing the container, you might have seen that the coffee was not as aromatic or flavourful in your next cup.
That deficiency of flavour is what occurs when you forget about flavoured pellets and leave them unsealed.
Indeed, even with the proper capacity of wood pellet holders, flavoured pellets will start losing essence with time.
The specific time frame of the usability of flavoured smoke pellets relies upon the brand they belong to and how you store them.
In case your BBQ Traeger pellets have been stored in a container for some time and you notice they have lost the essence, it is either the fault of the storage or that of the brand.
You could check a little bunch as a test and look out for the flavour quality prior to utilising them for grilling your food.
How Big A Container Should I Opt For?
The perfect container for storing wooden pallets is the 5-gallon container that can fit in all your pellets and keep them safe and sound until further use.
Make sure that the container you purchase can fit inside one of your closets or storage spaces.
The 5-gallon container is usually perfect for indoor storage as far as a huge number of pellets is concerned.
What is the Best Traeger Wood Pellets Storage Container?
Before we find out which Pellet Storage Container is the best, we should take a quick look at what qualities make a good pellet storage container.
To begin with, the storage container must be airtight and weather resistant.
It should be sealed entirely.
In other words, air, moisture and bacteria must not find their way into the container.
The storage container must keep the wood dry and fresh.
Moisture will cause it to rot thereby destroying the pellets and making it unworthy of use while cooking on the grill.
If you ask my opinion then I would highly recommend you to use Craftsman 5 Gallon Pellet Storage Bucket to safely store wood pellets for longer duration of time.
For other options, kindly check 5 best storage methods provided in the beginning of this article.
References:
https://www.traeger.com/learn/how-to-store-pellets
https://grillsimply.com/can-you-leave-pellets-in-the-hopper/
