Guide
How to store pellets for your smoker
Wood pellets are compressed wood particles, and moisture undoes them. Pellets that absorb moisture can swell and crumble into sawdust, and swollen pellets and sawdust can jam the auger and interrupt the fuel supply partway through a cook. Damp pellets can also be hard to light and burn unevenly, which shows up as temperature swings and less smoke.
Storing them well comes down to three things: keep water and humid air away from them, keep them away from heat, and check them before they go in the hopper.
Before you start
Wood pellets burn readily, including in a sealed bag. Store them away from open flames and from anything that gets hot, such as a water heater or a car parked in a garage.
Follow your cooker's manual on which pellets it is designed to burn. This guide is about keeping good pellets good, not about choosing them.
What you’ll need
- A container with a sealing lid for opened pelletsA bucket with a gasketed lid or a purpose-made pellet bin both work. An opened bag does not keep humid air out.
- A scoop for moving pellets
- A screen or coarse sieve for separating dust from pelletsOptional, but it keeps fines out of the hopper.
Step by step
1. Move opened pellets into a sealed container
Once a bag has been opened it no longer keeps moisture out. Pour the pellets into a container with a lid that seals, and close it again after each scoop. Pit Boss recommends this over the original packaging even for pellets kept indoors, because indoor air still carries moisture.
Source: Pit Boss — The Do's & Don'ts of Proper Wood Pellet Storage
2. Keep the container somewhere dry
Store it indoors or under cover, out of rain, snow and standing water, and off any floor that gets damp. Pit Boss's guidance is to keep pellets indoors or in a dry area where moist air cannot reach them.
Source: Pit Boss — The Do's & Don'ts of Proper Wood Pellet Storage
3. Keep it away from heat and flame
Pellets are fuel. Keep the container well away from open flames, the cooker itself, and anything that runs hot. Pit Boss names water heaters and cars in a garage specifically, and warns that pellets can ignite from extreme heat or flame even in an unopened bag.
Source: Pit Boss — The Do's & Don'ts of Proper Wood Pellet Storage
4. Empty the hopper when the cooker will sit unused
Pellets left in the hopper are exposed to whatever air the cooker sits in. Pit Boss recommends emptying the hopper after a cook and storing the leftovers in a sealed container, which also helps prevent auger jams. Use your model's hopper clean-out if it has one; otherwise follow its manual for emptying the hopper. A cover keeps rain off, but it is not a seal.
Source: Pit Boss — The Do's & Don'ts of Proper Wood Pellet Storage
5. Check the pellets before they go in the hopper
Pit Boss's test is that fresh pellets have a slight shine and snap cleanly when you break one. Some dust at the bottom of a bag is normal and is not by itself a sign of water damage. Swelling, easy crumbling and extensive breakdown are the signs to look for. Discard damaged pellets rather than loading them.
Source: Pit Boss — The Do's & Don'ts of Proper Wood Pellet Storage
6. Leave the dust behind
Pour pellets through a screen, or stop before the dust at the bottom of the container, so fines do not collect in the hopper. Sawdust does not feed or burn like a pellet, and a layer of it at the bottom of the hopper is one of the first things to rule out when a cooker will not hold temperature.
7. If water gets into the hopper, clear it out
Do not try to burn through wet pellets. With the cooker cooled, switched off and unplugged, remove the wet pellets and sawdust from the hopper, follow your model's instructions for clearing the auger, and let everything dry before refilling with dry pellets.
Signs your pellets have taken on moisture
In the bag or the hopper: pellets that have swollen, lost their shine, turned soft, crumble when handled, or have broken down into a lot of sawdust.
In the cooker: trouble lighting, temperature swings and flameouts. Damp pellets are one cause of all three, but not the only one — ash in the fire pot, blocked airflow and a dirty temperature sensor look much the same from outside, so check the pellets and then keep going.
How long do pellets keep?
There is no single shelf life worth quoting. Pellets kept sealed and dry stay usable far longer than pellets left in an open bag or a hopper outdoors, so how they have been stored matters more than how old they are.
Checking a handful before each cook is more reliable than any date: if they are firm, snap cleanly and are not swollen or crumbling, they are fine to burn.
Common questions
- Can I leave pellets in the hopper between cooks?
- Pit Boss recommends emptying the hopper after a cook and storing the leftover pellets in a sealed container. How exposed a hopper is depends on where the cooker is kept, so follow your model's manual, and check the pellets before the next cook if you did leave them in.
- What is the best container for smoker pellets?
- One with a lid that seals, kept somewhere dry and away from heat. A bucket with a gasketed lid or a purpose-made pellet bin both work. Once a bag has been opened it does not keep humid air out.
- Is dust at the bottom of the pellet bag a problem?
- Some dust at the bottom of a bag is normal and is not by itself a sign of water damage. Leave it behind or sift it out rather than pouring it into the hopper, where it can collect and cause feeding problems.
- Where should I not store pellets?
- Anywhere water can reach them, and anywhere near an open flame or something that gets hot, such as a water heater or a car parked in a garage. Pellets can ignite from extreme heat even in a sealed bag.
- How can I tell if pellets have gone bad?
- Swelling, easy crumbling and extensive breakdown into sawdust are the signs of moisture damage. Good pellets are firm and snap cleanly when broken. Discard damaged pellets rather than loading them into the hopper.