If you’re like me, when you finish using your Pit Boss smoker, you turn it off and let it cool down. Then you put it in the garage or outdoor shed to keep it out of the elements. It’s easy to wonder “can you leave pellets in a Pit Boss hopper?”
Can You Leave Pellets In A Pit Boss?
After doing some online research, “Yes,” you can leave pellets in the hopper. That being said, it’s vital to keep them protected from the moisture. Read this article if you just got your grill and want to add wood pellets to your grill for the first time.
If the wood pellets become moist, it will ruin your hardware and they won’t work. All pellet grills require wood pellets to work properly.
*This page contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you purchase something from this page, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
Why Moisture Is Bad For Wood Pellets
High-quality wood pellets are 100% all-natural hardwood that is dried and ground into sawdust.
If you’ve ever spilled water on your hardwood floor, then you know the importance of wiping it up, especially, if it hasn’t been treated properly.
Well, unlike your floor, you can’t wipe up your pellets. Watch this video to see exactly what happens if you get your wood pellets wet.
Do The Wood Pellets Go Bad If Not Being Used Regularly?
I’m sure that they will eventually become old and won’t work as well as fresh wood pellets.
Of course, it depends on where you store your electric smoker grill.
Grills that are stored outside are exposed to the different elements of the outdoors such as; rain, snow, wind, pollen and etc. All those elements can eventually ruin your wood pellets.
This is why there is such a huge debate about whether or not to use your pellet smoker in the rain.
Grills that are stored in garages, storage buildings, and etc away from the outdoor elements will last a little longer.
However, you shouldn’t expect your wood pellets to sit in an unused Pit Boss for a year and work like they did the day you bought them.
Most people who have an electric smoker grill use it at least 1-2 times per week, at least I know we do.
How To Test Your Wood Pellets
If you’ve left your wood pellets in your hopper too long, you can perform two easy tests to see if they are still good.
Below are two ways to test the condition of your wood pellets:
#1 Examine The Pellets
Open the hopper lid and grab a handful of the pellets in your hand. Pellets that are not damaged will have a shiny look to them.
If they look dull, they have been damaged by the outdoor elements.
#2 Snap Test
Grab one of the pellets and snap it in half. A healthy pellet will “snap” when you break it in half.
An unhealthy pellet will crumble and fall apart in your hand.
Never use moist pellets in your smoker grill as it can cause jams in the auger mechanism that feeds the fire pot.
How To Protect Your Pellets In The Hopper
The best way to protect your smoker grill is to store it inside an area that keeps it away from the outdoor elements. However, that’s not always easy for people, because not everyone has a garage, basement, and etc.
Even if you live in a duplex, condo, house without a garage and etc, there are steps you can take to ensure your pellets stay dry in the hopper.
Storing Pellet Grill Outside
Some people like me don’t like storing their smoker grill outdoors, however, some people have no choice.
If you have no choice but to store your grill outside on your porch, balcony or driveway, then the best way to protect the grill and the wood pellets is to invest in a cover for your Pit Boss Grill.
Invest in a good vinyl cover that is waterproof and can withstand all outdoor elements. Make sure you use a bungee cord to keep the grill from falling off, especially, on this windy and rainy days.
Just make sure that you let the grill cool off completely before you put the cover on it.
We personally store ours in the outdoor shed, which is a hassle because we have to wheel the electric smoker into the building after it has cooled down after each use.
I’d rather do that as the weather has taken a toll on our gas grill after being left outside for several years.
Storing Your Wood Pellets
Every smoker grill is different and the hopper capacity will vary from model to model.
For example, the Pit Boss Pro Series 820 has a hopper capacity of 19 LBS.
When we purchased the grill we bought a 40 lb bag of pellets. According to the Pit Boss grill site, you should NEVER store your pellets in the bag they came in.
Instead, they should be stored in an airtight 5-gallon bucket with a sealable lid. This is the same exact one we use to keep cool and dry to help prolong their freshness.
Final Word On Leaving Pellets In The Grill
As long as you keep your Pit Boss in your garage, shed or covered, it will be fine.
It’s nice knowing you don’t have to remove pellets from the Pit Boss every time you use it. That would be a ton of work, and personally I probably wouldn’t have bought it.
I’m lazy and I don’t like to do a lot of work. That said, if you want to remove the pellets to try out different flavored pellets, here’s how to remove pellets from the auger.
Related Articles