Can pellets go bad

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Tbro

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I don’t have a pellet grill, but I do use the amnps. A few years ago I bought a large bag of hickory pellets, and I have been using them for various cooks with good results. Last week I cold smoked a pork belly and it had a slight chemical smoke flavor rather than the usual hickory flavor. I’ve done pork bellies in the past with these pellets also with good results. I store them in a plastic covered bin outside under my smoker in the summer and in the garage in the winter.
Can pellets go bad, absorb odor, moisture, or just deteriorate?
Thanks
 
The only issue I've had with pellets is that the outside casing of a batch dissolved due to extreme moisture exposure. I was left with a lot of sawdust. I've never noticed any non-wood smell or taste and some of my bags of pellets are 6 to 9 months old before I finish using them.

I'd suggest smelling the pellets and see if you can detect any wrong odor from them and then burn a small batch of them and smell the smoke to see if that's off.
 
How was the air flow, sounds like you might have an issue with stale smoke. Not enough airflow, to move the smoldering smoke through?? I have a bella smoke generator that I use pellets in to cold smoke. I used it in my FEC 100 (Just using the chamber, the cooker off) to cold smoke snack Sticks. It did not draw well and I got that stale, over smoked and a little chemical taste I find if I use my shirley as a cold smoke chamber is gets a better smoke flavor, as the cooker draws smoke over the food and out the stack. ???
 
Yes they can go bad and I keep mine in a sealed container and off the concrete floor of my garage . The heat keeping them outside might be baking them and seasoning them more to a dry state and changing the smoke profile .
 
aint no amount of drying going to put a chemical smell/taste in a pellet, I routinely leave multiple bags in my carport which gets really hot mid to late day unless I am out there running a fan. taste/smell the same
 
Yes. You need to keep them below 40F if using them within a month, otherwise freeze them and they will last 6 months.
 
toys4dlr said:
How was the air flow, sounds like you might have an issue with stale smoke. Not enough airflow, to move the smoldering smoke through?? I have a bella smoke generator that I use pellets in to cold smoke. I used it in my FEC 100 (Just using the chamber, the cooker off) to cold smoke snack Sticks. It did not draw well and I got that stale, over smoked and a little chemical taste I find if I use my shirley as a cold smoke chamber is gets a better smoke flavor, as the cooker draws smoke over the food and out the stack. ???
Click to expand...

1. You can over smoke when there’s bad airflow/no airflow in the smoke camber being used.
2. Also, usually pellets will burn cleaner then other fuel sources, but even smoldering pellets can produce a bad smoke taste when exposed to the meat too long. Bad smoke is bad smoke, be it from Hardwood, Charcoal or pellets. Now when you add bad smoldering smoke to a smoke/cook chamber with no or very little airflow... The results can be disastrous. Proper fire and smoke management is key when using your Cold Smoke Gen. .02.
 
Tbro said:
I don’t have a pellet grill, but I do use the amnps. A few years ago I bought a large bag of hickory pellets, and I have been using them for various cooks with good results. Last week I cold smoked a pork belly and it had a slight chemical smoke flavor rather than the usual hickory flavor. I’ve done pork bellies in the past with these pellets also with good results. I store them in a plastic covered bin outside under my smoker in the summer and in the garage in the winter.
Can pellets go bad, absorb odor, moisture, or just deteriorate?
Thanks
Click to expand...

To the OP... Can pellets go bad, absorb odor, moisture, or just deteriorate? If not properly stored, yes... and nothing last forever, so a good airtight container will help protect your pellet investment. Good luck.
 
I use to buy them by the pallet/ton, it would take 5yrs to use them up. I did store them in the garage off the concrete. Won a lot of awards with those "old" pellets. Don't put me in the camp of they get old....
 
SmokeRingsMatter said:
Yes. You need to keep them below 40F if using them within a month, otherwise freeze them and they will last 6 months.
Click to expand...
Are you talking pellets or meat?

My pellets are always in the attached garage or the metal smoker garage. On the concrete when I forget. Never an issue.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
smoke ninja said:
sarcasm? never heard of it....is it like a joke only not funny?
Click to expand...


Its a joke that people without a sense of humor find it not funny. I bet your are blast at party's...wait who am i kidding, you either dont get invited to them, or are so socially akward, you don't attend them.
 
SmokeRingsMatter said:
Its a joke that people without a sense of humor find it not funny. I bet your are blast at party's...wait who am i kidding, you either dont get invited to them, or are so socially akward, you don't attend them.
Click to expand...

I'm super fun at parties. Are you having a party? Can I come? Should I bring covered dish? Plus one okay?
 
What brand pellets? Have you looked to see if there are any "fillers/binders/glue" in the pellets or are they 100% wood?

Also, are you certain that an animal did not "leave their mark" in your pellets?
 
RCAlan said:
To the OP... Can pellets go bad, absorb odor, moisture, or just deteriorate? If not properly stored, yes... and nothing last forever, so a good airtight container will help protect your pellet investment. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks RCAlan, I did have them in a plastic bin with cover, but I don’t think you could call it air tight.
 
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