Pellets Pellet Dust Test ► Results Are In

[trevpipes]

I didn’t sift this bag, but I only scooped from the top and was shocked that there was almost zero dust at the bottom. Don’t know if it being 100% Hickory and not a blend had anything to do with that. Just got 1 bag as Lowe’s near me is clearing them all out. Still not that great of a deal now at $15 instead of $21

 

[primeone]

Thanks for taking the time and posting those results @Slimpicker - Very interesting!

 

[Pogo007]

Anyone know where Bear Mountain or Pitboss pellets are sold in Canada, preferably Ontario, Canada?

 

[Pogo007]

I'll just get right to it ► Test was for DUST amount in each 20lb bag which in my opinion also means pellet strength against crumble, and also means less worries of DUST clogs in Hopper... probably also means less affected by humidity too.
Using my OKJoe sifter bucket and 1/3 of a bag at a time, manually shaking the sifter for about 30 seconds for each 1/3, then poured into another bucket and repeat till done (obviously 3 times each bag)

View attachment 3848

TRAEGER PELLETS:

View attachment 3847

View attachment 3849

View attachment 3850

PITBOSS PELLETS:

View attachment 3851

View attachment 3852

View attachment 3853

BEAR MOUNTAIN PELLETS:

View attachment 3854

View attachment 3855

View attachment 3856


WINNER IS: BEAR MOUNTAIN AND PITBOSS ► TRAEGER is the big loser, sorry, but science has spoken.

The more I shook the Traeger pellets the more was still coming out... to be fair I stopped at 30 sec but the pellets really never stopped making dust... This was during all thirds of the bag....

Pitboss and Bear Mountain didn't even leave ANY dust till I poured the last of each bag in, so they were NOT breaking up from me sifting them, but Traeger's pellets were!!!

Great job - thanks for doing this review. It would be great if someone could follow up on this with two additional studies. One comparing energy density and one comparing ash by-product of these three makes of pellet. If it were to turn out that, say, Traeger pellets have a higher energy density and produce less ash then they might be the better brand. However, without that data it certainly would appear that Traeger pellets are less preferred.

 

[YYCRed]

Anyone know where Bear Mountain or Pitboss pellets are sold in Canada, preferably Ontario, Canada?

Canadian Tire, Walmart, or Pit Boss themselves: https://pitboss-grills.ca/Shop-Pit-Boss/fuel

 

[Pogo007]

Canadian Tire, Walmart, or Pit Boss themselves: https://pitboss-grills.ca/Shop-Pit-Boss/fuel

Thanks. Weird that my Google search didn't find these sources.

 

[YYCRed]

Thanks. Weird that my Google search didn't find these sources.

I ordered 3 40 pound bags from Walmart just a couple weeks ago. Free shipping, so I couldn't resist.

 

[CMTiger]

First......I should’ve taken pictures.

Traeger vs Bear Mountain

my grill came with a few bags of Traeger pellets. After each cook there was a decent amount of pellet dust inside the pit. Enough I was cleaning it relatively often. I didn’t have complaints with the food produced, or really the dust I don’t suppose, as I had zero comps.

Fast forward and I bought a bag of Bear Mountain Hickory pellets. To be fair I did sift these. Nothing fancy, just one of those things you get at the beach to sift sand out of shells. Whatever, it’s what I had and it worked for this purpose. I suppose I’ve probably put in about 15 hours now on this bag. It’s amazing how much less dust is inside the pit at this very moment and I haven’t vacuumed it out yet either. Also, when cooking at low temps it produces all the smoke I could reasonably want. I suspect some would say too much. It’s really barreling out of the stack.

long story short the pellets aren’t even close to comparable in the quality department. And at half the price I have no idea why anyone would buy the Traeger brand. I have an unopened bag of Signature blend and I’ll keep them for emergency use with the hopes of never using them

 

[Slimpicker]

NOT TO MENTION, Traeger is made as close to "artificial" as you can get, with soy oil plus wood flavor oils... did you read that patent?? You don't want THAT on your food either!!!

 

[Don C]

NOT TO MENTION, Traeger is made as close to "artificial" as you can get, with soy oil plus wood flavor oils... did you read that patent?? You don't want THAT on your food either!!!

Is Traeger the only one that does it that way?

Do all of the others use the actual woods (Hickory, Cherry, Pecan, etc)?
If yes, they should be emphasizing that in their sales pitch.

 

[Slimpicker]

If yes, they should be emphasizing that in their sales pitch.

They do, just read their bags

 

[Dcgunman]

Pit Boss is available in Walmart near me at $8.99 for a 20lb. bag. Less than half the cost of Traeger. Is there any downside? Do they burn quicker or produce less flavor?

I picked up Pit Boss at Walmart, Apple and Hickory for 8.88 per bag. The few others there were $14.

 

[Dcgunman]

Before I saw this thread I was wondering how much pellet dust is in each bag. Yesterday I opened and poured a new bag of Pit Boss hickory pellets (I just picked up from Walmart) into my hopper and noticed more dust than previous pours from Traeger and other Pit Boss bags. Then I saw this thread just now. Maybe the Pit Boss hickory was an older bag sitting on the shelf? It didn’t look like it. I‘ll look at the bags to see if it’s worn out and old or faded. Are the pellet bags dated when they are bagged? How long can pellets sit on a shelf in the store before it becomes old? I couldn’t find any bag date on my Pit Boss bag I purchased. Is it a good idea to sift through the pellet bag first to get rid of most of the pellet dust? I’m not doubting @Slimpicker pellet dust test. I like your idea. It’s just I noticed more dust than usual when I poured the bag yesterday. Good thread.

 

[RemE]

I think it's good idea to avoid getting excess dust in the hopper, it doesn't help the auger to have dust binding things up. I decant my pellet bags into plastic pellet bins and stir them with a hand. Then I pour them into the hopper as needed, most dust remains behind in the bins.

 

[Slimpicker]

I think it's good idea to avoid getting excess dust in the hopper, it doesn't help the auger to have dust binding things up. I decant my pellet bags into plastic pellet bins and stir them with a hand. Then I pour them into the hopper as needed, most dust remains behind in the bins.

Exactly...

It’s just I noticed more dust than usual when I poured the bag yesterday.

I've gotten that before, that's why I do it like RemE said, I have 2 screw top buckets and when I pour I keep the last "2 fingers" in each bag and sift that. I use a scoop to load my Traeger so I also don't pour remaining pellets out... let the dust settle and after 3-4 bags clean the bucket out and start over.