Use of Costco pellets in SmokeFire EX 4 Second generation

[Carolina Bob]

I always look for a bargain, so rather than buying Weber pellets, I bought Costco‘s Kirkland brand, which is about half the price.

While I never had any problems with the Weber pallets, the Costco pallets have several times jammed up in the auger and forced me to shut down the grill.

I began to wonder whether the dimensions of the Weber pellets were different from the Costco ones and, sure enough, the Costco pellets are on average both longer and wider in diameter. I don’t know if this is the cause of my problem, because I just finished cleaning out the Costco pellets from my grill. I’ll post of this solves my problem, but wonder if anyone else has had this issue.

 

[Goneincognito]

The short answer is yes, it is the cause.

 

[Carolina Bob]

The short answer is yes, it is the cause.

Thank you!

 

[Goneincognito]

No problem.
Weber, Lumberjack and cabela's pellets are what you want to be using.

 

[Amyga]

And just to add this info in case someone looks for it on this forum, I tried a bag of pellets from the Cuisinart brand, which are also the big side like the Kirkland. I did not trust that, so I spent my time plucking a Weber's steel skewer down the chute to agitate the pellets, and that did prevent any jam from occurring. Cuisinart's are on the cheap side too, they heat up well, but burn quickly and with very little flavor. I don't know who makes them but I do not recommend them.

 

[PatrickE]

I bought a bag and had zero issues.

 

[Goneincognito]

I bought a bag and had zero issues.

Some people do, some people don't.

 

[Riddle4x4]

Some people do, some people don't.

I’ve never had issues with Costco pellets. I’ve thrown 8x 40lb bags through my gen 1 EX4 and never had an issue. I move a lot, so this includes both humid and dry environments.

 

[Black Run 350]

I have a Cabelas nearby so I’m only using theirs and some Royal Oak charcoal pellets mixed in. If you order enough I think they will ship for free.

 

[GRT1959]

I always look for a bargain, so rather than buying Weber pellets, I bought Costco‘s Kirkland brand, which is about half the price.

While I never had any problems with the Weber pallets, the Costco pallets have several times jammed up in the auger and forced me to shut down the grill.

I began to wonder whether the dimensions of the Weber pellets were different from the Costco ones and, sure enough, the Costco pellets are on average both longer and wider in diameter. I don’t know if this is the cause of my problem, because I just finished cleaning out the Costco pellets from my grill. I’ll post of this solves my problem, but wonder if anyone else has had this issue.

I'm more inclined to think that you just got a bad bag of pellets. The brand doesn't matter if they're damp or old and starting to crumble, either of which can cake up in your auger. My Gen2 EX6 eats everything I feed it, even a mixed hopper of slightly larger Bear Mountain with my go-to Lumberjack. My only disclaimer is that I always use drip pans or foil, so maintenance consists only of brushing the pellet dust and ash down the drain and into the drawer every 2-3 bags, then cranking it up to 450 and re-seasoning the grates.