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10. Wood Pellet Use & Storage
Storage
•
There are small holes in the wood pellets plastic bags to release air, so never sit bags on
wet surfaces, or directly on outdoor concrete or wood as moisture may be absorbed.
•
Once a bag of pellets has been opened, seal the top of the bag, or even better, store in a
plastic bucket with a well sealing lid.
•
Do not fill up the hopper every time you use the grill, as the pellets may end up sitting
exposed to humid air for a long time. Only pour in as many as required for the cook.
•
If wood pellets get moist they will become soft and lose the shiny surface appearance.
Never use pellets that are moist as they will not burn well and once dry can block up the
auger feed pipe, preventing the auger from rotating freely.
•
Avoiding pouring the wood pellet dust from the bottom of the bag into the hopper.
Cleaning
•
If not planning to use the grill for several weeks or longer it is a good idea to clear pellets
out by running the grill until empty, especially in humid
climates. Follow these steps:
✓
With the grill turned OFF, scoop out all the pellets above
the protective grate with a plastic cup or bowl.
✓
Remove the two screws (front and back) that secure the
top of the hopper and grate in place. Lift off the top of the
hopper and scoop out the remaining pellets. Replace the
top of the hopper.
✓
Start the grill as normal and run at a high temperature
setting until the remaining pellets in the hopper are used
up. The grill will automatically turn OFF and display LEr
(low temp error) once the pellets run out and the temperature drops, which is normal.
✓
Once cooled down, vacuum out the bottom of the hopper and fire-pot.
✓
Before next use, complete the Initial Startup Process again (see section 5)
Pellet Usage
•
The grill only uses as many pellets from the hopper as required to maintain the target
temperature and will NOT use all the pellets in the hopper each time it is used.
•
Pellets are used at around 0.2kg per hour at low temperatures (<121ºC) and up to 0.5kg
per hour at high temperatures.
•
Australian hardwood pellets tend to burn 15-20% longer than oak/fruit wood blends.
What Pellets to Use?
•
Any wood pellets designed for wood pellet smokers should work fine in this grill.
•
As a general guide:
✓
Australian hardwood pellets = Slow burning (more heat); Low ash; Subtle flavour.
✓
Oak/fruit blend pellets = Fast burning (less heat); High ash; Stronger flavour.
•
While you can use a single type of wood pellet, it is often a good idea to mix Australian
hardwood pellets with oak/fruit blend pellets for a longer burn time, lower ash and great
smoky flavour.
⅓
oak/fruit blends to
⅔
Australian hardwood is a good mix ratio.
Screws
