Easiest/fastest way to clear pellets from the auger

RonM

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Comfort, Texas
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Traeger Pro 34
I'm a new Pro 34 owner. What is the most efficient way to clear pellets from the auger? It's easy to empty the hopper (just open the little trap door), but not the auger. Say it's packed with mesquite pellets and you want to change to pecan. You can turn it on "high" and wait for them all to come through, but that's not very efficient. Suggestions?
 
My method is this. When I finish a smoke I clean the inside of any ash ect, using a small shop vac. I vac all the left over pellets and ash out of the igniter box. If I am changing pellets I empty the pellet box and vacuum out all the pellets remaining in the auger. I then fill my pellet box with my new mix. My Texas requires a 15 minute warm up on the smoke setting, during this time I assume most of the remaining pellets in the augur are used up in this process. When the warm up period is done I then set my cooking temp that I am going to start with. The time it takes to get to my smoking temp may be another 15 to 20 minutes. My assumption is the time to warm up and come to cook temp has used any remaining pellets that were in the auger tube. If a couple don't make it, you probably wont notice on a 3 or more hour smoke.
Just the way I do it. Hope this is helpful.
 
I never worry about the small number of pellets remaining in the auger. They will burn off in the first few minutes of the cook and will have minimal effect on the smoke flavor. Many of them will be consumed during the ignition burn.
 
With Ray on this one. Not to worried about the ones left in the auger, they will be partially burned up on start up and then, there is only a bit left.
 
I've never bothered in the 10 years I've been Traegering. Now I don't even bother changing pellets as I have been using B&B competition blend and now Kirkland pellets which are also a blend.

I use a smoke tube pellets & chips of the wood I want use for smoking. The Traeger does the cooking part at the temp I want, and the smoke tube does the smoking part with the wood profile I want. No more swapping pellets as the difference is pretty much un-noticeable.
 
I'm a new Pro 34 owner. What is the most efficient way to clear pellets from the auger? It's easy to empty the hopper (just open the little trap door), but not the auger. Say it's packed with mesquite pellets and you want to change to pecan. You can turn it on "high" and wait for them all to come through, but that's not very efficient. Suggestions?
I have had a Pro 34 for several years. If you really have an auger jam, it will have to be removed. I usually just use the shutdown selection. It burns the rest in a fire box. I had to take mine apart to get rid of a true augar jam when my pellets in the auger had expanded due to moisture. It is a pain in the butt.
 
I have had a Pro 34 for several years. If you really have an auger jam, it will have to be removed. I usually just use the shutdown selection. It burns the rest in a fire box. I had to take mine apart to get rid of a true augar jam when my pellets in the auger had expanded due to moisture. It is a pain in the butt.

I guess if you are not planning to use the grill for several weeks or months, you need to remove all the pellets to avoid them getting damp and swelling up. However, the nice thing about pellet grills is that you can use them even in winter as you do not have to stand there and tend the fire throughout the cook. I plan to use mine to cook the Thanksgiving turkey and the Christmas ham.

Here in the Chicago suburbs. January can get pretty nasty, so I might not do any cooks that month.
 
I guess if you are not planning to use the grill for several weeks or months, you need to remove all the pellets to avoid them getting damp and swelling up. However, the nice thing about pellet grills is that you can use them even in winter as you do not have to stand there and tend the fire throughout the cook. I plan to use mine to cook the Thanksgiving turkey and the Christmas ham.

Here in the Chicago suburbs. January can get pretty nasty, so I might not do any cooks that month.
I live just north of Indianapolis and I have the thermal blanket to use the smoker during the cold months.
 
I'm a new Pro 34 owner. What is the most efficient way to clear pellets from the auger? It's easy to empty the hopper (just open the little trap door), but not the auger. Say it's packed with mesquite pellets and you want to change to pecan. You can turn it on "high" and wait for them all to come through, but that's not very efficient. Suggestions?
Use the auger prime cycle. You may need to do it twice to get all of the pellets out. You should always clear the pellets out of the auger if you are going to leave it stored for a long time because the pellets absorb moisture and will fall apart and turn into mush. Then the auger could jam plus trying to clean out mushy pellets doesn't sound like fun. Hope that helps. TA
 
I live just north of Indianapolis and I have the thermal blanket to use the smoker during the cold months.

I have an IW885. Traeger does not make a thermal blanket for the grill because there is no smokestack. It vents out the back. Some people try to wrap the grill in a welder's blanket, but you have to keep the vents clear.

The Chicago suburbs get about 50% more snow than Indianapolis. In January, we expect snow about 10 days out of the month with snow on the ground about 20 days during the month. Thus, I will try to have enough smoked meat in the freezer to make it from Christmas through the middle of February when conditions start to improve.
 

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