I tried this. Worked ok. Guess I should clean it before giving it back to the cat, eh? LOLOLOL
What sifter do you use?
- Thread starter 920cody
- Start date
James queen
New member
I bought one off of Amazon it’s for sifting dirt when mining gold it’s a quarter inch screen and it’s green they’re cheap and they work great
Northern Que
New member
i went to a dollar store picked up a mesh strainer that my wife uses for draining fats or vegetables with a handle on it for about 5.00 dollars
Kicked Ash
Member
Here's the sifter I use, and it fits well on top of a 5 gallon bucket. It sifts out the dust and small pieces of the pellets that can clog up your smoker auger.
James queen
New member
Good job whatever it takes to make it work to keep the dust out it will be a lot easier on the Auger and when I put mine away for the winter I take all the pellets out and I vacuum the inside of it out so there’s no dust or anything .
Freeeire1916
New member
I just bought some wire screening and staple gunned it to two pieces if 1" board. Cut each board about 2.5feet long and screen it like your washing rocks at the creek. Pit boss pellets don't give me much dust honestly. Pretty happy with them
Mywheelspin63
New member
Anything is fine , even the plastic sifter kids play with on the beach, just something to get the pellet dust out
A Ray
New member
I store my pellets in a 5 gallon Firehouse Sub pickle bucket. When I pour the pellets in I have my wife with a leaf blower on low speed and she blows the sawdust away as I pour (separating the wheat from the chaff).
We just nailed together some scrap pieces of 2x6 to make frames (maybe 12x18?), covered the bottom with 1/8 x 1/8 (might be 3/16) wire mesh I bought from the hardware store, then nailed some scrap 1x2 around the bottom to reinforce the wire. total cost - about a dollar or so each. Been using them heavily for more than a decade with no problems (I say "heavily" because my wife "borrows" a couple every year to sift out gravel and other things for her landscaping).
FWIW - We store most of our pellets in kingsford containers (made by buddeez) https://www.buddeez.com/dispensers/kingsford-kaddy-charcoal-storage/
mostly because we got a great deal on a whole bunch at a trade show a lot of years ago. A lot easier to handle than 5 gal buckets and the lids work great. I have no idea what they cost retail (I am not advertising for them - just saying what we use)
We also use some of their really big (wheeled) food grade containers to store bulk food supplies. Easy to use and the wheels make them easy to take to events.
FWIW - We store most of our pellets in kingsford containers (made by buddeez) https://www.buddeez.com/dispensers/kingsford-kaddy-charcoal-storage/
mostly because we got a great deal on a whole bunch at a trade show a lot of years ago. A lot easier to handle than 5 gal buckets and the lids work great. I have no idea what they cost retail (I am not advertising for them - just saying what we use)
We also use some of their really big (wheeled) food grade containers to store bulk food supplies. Easy to use and the wheels make them easy to take to events.
defenestrate
Member
I have yet to feel a need for a sifter, I shake the 5 lb bucket when it empties and if I notice a fair amount of dust I'll try to shake the pellets around and force it away. I just use a cheap ziplock/clear tupperwareish container to scoop into the grill or sometimes the bucket. I think I used the grill 10 times before I needed to vacuum out the firebox so I don't think the dust is causing me any trouble. I also recently picked up 3 fire extinguishers since I started playing with fire on my porch so I think it will be okay. Will look into other folks' experience though, to see what I might be missing.
We burn a lot of pellets in our smokers (we buy several tons of lumberjacks a year). We open bags with varying amounts of dust. Usually really little in bags "straight from the factory", but rough handling, moisture (humidity) - even in California, etc. all cause dust. For us, it is just easier to build a quick sift into our routine.
Among other problems, we have found that sifting helps reduce "deposits" in the auger that can build up over time and cause jams and increase wear on the motor. I think it also reduces the chance of a "back fire" up the auger, but I know others who disagree with me.
There isn't much I won't do to avoid a fire in the smoker. In addition to the risk to structures around the smoker, it is a huge mess and a lot of time/expense to fix the smoker after a fire.
Fire extinguishers are a smart move. We always have one near every smoker, but have never actually had to use one. We also keep a "bucket" of about 5 pounds of baking soda next to every smoker in case of a grease fire. We use vertical smokers almost exclusively, and sometimes opening the door will cause a grease fire to flare. Throwing soda on the fire usually works instantly, and much of the meat can be saved (after some rinsing). We have used the soda a couple of times for poultry fires.
Pellet dust is an easy fire risk to avoid. Our biggest fire problem comes from smoking too much poultry in a batch and letting it smoke too hot. 50 pounds of chicken puts out an ENORMOUS amount of grease if you let it render out in the smoker (and when someone bumps that up to 70 pounds, its a real problem). We try to smoke it really low (like 150 degrees or less) for several hours, then transfer it to racks in the oven to cook through and render off all the grease in a more controlled environment (without an open fire...).
Among other problems, we have found that sifting helps reduce "deposits" in the auger that can build up over time and cause jams and increase wear on the motor. I think it also reduces the chance of a "back fire" up the auger, but I know others who disagree with me.
There isn't much I won't do to avoid a fire in the smoker. In addition to the risk to structures around the smoker, it is a huge mess and a lot of time/expense to fix the smoker after a fire.
Fire extinguishers are a smart move. We always have one near every smoker, but have never actually had to use one. We also keep a "bucket" of about 5 pounds of baking soda next to every smoker in case of a grease fire. We use vertical smokers almost exclusively, and sometimes opening the door will cause a grease fire to flare. Throwing soda on the fire usually works instantly, and much of the meat can be saved (after some rinsing). We have used the soda a couple of times for poultry fires.
Pellet dust is an easy fire risk to avoid. Our biggest fire problem comes from smoking too much poultry in a batch and letting it smoke too hot. 50 pounds of chicken puts out an ENORMOUS amount of grease if you let it render out in the smoker (and when someone bumps that up to 70 pounds, its a real problem). We try to smoke it really low (like 150 degrees or less) for several hours, then transfer it to racks in the oven to cook through and render off all the grease in a more controlled environment (without an open fire...).
Dad_Roman
Active member
No sifter but I try to vacum regularly.....and yes...Ive had a couple backburns.
But you know....monitor your pit till its cool.
But you know....monitor your pit till its cool.
920cody
Member
I'm returning these colanders to Amazon. The mesh is too fine and it's not allowing the small stuff to drop through. I'm going to give this one a try now...
randog311
New member
I don't use a Sifter, my Platinum Series Laredo 1000 isn't picky, small pieces and dust are simply digested and
burnt along with the larger Pellets. I wouldn't waste my time. More time for Y'all to enjoy your Smoker / Grill. Randy AKA randog311Attachments
Kicked Ash
Member
Yep... this is the one I use, and it works well. The secret is not to fill it up too much with pellets while sifting, or they go all over the floor. ;-)I'm returning these colanders to Amazon. The mesh is too fine and it's not allowing the small stuff to drop through. I'm going to give this one a try now...
