7 Tips For Buying Traeger Pellets At Costco

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Costco Pellets For Traeger

As a licensed affiliate retailer, Costco sells a 33-pound bag of Traeger Gourmet wood pellets and a 40-pound bag of Bear Mountain wood pellets for use in their exclusive lineup of Traeger wood pellet grills.

Traeger themselves strongly recommend using only their brand of wood pellets in their grills. They are made from a special three-stage drying process and extruded under high pressure, to exacting standards. 

This means that Traeger’s wood pellets have greater structural integrity and less dust than other brands of pellets. Traeger pellets also tend to burn hotter, with faster preheating and less ash than the competition.

Bear Mountain’s wood pellets are also high-quality and made from 100% organic materials that have been responsibly harvested. However, they do generate more wood fiber dust, which can increase the risk of auger jams and burn back issues. 

If you do want to use an alternative brand of wood pellets in your Traeger grill, you should sift them first before adding them to the hopper. Then purge the hopper to empty the wood pellets out after every use and store them in an air-tight container. 

Should You Buy Pellets at Costco for a Traeger?

The Traeger wood pellets sold at Costco have the same high quality as pellets sold by other retailers. They are a good value per pound compared to pellets sold by many other Traeger retailers.

However, Traeger advises against using any other brand of wood pellets in their grills. Lesser quality wood pellets like the 40-pound bag of Bear Mountain Gourmet pellets can leave excess wood fibers in a Traeger’s auger shaft.

If your Traeger grill is damaged by an auger jam or a burn back caused by using another brand of wood pellets, Traeger’s warranty might not cover the repair.

Is There Any Difference in Quality for Costco Pellets?

The Traeger brand of Gourmet wood pellets sold at Costco is made from the same exacting standards that Traeger uses with all their wood pellet blends. They are made from responsibly harvested wood fibers, dried in a proprietary three-stage process, and extruded by a high-pressure system. 

The end result is wood pellets that burn hot, preheat quickly, have minimal dust, and produce rich smoke. All while leaving minimal ash behind in the internal firepot. 

Costco also sells Bear Mountain pellets, which can contend with Traeger’s wood pellets when it comes to performance. The only real difference is that Bear Mountain’s pellets have slightly less structural integrity, which means they might leave more wood fiber dust in the bottom of the pellet hopper.

You can get around this problem by sifting Bear Mountain wood pellets through a coarse sieve before adding them to the Traeger’s hopper. Then make sure to purge the hopper after every use and store them in an airtight container. 

This will prevent excess wood fibers from getting into the hopper, which can cause an auger jam or burn back problem. 

What Pellets Does Costco Sell?

Costco sells a 33-pound bag of Traeger Gourmet wood pellets for $26.99. They also sell a 40-pound bag of Bear Mountain Gourmet wood pellets for $24.99.

While the Bear Mountain pellets will work in a Traeger grill, Traeger themselves advise against using other brands of wood pellets.

Traeger Gourmet Blend 33 lbs. Wood Pellets

Costco sells a 33-pound bag of Traeger Gourmet wood pellets at their retail warehouses for $26.99. They have the same quality as the rest of the wood pellets sold by other Traeger affiliates.

Can You Use Generic Pellets in a Traeger?

You can use other brands of wood pellets in a Traeger grill, so long as they are food-grade pellets made from all-natural wood fibers. Though Traeger strongly advises against using other brands of wood pellets, as lower quality pellets can increase the risk of auger jams and burn back fires in the auger shaft.

You should never use pellets meant for a wood pellet furnace. They have artificial binders and burn at a hotter temperature. Which can damage a Traeger grill.

Final Thoughts

Costco offers a 33-pound bag of Traeger Gourmet wood pellets for $26.99 as well as a 40-pound bag of Bear Mountain Gourmet wood pellets for $24.99. While both types of wood pellet can be used in Costco’s exclusive lineup of Traeger wood pellet grills, Traeger recommends that you only use their brand. 

The proprietary three-stage drying process and high-pressure extrusion Traeger uses produces wood pellets that have less dust, and burn hotter than other brands. All while producing less dust. 

The superior structural integrity of Traeger’s wood pellets means they leave less wood fiber dust, in the hopper. This decreases the risk of auger jams and burn back issues. 

You can still use a different brand of wood pellets, like Bear Mountain in your Traeger grill. Though you should sift them first before adding them to the hopper, and then empty the hopper shortly after every grilling session.