How to Season & Burn-In Your Grill

Before cooking the first batch of food in your new Traeger, you will need to season your grill. This simple, one-time initial firing process will burn off any residual, non-toxic oils from the manufacturing process and help create non-stick surfaces so that you get the most out of your Traeger Wood Pellet Grill.

Wondering how long this takes?

A WiFIRE grill will take about one and a half hours, while a non-connected grill will take roughly an hour.

Let's start by looking at how to season a WiFIRE grill. Scroll past these first steps to learn how to season a non-connected grill.

• Step 1: Prime your auger tube with pellets
• Step 2: Plug in the grill and turn it on using the power switch, usually found on the back of the grill
• Step 3: Add fresh hardwood pellets to the hopper
• Step 4: Press the power button on your controller to wake your controller screen
• Step 5: Turn the dial to navigate to Select Auger > Prime Auger; press the controller knob to select
• Step 6: Once pellets begin to fall into firepot, select, Done
• Step 7: Turn selection dial clockwise to 350°F (177°C) and press the dial to confirm the temperature
• Step 8: Press the Ignite button and close the lid. When the temperature reaches 350°F (177°C), run for 20 minutes
• Step 9:* Adjust the temperature to 450°F (232°C) and press the knob to confirm
• Step 10:* When the temperature reaches 450°F (232°C), run for an additional 30 minutes
• Step 11:* Shut down the grill
  • For a Pro Series grill, press the knob for 3 seconds
  • For Ironwood, Timberline or Silverton models, press the controller's power button for 3 seconds

*These steps can be done also from the app!

Now that you’ve finished seasoning your grill, get ready to create mouthwatering brisket, fall-off-the-bone baby-back ribs, and juicy pulled pork.

• Step 1: Plug in your grill and turn it on using the switch on the front of the controller
• Step 2: Add hardwood pellets to the hopper
• Step 3: Prime the auger with pellets
  1. Open the lid and remove the grill grate, drip tray, and heat baffle
  2. Set the grill to High (or the highest temp possible) for 2 to 5 minutes until you see pellets fall into the firepot
• Step 4: Set the grill to Shutdown Cycle and turn off the grill using the power switch
• Step 5: Return the internal components to their correct places inside the grill
• Step 6: Turn the grill back on, close the lid, and set the controller to Smoke
• Step 7: Wait approximately 15 minutes for the fire to establish in the grill.
  • Once the fire is established, the thick, white smoke should change thin and slightly blue.
• Step 8: Set the grill to High (or highest temp possible) for about 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, you are good either to start cooking or to continue to Step 9 to shut down the grill.
• Step 9: Set the grill to Shutdown Cycle. The shutdown cycle will run approximately 25 minutes.
• Step 10: Once the shut down cycle is complete, turn off the grill using the power switch.

Your grill seasoning is now complete and you are ready to start grilling.