We strive to provide you with authoritative, trustworthy, and expert advice. In doing so, the staff at bbqdropout.com performs extensive research, editing, and fact checking to every post on this webiste. If you feel that this article can improve, please feel free to reach us at staff@bbqdropout.com
Before continuing this article, I wanted to let you know that I have a YouTube channel where I showcase all sorts of video content related to BBQ. Subscribing would mean a lot to me, and I very much appreicate all the support!
Seasoning A Traeger Grill
Seasoning a Traeger or “Burning it in” is a critical step for breaking-in your new wood pellet grill for its first cook. This essentially burns off any of the residual food-safe oils left on the surface of the grill’s components during manufacturing.
The seasoning process usually takes about an hour and will help familiarize you with how your new Traeger grill works. It calls for priming the auger with wood pellets and firing it up to 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Then you take the temperature up to 400 degrees for half an hour to fully burn off all residual manufacturing oils. During this time, you shouldn’t attempt to cook anything in your Traeger.
Once your new Traeger has been thoroughly burned in and seasoned, it will be ready for its first cook.
How to Season a Traeger Grill
Seasoning or burning-in your new Traeger grill takes about an hour and should be done before you plan to cook anything in it. It involves the following steps.
Step One: Add some wood pellets to the hopper, and power up the Traeger.
Step Two: Press the power button on your controller to wake your controller screen.
Step Three: Using the Traeger WiFIRE app or the control panel Select Auger > Prime Auger
Step Four: Let the auger run for a minute or so until the auger shaft is filled with wood pellets.
Step Five: Once pellets begin to fall into the firepot, then select, Done
Step Six: Set the grill’s target temperature to 350°F and press the dial to confirm the temperature
Step Seven: Press the Ignite button and close the Traeger’s lid.
Step Eight: Let the internal temperature come up to 350°F and hold it there for 20 minutes
Step Nine: Turn the Traeger’s temperature up to 450°F and hold it there for another 30 minutes.
Step Ten: Shut the Traeger down.
At this point, your new Traeger grill should be fully seasoned and ready for its first cook.
What Does Seasoning a Traeger Do?
Seasoning or burning-in a Traeger helps remove any traces of food-grade manufacturing oils leftover from the manufacturing process. It’s an important first step to follow-thru with to get your new wood pellet grill ready for its first cook.
Should You Season a Traeger?
Burning-in, which is sometimes referred to as “Seasoning,” makes sure that your Traeger is ready for its first cook. It ensures that any trace oils left from the manufacturing process have been thoroughly burned away and won’t affect any of the food you cook in the future.
Can You Cook Meat While Seasoning a Traeger?
You shouldn’t try to cook meat or any other foods inside your new Traeger while you are seasoning it. The term “Seasoning” is a bit of a misnomer, as what you are really doing is burning away any residual manufacturing oils to prevent them from ever contacting your food.
Final Thoughts
You need to season your new Traeger grill before its first cook. This process of burning in at incrementally high temperatures eliminates any traces of residual manufacturing oils to break the wood pellet grill in for years of service.
The seasoning process usually only takes an hour and calls for priming the auger with wood pellets and heating the grill to first 350 and then 400 degrees.
Burning-in needs to be done before you ever place any meat in the Traeger. Only after the grill has been thoroughly burned in, can you safely cook meat in it.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.