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Should I keep my Traeger against the house?
One of the biggest questions you face after assembling your new Traeger grill is where do you put it? You likely do not want to walk half a mile from your house, so you want to keep it close. Do you want it out in your yard on grass or another surface? Then there are the safety concerns when it comes to the amount of heat and fire grills put out.
Is there a minimum distance you have to keep your grill away? How close is that? Is it a safety concern? Where is the best place to put a Traeger grill for cooking, and can you build an outdoor kitchen around it?
How close can my Traeger be to my house?
According to Traeger, you need to keep your pellet grill a minimum of 20 inches away from any combustibles and house siding, but the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends a 10-foot gap between grills and flammable structures.
Even though you do not see an open flame during normal operation like you would with a charcoal or gas grill, there is an open fire in the fire pot on Traeger grills.
You may be concerned with how that brisket or pork shoulder turns out, but you need to remember the possibility of damage to anything flammable in the area surrounding your Traeger grill.
No one wants to go outside for a long low-and-slow smoking session only to come away with warped siding or burned structures.
The only fire you want is in your grill.
How far away from the house should a pellet smoker be?
While Traeger recommends a minimum of 20 inches away from your house, you want to minimize the risk of house damage as much as possible, so targeting at least 10 feet is how you should go.
Your pellet smoker should have adequate clearance from any flammable structures. You do not want the side of your house looking darker than the bark on your brisket or the siding melting faster than the fat renders in your grill.
Where is the best place to put a Traeger?
Patios are great for putting a Traeger grill on because they are flat and easy to move your grill around if needed. You want your grill sitting on flat terrain to prevent it from rolling away. The only rolling you want with your Traeger grill is smoke, not your pork shoulder as it careens across your backyard.
Patios are great because they offer plenty of layout versatility as well.
You can have furniture for sitting while using your Traeger grill or for enjoying barbecue outside. A larger patio can have outdoor couches or plenty of chairs. You could even put a fire pit in to enjoy good weather evenings and nights.
You can also set up an outdoor kitchen with your Traeger grill as its centerpiece. Outdoor kitchens can feature additional preparation areas and a refrigerator to help you with getting meat or anything else ready. You can also add other outdoor cooking appliances as well.
If you enjoy deep-fried appetizers or sides with your barbecue, you could have a deep fryer (or an air fryer for the crispiness while trying to cut down on the extra grease.)
With the upgraded Timberline series that launched on March 30, 2022, Traeger included the ability to make its newest pellet grill a permanent part of a built-in outdoor kitchen.
The new induction cooktop allows for increased versatility and better searing, and it can be part of the outdoor kitchen setup as well.
Whether you have the latest and greatest Timberline or a tried-and-true well-seasoned Traeger, its best place is in an outdoor kitchen on a backyard patio.
Final thoughts
When choosing a spot for your Traeger grill, you need to keep safety in mind.
Traeger recommends a minimum of 20 inches away from any flammable structures, but the CPSC recommends 10 feet.
You should err on the side of caution because you do not want structural damage when you are trying to cook delicious barbecue.
A patio is the best option for your Traeger because it will keep it sitting flat and offers versatility when it comes to layout and design.
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.