Traeger Winter Care: 10 Issues to Do Earlier than the First Freeze


The grill isn’t the weak level in winter. The pellets are. Wooden pellets are simply pressed hardwood with no fillers, so moisture makes them swell and crumble, and crumbly pellets can clog the auger and preserve the grill from lighting in any respect. That’s straight from Traeger, and it’s why most of this record is about getting pellets out of the grill and maintaining them dry.

The steel aspect is more durable than folks suppose. Traeger’s help web page says its grills use components rated for temperatures from -30°F to -50°F. So whether or not yours is heading to the storage or staying out for winter cooks, these 10 steps come from Traeger’s personal care guides, with a notice wherever Pit Boss does it in a different way. They work on nearly any pellet grill.

Placing a griddle away too? Right here’s how to winterize a Blackstone griddle.

1. Empty the Hopper

Traeger is okay with pellets sitting within the hopper for a brief stretch of dry climate. As soon as lengthy rain or excessive humidity is on the way in which, it says to take them out and retailer them hermetic. For a grill going into storage, emptying it is step one.

The way you do it is determined by the grill. Newer Timberline and Ironwood fashions have a pellet slide beneath the hopper, so that you simply set a bucket beneath and pull it. Others have a cleanout door on the again of the hopper. If yours has neither, take away the pellet guard and scoop them out. Flip the grill off earlier than your arms go in, and don’t tip the grill to dump it.

Looking down through the hopper guard of a pellet grill at the auger opening at the bottom

Then get the mud. Use a store vac on the underside of the hopper and the auger tube to drag out the final pellets and the sawdust. Traeger’s cleansing schedule has you do that month-to-month anyway, and sawdust is among the issues it lists behind gradual begins.

Pit Boss does it in a different way. Pit Boss says to empty the hopper after each cook dinner, not only for storage. Leftover pellets uncovered to the outside can rot, and it says emptying them helps stop auger jams. Most Pit Boss grills have a hopper cleanout for this.

2. Test the Pellets Earlier than You Save Them

There’s no level storing pellets which are already gone. Good ones have a sheen and break with a clear snap. Traeger’s indicators of a foul batch are pellets that look uninteresting, crumble whenever you attempt to snap them, sawdust unfold all by way of the bag or clumped up, and any moisture within the bag. Slightly sawdust on the backside is regular.

Unhealthy pellets trigger extra bother than a gradual begin. Traeger calls poor pellet high quality the primary reason behind temperature points, and it could present up as temperature swings mid-cook. If a brand new bag appears compromised, Traeger suggests taking it again to the retailer or contacting its help (it solely vouches for its personal pellets). And there’s no set shelf life. Traeger says all of it comes right down to how nicely they’re saved.

3. Retailer Them Dry and Hermetic

That is the massive one. Traeger’s rule is dry and hermetic. In a dry local weather, unopened baggage can dwell within the storage. In a damp one, moisture can get into even unopened baggage on the market, so put them in a big hermetic bin or carry them inside. Traeger’s help group goes additional and strongly suggests indoor storage for anybody in a damp local weather.

Opened baggage want essentially the most care. Traeger’s StayDry bin holds 22 kilos, sufficient for a full 20-pound bag, with a locking hermetic lid, and it’s formed to take a seat beneath the hopper on newer grills so you may empty straight into it. It’s additionally the primary choose on our record of Traeger grill accessories.

Hands labeling a Traeger StayDry pellet bin "Hickory" on a grill's side shelf
Picture: Traeger

Pit Boss provides two good guidelines. Don’t preserve pellets within the unique bag, even indoors; a 5-gallon bucket with a sealable lid works. And preserve them away from warmth. Pit Boss calls pellets extraordinarily flammable and says a storage spot close to the automobiles or the water heater is a foul concept, sealed bag or not.

4. Clear the Ash Out of the Firepot

Ash within the firepot makes it tougher for the grill to mild, and Traeger lists ash buildup among the many causes of a gradual ignition. Earlier than storage, clear it out. The grill must be utterly chilly, ashes included. Traeger says a devoted vacuum is the very best device however warns to make use of it with excessive care due to the hearth danger. Test beneath the firepot and the underside of the hopper whilst you’re in there.

A Traeger firepot seated in the grill, its lip flush, with the auger tube feeding in from the side
Picture: Traeger

If you happen to carry the firepot out, set it again so the lip sits flush with the grill and isn’t caught on the auger tube.

Pit Boss is restricted concerning the vacuum. Use a moist/dry store vac or an ash vacuum, by no means your common family vacuum. Superb ash isn’t what it’s constructed for, and Pit Boss says its hoses and filters may even begin a fireplace.

5. Deal With the Grease

Grease left sitting all winter is a multitude in spring and a fireplace danger on the primary cook dinner. Traeger says most grill fires come from improper upkeep. With the grill off and funky:

  • Drip tray. Pour off the grease, wash it with heat soapy water, rinse, and let it dry utterly earlier than it goes again in, so it doesn’t rust. Put in a recent liner, or wrap foil tightly across the edges. Traeger warns that free, fanned-out foil can mess with airflow.
  • Grease chute. Pull the grates and drip tray, discover the steel channel beneath, and scrape it with a nylon brush, then wipe with paper towels. Traeger’s schedule requires this each 6 months.
  • Bucket or keg. Toss the liner, or scrape the bucket clear as soon as it’s chilly. On Timberline and Ironwood touchscreen grills, meaning the Grease Governor cap, the Grease Tube, and the Grease & Ash Keg. Woodridge grills use a keg liner you simply swap.
  • Chimney. On Professional Sequence grills, loosen the cap, test for grease or soot, and clear the within and the cap.

6. Deep Clear, Then Oil the Grates

Traeger’s deep clear is the best send-off. Unplug the grill first. Spray the grates (and the chimney, you probably have one) with an all-natural degreaser, pull out the grates, drip tray, and warmth baffle, vacuum the within and firepot, and wipe the within and out of doors down after the cleaner soaks a couple of minutes. Skip wire brushes. Traeger says the bristles can break off into meals and might harm the grate coating and trigger guarantee points. Depart the temperature probe (the thermocouple or RTD) alone until there’s seen buildup on it.

Rust wants moisture, so don’t let any keep behind. Traeger says to wipe the grates dry earlier than closing the lid, then rub on a bit of vegetable or canola oil to maintain air and moisture off the steel. That issues most the place the coating is chipped. For the skin, a tender fabric and a non-abrasive cleaner do it, and Traeger says automotive wax helps protect the end.

On timing, Traeger requires a deep clear each 2 to three cooks (about 20 to 24 hours of cooking). Pit Boss says each 15 to twenty hours.

7. Shut It Down Proper and Unplug It

Let the final cook dinner finish with a full shutdown cycle. On Traeger’s newer grills that runs about 15 to 25 minutes, with the fan nonetheless going, and Traeger says to not flip the facility off or pull the plug earlier than it finishes. Reducing it quick dangers backburn, flare-ups whenever you open the lid, and grill fires.

A finger on the touchscreen controller of a Traeger Timberline XL set to 350 degrees

As soon as it’s executed and funky, unplug it. Traeger needs the facility twine disconnected earlier than any upkeep, and a grill headed for storage powered off. Just a few notes on the electronics:

  • WiFIRE grills. In regular use, Traeger has these sit in sleep mode to allow them to obtain firmware. If yours is unplugged all winter, plug it in and join it earlier than the primary spring cook dinner so updates come by way of.
  • Condensation on the display screen. Traeger says give it time to evaporate. If it’s trapped contained in the controller and received’t clear, contact Traeger help.
  • Touchscreen energy button. Snow adopted by rain can let moisture in and preserve the facility button from participating. Traeger has a help article for that one.
  • Extension cords. Use a GFCI outlet and an outdoor-rated twine, at the least 14 gauge, with a floor pin, and by no means a broken or frayed one.

Pit Boss provides a step Traeger doesn’t. It has you run a burnoff after each cook dinner to clear the auger. Set it to 350°F with the lid closed for five to 10 minutes (one other 10 to twenty after greasy cooks), drop it to 200°F for 5 minutes, then flip it to OFF and let the automated cool-down end. Store vac the ash from the burn plate afterward.

8. Cowl It

Traeger calls a canopy the very best safety towards the weather, and a water-proof one retains off snow and rain. Wait till the grill is cool earlier than masking it, by no means cowl it whereas it’s working, and don’t retailer the duvet inside or beneath the grill. When the duvet itself wants cleansing, wipe it with heat soapy water. No washer, no bleach.

A Traeger pellet grill under a black Traeger cover dusted with snow beside a wooden fence
Picture: Traeger

Test on it after a giant storm. Traeger suggests shoveling a path and brushing snow and ice off the duvet earlier than it will get too heavy. And when you discover condensation on the grill, wipe it off. Traeger says moisture can get trapped between cowl and grill in moist climate. On Timberline and Ironwood touchscreen grills, some water within the barrel or the grease keg after an uncovered rain is regular; towel it out or use a moist vac.

Pit Boss factors out yet one more job for the duvet. It retains snow, sleet, and curious critters out of the hopper.

9. Decide The place It Spends the Winter

A shed or storage is okay for storage if the grill is powered off, utterly cool, and empty of pellets and gas, so nothing flamable sits in your constructing. Traeger additionally notes {that a} storage isn’t robotically dry. If issues in there acquire condensation, the within of your grill will too, and it suggests working a dehumidifier in humid climate.

Staying outdoors? Decide a spot out of harsh wind when you can, and ensure snow received’t slide onto it from a steep roof or an overhead department. By no means cook dinner in a storage, and don’t park a working grill near a wall or overhang. Traeger calls {that a} hearth hazard.

10. Planning to Prepare dinner All Winter? Know the Blanket Guidelines

A pellet grill can preserve going by way of winter, it simply works tougher. Traeger says to anticipate slower lighting, a grill which will run a bit cooler than the set temperature, and extra pellets burned to carry warmth. Prepare dinner to inner temperature reasonably than time, preserve the grill clear, and preserve the pellets recent and dry.

A Traeger insulation blanket strapped over the barrel of a Pro Series pellet grill
Picture: Traeger

An insulation blanket helps, with guidelines connected. Traeger’s help web page says to make use of one solely when it’s beneath 32°F outdoors and the grill is about to 350°F or decrease. Above freezing or above 350°F, it warns of harm to the grill and the blanket and, in some instances, hearth. Blankets match particular fashions solely, together with the Professional 575, Professional 780, Professional 22, and Professional 34 (Traeger says some higher-end fashions are insulated sufficient to not want one). Don’t use one with a folding entrance shelf put in, and take it off when the chilly season ends. They aren’t meant for year-round use.

Pit Boss has a preheat shortcut for chilly days. Set the grill hotter than you intend to cook dinner, round 350°F, then flip it down as soon as it will get there. Our tips for grilling in cold weather cowl the cooking aspect.

When It’s Time to Fireplace It Again Up

After a winter in storage, give it a glance earlier than the primary cook dinner.

  • Test for mould. Traeger says moisture and leftover meals can develop mould over winter. Look over the grates, firepot, and inside partitions, and clear it when you discover any.
  • Take a look at the pellets. Shine and snap, similar as merchandise 2. Boring or crumbly ones go.
  • Prime the auger. An empty auger wants filling earlier than the primary hearth. On D2 WiFIRE grills it’s Menu, then Auger, then Prime Auger. On touchscreen grills it’s beneath Upkeep & Care. On dial controllers, set it to Excessive till pellets begin dropping into the firepot (often 2 to five minutes), then flip the dial to Shutdown Cycle. Pull the grates, drip tray, and warmth baffle first so you may watch the firepot.
  • Put the whole lot again proper. Traeger’s pre-cook guidelines has the drip tray and warmth baffle correctly put in, a clear tray or recent liner, and the hopper full.
  • Gentle it with the lid closed. Traeger says to ignite and preheat with the lid closed and no meals on the grates.
Wood pellets pouring from a tipped bin into the hopper of a Traeger Timberline XL

Sources

All learn 2026-11-11 on the makers’ personal websites.