Kudos! For getting on your first-ever pellet grill smoker! You must be highly excited to get your first grilled, smoky, and delicious BBQ but hang on; you need to do a pre-cooking practice with your pellet grill.
Hold on! Don’t worry; it is straightforward. You just need to season your pellet grill before relishing your pellet grill food. I can imagine the bombardment of questions in your mind like What is seasoning? How to season a pellet grill?
Why season a pellet grill? How many times should it be seasoned? Etc. No worries, in this article, you will get a comprehensive solution to your problem. One thing is for sure seasoning is essential.
Table of Contents
How To Season A Pellet Grill?
A pellet grill is a type of grill that functions with an amalgamation of wood pellets and electricity. It is highly recommended and essential to season your new pellet grill before using it for the first time.
It is so because seasoning helps you purify your pellet grill from any residue and chemicals used while manufacturing. If you are not worried about impurities, even then, you need to season it; otherwise, the chemical and metal taste will spoil the food.
I think now you must be convinced and ready to do and learn ‘how to season a pellet grill?’ Another important thing is that seasoning gives you a chance to get an idea of how it works and how long it takes to heat up.
Seasoning A Pellet Grill
Seasoning a pellet grill makes your machine work long and smooth. To season a pellet grill, you need a few essential supplies; basic instructions better have a pellet grill manual as models slightly differ from each other, and most importantly, be patient.
In addition, mind you, it takes long hours so start doing it at a suitable time. You should not be hungry because the process is lengthy. So, start it when you are full and full of energy too. Let it start with ‘how to season a pellet grill?’
1. Items Required
At the very outset, you need to have a few simple but essential items. You will need water, soap, cooking oil, a cooking spray preferred or a tapping brush, pellets, or wood chips, and time.
2. Cleaning
Take water and soap. Start washing all the non-electric parts of your pellet grill. Wash all impurities like dust or debris. After washing it all, dry it with a clean, dry piece of cloth. Do not let any piece of soap inside any part of the pellet grill.
3. Fixing
The next step is fixing. While fixing or assembling your new pellet grill, keep your instructional guide in front of you. One by one and step by step, assemble your product parts.
4. Oiling
Here comes the main task. Pick up your cooking oil (any flavor like corn, canola or coconut, etc.), spray, and open the smoke chamber. Take out grates and do coat them with oil.
In case of unavailability of spray, you may use a brush or a piece of clothing. Coat all parts inside the chamber on both sides of the chamber, inside the chamber door and grills. Do not overcoat. There shouldn’t be any dripping of oil.
5. Pellet Filling
Pellet filling is the key, as, without pellets, you cannot start your process of using a pellet grill. Take dry pellets. Put them into the filler. You can choose simple wood chips or flavored pellets to get a pleasant aroma. Do not overfill the pellets.
6. Switching On
The next step is to switch on your pellet grill smoker. Plug it on and make sure to avoid using any extension. Plug in to direct power switch. So that there is no chance of sparking and damaging your machine. Keep the grill door open.
7. Temperature Level
Turn on your temperature to the highest degree or up to 400 degrees. Press the prime button for a few seconds till the pellets drop into the fire hole or fire chamber. Remember holding the prime button for a few seconds is compulsory.
8. Waiting Time
Keep your smoke chamber or grill door open for 5 to 7 minutes. After that, see if smoke has started coming out. Let the smoke come out. First, you might see white smoke, then greyish or black. Let it go out for a few moments. Now close the door.
9. Final Moment
Keep the temperature at the highest point for 30 minutes. Half an hour at a high temperature is enough to season your pellet grill. After 30 minutes, switch off the grill but do not unplug.
You should not unplug as you must give time to the fan to complete its cycle. Otherwise, the flame could reach the pellet hopper and put all the pellets on fire at once. Also, note that some products need a longer time. So, keep the user guide of your model with you.
How To Season A Pit Boss Pellet Grill?
How to season a pit boss pellet grill? A pit boss pellet grill also works like any other pallet grill. However, it is considered one of the most famous or known companies. They offer pellet grills with the latest technology or digitized functions.
But if we talk about seasoning a pit box pellet grill, it is almost the same as other pellet grills. You need to follow the exact instructions, temperature setting, and waiting time. You need to rub oil inside the chambers and grates.
1. Cooking Oil Preferred
Avocado or Grapeseed Oil is recommended and considered the best choice for oiling as they are suitable for creating smoke. You have to be vigilant regarding the quantity of cooking oil coating. It should be just rubbing all sides of the chamber and grates.
2. Optional Step
This is an optional thing you can do to provide additional aroma or flavor inside your cooking chamber. What you can do is, by the end of the seasoning process, cook a few pieces of raw fatty meat like pork belly or bacon or anything like that.
Season A Pellet Grill
So far, we have discussed ‘how to season a pellet grill?’ but a new pellet grill. So, if you are already using the pellet grill of any brand, you should know that you need to season it or clean it for the best results.
1. Cleaning
In this situation, when your pellet grill has already been used for cooking, it would be a bit hard to clean it. You have to follow the same steps mentioned above. However, a degreasing process has to be done first.
2. Degreasing
Because of many cooking episodes, your pellet will have residue, grease, or dry remains of food falling or stuck with grates. Use a suitable quality degreasing liquid. You can develop a mixture yourself.
Take dishwashing liquid, baking soda, and white vinegar. Mix them in almost equal quantities. Mix them well. Now take a clean piece of cloth and rub that mixture on the greasy parts. Leave for 15 minutes and rub with a brush and wash.
3. Oiling & Heating at The Right Temperature
Later follow the same steps as already mentioned, like oiling and heating. The heating process needs your vigilance regarding setting up the required high temperature for the required time, which is 30 minutes at the highest 400 degrees.
Pellet Grill Flavor
Have you been using a pellet grill for quite some time? Striving to get more or different flavors in your food? If yes, there is no need to worry. You can enjoy your desired flavor by doing a simple thing.
1. Pellet selection
That simple thing is the selection of your pellets. You can experiment with your food with a variety of flavors. Bring differently flavored pellets like hickory, apple, timberline, and ironwood. Using a smoke tube is another good option.
2. Temperature setting
After choosing your desired flavor pellets, the next step is setting the food at a suitable temperature. It is recommended to cook your food at a low temperature to get more smoke and more flavor.
FAQs: How To Season A Pellet Grill?
How Long It Takes To Season A Pellet Grill?
It may take almost two to three hours. So, start doing it; you should have enough time. Do it in the daytime under sunlight, preferably. Secondly, you should not be hungry mouth because you have to wait for a long to get your food ready.
How Many Times Season A Pellet Grill?
For the best hygienic food and to increase the performance and give it a long life, you should season your pellet grill at least once or preferably twice a year according to its condition.
To Conclude
How to season a pellet grill? That is the question we have tried to answer in this article. Hope you got satisfactory answers to your queries. Seasoning is a type of cleaning a pellet grill.
Washing saves you from any possible impurities like chemical remains, debris, or residues while coating with cooking oil, heating at a high temperature eliminates the bad adore of metal. The process increases the machine’s performance too.