12 Common Mistakes - Beginner Pellet Grill Owners Make

Just like anything else, pellet grills have a learning curve. When a new pellet grill owner starts out, they tend to make mistakes. Here are 12 common mistakes beginner pellet grill owners make and how to avoid them.

Whether you are a new pellet grill owner or are in the market for one, this video will help ensure your success.

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[TexasScout]

I started cooking on a pellet grill I guess about 6-7 months ago, some of your tips I definitely did not know. The one about cleaning the temperature probe was really number one for me.

[judylaverty]

I wanted to thank you for doing the 12 Mistakes video. I was tearing my hair out trying to stabilize the temp in my Traeger. I followed your directions for start up, closed the lid when it finished the "big smoke" I put the temp at 300f and set my timer for 30 minutes. You were absolutely right...the temp climbed past 300 and then settled down to 300/285f. I quit looking at the digital temp and use my Meater+ for ambient temp. PERFECT! I look forward to more of your videos. Thank you for your time. Judy, Southern California

[mikeoreilly]

For folks that are new to pellet grills, Jake absolutely knows what he's talking about, so it would be good to pay attention to what he says. Those of us that have been cooking with pellet grills for a while can only nod our heads in agreement. Great video.

[joelpfeil]

Trick I learned was to use a can of biscuits placed across the grill to determine where your hot spots (and cold spots) were. Works like a charm..

[kew]

Great tips. When it comes to pellet storage, I use 5 gallon buckets and throw a couple moisture absorbing bags in. Works great to keep pellets fresh.

[timrich]

I suggest using a 1gallon paint can for the grease catcher. When your done with your cook put the lid on and store away. When full throw it in the trash.

[MrJKellerLewis]

I've been cooking on my camp chef 4 years and never realized a couple of these points. Great video!

[TonyBarber-vbep]

I watched a lot of videos before l even bought a smoker. Yours for sure. When l finally pulled the trigger and got one the info really helped me get started in the right direction.

[markianhlynka]

#6. Traeger is pretty clear that I’m supposed to start up my 575 with the lid *closed*. I reread the manual when I first heard about flame-ups: It says closed.

[SupposablyChic]

Hi Jake.. so glad I found your videos.. we are on the less than 15 hour countdown until our first smoker, a pellet smoker, gets delivered and assembled. 😀
I knew that I wanted one, based on experiences at friend's barbecues, etc.. but wasn't sure how to do any of it correctly. You provide no nonsense tips and tricks that a beginner like me can really use! Thanks so much!

[randalljames]

Something I found is how often pellet grill is used.. Fresh smoke flavor vs 'old smoke" flavor.. a certain musty goes with a grill that does not get used very often.. I have found that a couple hours of running at the start of the season does wonders for the quality and "clean" taste of the imparted smoke flavor.. It is my guess that some of the compounds in the smoke oxidize with age and exposure to air.. much like cooking oils..

[jamescook]

Great video. I've had my pellet grill about 18 months and would not go back to charcoal or gas if you gave me the grill for free. When I used a charcoal grill I timed the cook, but with a pellet grill get the thermometer and cook to temperature is the best advice available. Also read your owners manual to your grill and it will help you immensely. I personally use the smoke mode for 30-45 minutes before I start the regular cook, this enhanced the flavor greatly.

[MaddieandKiki]

Tip #9! Genius!!!! Don’t chase temps!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥 we’re new here and just smashed that subscribe button!!!!👏☺️

[BhaktiSangeetSaini]

I add a DIY smoke maker to my pallet grill for higher heat settings.

[josephtrainor]

For 12 years I have only used BBQ Delight. Yoder used BBQ Delight when they set these up, other brands had jammed when feeding pellets due to different manufactures not making the length of the pellets consistent. Always clean the firebox completely, a quick clean with a small shop vac is all you need. Great video.

[NordicDan]

I like stumbling on videos like these because even though I've been smoking for many years (my Traeger is an old BBQ125 with the front hopper) I still look to see if there's something I can find that I didn't already know.

These are all great recommendations and it seems like keeping the temp sensor clean isn't harped on enough. I religiously clean mine with #0000 steel wool and it works very well until it fails from just poor manufacturing (my original lasted 14 years, and no replacement I've used whether OEM or aftermarket has lasted more than a year and a half). I've gotten to where I have a spare on hand and ready because they fail so suddenly and quickly.

I myself am a fan of Pit Boss brand pellets. Hardly any dust at all, especially compared to Traeger brand and easily available where I'm at. I pour the 20lb bags into 5-gal buckets with covers and a "rechargeable" desiccant pack inside on top of the pellets. I also plan, come tax time, to upgrade the controller and individual parts to the Pellet Pro line from Smoke Daddy along with an auger motor brace and replacing (not really an upgrade; they're just due) the heat diffuser and drip pan. Going to feel like an entirely new smoker by the time I'm done 😂

[colinmcdonald]

Excellent video. Kitchen ovens vary up and down a lot too. 30 degrees either way is not unusual. Most people aren't aware of this because most people don't stick a remote ambient probe in their kitchen oven to monitor. I was quite surprised how much the oven went up and down over a 1.5 hour period cooking a roast. Still came out just fine and as expected. That's why it's so important to cook by temperature and not always time. Though once you get a good feel for your grill you can start to expect average times given the size and cut of the meat you are working with. With modern pellet grills, temp control is pretty good and up there with LPG grills. Don't chase ambient or grill surface temp. Obviously you set the ball park temp, but really the only one you need to chase is the meat temperature. After a while you'll know it takes x number of minutes or hours for x type of meat or cuts. First big mistake I made with an LPG chip rack smoker was chasing that temp over a 6 hour smoke. Drove me nuts at first as I was constantly fiddling with burner control, vent, wood etc to try and maintain an exact stable ambient temperature. Then I realized after a couple sessions that I just set the temp control to 225, refill wood as needed and wait for the meat probes to send a notification when it was within 5 degrees of required internal temp. That made the process so so much more enjoyable and less stressful. Just came across your channel and it's all great stuff, keep up the good work.

[RoyAlWhicheez]

Thanks for this dude! I got a Traeger about 2 months ago and figured most of this stuff out on my own but there was definitely a few things here I'm going to pay more attention to 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[gonedeep]

Use Simple Green as a Degreaser, it's non toxic and works great.

[kicknadeadcat]

I took the advise of a guy that has a 5 gal bucket vac head from home depot. $28. Attaches to any 5 gal home depot bucket. You just vacuum the unused pellets up into the bucket and seal. Use another bucket for ash which i use in my compost pile.