Pellets: choose, store, swap

Choose and store pellets

The manual and Traeger support.

1. Use wood pellets made for pellet grills; Traeger recommends its own. Never use heating pellets (the manual).
2. Store the bags sealed, dry and away from heat.
3. Check them: good pellets "have a sheen and a nice snap". Dull, crumbly pellets and sawdust cause temperature swings and failed starts (Traeger support).
4. Keep the hopper lid shut and the grill covered: wet pellets swell and jam the auger (the manual).
5. Never add pellets by hand to a hot firepot (the manual).

Empty the hopper to change flavour

The manual, page 22. The clean-out door is on the back of the hopper, next to the barrel, hinged along its top.

1. Switch off, unplug, and let the grill cool completely.
2. Hold a clean bucket under the clean-out door: Traeger's pellet bin or a clean 19-litre (5-gallon) bucket.
3. Unscrew the door's fastener and swing the door up.
4. Push the last pellets out with a spatula or a spoon.
5. Close the door and refit the fastener.
6. Refill with the new pellets.