Learn step by step exactly how to season a Pit Boss pellet grill before cooking with it for the first time.
So you just bought a beautiful new Pit Boss pellet grill.
Well, like all smokers, whether its a propane or electric, charcoal, vertical cabinet or a barrel style Oklahoma Joe...they all have one thing in common when they are new.
They need to be seasoned.
Curing a new Pit Boss is necessary for a variety of reasons. It will burn and clean off all of the dirt, oils, and bacteria left over after the manufacturing process and will leave your pellet grill ready to use.
Though the word ‘seasoning’ may spring to mind a funny image of seasoning your smoker with cooking spices, the reality is much different.
Seasoning a pellet grill can sometimes be referred to as pre-seasoning or curing, and it differs from seasoning a cast-iron skillet or conventional gas grill.
Whether you’re entertaining guests or kicking back with your family, it’s a vital first step that you need to carry out before cooking your food.
In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at the definition of seasoning, and why it’s so important.
We’ll then provide you with a handy step-by-step guide on how to season your Pit Boss Pellet Grill correctly.
Ready? Let’s begin!
New to the world of pellet grilling? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Pellet Grills!
Jump to:
Why Do You Need to Season a New Pellet Grill?
Seasoning your new Pit Boss pellet grill before initial use is important to laying the foundation for both delicious and hygienic BBQ results.
By doing so, you’ll be removing unwanted odors from the production stage, protecting the smoker from rust and the weather, and also curing the paint, which will help it look new for years to come.
Two Main Reasons Why a Smoker Should be Seasoned:
- To get rid of debris and odors
- To protect it from rust and the weather
Getting rid of debris and odors from the manufacturing stage
When a sparkling new Pit Boss pellet grill gets put inside its box ready for purchase, it brings with it a whole host of leftover dirt, odors, and oils from the warehouse it was made in, and the production process it has gone through.
Remember when we had you burn a load of charcoal in that brand new galvanized trash can before we made Trash Can Turkey?
It's the same principle here.
Uncured paint, dirt, and oils present from the manufacturing process can remain on the finished product, particularly with offset smokers and pellet grills.
Some of those chemicals can be toxic and harmful to your health, not to mention infusing your food with a less than appealing aroma.
By seasoning before use, you’ll quickly remove all of those nasty production remnants and leave your Pit Boss pellet grill clean and free from any unwanted oil, solvent and paint residue.
Extending the Life of a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Regardless of the high quality coating they put on your smoker, if it's made of metal...and it likely is...its ALWAYS at risk of rusting...eventually.
If you don’t take the time to season the new pellet grill, the presence of moisture during each smoking session will quickly age your smoker from the INSIDE, just like leaving it out in the rain uncovered would risk rusting it from the OUTSIDE.
Seasoning will not only take away leftover residue from the manufacturing stage, but it will also prevent rust, all the while curing the paint in a protective coating that will ensure your smoker is better able to handle exposure to the weather.
Essentially, the protective coating will ensure that all moisture will drip off the smoker, rather than get absorbed or stick to it.
Video
Rather Watch than Read?
Check out our Video on How to Start and Season a New Pit Boss Pellet Grill over on our YouTube Channel!
How to Season the Grill
Here's what you will need to season a new pellet smoker:
- An electrical outlet
- A large bag of wood pellets
- Optional: Cooking oil with a high smoke point like Avocado or Grapeseed Oil
- Optional: A few pieces of raw fatty meat like bacon or pork belly.
One word of advice from someone who's gotten a large, heavy assembled grill stuck inside their house, take it outside, unassembled, before you begin.
Then, follow these steps below:
- Assemble your Pit Boss pellet grill.
- Fill your hopper with pellets.
- Plug in and start up the pellet grill, keeping the lid open.
- Since there are no pellets in the auger or firepot yet you need to hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin to drop into the firepot.
- The "Prime" feature speeds up the auger so that pellets fill it quickly and get to your firepot before the pellet grill "times out" from a lack of pellets coming into the firepot.
- Once pellets are in the firepot, stop holding the "Prime" button and wait about 5-7 minutes with the lid open for a torchy burner lighting sound. This means the fire rod has come up to temperature and has ignited the pellets. At this point, a more significant amount of smoke will begin coming out of the pellet grill. This means the pellets are ignited and the pellet grill is working. Now you can close the lid.
- Close the lid and turn the heat up as high as it will go to the maximum setting, at least 450°F.
- Let the pellet grill run at this temperature for 20-30 minutes. This will burn off any nasty chemical residues on the interior and help cure the paint on the outside.
- After 20-30 minutes, turn off the pellet grill. Leave it plugged in as the fan needs to continue spinning to burn off the remaining pellets in the firepot. This is NORMAL. Do not unplug the pellet grill or this process cannot happen. The fan will turn off automatically when it is done.
There you have it, you have successfully filled the hopper and auger with pellets, and burned off the manufacturing chemical residue!
You can start using your pellet grill at this time if you desire, OR you can proceed to the next steps if you want to add a thin layer of oil to the interior of your pellet grill to help protect it more.
Optional Next Steps:
- Let the Pit Boss pellet grill completely cool from the above steps before doing this step.
- You’ll need cooking oil for this step! For the quickest results, we recommend using a flourless high smoke point cooking oil like Grapeseed or Avocado oil.
- Rub a VERY thin, even coat along the INSIDE of the of the pellet grills lid interior, and racks. There is no need to rub cooking oil on the OUTSIDE of a Pit Boss pellet grill. The cooking oil acts as a protective coating and will keep it safe from rust and the elements. Stay away from any internal components like the auger or the fire pot. There is not need to oil the hopper either. Just large interior panel areas. And a little oil goes a LONG way, you don't want it pooling or dripping anywhere.
- Turn on your pellet grill and repeat steps 6-8 above. No need to prime the grill this time if the auger is still full of pellets. Otherwise if it is not you will need to repeat steps 4 and 5 as well.
- Make sure you have enough pellets in the hopper for another 20-30 minute seasoning session. One pound of pellets lasts about 20 minutes at these high cooking temperatures.
- Turn off the pellet grill when it is done or just turn down the temperature and start cooking your first meal!
Optional Steps to Seasoning the Smoker
Some home BBQ pros will smoke some fatty pieces of leftover bacon (an oxymoron...I know) towards the end of the seasoning process as well to add some more fatty residue and aroma to the inner walls of the new Pit Boss pellet grill.
This step can be substituted for wiping the interior lid and walls with cooking oil if you desire.
Re-Seasoning your Pit Boss
Throughout the life of your Pit Boss pellet grill, it’s highly likely that you’re going to need to re-season it more than once.
While some purists claim to NEVER clean the inside walls of their smokers, the reality is sometimes you may find you have to.
Depending on your local weather, mold may form if you don't use it for a long while, or you might spill some nasty greasy liquid down into in the bowels of the smoker.
If this occurs, and you feel you need to clean the smoker, use a good degreasing agent to help clean the racks and the inner walls and make sure to rinse really well afterwards.
Then you will want to follow the same steps above to heat the inside of your smoker up to a high enough heat for 20-30 minutes to kill any lingering mold and chemicals.
This isn't a bad practice to put in place at the beginning of the season when you haven't used your Pit Boss for a few months either.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it, your step-by-step guide on how to season your new Pit Boss pellet grill.
Remember, you’re free to our tweak the steps as you like to create your very own, unique seasoning process!
If you get stuck or forget a step, watch the video above, or just refer back to our guide for inspiration and your new smoker will be prepped, primed, and ready to use in no time!
Additional Pit Boss Articles
Check out our other Pit Boss articles for more information to help you optimize your new pellet grill:
Ultimate Guide: How a Pellet Grill Works
How to Start a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
How to Remove the Pit Boss Safety Grid
How to Empty the Pit Boss Hopper and Auger
Pellet Grill Not Making Enough Smoke? 5 Proven Solutions
How to Fix Temperature Problems on a Pit Boss
Cooking on your New Grill
Looking for some smoky inspiration for your new Pit Boss?
So glad you asked.
Check out some of our great Pit Boss recipes of smoked and grilled food to try out once you have assembled and seasoned your new Pit Boss pellet grill.
How to Season a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Equipment
- Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 1 Bag of Wood Pellets
- Cooking Oil with High Smoke Point like avocado oil (optional)
- A few pieces of raw fatty meat like bacon or pork belly (optional)
Instructions
To Season the Pit Boss Pellet Grill
- Assemble the Pit Boss Pellet Grill.
- Fill the hopper with wood pellets.
- Plug in and start up the pellet grill, keeping the lid open.
- Hold the “Prime” button until you hear pellets begin to drop into the firepot.
- Once pellets are in the firepot, stop holding the “Prime” button and wait about 5-7 minutes with the lid open for a torchy burner lighting sound
- Close the lid and turn the heat up as high as it will go to the maximum setting, at least 450°F.
- Let the pellet grill run at this temperature for 20-30 minutes. This will burn off any nasty chemical residues on the interior and help cure the paint on the outside.
- After 20-30 minutes, turn off the pellet grill. Leave it plugged in as the fan needs to continue spinning to burn off the remaining pellets in the firepot. This is NORMAL. Do not unplug the pellet grill or this process cannot happen. The fan will turn off automatically when it is done.
Optional Next Steps
- Let the Pit Boss pellet grill completely cool from the above steps before doing this step.
- Rub a VERY thin, even coat along the INSIDE of the of the pellet grills lid interior, and racks. There is no need to rub cooking oil on the OUTSIDE of a Pit Boss pellet grill.
- Turn on your pellet grill and repeat steps 6-8 above. No need to prime the grill this time if the auger is still full of pellets. Otherwise if it is not you will need to repeat steps 4 and 5 as well.
- Turn off the pellet grill when it is done or just turn down the temperature and start cooking your first meal!
Using Fatty Meat
- Some home BBQ pros will smoke some fatty pieces of leftover bacon towards the end of the seasoning process as well to add some more fatty residue and aroma to the inner walls of the new Pit Boss pellet grill. This step can be substituted for wiping the interior lid and walls with cooking oil if you desire.
