How to Start a New Z Grills Pellet Grill
Learn step-by-step how to start a new Z Grills pellet grill for the first time!This Z Grills initial startup guide will have you safely and quickly up and running to start smoking some delicious food on your new Z Grills pellet grill.
Equipment
- Z Grills Pellet Grill
- Heat Proof Grilling Gloves
- Electrical Extension Cord
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Wood Pellets
Instructions
Check Internal Components are Working
- Open the lid and remove the porcelain grills, warming rack, grease drain pan, and heat baffle from the Z Grill pellet grill.
- Make sure there are no foreign objects in the firepot.
- Open the hopper lid as well and make sure there are no foreign objects such as (leftover bits of styrofoam from the packaging) in the auger and hopper.
- Turn the temperature control knob to Shut Down Cycle and plug the power cord into a grounded outlet.
- Turn on the Z Grills pellet grill by pressing the Power Button and turn the temperature knob to Smoke. You should hear the fan kick on.
- Look down into the hopper and confirm that the auger is turning. It will be turning intermittently and VERY slowly, so you’ll need to watch it for a couple minutes to confirm.
- Hold your hand a safe distance above the firepot to confirm you can feel some heat and airflow as well.
- Once you’ve confirmed all these components are working, turn the temperature control knob back to Shutdown Cycle.
- The fan will continue to blow for 10 minutes on this setting before the grill automatically turns itself off.
Load the Z Grill Hopper with Pellets and Prime the Auger
- Once the Z Grill pellet grill has shut down after 10 minutes, you can load the hopper with pellets about one third to half way full.1 Bag Wood Pellets
- Turn the temperature control knob to HIGH.
- After about 5 minutes you should start to see pellets that have made their way completely down the auger fall into the firepot.
- Turn the temperature knob back to the Shutdown Cycle and wait 10 minutes for the grill to turn off automatically.
Startup and Perform a Burnoff on the New Z Grills Pellet Grill
- Once the Z Grill is cool, put all the cooking components you removed earlier, including the heat baffle, grease drip pan and cooking racks, back in the Z Grill.
- With the Z Grills pellet grill still turned off but plugged in, keep the lid is open and turn the temperature control knob to Smoke.
- This is the initial startup process on the Z Grills pellet grill and usually takes 5-10 minutes. Make sure to keep the lid OPEN for this entire process.
- Close the lid and turn the temperature control knob to HIGH to perform a burnoff.
- The Z Grill should come up to 450°F and you want to let it run at that temperature for about 45 minutes to burnoff the residues, oils, and chemicals leftover form the factory.
- After 45 minutes, you can drop the temperature if you want to cook some food, or just turn the temperature control knob back to Shutdown Cycle, and wait 10 minutes for it to automatically turn off.