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    Home » How To

    How to Clean a Traeger Grill

    Published: May 26, 2022 · Modified: Jul 7, 2022 by Aqueena · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A Quick Overview:

    1. Mix dishwasher tab and hot water together. Scrub the Grill Grates to get them clean. Remove the grates and set them aside.
    2. Dispose of old foil or drip tray liners.
    3. Remove the drip tray and the heat baffle.
    4. Vacuum the inside of the grill and the firepot thoroughly.
    5. Optional: Empty the hopper and vacuum out any sawdust from the hopper and the auger tube.
    6. Clean the grease trap tray by first soaking it with wet towels.
    7. Scrub the inside of the chimney.
      • Do NOT clean the Thermocouple or RTD unless there is a visual build-up on it that needs to be removed.
      • do not use wire brushes. Instead, use a cleaning cloth or heavy-duty paper towels.
    8. Clean the inside of the Grill, Get New Water and clean it again. Get a bucket of just water and wipe it all to give it a rinse. Finish cleaning the Grease tray.
    9. Last, reinsert all components, including the heat baffle, drip try, drip tray liners/foil, new bucket liners, and the grill grates, and you are set!

    What Supplies Do I Need to Clean my Traeger?

    • Dishwasher Pods
    • Hot Water
    • Grab-a-rag towels or heavy-duty paper towel
    • Shop-Vac

    How often should I Clean my Traeger?

    You should wipe down your grill grates before/after every cook. A general rule of thumb is to do a deep clean every 20 hours of cook time. I wipe down my grill grates with lemon and or hot water and rag. For deep cleaning sessions, I use a dishwasher pod and hot water. Dishwasher pods cut grease in the most amazing way!

    Step 1: Clean the Grates

    I like to clean the grill grates while my Traeger is still assembled. That way the water can drip into the grease bucket and it's easiest to scrub the grates while they are in place. If you have a brush that is approved for use on Traeger grates, now is a great time to use it. Be sure to flip the grates over and clean both sides during this step.

    Scrubbing a dirty traeger grill grate with a microfiber cloth

    Step 2: Disassemble

    Remove the grates, the liner, the grease bucket, and the firepot shield (aka heat baffle)

    crumpled up traeger liner

    Step 3: Clean the Firepot

    This is the most important part of cleaning your Traeger, if you have a dirty firepot, you will have issues with ignition and maintaining temperatures. A dirty firepot can even alter the taste of your food and cause uneven cooking!

    There is a lot of bad advice on how to clean a firepot on the internet. I have read people using wire brushes and even pressure washers to clean it out 😩 Do not do that, Traeger explicitly says not to on their site. I am not sure who thinks throwing water in an electrical component is a good idea.

    Get yourself a shop vac. I have a teeny tiny one just for the Traeger. It's high-powered and all you need to clean a firepot. Suck up all the ash and any visible pellets and shazam you're done.

    vacuuming out the firepot on a Traeger
    a clean firepot
    vacuuming the ash on a Traeger

    Step 4: Vacuum

    With your handy little vacuum, suck up all the dust/ash you can see.

    Note: Household vacuums will cry if you use them for this 0/10 would not recommend.

    Step 5: Scrub a Dub Dub

    You will need to do this a few times. I like to think of it as a car wash.

    First, you have to scrub all of the built-up greases off and then get a new bucket of water and do it all again. Finally, you finish with a rinse cycle.

    dirty water from cleaning a traeger
    dirty traeger
    clean traeger

    Attention to special areas

    The Grease Trap:

    AHHH this grease trap will be the worst part of this process, accept that and then tackle it. I like to soak a couple of cloths with soapy water and let them sit on the grease build-up while I clean the rest of the grill and deal with this part last. If needed, use a sharp object to chip away any baked-on grease. and for the sanity of your future self, make a DIY liner for this with tin foil so you never have to put yourself through this again.

    scraping out the grease trap of a traeger
    cleaning out a grease trap
    tinfoil on a grease trap

    The Chimney

    Be sure to wipe out the chimney during each step. First wash, second wash and rinse. A lot of grease gets caught in here but it's not bad to deal with if you wipe it out each time you clean it.

    A Clean Traeger
    Wow, Check that out. 😎

    My favourite Traeger Recipes:

    • Smoked Pizza
    • Smoked Pork Ribs
    • Traeger Chicken Wings - Honey Garlic
    • Taco Spaghetti Squash
      Taco Spaghetti Squash
    • Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
      Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
    • Sausage Sheet Pan Meal with roasted vegetables and potatoes
      Sausage Sheet Pan Meal
    • pizza Spaghetti Squash with a forkful being scooped out of it
      Pizza Spaghetti Squash
    step by step guide make your traeger look like new again
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    How to Clean a Traeger Grill

    If you have been neglecting your traeger, wondering how to make it shine like new you're in the right place! From cleaning the grease trap, the grates and the side walls.. learn how to clean it all.
    Active Time45 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Smoker, Traeger
    Yield: 1 Traeger Grill

    Materials

    Supplies Needed

    • 1 Shop-Vac
    • 2-4 Dishwasher Pods
    • Hot Water
    • 6 Microfiber Cloths Or heavy duty paper towel
    • Tinfoil
    • Liner

    Instructions

    Step 1: Clean the Grill Grates

    • I like to clean the grill grates while my Traeger is still assembled. That way the water can drip into the grease bucket and it's easiest to scrub the grates while they are in place. If you have a brush that is approved for use on Traeger grates, now is a great time to use it.

    Step 2: Disassemble

    • Remove the grates, the liner, the grease bucket, and the firepot shield.

    Step 3: Clean the Firepot

    • This is the most important part of cleaning your Traeger, if you have a dirty firepot, you will have issues with ignition and maintaining temperatures. A dirty firepot can even alter the taste of your food and cause uneven cooking!
      There is a lot of bad advice on how to clean a firepot on the internet. I have read people using wire brushes and even pressure washers to clean it out 😩 Do not do that, Traeger explicitly says not to on their site. I am not sure who thinks throwing water in an electrical component is a good idea.
      Get yourself a shop vac. I have a teeny tiny one just for the Traeger. It's high-powered and all you need to clean a firepot. Suck up all the ash and any visible pellets and shazam you're done.

    Step Four: Vacuum

    • With your handy little vacuum, suck up all the dust/ash you can see.
      Note: Household vacuums will cry if you use them for this 0/10 would not recommend.

    Step Five: Srub a Dub Dub

    • Fill a large Bucket with hot water and dissolve a dishwasher tab into it.
    • If needed, wash the outside of the Trager first. You only need to do this once or twice a year. Be sure to give special attention to where the lid meets the main part as I find grease gets built up here.
    • Scrub the entire inside of the Traeger, be sure to not touch the temperature probe or get water in the firepot.
    • Once you have scrubbed away the grease, change your water and your cloth. Wipe everything down again.
      Now get a bucket of just hot water and wipe everything down a third and final time, a rinse cycle.

    Special Areas to Pay attention to.

    • The Grease Trap
      AHHH this grease trap will be the worst part of this process, accept that and then tackle it. I like to soak a couple of cloths with soapy water and let them sit on the grease build-up while I clean the rest of the grill and deal with this part last. If needed, use a sharp object to chip away any baked-on grease. and for the sanity of your future self, make a DIY liner for this with tin foil so you never have to put yourself through this again.
      The Chimney
      Be sure to wipe out the chimney during each step. First wash, second wash and rinse. A lot of grease gets caught in here but it's not bad to deal with if you wipe it out each time you clean it.

    Step 6: Put it all back together again

    • Place the heat baffle back on top of the firepot. Set the drip tray back in place. Put a liner on it, or tin foil. Also, be sure to cover the side drip tray with foil for easier future clean-up and poke a hole in the foil so the grease can run into the grease bucket.
      Place the grill grates back into place.
    • Replace the Grease Bucket Liner, if necessary.

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