Is she cooked? Yes I know I should have cleaned her and it probably would have prevented this….but here we are! Gonna triage today and see how bad it is. Thoughts?
by robkat89
20 Comments
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When I first got my Traeger I had this happen a couple times with high temps and fatty meat. No damage to the traeger. However, that’s when I learned that a Traeger is not a grill. I no longer use it for grilling fatty meats with high temps. I’ve gone back to my Weber kettle charcoal for what you’re doing there.
lyingdogfacepony66
Honestly they can get bad but if you strip it down, clean it and it’s still functional, you’ll be ok. Start with the assumption it’s deferred cleaning.
Justliketoeatfood
Okay so wait till the fire is done and out. Let it cool off for a few hrs/day. Just clean the heck out of it. Yes high heat like direct flames can accelerate oxidation but I think you still might be okay. Just clean it super well. Then in the future after a few really long smokes just keep up with the cleaning
Undeterminedvariance
Who says a Traeger can’t sear.
rgbkng
You need to clean your smoker more often
FIRElif3
You have rust there in a few weeks; once it sets in you’ll be fine haha I still have some spots on mine from my first round of smoking… don’t worry about it to much just adds character
SnarkyGinger1
When was the last time you cleaned that drip pan? Looks like it’s been a minute. Also looks like you have a gunk build up and caused a grease fire. I use mine as a grill all the time, but I keep the foil on the drip pan clean .
Illustrious-Most418
Clean up clean up!
Hillbillygrease
It’s beautiful but I’m afraid the food is in the way.
kdar
That chicken is beyond “cooked”.
xavier19691
You live you learn
MisterSpock2n
A good cleaning and some high heat paint and it’ll be fine, just try to avoid the high heat situations and keep it clean from here on out and you’ll be fine with that unit for a long time.
totallyradman
You should have cleaned that things like months ago, possibly years.
How the hell do you even let it get to this point?
JerryAttrickz
Traeger replaced mine under warranty when this happened to me.
luk3mia
Honestly, I haven’t cleaned my Traeger in 4 years—and I use it at least once a week, sometimes more. The key is simple: never go over 350°F.
Think of your Traeger as a specialized tool. Like a Milwaukee drill, it’s excellent at one job but only average—or even risky—at others. Sure, you can push it beyond its sweet spot out of desperation, but chances are you’ll only make things worse.
Instead, pair it with the right tools. I use a Blackstone when I need a hard sear, fire up a charcoal grill when I want that roaring heat, or even go with a yakitori setup. Honestly, a hot cast-iron pan indoors works better for high-heat cooking than forcing a Traeger to do it.
Treat your Traeger as what it really is: a smoking machine or an easy-bake oven for meat. Nothing more. When I respect that, it delivers every time. Meanwhile, all my other high-heat gear gets cleaned, oiled, and performs exactly the way it should.
Buy some high heat paint paint over everything so it doesn’t rust. Also the more oil your grill has in it the lower the chance of rust and higher the chance of flare up. But if it doesn’t reach the flame point it will never ignite .
thejoshfoote
Fire needs air…. For everyone. Just close the lid and shut off the traeger the fire will go out almost immediately. If u open it and it starts a fire just close it and shut it off
MTMax5-56_45-70
Maintenance Day. Get’r dun👍🏼
arongoss
Probably would have prevented this?
AngryTrunkMonkey
Your grease bucket is nearly overflowing. I’m wondering if this pit has ever been cleaned lol. Hope your breasts survived. Was it just the drip tray that caught, or was it the inside bottom of the barrel?
Edit: never mind, I see the inside barrel caught fire from the second picture.
20 Comments
Hey! It looks like you posted an image!
If this is a photo of one of your cooks, maybe share the recipe and techniques
used, as it’s almost guaranteed one of the first questions you will be asked!
*What seasoning did you use?
*How long did you cook it, and at what temperature?
*Did you use any special tricks or techniques?
Traeger on!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Traeger) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When I first got my Traeger I had this happen a couple times with high temps and fatty meat. No damage to the traeger. However, that’s when I learned that a Traeger is not a grill. I no longer use it for grilling fatty meats with high temps. I’ve gone back to my Weber kettle charcoal for what you’re doing there.
Honestly they can get bad but if you strip it down, clean it and it’s still functional, you’ll be ok. Start with the assumption it’s deferred cleaning.
Okay so wait till the fire is done and out. Let it cool off for a few hrs/day. Just clean the heck out of it. Yes high heat like direct flames can accelerate oxidation but I think you still might be okay. Just clean it super well. Then in the future after a few really long smokes just keep up with the cleaning
Who says a Traeger can’t sear.
You need to clean your smoker more often
You have rust there in a few weeks; once it sets in you’ll be fine haha I still have some spots on mine from my first round of smoking… don’t worry about it to much just adds character
When was the last time you cleaned that drip pan? Looks like it’s been a minute. Also looks like you have a gunk build up and caused a grease fire. I use mine as a grill all the time, but I keep the foil on the drip pan clean .
Clean up clean up!
It’s beautiful but I’m afraid the food is in the way.
That chicken is beyond “cooked”.
You live you learn
A good cleaning and some high heat paint and it’ll be fine, just try to avoid the high heat situations and keep it clean from here on out and you’ll be fine with that unit for a long time.
You should have cleaned that things like months ago, possibly years.
How the hell do you even let it get to this point?
Traeger replaced mine under warranty when this happened to me.
Honestly, I haven’t cleaned my Traeger in 4 years—and I use it at least once a week, sometimes more. The key is simple: never go over 350°F.
Think of your Traeger as a specialized tool. Like a Milwaukee drill, it’s excellent at one job but only average—or even risky—at others. Sure, you can push it beyond its sweet spot out of desperation, but chances are you’ll only make things worse.
Instead, pair it with the right tools. I use a Blackstone when I need a hard sear, fire up a charcoal grill when I want that roaring heat, or even go with a yakitori setup. Honestly, a hot cast-iron pan indoors works better for high-heat cooking than forcing a Traeger to do it.
Treat your Traeger as what it really is: a smoking machine or an easy-bake oven for meat. Nothing more. When I respect that, it delivers every time. Meanwhile, all my other high-heat gear gets cleaned, oiled, and performs exactly the way it should.
Buy some high heat paint paint over everything so it doesn’t rust. Also the more oil your grill has in it the lower the chance of rust and higher the chance of flare up. But if it doesn’t reach the flame point it will never ignite .
Fire needs air…. For everyone. Just close the lid and shut off the traeger the fire will go out almost immediately. If u open it and it starts a fire just close it and shut it off
Maintenance Day. Get’r dun👍🏼
Probably would have prevented this?
Your grease bucket is nearly overflowing. I’m wondering if this pit has ever been cleaned lol. Hope your breasts survived. Was it just the drip tray that caught, or was it the inside bottom of the barrel?
Edit: never mind, I see the inside barrel caught fire from the second picture.