Seasoning a New Smoker: What Makers and Cooks Advise

Sizzling marinated meat cooking on a barbecue grill with smoky steam rising.

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Most new smokers come with a first-fire instruction, but the instructions do not agree with each other. Traeger, Masterbuilt and Weber’s Smokey Mountain handbook each give a different routine, and independent cooks such as the Virtual Weber Bullet and Heath Riles BBQ add their own. Here is what each says, where they split, and the safety notes that come with them.

What the First Burn Is For

Traeger describes seasoning as a one-time firing that burns off residual, non-toxic oils left from manufacturing. Masterbuilt says its pre-seasoning helps rid a Gravity Series grill of chemicals and oils left over from manufacturing. Weber’s handbook for the Smokey Mountain Cooker takes a lighter line: a “dry run” (a lit fire, no food) teaches you the vents and also removes dust or residue left from manufacturing.

Pellet and Electric Smokers: Manufacturer Schedules

  • Traeger WiFIRE models (Ironwood, Timberline, Silverton): prime the auger, run at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes, then 450-500°F (232-260°C) for a further 30 minutes.
  • Traeger Woodridge: 350°F for 15 minutes, then 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes. Traeger says not to wipe off the protective grease coating first, and that dark or excessive smoke and ash are normal.
  • Traeger non-connected grills: HIGH for 45 minutes with the lid shut, per Traeger’s support page and the Select Pro owner’s manual, which says it must be done before cooking any food. Traeger’s main how-to page instead says about 30 minutes on High after a 15-minute wait for the fire to establish.
  • Masterbuilt 710 electric smoker: water bowl in place but empty, 275°F (135°C) for 3 hours, with half a cup of wood chips added for the last 45 minutes, then cool down.

Traeger adds that the burn-in should be repeated after installing new internal parts such as a heat baffle, drip tray or firepot, to remove the anti-rust oils those parts ship with.

Charcoal Smokers: Oil, Fatty Meat, or Nothing

Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series routine is the most structured: hopper a quarter to half full of lump or briquettes, 250°F (121°C) for 60 minutes, then 400°F (204°C) for 30 minutes. After a full cool-down, wipe a light coat of cooking oil on the grates, racks, charcoal grate and the inside of the lid and body, and repeat at 350°F (177°C).

Weber’s handbook sets no times or temperatures; it just recommends the dry run, and notes that vent changes need at least 15 minutes to show an effect. The Virtual Weber Bullet goes further and argues a new Weber Smokey Mountain needs no seasoning at all, because it is steel with a porcelain enamel finish rather than raw steel. It does relay the routine used by competition cook Harry Soo for those who want one: a foil-covered, waterless water pan and a full chamber of hot briquettes run as hot as possible, then a 275°F (135°C) fire with fatty meat scraps, repeated at least twice. The site’s author considers that excessive for a backyard cook.

Two independent guides sit at the other end. Heath Riles BBQ says to oil the interior thinly with a high smoke point oil, bring the smoker to 250-275°F (121-135°C) and hold for 2-3 hours. Smoked BBQ Source says 300°F (149°C) for 2-4 hours, using the same wood you plan to cook with.

Where They Disagree

  • Temperature: from 250°F (Masterbuilt Gravity’s first stage, Heath Riles) to 500°F (Traeger’s Woodridge).
  • Duration: roughly 30 to 60 minutes of hot running for Traeger’s schedules, up to 4 hours for Smoked BBQ Source.
  • Oil: called for by Masterbuilt Gravity, Heath Riles and Smoked BBQ Source; not mentioned in Traeger’s pellet schedules, and Traeger’s Woodridge steps say to leave the factory grease coating on.
  • Whether to do it at all: Weber’s handbook suggests a dry run; the Virtual Weber Bullet says an enamel-finished Smokey Mountain does not need seasoning.

None of these sources tests one routine against another, so the safest rule is to follow the manual for your model.

Safety Notes From the Makers

  • Traeger’s Select Pro manual says the grill is for outdoor use only and includes a carbon monoxide warning, describing it as a colorless, odorless gas.
  • Traeger says the odd smell during burn-in is normal, and that a white ash-like film after seasoning can be wiped off with a non-corrosive degreaser.
  • Weber’s handbook calls for heatproof gloves when tipping lit fuel and warns that water spilled onto lit fuel sends very hot ash and steam up quickly.
  • Masterbuilt says to dispose of cold ashes by wrapping them in foil, soaking with water and placing them in a non-combustible container.

Temperature conversions in this article are ours.

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