How to Season the Rider DLX Pellet Grill

Ready to use your Rider DLX Pellet Grill?

Here are the three basic steps to get your pellet grill ready for its first cook – Inspection, Seasoning and Shutdown. Read our guide below to know more.

Print How-Tos > How to Season the Rider DLX Pellet Grill
  • ​​The display will change to “Cooling” and the grill will automatically power down when the shutdown burn is complete.

    ​​The display will change to “Cooling” and the grill will automatically power down when the shutdown burn is complete.

  • Pellet Storage Bucket

    Pellet Storage Bucket

INSPECTION

Ensure all components are working properly.

Before you cook for the first time, it’s important to make sure your pellet grill is running properly. That begins with a quick inspection of your grill’s components, following these steps.

WARNING -- To avoid injury, do NOT touch the auger, ignitor or fan while inspecting.

  1. Take out the warming rack, grates and baffle.
  2. Plug the grill into a GFCI-protected outlet and press the Power button on the Pit Control Panel.
  3. Inspect the hopper to ensure that the auger is clear and check if the ash cup is tightly screwed.
  4. Set the grill setting to LOW and allow it to run for 3 minutes.

HOT TIP -- The letters “PRE” on the display panel will change to the actual temperature reading when your grill is preheated. If using the grilling settings (orange temp settings), add another 5 to 10 minutes for the grill to reach grilling temps. Reference temp readout on the Pit Control Screen to monitor.

While the pellet grill is running:

  1. Inspect the hopper to confirm that the auger is turning.
  2. Listen to the blower fan and examine if there’s air moving out of the firepot.
  3. Check if the ignitor is glowing red inside the firepot.
  4. After 3 minutes, turn the control knob to the Shutdown position

SEASONING

Protect interior walls with a cooked-in surface treatment.

Make sure your pellet grill is seasoned before you cook with it for the first time.

Why do you need to season a pellet grill?
Seasoning your pellet grill before cooking helps in protecting your grill from any manufacturing residues and sets up a cooked-in surface treatment that will deepen as you cook, adding to the flavour of your smoked food.

Should you season grates before grilling?
You don’t need to season the grilling grates. However, you can coat it lightly with vegetable oil for an added layer of protection. The Rider DLX Pellet Grill has cast-iron grates coated with porcelain that prevent them from rusting and make them easy to clean.

How long does it take to season a pellet grill?
Seasoning the Rider DLX takes about an hour to complete and you’ll need enough wood pellets to run the grill for at least 30 minutes.

How do you season a new Rider DLX Pellet Grill?
These simple steps will help you get ready to enjoy your new grill before you know it.

  1. Lightly coat the interior surfaces with vegetable oil.
  2. Fill the hopper with Oklahoma Joe’s® wood pellets and press the Power button on the Pit Control Panel.
    HOT TIP -- Filter and discard pellet dust to avoid pouring it into the hopper as it can cause the auger to jam.
  3. Set the grill setting to LOW and ensure that your pellets are igniting.
  4. Wait for the preheat cycle to complete, about 5 minutes.
    HOT TIP -- The letters “PRE” on the Pit Control screen will change to the actual temperature reading when your grill is preheated. If using the grilling settings (orange temp settings), add another 5 to 10 minutes for the grill to reach grilling temps. Reference temp readout on the Pit Control Screen to monitor.
  5. Look for smoke exiting the exhaust stacks and wait for the temperature to rise.
  6. Run for 30 minutes.

SHUTDOWN

Clear the auger and fire pot with a shutdown burn.

To keep your Rider PLX Pellet grill in tip-top condition in the years to come, proper shutdown is essential after seasoning and after every cook.

  1. When seasoning is complete, turn the control knob to Shutdown position. After 3 seconds, the Shutdown process will start by flashing the message “DRN HOP '' on the Pit Control Screen, indicating that it’s time to drain unused pellets in the QuickDraw Hopper into your pellet storage bucket, included with your Rider DLX.
    Hot Tip -- Pellet grills with software versions previous to 04 or 05 (as displayed at Startup) will NOT flash a “DRN HOP” message, you still need to drain unused pellets immediately before starting the shutdown process.
  2. Next, the Pit Control Screen will flash the message “Cooling”, indicating that the shutdown burn and cooling process has begun. The grill will continue to feed pellets to the fire pot and burn all the remaining pellets, cleaning the system for your first cook.
  3. The grill will automatically power off when the shutdown burn is complete.

For pellet grill recipes and answers to your most frequently asked questions, go to Oklahoma Joes.com.au.

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