How grease behaves on a pellet grill, plainly
Where the grease goes, and what to do about it
Grease on a pellet grill ends up on trays, plates and in buckets, and sometimes it catches fire. These pages explain where it travels, what the parts do, and what makers and fire-safety bodies say about handling it.
All the grease pages
Where grease goes in a pellet grillFollow the fat from the cooking rack to the drip tray, grease channel and bucket, and see where it pools when something goes wrong.- What the drip tray and heat deflector doWhere the drip tray and the heat deflector plate sit in a pellet grill, how makers say to clean them, and what to check when grease builds up.
Grease buckets and liners: what they are forWhat a pellet grill's grease bucket and its liner do, what two makers say about lining and emptying it, and why your own manual decides.- Why grease fires start on a pellet grillFlames in the cook chamber or smoke from the tray? See the causes makers and fire bodies give for grease fires, and what to check first.
- What to do in a grease fireWhat a pellet grill maker and a fire service say to do, and not do, when grease catches fire, and why the advice differs between sources.
How grease builds up over timeWhere old grease collects in a pellet grill, what signs show a build-up, and how often two makers say to clean the drip tray and grease path.- Foil on drip trays: what makers sayCan you cover a pellet grill's drip tray with foil? What a grill maker's cleaning guide and Weber's warning say, and why your manual decides.
- Disposing of used grease safelyHow official sources say to dispose of cooled cooking grease, why it shouldn't go down the drain, and what they don't say about soaked liners.