26 guides
Grilling guides
Choosing the cooker is only the start. Find help with fuel, setup, temperature, maintenance, and the problems that appear halfway through a cook.
Error codes, flames that will not behave, and temperatures that drift, worked through in the order a manufacturer would have you check them.
Griddles
Blackstone seasoning flaking or sticky: two failures, one mistake
Sticky seasoning is oil that never finished bonding. Flaking is seasoning that went on too thick, then dried out or got soaked. Blackstone publishes a fix for each, and neither needs a new plate.
Gas grills
Gas grill igniter not working: the checks in order
Most igniter failures on a gas grill come down to a battery, a loose wire or a knocked electrode. Here is the order Weber gives for finding which, and where the manufacturer keeps its manual-lighting steps for the meantime.
Gas grills
Gas grill low flame: how to reset the regulator
A gas grill that lights but will not get hot has usually tripped the flow-limiting safety device in its regulator. Close the tank valve, turn every knob off, wait five minutes, then open the tank slowly with the lid up and the knobs still off.
Pellet grills and smokers
Pit Boss error codes: what ErH, ErP, ErL, NoP and Err mean
Pit Boss manuals define ErH as overheating, ErP as a grill probe wire fault, ErL as a start-up that did not complete, NoP as a meat probe connection fault and Err as a flagged component. Here is what Pit Boss says to do first for each.
Pizza ovens
Pizza stuck to the peel: why it happens and how to launch cleanly
Dough sticks when moisture gets between it and the peel. Flour or semolina under the base, a shake before the toppings go on, light toppings and a prompt launch fix nearly all of it.
Pellet grills and smokers
Traeger error codes: what each one means and what to do first
Nearly every Traeger code points at fuel, fire or a loose connector. Let the shutdown finish, power cycle once, then check the pellets, the firepot and the three parts that make the fire.
Pellet grills and smokers
Traeger WiFIRE not connecting: the checklist, quickest fix first
Most pairing failures are the network, not the grill. Put the phone on a 2.4 GHz network within 30 feet of the grill, clear the old network from the controller, then pair again.
Pellet grills and smokers
Pellet grill temperature swings: what is normal, what is not
Some movement around the set point is normal. Sustained misses call for a check of pellets, ash, airflow, weather, lid habits and sensor placement.
Seasoning, rust, cleaning, and storage, so the equipment you already own keeps cooking well.
How to winterize a grill: gas, charcoal, pellet, griddle and pizza oven
Clean out the grease, get the steel dry and protected, keep the fuel dry, cover it. Weber's rule for the propane cylinder does not change: outdoors and upright, never in a house or garage.
Griddles
How to remove rust from a Blackstone griddle and keep it off
Rust on a Blackstone plate is a surface problem. Heat it, scrape it, scrub it with oil and a stone, wipe until the towel comes up clean, then season from scratch. Only a hole ends a plate.
Fire management and cook planning: how much fuel, how hot, how long, and what the equipment has to do for the cook to work.
Pellet grills and smokers
How long to smoke a turkey: plan the Thanksgiving cook backwards from dinner
Traeger estimates 30 to 40 minutes a pound at 225 to 250°F, Masterbuilt 30 minutes at 220°F, USDA 20 to 30 in a smoker. All three are planning numbers. The bird is done at 165°F in the breast, thigh and wing.
Charcoal grills
How much charcoal to use: chimney fractions and briquette counts by cook
A full chimney of about 100 briquettes for searing, half to a full chimney banked to one side for two-zone cooking, and a few lit coals on a ring of unlit ones for low and slow. Smaller kettles take less.
Pizza ovens
How long to preheat an Ooni, and how to know the stone is ready
Ooni lists 15 minutes for the Koda 12 and Karu 12 and 20 minutes for the Koda 16. The stone is ready when an infrared thermometer reads about 750°F, not when the timer runs out.
Pellet grills and smokers
Pellet grill in winter: yes, it works, and here is what changes
A pellet grill runs below freezing. Expect a slower start, more pellets per hour and a fire that hates wind. Keep the pellets dry, the grill outdoors and the lid shut.
Propane, charcoal, pellets, and wood: what they cost, how long they last, and which one suits the cooking you do.
Charcoal grills
Briquettes vs lump charcoal: pick by the cook, not the bag
Briquettes for long, steady, predictable cooks. Lump for hot, fast, responsive ones. Both are real charcoal. The chimney starter matters more than the bag.
Gas grills
What does it cost to run a gas grill?
Cents, not dollars. A 31,000 BTU grill run wide open burns about a dollar of propane an hour at $3 a gallon, and roughly half that on natural gas.
Gas grills
How long does a propane tank last on a grill?
A full 20 lb tank is roughly 14 hours on a 30,000 BTU grill run wide open. A 15 lb exchange fill is nearer 10. The table computes the rest.
Pellet grills and smokers
Smoking wood flavors by strength, and what to pair them with
Sort smoking woods by strength, not species. Hickory and mesquite hit hard, apple and cherry stay subtle, and oak and pecan are the middle most cooks land on.
Temperatures, times, and conversions in one place, sourced and dated so you can trust the number.
Pellet grills and smokers
Smoking times and temperatures chart for planning the cook
Smoker temperature, time per pound and pull temperature for the common cuts, from USDA FSIS, Traeger, Pit Boss and Masterbuilt. Every time is an estimate. Thickness, wind and the lid stretch it.
Pellet grills and smokers
Meat doneness temperatures: the chart, and the probe
Whole cuts are safe at 145°F with a 3 minute rest, ground meat at 160, poultry at 165, per USDA. Steak doneness is convention. A probe settles both.
How to size a grill, read a spec sheet, and decide between fuel types before you spend the money.
Griddles
Blackstone 22 vs 28 vs 36: pick by cooking surface and where it lives
The 22 is a tabletop you carry, the 28 is a cart for a family, and the 36 is a four-burner fixture that needs level ground and a spot of its own. Blackstone publishes the figures that settle it.
What size grill do you need?
Size the grate for an ordinary dinner, then leave room for a cool side, a pan, and the food that never packs into neat squares.
Gas grills
How to read a gas grill's BTU rating
BTU measures fuel input, not grate temperature. Divide main-burner input by the primary grate for a rough screen, then let burner layout, grates and firebox design decide.
Pellet grills and smokers
What size pellet grill do you need?
Start with the lower grate you will actually load, then check the upper rack, hopper, patio footprint and cleanup. The largest advertised total is rarely the whole answer.
Charcoal grills
Which Weber kettle should you buy? Four charcoal models, and grate size decides none of it
Patio: the Original Kettle Premium 22. Car: the Jumbo Joe Premium 22. Trunk: the Smokey Joe 14. Three share 363 square inches. Grate size decides nothing.
Pellet grills and smokers
Pellet vs electric vs propane smoker: pick the fuel, then the machine
Pellet if the smoker also has to be your grill. Electric if low and slow is the whole job. Propane where no cord reaches. All three exist to take the fire away from you, which is either the appeal or the dealbreaker.