After grilling delicious food on the Pit Boss, it’s time to think about cleaning up. However, it can take a while for your grill to cool down completely. If you’re like me, you want to clean the grill quickly so you can put it away, so it’s ready to use next time. Below are some tips to cool your grill down quickly so you can clean up.
- Turn Off The Grill
- Let The Fan Run
- Unplug The Grill
- Open The Lid
- Move It To The Shade
- Never Use Water
- Set Your Timer
A pellet grill gets extremely hot, depending on what you cook and how long you use it, will depend on how long it takes to cool. Below are some tips to help speed up the cool-down process.
7 Tips To Cool Down A Pit Boss Pellet Grill
You can use a combination of these methods to help cool down your Pit Boss grill quickly. These are the exact steps I use while cooking during the summer.
#1 Turn Off The Grill
One of the biggest mistakes people (myself included) make when grilling is they remove the food and forget to turn off the grill. It sounds so simple, but a few times, I’ve forgotten to turn the grill off.
In fact, After eating, I’ve gone back outside only to realize the grill is still running.
It’s so easy to forget to turn off the grill after cooking, especially if you’re hungry.
After you’re done cooking and removing the food, be sure to follow the shutdown procedure. This will help ensure you’re shutting the grill down properly, and you won’t have any issues the next time you start it back up.
Another tip that has helped me from leaving the grill running is to take the food inside and run back outside to ensure I’ve turned it off. Nothing is worse than trying to enjoy a good meal only to keep thinking about whether or not you’ve turned it off.
#2 Let The Fan Run
After the shutdown procedure, the blower fan will continue to run to burn through the pellets in the fire pot. The fan works in conjunction with the auger to help control the temperature during the cooking process.
Shutting the grill down before the fan finishes running will not help the grill cool more quickly.
Instead, it will cause unburnt pellets to remain in the auger, which can cause explosions or problems the next time you turn it on.
#3 Unplug The Grill
Don’t forget to unplug the grill after the shut down procedure. According to the Energy Savers Website, plugged-in appliances continue to draw standby power. This means your grill will continue to draw some power even though the power is off.
Unplugging the grill can help conserve energy and cool down your Pit Boss quicker. But, even if it doesn’t, it’s a good habit to get into unplugging the appliance after using it.
#4 Open The Lid
This one is pretty obvious, but after you’ve shut down the grill and unplugged it, open the lid. Opening the lid will allow air to flow through the chamber and help cool down your grill more quickly.
#5 Move It To The Shade
This isn’t always an option, but moving your grill to a shady area will cool it down faster. Leaving it in direct sunlight will cause it to take much longer to cool off.
If this isn’t an option, you can also move the grill inside your garage or basement to help speed up the cooling process. If you move the hot grill inside, make sure you keep it away from furniture, walls, and other combustible items.
Moving the hot grill can cause damage to the RTD probe. This is how we broke our grill, we moved it before it was cool and damaged the probe, so we had to replace it.
#6 Never Use Water
If you’ve had a charcoal grill before getting a pellet grill, chances are you’ve used water to cool it down. You don’t want to do this with your Pit Boss, as the water will cause damage to the motor and other components within the grill.
Unlike a charcoal grill, a pellet grill uses electricity to run, so you don’t want to expose it to water.
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first got my grill was using water to clean the flame broiler, which ended up rusting.
Also, using water inside of your Pit Boss grill will void the warranty, so it’s best to avoid this method of cooling down.
#7 Set Your Timer
The last tip is to set a timer, so you don’t have to wait around waiting for it to cool down completely. Setting a timer on your phone or watch can help remind you when it’s ready to clean.
How Long Does It Take For The Pit Boss Grill To Cool Down?
According to the official Pit Boss website, it takes 15 minutes for the grill to cool down. Of course, the cool-down process will vary depending on the cooking time, the cooking temperature, the outside temperature, and other factors.
Unfortunately, besides the tips above, there’s not much you can do to cool the grill down faster. Think of it like your kitchen stove. After using it for a few hours, it will take some time to cool down completely. The same goes for the Pit Boss grill.
Therefore, it’s essential to be patient and let your grill cool down properly before cleaning or storing it away.
Final Word
After using your Pit Boss pellet grill, give it 15-30 minutes to cool down properly before attempting to cool it. Cleaning it while it’s hot can cause you to burn yourself and damage the grill.
The tips above can help speed up the cooling process, but only clean the grill when you can safely put your hand on it without burning yourself. If it’s still too hot to the touch, it’s best to give it more time to cool down properly.
Following these steps will help ensure your grill cools as quickly as possible and keep it running smoothly for years to come.
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