The first rule of good Rider DLX maintenance is keeping your pellet grill clean, both above the grates and below to prevent grease fires. Empty the hopper and the ash pan, clear the auger and clean the baffle with a shutdown burn every time you finish cooking.

WARNING: Grease can accumulate on and around the baffle relatively quickly. If allowed to build up, it can ignite and cause grease fires.

The second rule of good Rider DLX maintenance is keeping it obstruction-free to avoid auger jams.

No. We do NOT recommend leaving unused pellets in the Quick Draw Hopper. In fact, we strongly recommend removing pellets after every cook to prevent them from breaking down, swelling up and causing auger jams. After draining the hopper, always run a shutdown burn to clear the auger and fire pot, so you’re ready to grill next time.

We recommend cleaning out the ashes after each cook, for a couple of reasons:

• Ashes can build up and impede the operation of the pellet feed system, affecting your grill’s performance.
• Ashes collect moisture, which can lead to premature rusting and decay.

Because it’s such an important step, we made ash removal a simple 3-step task:

1. After your pellet grill has run through the shutdown burn and is completely cool, unscrew the ash cup from underneath the cook chamber and dump the ashes.

       HOT TIP: If the ash cup is difficult to remove, loosen the hex nut on the bottom using an adjustable wrench.

2. Tap the ash tube a couple times to shake any remaining ashes loose.
3. Replace the cup and tighten it snugly.

As every good pit master knows, cleaning your pellet grill or smoker is an important part of maintaining tip-top performance. We’ve made it easy with features like the Quick Draw Hopper, shutdown burn and removable baffle & ash cup. How frequently you should clean your grill is determined by how often you use it. A thorough cleaning after every few cook sessions should keep your pellet grill working in optimal condition.

After several cooks, the walls inside the cook chamber of your pellet smoker or grill can develop a greasy build-up which can affect the grill’s performance and the flavor of your food. Here’s how we recommend that you clean it.

WARNING: Make sure your pellet grill is completely cool before beginning.

1. Remove all interior components.
2. Thoroughly rinse interior walls with water. Use a food-safe cleaning solution like dish soap and water for deeper cleaning.
3. Wipe down the walls with a clean cloth or paper towels.
4. After the grill is completely dry, coat all interior surfaces with vegetable oil to protect your pellet grill from rust.

Maintaining a light coat of vegetable oil on interior surfaces will help to protect them from high cooking temperatures and prevent rust.

WARNING: Never paint the interior of your grill. Paint on the interior of the grill is NOT food safe.

Keeping interior components clean is essential to maintaining the performance and safety of your pellet grill. We recommend a light cleaning after each use and an extensive cleaning periodically, depending on how often your pellet grill is used.

WARNING: Components should NEVER be cleaned while hot.

• Clean porcelain-coated components and heat baffle using a damp cloth and dish detergent.
• Rinse all components thoroughly with a garden hose and dry with paper towels.

Even with the most diligent regular maintenance, exterior grill surfaces may peel and/or rust with use, requiring an occasional touch up. We recommend treating the affected areas, using either of the following methods:

• Touch up with commercial-grade, high-temperature black spray paint.
• Coat the area where paint has flaked off with vegetable oil and perform a burn in to create a dark, protective coating.

We strongly recommend removing unused pellets from the hopper, running the shutdown burn after every cook and storing pellets in sealed containers to keep them dry and fresh. These three steps will help to prevent the pellets from being exposed to moisture and humidity, breaking down in the grill and causing auger jams.

In the event of an auger jam, you can watch our auger maintenance video where we show you how to assess and troubleshoot auger jams and give you some tips on how to prevent them. We also take you through the steps to disassemble the hopper to clear jams and access the auger, motor and the Pit Control Panel.

In addition, although you can use any all-natural, food-safe wood pellet, we recommend using Oklahoma Joe’s wood pellets. They’re specially designed to work with the Rider DLX Pellet Grill to give you the best performance.