How to properly start your Westwood series grill.
Why is Proper Startup Important?
Following the correct startup process is very important as it can have many different effects on a cook, even hours later. For example, grills started incorrectly may experience temperature swings, flameouts, and many other issues.
Pre-Grilling Checklist
- Is your grill clean?
- Remove any buildup from the drip tray or replace the drip tray liner if it's dirty.
- Regularly inspect the grill for accumulated grease. Most grill fires are caused by improper maintenance.
- Is everything in place?
- Open the lid and ensure the drip tray and heat baffle are properly installed.
- Are your racks in the right place?
- Different grill rack levels will produce slightly different results.
- Bottom rack is for high heat cooking: searing, roasting, grilling, etc.
- Top rack is for low and slow cooking: smoking, baking, braising.
- Is your grill empty with the lid closed?
- Ignite and preheat the grill with a closed lid and no food on the grates. Adding the food too early can result in the grill taking longer to reach to the set temperature.
- Are there Traeger Hardwood Pellets in the hopper?
- Use only Traeger Hardwood Pellets in the Westwood series grills. This grill was developed and tuned using only Traeger brand pellets. Using pellets not manufactured by Traeger may result in inconsistent performance, poor flavor, and temperature inconsistency.
- Pellets are the fuel to your grill. For longer cooks, make sure the hopper starts out full of pellets. Shorter cooks can get away with less pellets in the hopper, however, we always recommend keeping it full just in case.
- Is your grill connected and updated to the latest firmware?
- Having your grill connect to the Traeger app not only allows you to remotely monitor and control your grill but also makes sure your grill is operating on the latest firmware.
- If your grill is connected and powered on, the latest firmware will automatically begin downloading.
How to Start the Westwood
The Westwood Series grills are AC grills with WiFIRE. Follow these steps to start cooking!
- With the lid closed, plug in the grill and turn the power switch on.
- Press the ignite/shutdown button to wake the grill
- Tap the "+" button on the controller to set the desired temperature.
- Press and hold the ignite/shutdown button for 3 seconds to ignite the grill.
- The current temperature will be displayed on the controller screen during the preheat cycle.
- Once the grill reaches the set temperature, that temperature will be displayed throughout the cook unless the set temperature is adjusted.