Traeger Timberline 1300 - Grease Fires in Grease Trough

[DarienJim]

I just got a new Timberline 1300 over the holiday season. I have done maybe 10 smokes so far.

I have totally cleaned it twice. I have noticed that getting the grease that has been hardened out of the grease tray running down the front of the grill has been a little difficult. I have used a butter knife to try and carve it out, but there’s definitely some residual grease hardened in the tray.

I have now have had two grease fires when I fired it up to 500°. Any ideas how to get all the grease out of that thin grease rail running down the front of the grill?

 

[John S.]

I used a paper towel and a propane torch....

 

[DarienJim]

That sounds like the propane torch would set the grease trough (i see that’s the proper term from the owners manual) on fire? How do you control that?

 

[John S.]

Just use the torch to heat the grease then clean it out with a paper towel. No fires yet ( 7 months)

 

[DVSCYCLES]

Using a heat gun would be safer or just a hair dryer would soften it up.

 

[John S.]

That would be a good option, but i had a torch in the shed for lighting smoke tubes...

 

[DarienJim]

I bought a portable kitchen blow torch off Amazon tonight and will use it Next weekend to clean up.

Thanks all.

 

[Steeleshark2]

A 6 in 1 or 5 in 1 paint scrapper works very well getting the hard stuff out of the trough.

 

[RemE]

You might check your front troughs out for slope. Mine is high in the middle so grease on the right doesn't drain to the left and out. This caused grease to burn up in the right half of the trough.

That's why I made a trough liner for my 850. Now it's always empty, and lifts out to clean.

Pour water slowly on the right side of the drip pan and see how it flows through the front trough, look for pooling.

 

[RoadRunner18]

Some Traeger cleaner, paper towels and a wire brush we make short work of that grease tray residue

 

[DarienJim]

You might check your front troughs out for slope. Mine is high in the middle so grease on the right doesn't drain to the left and out. This caused grease to burn up in the right half of the trough.

That's why I made a trough liner for my 850. Now it's always empty, and lifts out to clean.

Pour water slowly on the right side of the drip pan and see how it flows through the front trough, look for pooling.

I do think mine is not sloped enough but I’m not handy enough to modify.

 

[RoadRunner18]

My drip pan has warped to some degree, but I use mine 3-4 nights a week. Sounds to me like your drip pan may have been dropped or damaged at the factory. As new as your grill is, I would call Traeger Customer Service and explain your problem. They should send you a new drip pan.