Short Term & Long Term Maintenance (Backyard Beast 1000)

You’ve completed 5 cooks on your recteq! Way to go! As you continue to cook on your grill, it’s important to stay on top of short and long term maintenance to make sure your grill continues to run at peak performance.

Short Term Maintenance

- A good rule of thumb is to always clean your firepot every 3-5 cooks. This should ALWAYS be done when the grill is completely cool. This will ensure proper ignition and heat output. For more in depth information regarding cleaning and maintenance, please see our help center article below.

Cleaning and Maintaining Your recteq

- It’s also extremely important to stay on top of grease management. After a few cooks, failing to clean any excess grease could result in a grease fire. For more in depth information regarding grease management, please see our help center article below.

Grease Fires: How They Happen, How To React and How to Prevent Them

Long Term Maintenance

- After you’ve run 4-5 bags of pellets through the grill, it’s always good practice to clean out the hopper itself. This is usually easiest if you have some type of shop-vac. Over time as pellets feed through the hopper, it’s normal for them to break down and leave a bit of dust behind. (At the bottom of the hopper) Occasionally vacuuming this area helps ensure pellets can feed without any obstruction. 

- Airflow is one of the most important factors when it comes to your grill operating at it’s fullest potential. Every 5-10 cooks, it’s always good to check the vents OR smokestack on your recteq to make sure creosote/grease isn’t blocking airflow. Even if the vent isn’t completely blocked, built up gunk can still cause performance issues.

- After completing a few cooks on your recteq, you’ll notice the stainless steel barrel start to have a slight patina (copper) color to it. If you ever want to clean the exterior part of your recteq, there are a few things to note.
1.) We recommend using Cameo, by Brillo on any exterior stainless-steel surfaces. Follow the proper cleaning instructions on the bottle’s label. (Always clean in the same direction as the grain of steel)
2.) Painted areas should be cleaned with a damp rag. Do not use any caustic or harsh chemical cleaners.