Cleaning my Traeger….should I?

[C.Rosin]

I’m wondering about cleaning the inside of my Traeger. I’m not talking about the grates or vacuuming it out. Or even the grease trap, but the actually insides. I recently bought a Timberline 1300 and heard about leaving the insides “dirty” to season it. Is this true or BS? Should I be wiping down the inside occasionally? I did after one of the first cooks to get it nice and shiny again, but am I better off leaving the dark stuff build up on there for “flavor”. Any pointers are appreciated.

 

[RemE]

My Timberline is black inside. I spend more than enough time keeping the stainless grates shiny.

 

[DVSCYCLES]

Clean the stainless grates but they don't need to be shiny new and make sure no grease is blocking the drain path that might cause a fire. Reline the drip pan with foil from time to time.
Clean up the outside and cover is my practice

 

[C.Rosin]

Clean the stainless grates but they don't need to be shiny new and make sure no grease is blocking the drain path that might cause a fire. Reline the drip pan with foil from time to time.
Clean up the outside and cover is my practice

That’s basically what I’ve been doing so far. I’ve used it about ten times now. I clean the grates. Replace the foil that covers the bottom pan/heat deflector. Wipe down the outside and cover it up. Just wasn’t sure if I should wipe out the inside. The sides I mean. I know I need to clean out (vacuum) the bottom.

 

[Murphy's Law]

Grates don’t have food stuck on them. Grease system is clean (change foil on tray often, clean trap and drain system, etc) and ash is frequently vacuumed.

And wipe any grease spills off the exterior and wipe it down.

That is pretty much my routine. CO is pretty dry so I don’t get hung up on pellets in the auger but I do empty the hopper. I did a better job of clearing the auger when we were getting a lot of rain and snow.

 

[John S.]

My Timberline is black inside. I spend more than enough time keeping the stainless grates shiny.

As RemE said, the same on my T1300