Pellet grills are prized for their ease of use, and the ignition process is a great example of that. As always with pellet grill operation, make sure your grill is plugged in and that the hopper is full of pellets before you get started. Most models have some sort of “prime” button, which you need to hold down to ensure there are enough pellets in the firebox for proper lighting.

Once your grill has been primed, open the lid and use the pellet grill’s control dial or knobs to turn the grill to the “smoke” setting (check your manual for the specific terminology for your model). Leave the lid up until you see steady smoke coming from the grill. This is the indicator that pellets have started burning well enough to sustain a fire. From there, close the lid and adjust the setting to your desired temperature. The whole process should take about 5 minutes at most — perfect for those like us who get a little impatient when it comes to BBQ.

Check out our How to Extinguish a Pellet Grill article if you want to learn how to turn off your pellet grill.