If you’ve done your research on pellet grills, then you probably know that they manage temperature using a controller with some sort of dial. Extinguishing a pellet grill is as simple as turning that dial to the correct setting, which is generally labeled “shut down” but will vary from model to model (check your manual for the appropriate setting). While your grill is shutting down, it stops feeding pellets from the auger and burns out whatever any excess fuel in the fire pot until the flames die.

Don’t be alarmed if you hear the internal fan running for about 5–10 minutes or the duration of the shutdown cycle — this air circulation ensures that your grill completely burns any pellets remaining in the fire pot. A pellet grill that’s not given time to fully shut down is at risk for burnback, a hazard that occurs when fuel in the auger tube ignites and potentially lights all the pellets in the hopper as well. That’s why it’s extremely important to leave your pellet grill plugged in until it has completed the entire shutdown cycle.

When shutdown is complete, you’ll hear the fan turn off. Now it’s safe to unplug your pellet grill and, if you didn’t feast while it was shutting down, go about enjoying the smoked meats you just cooked up!

Check out our How to Light a Pellet Grill article if you want to learn how to light your pellet grill.