How to Get Started with Your recteq

recteq 101: a Starter’s Guide for Smoky Success Season after Season

Welcome to the recteq family! We hope you are as excited as we are to begin this delicious journey. We know this is a big moment for you and we want it to go as smoothly as possible. Let’s shoot for a delicious outcome to kick off a whole new way of cooking. So here are our best tips for setting up your first burn-in and first cook on your new recteq wood pellet grill.

Let’s jump right in. Your new recteq does require some assembly, but if you have any questions while you are putting it together, you can download a manual or hit up customer service at 706.922.0890. Our team is ready to help with any challenges you encounter. Assuming you have already put together your new pellet grill, you can move right on to step 1 to get started on the burn-in.

You might be wondering, why is the first burn-in necessary? Essentially, the first burn-in tests your grill's functionality, gets you familiar with all the components, and, most importantly, it sterilizes your grill so that it’s food-safe going forward. What's awesome is that the burn-in process is the same for all of our grills.

Step 1

First remove your grates and drip pan and wash them with warm soapy water. We recommend lining the drip pan with aluminum foil to make clean up quick and easy.

Line the drip pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

Step 2

Prime your firepot by adding a small handful of pellets to it. You definitely don’t want to overfill it, or pack them in too tightly. Just a little bit of fuel to make start up quicker!

Step 3

Place the deflector back on top, followed by the drip pan. Make sure the drip pan is centered to promote even air flow. Finally, place the grill grates back on top of the grill. We told you this would be easy!

Step 4

Fill the Hopper with Pellets. Our 40-pound bag perfectly fills the hopper on the RT-700 and RT-1250. (Super convenient!)

Add our Ultimate Blend Wood Pellets to Your Hopper

Step 5

Finally, turn the power on, set the grill to 400°F, and burn for one hour. Your pellet grill is now ready to begin churning out delicious meals, so let’s move on to that first cook!

First Cook

Finally, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, your first recteq cook! Back at recteq HQ, we are all waiting with bated breath to see what you choose to serve up as your first pellet-grilled meal. Will you go for a culinary challenge, like your first brisket or play it safe with some simple chicken thighs?

The choice is yours, but our suggestion is to go with the chicken thighs!

Get Your First Cook With With some Chicken Wings


Of all the meals you could cook, why chicken thighs? To sum it up, the high fat content gives you a great start on seasoning your new smoker, plus it’s a quick recipe for those who can hardly wait to taste the magic! To keep it simple, heat your grill to 400°F, sprinkle chicken thighs with Ben’s Heffer Dust, and cook until they reach a 185°F internal temp. It should take about 45 minutes to an hour. That’s it when it comes to your first cook on your recteq wood pellet grill!

The amazing thing about cooking on a wood pellet grill is that each cook tastes better than the last. As you continue to build up that incredible aged-in seasoning inside the barrel, you will be able to taste the difference, meal after meal. In so many ways, the best is truly yet to come.


Be sure to let us know how it went by tagging us on social media!

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