What Is the P Setting on a Traeger, How to Use It

A Traeger grill combines traditional cooking methods with technology.

Ensuring you have the best cooking experience.

On the technological part of the grill, there is the P-setting button.

But do you know what does? I will explain exactly how it works!

So you can understand how using it improves cooking on your Traeger!

What Does the P-Setting Do?

The P-setting on your Traeger’s control panel is used to help monitor the temperature.

This is used when the outside ambient temperature is either too cold or hot.

Or when your grill temperature is running too hot or cold.

This would be from your cooking dial set internal temperature.

Look at the digital readout.

When used correctly, it is a very important setting to understand and utilize.

This is because getting temperature consistency on your Traeger grill does the following;

– Accurately and precisely set an exact temperature to cook your food.

– Adjustment for harsh weather conditions like extreme cold or hot temperatures.

– Consistency of temperature settings for a long period of cooking time.

The setting is used as a backup to adjust and correct the actual cooking temp.

Should it be too low or high?

What Does ‘P’ Mean?

The ‘P’ in your grills P-setting means pause.

This is because when the setting is active, it will pause time in your temperature cycling.

How does pausing it work?

How Does the Pause Setting Work?

So you’ve set the P setting on your pellet grill controller.

What exactly happens?

To understand this, we need to know what is happening when your grill is heating or cooling.

A Traeger wood pellet grill uses hardwood as fuel.

These wood pellets are fed through the hopper and down into the auger at a constant rate of ignition.

This will depend on the temperature you have chosen.

With the P-setting on, a pause cycle assesses if the current settings are giving the correct temp.

This will adjust the feed rate of the pellets.

If it is hot then it will pause and slow it down.

If it is cold then it will pause and then speed up.

Tip: The brands of pellets are important. If you go for a cheaper option then it can cause blockage and even break machine parts

When Is the Right Time to Use the P-Setting?

Okay, so let’s say that your grill’s temperature and smoke output are way too high.

You are trying to cook the perfect brisket but burning the bark as a result.

We will need to adjust the P-Setting to help cool it down.

What what do I adjust it to?

Setting the Pause Correctly: P1 or P5?

The lower the number of your P- setting the higher temperature it will run.

The higher the number of your P-setting the lower the temperature will run.

There are 5 stages of this setting.

1 is the lowest setting.

5 is the highest setting.

Finding the sweet spot depending on your situation is trial and effort.

Do you want to cool down because of the high outside temperatures?

Keep between the P3-P5 settings.

If you want to heat up because of low outside temperatures then keep between the P1-P3 settings.

Do All Traeger Grills Have a P-Setting?

All the new Traeger pellet grills on the market today have automated settings built in.

The only newly manufactured model with a pause temperature control is the Scout Pro.

Have an older model?

Read on below to find out how you set it!

What Is the Default P Setting?

The factory p-setting on any new Treager is P-2.

Knowing the factory settings will help you start getting the temperature right.

As I said, most of the newer grills will have this already installed.

There are many temperature probes and smoke settings within your Traeger grill.

Automatic adjustment is constantly happening so you can have a consistent temperature.

A consistent temperature = beautifully cooked food with a smoky flavor!

How to Adjust the P Setting on a Traeger Pellet Grill

To see if your grill is compatible with changing the P-settings look for a sticker on your controller.

The sticker should be in the top right corner next to the LCD control board.

It will either be blank or read “call service”.

– Remove the sticker to expose a small hole.

– Get a small screwdriver.

– Gently insert the head of the screwdriver into the hole.

– Poke it once and it will display your set P-setting.

– Poke again and it will raise the P-setting.

Follow the above to make these micro adjustments via your P-settings.

Remember…

The lower the P-setting the shorter the pause.
This is if you are cooking in cold conditions.

The higher the P-setting, the longer the pause.
This is if you are cooking in hot conditions.

Seeing The LEr Error?

If your getting the LEr error it means your grill is not heating.

See the LEr error troubleshooting guide to see what the issue is.

Are There Risks When Using the P-Settings?

The safety precautions you have to remember when setting my P-Settings are;

– Do you have enough pellets in the auger if they are feeding faster?

– Are the pellets being fed too slowly and extinguished?

– Do not just turn off the grill without checking the volume of wood in the firepot.

– Keep an eye out for the ash build-up.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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