Grease buckets and liners: what they are for

A bucket that's nearly full is a problem you can see. A liner that's soaked through is one you can't, until you lift it.

The bucket is the end of the line for the grease. Camp Chef's description is a small bucket hanging off the back of the grill, there to catch drippings.¹ Some Traeger models call the same job a grease and ash keg, with a grease tube and a grease governor cap ahead of it.²

What a liner is

A liner is a disposable lining that sits in the bucket (or on the tray) so the grease lands on something you can throw away. You lift it out and put in a new one, so you don't have to scrub the bucket.

Both makers I've read mention this. Camp Chef lists disposable foil liners as one of the ways to clean the bucket.¹ Traeger's reassembly steps name new bucket liners among the parts that go back in.²

Can I line it?

The honest answer is: if your maker supports it, yes, and if your manual says nothing, ask the maker.

I can only say what these two pages say. Both describe liners as a normal option for their own grills. Neither page says a liner suits every model or every bucket. Your manual or the maker's support line will tell you which liner fits.

If you can't find a recommendation, you can skip the liner and clean the bucket by hand.

No liner? Two options Camp Chef gives

Camp Chef describes two other ways to clean the bucket.¹

• Freeze the grease in the bucket, pry the frozen puck out, and throw it away.
• Wipe the bucket with a paper towel, and make sure the grease has fully cooled first.

The cooling warning matters. Hot grease burns, and a hot grill is no place to be reaching around.

Cool first, always

Camp Chef's wipe-out method comes with a warning to let the grease fully cool before you start.¹ The same sense applies whichever way you empty the bucket. Don't lift out a liner that's still warm, since soft, hot grease can slop over the edge.

Work over something you don't mind getting greasy. A sheet of newspaper or a tray under the bucket gives you somewhere for drips to land.

If the bucket fills quickly

Check the level often. Camp Chef says to keep an eye on the accumulation.¹ Fire-safety guidance also says to keep the grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and from trays below.³

When a bucket is full, the grease has to go somewhere. If it can't leave the grill, it can pool on the tray, which is where the fire causes page picks up.

What to do with the full liner

A grease-soaked liner and a puck of frozen fat both count as grease waste. The two guides here don't say where to put them. Official disposal advice is on the disposal page.

For foil on the tray rather than the bucket, see the foil question.