If you notice smoke coming from your pellet hopper during the cool-down phase this is caused by a backburn. A backburn happens when the pellets inside the auger have heated to a smoke point. This can happen if the cool-down phase is not done properly. Once the grill is turned to the OFF position the cool-down phase begins, this keeps the blower fan and the auger turning for a few rotations ensuring that any and all burnt pellets are out of the auger tube and in the firepot. In case of a backburn, turn your grill from the OFF position to the lowest temperature setting (on some controllers this may be the SMOKE setting), this will begin feeding pellets into the firepot. Allow your grill to run until the grill temperature stabilizes, then proceed with shutting down the grill. You should not see any additional smoke coming from the pellet hopper. To prevent a backburn, we suggest following these steps: 1.       When cooking at high temperatures turn the grill down to the lowest setting for a few minutes prior to turning the grill off. This allows the fire to reduce in size which helps begin the cool-down process. 2.       Keep the hood closed during the cool-down phase. 3.       Ensure that your grill is on a level surface. 4.       Clean out your firepot after use. Otherwise, you may see a buildup of ash which can cause airflow issues pushing the smoke up through the auger and into the pellet hopper.