I keep getting drawn to a series of Traeger grills. They seem like one of the coolest grill/smoke/roast/bake tools out there. I absolutely don’t NEED one but I really WANT one.
I already have a really nice, expensive, new (last summer) grill that I’m very happy with. These are also nice, expensive, and sound really good. They use a wood pellet system that you load into a hopper and an auger feeds the burning wood into the grill to cook. You have a temperature control so you can set it for a given temp (+/- 15 degrees to +/- 5 degrees depending on the model) and just leave it alone.
There is a hardware store close to me that carries probably over 2 dozen different wood blend pellets, and they can even be changed mid cook. I love smoked foods, and also the taste of food cooked over a wood flame. I recently found some change in the couch so the cost isn’t a real concern. My wife has even drooled over them at a home show and again at the hardware store nearby so she probably won’t divorce me if I take the plunge (she also seems fond of the Big Green Egg).
The salesmen all swear that these are the best thing on the planet and will make you forget any other food you have ever eaten. So, anyone with any actual hands on experience with a Traeger or other wood pellet cooking system? I’m like the guy with 20 guitars who found another that he really needs to have. Anyone want to talk me into or out of getting this?
I don’t have one myself, but I know they can reach high temperatures. This in itself doesn’t necessarily mean it can sear though.
For me I guess the appeal is in the fact that you can use wooden pellets to infuse the food with flavor, which you can’t really do with charcoal (well, apart from a smoky flavor) or gas.
I’d imagine that the big advantage would be temperature control for long slow cooks. Kind of set it and forget it. Particularly with WiFi models. Really? WiFi?
I believe that is an exageration. I bought a Traeger Jr. (their smallest model*) about 18 months ago and use it all the time, since my propane grill crapped out. The dial thermostat tops out at 450[sup]o[/sup] indicated but according to its (uncalibrated) built-in thermometer, rarely exceeds 425.
This is a mite short of your proper searing temperature of 500-525[sup]o[/sup] but close enough in my book. I still get Maillard crust on the outside when the piece is left in long enough but there’s less pink than I’d ideally like; DesertRoomie likes no pink at all so it’s fine by her. I am contemplating replacing the propane grill with a table-top to act as a searing box.
One of my lazy meals is to fire up the Traeger and let it heat to the highest temp, about twelve minutes. Drop on a couple frozen burgers from CostCo and wait eight minutes. Flip the burgers and, since they’re now thawed, stick the probe on the separately bought wireless thermometer into one. Reduce the setting to 250[sup]o[/sup] and wait until they reach 160[sup]o[/sup], about another eight minutes. This results in a nice-looking char on a juicy burger for me, juiceless one for DR since I, on request, mash hers after the flip and before removing it from the heat.
Another commonly done thing I do is to skin five Jimmy Dean 1-pound sausage chubs and put them in at 225[sup]o[/sup] until they reach 180[sup]o[/sup] on the probe, about three hours. One is eaten right away and the other four are vacuum sealed and frozen. The V S bags can withstand simmering so one get dropped into a waterbath to heat for an hour when its time has come.
*The Tailgater is the same size but the legs come off easier to facilitate transport.
PitBoss have a ‘sear plate’ that you can push to the side to expose the flames in a general area.
The pellet grills can be very good for holding consistent temps - but they don’t “grill” like a traditional open flame grill can. IOW - they are great for cooking like an oven with smoke - but if you want that ‘flame kissed’ and charcoal type flavor - you’re still going to want a more traditional grill as well.
If you keep your pellet grill outside - you will want a cover - ANY amount of moisture in the pellet bin will cause you a mess of sawdust. Cleanup is also a bit different than most as you have to do a bit more work to clean them out - aggervating at times.
In my research, I found the Traegers to be overpriced for what you get and the PitBoss brand to be the one to (atleast) start with. I have a PitBoss 820xl that we enjoy - there are alot of forums out there for what you can do with them. Traeger doesn’t do anything truly special here that the other brands do not - they just do better advertising.
I have a Traeger, and while I wouldn’t say it made me forget any other food, it did make me forget any other method of grilling or roasting.
As noted, you will not get a good sear with one. The temp isn’t quite hot enough, and there’s no direct heat. So if that’s important to you, get something with a sear plate, or throw the meat on an iron skillet on the stove to start or finish.
My favorites:
fish: nice flavor, no need to flip it
burgers: perfectly cooked, no flare-ups
overnight brisket or ribs
bacon: no smelly kitchen or grease splatters
smoked vegetables. I’ve also smoked garbonzo beans for 30 minutes and made a wonder smokey hummus
Thanksgiving turkey: nice hickory aroma, and your oven isn’t monopolized all day
The downside is the smoke. It’s not a problem at grill temperatures, but it can be a little annoying at long smoke temperature if there’s no wind. We have to keep the windows shut or the house fills with smoke. Fortunately, my neighbor has one too so we are understanding when the other is smoking.
It looks like only the Timberline series claim to go to 500. Not a problem though, I’ve got a nice Weber propane grill that gets blazing hot quickly so I would probably cook over the wood then do a reverse sear on the Weber if needed.
Thanks everyone for the responses. I would say there is a better than average chance I’ll bring one home in a few months.
I have a Traeger grill I bought last September. I’m still getting used to it and trying different recipes. I have smoked chicken, sausage fatties, jalapenos, and Turkey. Winter hit us pretty hard this year and my Northern exposure deck has had snow on it for about two months now so I’ve slowed down a bit.
I still use regular my grill more as it is quicker to cook and sears the meat.
But I absolutely love the smoke flavoring provided by the pellet cooker and really appreciate the temperature and smoke control it offers.
My favorite smoking meat has been sausage fatties, stuffed pork sausage rolls with peppers, cheese jalapenos, and onions inside. I have to make two or three at a time because my family loves them too.
My only failure on the pellet grill has been my attempt to smoke the a whole Thanksgiving turkey. My attempts to get it thoroughly cooked ended up with under cooked sections and dried out sections. I found out later that its best to smoke meats at THE LOWEST POSSIBLE SAFE TEMPERATURE to get the best results.
I was lucky in that we also cooked a backup turkey in our turkey roaster. Next year I will smoke only a turkey breast as it will be easier to make an even temperature product.
We have a Green Mtn Grill and use it often when it is warm enough (you burn through pellets if it is cold). We use it for:
Burgers - come out perfect every time
Bacon - no smell inside
Baking pizza and bread in the summer when we don’t want to turn on the oven Basically use the pellet stove as an outside oven
Pulled pork - This is probably our favorite. I’ll buy two shoulders from our butcher (this is real pork - not the salt injected) and cook them. We then shred both and vacuum pack them into the right sizes and then put them in our chest freezer. This meat is great for pulled pork sandwiches, burritos, making tamales, etc.
Whole chickens - Similar to pork, I’ll do two whole chickens at once.
When we need hot sear, I have a charcoal grill. Things like beef carne asada, Korean style or teriyaki beef, chicken kabobs, veggies (we do veggies on pellet stove if it is what is on, but they are better over charcoal), sear steaks.
I’ve had challenges with smoking poultry. It’s very easy to dry it out. My compromise is to smoke it for 15 minutes, then bump up the heat to 350-375 to cook it more quickly.
My turkeys have been delicious when I cooked them this way. Also be sure to brine them overnight.
I’ve got a Trager Pro 22 and it’s been great. I use it over my gas Webber BBQ or in conjunction with it.
Thanksgiving and Jewish “Christmas” (it’s my mother’s birthday ) both saw two 15 lb turkeys, done at 225 for 5 hours. I’ve done 35 lbs of brisket at once or 15 racks of ribs. If I’m doing a large piece of beef like a tenderloin or sirloin roast I’ll smoke it to 120 and then throw it on the BBQ to reverse sear with a rare inside.
If you are looking for recipes, everything I’ve made from Smoke by Steve Raichlen has been great.
But, but it is a smoker. Just how far is it from your open windows? When I am smoking something I get a little light blue smoke intermittently when some more pellets are augured into the firepot. I get less than with a propane grill doing burgers because the grease is rendered and drains into the little bucket rather than falling onto a hot element and getting incinerated.
One of my favorite things about my pellet grill - that huge billow of smoke during startup - then it ‘cleans up’ to the right amount of smoke as it gets to temp.
When I’m running it on the smoke setting, it puts out a decent amount of smoke every 90 seconds when it drops another batch of pellets in. I’m in an urban environment with relatively small lots, so there’s not a lot of distance between houses.
It’s not a problem at temperatures over 200° or so.
The only thing I’ve really felt constrained by are ribs since they take a lot of surface area. A rib rack helps here since you can do or 3 racks vertically in the space of one flat.
I’ve no experience with Traeger products, but based on the Masterbuilt pellet smoker my brother has, you may need to watch out for corrosion issues in the electrical parts. You’ve got ash and smoke (which tend to be caustic), and water from steam; that combination is hard on electrical stuff. After about 2 years of regular use, we had to pull his apart and repair a bunch of connections to get it working again.
) both saw two 15 lb turkeys, done at 225 for 5 hours. I’ve done 35 lbs of brisket at once or 15 racks of ribs. If I’m doing a large piece of beef like a tenderloin or sirloin roast I’ll smoke it to 120 and then throw it on the BBQ to reverse sear with a rare inside.