pellet grills (especially Traeger) experiences please?

Cafe Society
1

My wife got the hard sell at Costco for a Traeger BBQ grill. Traeger uses wood pellets that get fed through, and then there’s a fan that makes it essentially a convection oven.

I’m not sold so would like the teeming masses experience.

The cons I see.

  1. It’s basically an outdoor convection oven that needs electricity to run and uses only the Traeger brand of wood pellets.
  2. The highest temperature is only around 375 and seems inadequate for searing
  3. no open flame to grill over
  4. unclear if the output will taste like it’s been cooked over a wood fire
  5. I have an autistic child and the auger that feeds the pellets into the chamber would be inviting for her fingers. She was already playing with the pellet bucket in the store. The lid doesn’t lock down or anything.
  6. there’s also a side chimney and the sales guy avoided answering me if it would burn your hand if you touch it…
  7. seems like if you really use it, the pellet cost would be significant

My wife claims she likes cooking over a wood fire but never uses our basic Weber charcoal grill.

I’m leaning towards a natural gas grill. We’re building a new house and I put a gas outlet out on the patio so it will be easy to set up. Gas is really easy to use although you don’t get the wood/charcoal effect. For convenience to cook outside over an open flame go with the gas. For charcoal, can occasionally fire up the Weber. (On a tanget, I bought my brother a Big Green Egg a few years back because I really liked the idea of it. The result wasn’t quite as I expected. It took too long to heat up, and was quite the production to use as opposed to turning a knob and tossing a few dogs on the grill)

Our cooking is mainly steak, salmon, fish, hotdogs, veggies. We don’t smoke but might want to dabble in that one day.

Thanks in advance!

2

If you don’t smoke, then that grill is useless to you. If 375 is the hottest, it will not give you satisfactory results. Go back and tell the guy he is a shitty salesman. A good saleman would assess your needs and sell you an appropriate product, versus just trying to move product x.

3

Semms like it’s really more of a smoker than a grill, no?

4

A relative used to own a catering business in western Missouri. He sold them and used them in his business. Not for searing steaks he said, but great for slow cooked items like brisket etc.

I have a char broil infra red that does a great job for me. Charcoal gives a great flavor, but darn, propane sure is convenient.

5

I got my Traeger Grill at Costco and love it. I had been eye-balling them for a few years.

I cook loads of food in this little wonder,…fish, beef, pork, spaghetti and more. Keep in mind it is not a searing oven unless u turn it up. Mine goes up to 450 - which is pretty hot,… But at every cooking event and every food get-together - everyone prefers the Traeger grilled food over everything else.

Keep in mind that if you insist upon doing a burned exterior,… You can always get a hot pan and after the slow smoke - you can toughen up your meat and make it much harder by just searing the sides on a stove top,… Even I use my convection oven in the kitchen to brown up the exteriors of my food. I also have a cooking probe that I use to assure that everything is adequately heated and safe.

Cooking on a Weber Charcoal is not wood cooking,…but you can buy many different brands of wood pellets and use in the charcoal grill as well.

I love my Traeger grill and will toss my fish,… Then veggies then buttered or olive oiled bread and enjoy a wonderful meal. I have made special burgers made with Italian sausage and lean ground beef - then cooked slow - they end up so juicy and moist - even the young children tried to eat multiple burgers. And BRAUTS,… Lordyalmighty,…those things cooked until the temp is about 10 degrees off,… Then convection cooked at 450 for about 5 minutes,… Juicy,…moist,… Tender and delicious - I tell you people ate that food like crazy.

Just the other day we made a flat bread pizza made with Italian truffle cheese, baby lobsters and mushrooms,… The food that comes off that grill will make you a star. We did stuffed game hens that slow cooked until about 10 degrees off,… Then convection oven - with Irish butter,…fresh garlic ,… Some herbs - stuffed with a sausage and wild rice stuffing,… It was so good,… Really really good. The biggest drawback to this oven is time. It cooks/smokes slowly. But that gives you plenty of time to visit,…enjoy drinks,…chat and have a great time while it cooks. Believe me,… When you serve up perfectly golden brown stuffed game hens with a delicious red wine - everyone will be overjoyed it took a few extra minutes to cook it. Ooh,… Another easy thing is those pillsbury croissants,… Put in a tiny all beef smokey,…a tiny spot of cheese,…place on oiled foil and bake in the Traeger grill,… Sprinkle with parm cheese when u take out and convection until golden brown,… Your guests will be sad they only got 3 of them :slight_smile: Happy Cooking!!

Safety notes. If you cook in it,… Of course it gets hot. You cook on a stove top,… The stove gets hot,… You cook in an oven and where the heat rises,…it also gets hot. Yes the auger feeds pellets - that’s how it works,… If you want - I am sure you could easily attach a lock to close it. On a side note,… I have plenty of nieces and nephews and babies,… I would not let them around the gas grill,… Why would I think a wood fired oven with a wood flame is fine to touch,… It is always safety first.

Pellet costs I have found are not too much more than a propane tank. 21 for a tank and $19 for a 20lb bag of wood pellets. I did find that with my wood pellet stove - I cooked a whole lot more on it than I ever did on my monster gas grill,… My huge gas grill,…it is mostly used to light cigars on one of the side burners. :slight_smile:

6

If you can afford it, get a big green egg.

Love these things. You can smoke, sear, everything in between.

Easy to clean up. Uses real wood charcoal.