Looking at getting a Traeger Pellet Grill.. insight please!

[mm4l]

Okay, I am looking at getting a Traeger Pellet Grill.. which promises to serve as a BBQ, grill and smoker, using wood pellets/chips that are fed into the ash bin where there is an auto-igniter.



It claims to provide all 3 types of devices and do all 3 well. It smokes at 100 to 180 degrees, it BBQ's at 225 and up and grills at up to 425, all using a precise digital controller and a convection fan. All indirect heat. Supposedly it has all the convenience of gas with the taste and smoke of charcoal.. but, no flare ups and a well designed drip channel with grease catch bucket.

They offer pellets at about $1 a pound with free shipping. The pellets cost more than charcoal or gas and the grills are a bit pricey.. but, they seem like they are a great solution for serious grill and smoker enthusiasts. They come in a wide variety; hickory, mesquite alder, maple, cherry, oak, apple, pecan, etc.. they even have a garlic flavored pellet and a grapevine pellet.

It almost seems too good to be true.
I found a good amount of details at traegeroutlet.com

My questions are:

• Does anyone have any experience with these grills? Any drawbacks?
• Does anyone know of a better pellet grill than the Traegers?
• Does anyone know where to find some great values in quality pellet grills?

Any input or insight would be greatly appreciated.

[Andy M.]

While I can't answeer your questions, I will say that a maximum grill temperature of 425 F is way too low for good grilling.

[QSis]

mm4l, post your questions on the BBQ Forum. www.rbjb.com/rbjb/rbjbboard

There are lots of Traeger and other brand pellet-cooker bbq cooks on that forum.

Lee

[mm4l]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

While I can't answeer your questions, I will say that a maximum grill temperature of 425 F is way too low for good grilling.

My mistake.. the top temp on the gauge is 450 degrees and I am told they actually top out at 500-550 directly over the fire box, which is said to be a hot-spot on the grill.

What would you cite at the preferred max temp for a grill?

Qsis, will check out that BBQ too, thanks.

[Ask-A-Butcher]

Originally Posted by mm4l

Any input or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Make sure you have a dealer nearby. You can save lots of money on shipping and handling that way. Not to mention any warranty issues. Plus, it helps the local economy.

I know folks that have Traegers and the only complaint is the lack of smoke the pellets deliver.

[Jeekinz]

Originally Posted by mm4l

My mistake.. the top temp on the gauge is 450 degrees and I am told they actually top out at 500-550 directly over the fire box, which is said to be a hot-spot on the grill.

What would you cite at the preferred max temp for a grill?

Qsis, will check out that BBQ too, thanks.

I only use high temp for the sear or to clean the grates, then the heat is turned way down to finish cooking. As long as you can sear somewhere you'll be fine. Good luck with it.

[scottspray]

I've owned a Traeger for about 5 years. Pretty much performs as advertised. As noted in a few other posts, a little hard to het up to high temps of 450 degreees or better, especially if outside temps are cold. Now that I move from Iowa to Texas, that shouldn't be much of an issue for me anymore! My other beef is the quality of paint and amount of rust on my unit. The paint looked great when I bought it, but I had more rust after 3 years on my $1200 unit than I did on my Weber kettle after 15 or 20 years. Supposedly they made improvements to the paint within the last couple of years, so that might be less of an issue now. Also, some of the newer units have more stainless steel than mine does, which also will reduce the rust issue. The great thing about it is that it is about as foolproof as you can get, will hold most any temp you want within a pretty small range for as long as you want. Overall, I'm happy with the unit, just wish the paint was of higher quality.