Should You Replace Your Gas Grill For A Traeger Wood Pellet Grill
Traeger Wood Pellet Grill
Maybe.
Pellet grills are best suited for smoking and “low and slow” cooking.
You have better temperature control on a Traeger, and you won’t have to flip a burger every five minutes.
You can also smoke a roast for eight hours and have it ready after work with countless flavor combinations.
If you are the type of person who can wait or plan, you will love a pellet grill.
However, if you love to sear and char your food, a pellet stove cannot. Its 500-degree max temperature cannot sear or cook quickly.
So that BBQ you are planning with eight burgers, ten hot dogs, and five pieces of chicken will probably not go well with a pellet grill – unless you start it hours ahead.
If you are that type of griller, then you will despise a pellet grill.
That said, how will you use your grill?
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Is Traeger Smoked Meat Bad For You
Burning wood pellets, poured by grilling expert Brendan Burek, into a chute on the left side of a Traeger grill, doesnt necessarily make for healthier grilling. Cooking meats with charcoal or gas grills can cause the formation of compounds called heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons .
Traeger Tfb65lzbc Grills Texas Elite 34 Wood Pellet Grill Review
Traeger TFB65LZBC is easy to use, from start to finish and can do more than grill. You can use it to smoke, braise, roast, bake, and barbecue.
In relation, it has a grilling surface area of 646 square inches, perfect for 24 burgers, 32 hot dogs, 9 rib racks and 6 whole chickens. You can easily cook the main course and dessert at once.
Besides, you can set its temperature to cook slow and low at smoke setting or have it high at 450 degrees F. Moreover, it has an electronic auto-start ignition for a quick start and can be fueled by different flavored wood pellets.
It has a strong built of durable steel, with a powder coat finish.
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Why Are Traeger Grills So Expensive Are They Worth It
June 25, 2020 By David
Buying a Traeger grill requires spending a serious amount of money. Traegers price tags shock a lot of people, especially if they have just been checking out the Pit Boss grills at Walmart. So what gives? How come Traegers are so expensive and, more importantly, are they worth it?
Traeger grills are expensive due to the use of advanced technology and the expenses related to Research and Development, Legal and Marketing. While Traeger makes excellent grills there are other companies that make equivalent or better pellet grills which are also less expensive. With a singular exception, Traeger grills are not worth the price given the products from other high quality pellet grill manufacturers.
Lets look at the components that go into the price tag of a Traeger grill in more detail, check out some alternative manufacturers and then look at the only Traeger that is worth the money.
Is Camp Chef Made In China
Another big American company well-known for their grills is Camp Chef. But, what you might not know is that their grills are actually made in China. The company was founded in the 1990s and quickly became one of the big names in grilling, but they actually outsource all of their manufacturing work to China.
That being said, the majority of the company is still based in the USA. All the designs and research for products is conducted in America, and even the prototypes are created here. But, when it comes to mass production, all the work is completed in China then shipped to the USA to be sold.
So, yes, in short, Camp Chef is made in China. From all accounts, it seems that production for this company has always taken place in China, despite Camp Chef being well-known as an all-American company.
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How The Pellet Smokers Work
As soon as you switch on the grill or smoker, the ignitor rod in the burn pot at the bottom of the grill gets ignited and draws high wattage of power. The auger mechanism pushes the required wood pellets in the burn pot. The moment, pellets start to burn, the fan blows and provide the necessary oxygen to pellets and the ignitor rod is turned off and power consumption also drops.
Over this burn pot, there is a large deflector plate that absorbs this generated heat and transfers it to the cooking surface.
The temperature controller consists of heat probes that detect the temperature inside and feedbacks this information to the controller and if the inside temperature is below the set temperature, the controller then feeds more pellet and air in the burn pot.
Traeger Grills Models And Cost
Aside from older Traeger models, smaller units, like the Ranger or Tailgater, and store-exclusive grills, like the Century, Texas Elite or Silverton, sold at retailers like Costco, Traeger Grills come in 3 main lines: the Pro Series, the Ironwood Series and the Timberline Series. Each of these series has two grill sizes: a smaller one and a larger one. The smaller grills in each line are always less expensive than the bigger ones, as can be expected. More on the specific comparisons below.
Its important to know that each Traeger basically works the same. They use electricity to burn 100% all-natural, food-grade wood pellets. There is no propane, natural gas or charcoal involved. All you need is access to an electrical outlet and Traeger-brand wood pellets.
The Pro Series grills are the most affordable, theTimberline is the most expensive and theIronwood is somewhere in between.
Buying a Traeger Grill is kind of like buying a car. You can buy the baseline model that comes with standard features, the midline model that comes with a sunroof and leather seats, or the fully-loaded edition that comes with all of the above, plus a 21-speaker sound system, 20 chrome rims, and a bigger engine. Of course, each upgrade comes with a price.
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Traeger Grills Century 22 Pellet Grill And Smoker
Why youll love it:
Heres another quite large grill, only 17 square inches smaller than our winner. It has a darker, black design with much more of a bent towards smoking than grilling this time around. It certainly functions as a grill, but the telltale factors here are the lack of any trays and the side mounted grease bucket all signs that this grill expects you to spend more time sitting back while it goes low and slow than messing around with the meat.
As a smoker this thing is excellent, with the same temperature control technology and smart auger system most Traeger grills has, with a very adjustable chimney and a squat, firm design.
Its sturdily made with good wheels and perfect for setting in place, while being easy to load and use.
Plus, its a lot cheaper than our winner, so if you dont value the storage space and shelving very much, this is a great money saving purchase.
- Easy to load and fire wood pellets.
What we didnt like
- A bit on the heavy side.
- Complete lack of prep shelves or storage space.
Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 Pellet Grill And Smoker Tfb42lzbc Grills
Traeger hasnt stopped making grills that do multiple and caters to diverse cooking needs and has kept the good name and reputation. That is why they bring TFB42LZBC, a grill using wood pellet. These pellets are burned cleanly and efficiently. Experience an entirely new level of grilling experience with this Traeger grill, which never leaves you with burned food but only delicious and savory food recipes.
This Traeger grill has been constructed sturdily and durable as well as it has precise heat to serve you only the best wood-fired food. Indulge in the smoky taste of your food. It comes up with heat and smoke. This cooking method is similar to smoking using hardwood but not needing to split logs. It gives you the real taste of food cooked from pellets. Now, set aside your charcoals and get the cooking done.
This Durable Traeger smoker performs the highest level of versatility at its highest. Enjoy your low, slow, hot, and fast way of barbecuing. In addition, you can do grill, braise, and other things you can imagine. In fact, its capacity is more than enough to cater to whether commercial or personal events.
- The bright orange of the LED display panel
- Grilling surface coat made of Porcelain
- Auto-start
- An easy drain of grease
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Why Is Rotisserie Better
A rotisserie grill is a common method of grilling. It consists of a rotary engine that contains a rod where food is placed. The motor spins the rod, which spins the food attached to the rod, and causes all sides to cook at the same time. It produces more consistent results, heating even the center of the meat because food rotates as it cooks. The advantage of using a rotisserie is that the food gets nice and browned externally while remaining juicy inside.
Traeger Grills Tailgater 20
One word is best used to describe the Tailgater series from Traeger- portability.
If you want to enjoy the comfort and flavor of pellet smoking from a portable grill, then Traeger Grills Tailgater 20 is a smart choice.
The 300 square inches cooking space isnt large. I was able to cook up to 4 racks of ribs. And some other time, I also cooked 2 chickens.
At 62lbs, the weight is minimal, making it easy to transport. The hopper can hold a weight of up to 8lbs. That way, you can cook up to 6 hours without the need to refill.
It features foldable legs that let you transport your grill from to your desired location. However, with its portable feature, you have some other features to lose. For example, Traeger Grills Tailgater 20 has no WIFI feature or more advanced features that you can find in the Ironwood, pro, or Timberline pellet grills.
Even with that, I love the excellent performance of the grill and its capacity to smoke anywhere between 180-450°F.
It also comes with a digital controller that helps you maintain a steady cooking temperature with 20 degrees accuracy.
Although, when camping, grilling with charcoal sounds pretty nice, the versatile nature of a pellet grill is top-notch. That you can grill, smoke, and bake, is the incredible advantages of using pellet smokers.
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Buy The Traeger Grill Thats Right For You
Buying a Traeger grill really boils down to what youre looking for, how much you want to spend and how many mouths you want to feed. Are you a weekend warrior who wants to smoke a rack of ribs a couple times a year? Or do you plan on cranking out brisket, pork butts, legs of lamb, loads of burgers, steaks and veggies any day ending in the letter y?
Either way, no matter which Traeger grill you buy, I think youre getting an amazing product and are going to be cooking some of the best tasting food youve ever enjoyed.
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through the links provided. This is one of the ways I am able to support my blog and provide free articles and recipes for readers.
What Can You Make On A Traeger Grill
I love barbecue and have traveled the country trying the best barbecue joints in places like Nashville and Austin, and Lexington, North Carolina . When I got my Traeger Ironwood, I was excited to smoke some of my favorite meats, like pulled pork and brisket, in hopes of making something semi-comparable to my favorite spots like La Barbecue in Austin, and Pucketts in Leipers Fork, Tennessee. Thanks to Traegers incredible app, we were able to find more than 1600 recipes for both barbecue go-tos and new favorites alike. Aside from pulled pork and beef brisket, we also made ribs, smoked chicken breasts, chicken wings and even smoked salmon.
Traeger
When we had our vegetarian friends over, we smoked potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower and a ton of other vegetables too. The best part was meeting other Traeger owners in-person and online, as everyone would be so excited to a) Hear that I owned a Traeger grill and b) Share their favorite things to make on the grill. It was one of those if you know, you know moments from other happy Traeger owners who immediately felt like fast friends as soon as we brought up our smokers.
Peter Ash Lee
Not everything has to taste smokey simply turn off the smoker setting and use the unit as a grill or makeshift oven, and its instantly a versatile cooking machine on your back porch or in your backyard.
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Just How A Traeger Pellet Grill Works
To start making use of the grill, put wood pellets into a receptacle . Press the beginning button to spark the pellets, which are fed into the fire box with an auger, where a controlled variety of pellets are lit as well as melted.
The auger adjusts the variety of pellets going into the fire box to maintain the preferred temperature. What Does Seasoning A Traeger Grill Do
The system distributes air via the fire box and right into the grill area, allowing for equally distributed heat. This precise control provides the wood pellet grill the ability to carefully regulate temperature level, executing like a wood-fired stove.
Traeger Tfb38tod Renegade Pro Wood Pellet Grill
Like all other Traeger grills mentioned above, Traeger TFB38TOD offers the 6-in-1 versatility. too. It has the perfect size to cook at home. You will have 380 square inch grill area.
Its integrated digital Pro Controller with AGL that lets you keep the temperature within +/- 15 degrees F. No need to fire it up, just turn on the dial and the temperature is on. The grill uses 1 to 3 pounds of pellets/ hour. It would be enough to power the grill for 20 hours on the smoke setting.
The performance of the grill is consistent so your guests and family will enjoy a consistent flavor. Another quality that makes Traeger TFB38TOD easy to use is its all-terrain wheels. There is no need to drag the unit, just push it to move wherever you want.
Pros
- You will get a reliable degree of heat to cook juicy and flavorful meat,
- Its easy to assemble and use.
- Cleaning grease from the grill doesnt take much time.
Cons
- Watch out for damages because of shipping mishandling.
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Traeger Grills Select Elite Wood Pellet Grill
Why youll love it:
This is the Big Kahuna of Traeger Grills. It combines everything that made any other grill on this list a good choice, save two: Its not easily portable , and it doesnt have the side grease drain.
What it does have is an even better front shelf around the grill, giving you plenty of space to rest your utensils, tools, trays, plates, and whatever else you need, without even the annoyance of it is a grate , and even MORE storage space underneath, giving you a whole cabinet to work with.
Im a real sucker for this kind of thing because I NEVER have enough shelf or storage space anywhere I live, so being able to combine multiple things into one space makes me excited every time. In this case, storage space is storage space. While you can store your grill related stuff here, it also gives you extra space for, say, a toolbox or something to get it out from under your feet whenever you walk on your back porchbut I digress.
The smoker box remains and is slightly larger than the others. In fact, everything is a bit larger than others on this list. It boasts an enormous 589 square inches of grilling space with an 18 lb hopper capacity. This is basically your nuclear option for grill space: if everybodys not fed with this bad boy you must be trying to feed an army or something.
And as you might expect, big size comes with a big price tag: It will run you near to a thousand bucks on average.
What we liked
What we didnt like
Z Grills 2021 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker
The Z Grills ZPG-7002E 2021 8-in-1 New Model takes place for wanting to grill. Its functions in multiple ways, namely char-grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, searing, braising, barbecuing, and grilling. This grill includes its own pellet and temperature system for controlling. Just set what you have to, and this machine performs its cooking.
It also comes with steels, which are stainless. These eliminate deterioration of this machine to make sure you use this machine to its fullest until the longest time. Be amazed and satisfied with the technology involved in this grill. This grill has been made much better than no malfunctions are noted instead only the best features stand out, making you love this machine like no other.
Turn your evening into memorable dinner with a touch of the traditional way of cooking with Z GRILL-ZPG 7002E. Have your food seared and even better with this grill. It is multi-purpose that doesnt require you much effort to serve you only the best. Rock your events with this Z Grill model, from a simple family, get together parties to special occasions, like anniversaries and birthday parties.
- Cooking space: 19. 2 x 26 inches
- Dimensions: 6. 9 x 27. 5 inches
- Total rack surface area measures 700 square inches
- Weighs: 20 pounds
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