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Traeger grills specialize in wood pellet grills (unlike the Weber grills). They are versatile as not only can you grill on them, but you can smoke, bake, roast, braise, and barbecue. In this article, we will be telling you more about Traeger grills and the benefits of a wood pellet grill. We will also give you our top choices of Traeger grills.
Table of Contents
- How Do Traeger Grills Work?
- Pros of Pellet Smoking
- Cons of Pellet Smoking
- Are Pellet Grills Better Than Charcoal?
- Final Thoughts
In a hurry? This is our winner!
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Traeger Grill Reviews – Comparison Table
Traeger Grill – Reviews
The Ironwood series of grills that Traeger produces are innovative which is why we chose this grill as our top pick. It has WIFIRE technology which means that you can control the grill from the comfort of an easy chair. All you have to do is set the app on your cell phone. You will be able to check up on the temperature and set the cooking times. The grill also has a pellet scanner which tells you when you need to add more wood.
You can choose if you want to cook hot and fast or low and slow. You can braise, barbecue, grill, smoke, bake, or roast on this grill. If you want to smoke; all you have to do is press the smoker button and the temperature won’t go above 225F. You will also get a smoke ring on your food.
It is easy to use as all you have to do is set the grill temperature and the time you want your food to cook for and then you can just leave it. What can be easier than that? It is as simple as putting your oven on and you will get great results as the temperature stays consistent. The automatic ignition starts the hot rod and that ignites the wood pellets. There is a fan with variable speeds that will circulate heat and smoke around your meat.
The grill has 650 square inches of cooking space which is enough to cook 5 racks of ribs or 8 chickens. You’ll certainly be able to feed a crowd. The hopper capacity is 20 pounds which means that you will be able to leave it for 20 hours without having to add more wood pellets. The unit is made from a durable steel construction.
- NEVER USE GAS OR CHARCOAL AGAIN: Traeger created the original wood-pellet grill as the ultimate way to achieve wood-fired taste; The Ironwood 650 takes it to the next level with precise temperature control. 500 °F Max Temp
- CONNECTED HOME TECHNOLOGY: WiFIRE technology connects your grill to home WiFi and the Traeger app allows the user to control the grill from anywhere; Alexa technology allows you to do it all by voice
- VERSATILE BARBECUE COOKING: The Ironwood 650 pellet grill offers 6-in-1 versatility to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ all on the same grill; The Porcelain grill grates makes clean up a breeze
- THE MARKET LEADER IN PELLET GRILLS: The Traeger Ironwood is the best-selling pellet grill; The upgraded the Ironwood with D2 drivetrain starts quicker, heats up faster, and puts out better quality smoke
- BUILT FOR FAMILY COOKING: 650 sq in of grilling space that can accommodate eight chickens, or five rib racks, or six pork butts effortlessly; The built-in meat probe allows you to cook to perfection
- 650 square inches of cooking space
- Hopper capacity of 20 pounds
- Can be controlled by a Wi-Fi app
- Automatic ignition
- Can cook in 6 different ways including grilling and smoking
- Made from durable steel
- A fan circulates heat and smoke
- A couple of customers complained that the Wi-Fi didn’t work
This Traeger grill is sturdy and durable. It is made from steel with a powder coat finish and will stand up to the elements. It has porcelain grill grates that are easy to clean. All you have to do is wash them in warm soapy water and then rinse in clear water.
It is very versatile as you can grill, smoke, bake, braise, barbecue, and roast on it. It can reach a wide variety of temperatures for whatever you want to cook; 165F – 500F. It has precision temperature control, so it maintains the temperature to 15 degrees either way. You won’t get undercooked or burnt meat.
The grill is 380 square inches in size and it can accommodate 12 burgers, 3 racks of ribs, or 2 chickens. Because the barrel is big you can even cook a turkey. Your Thanksgiving dinner is sorted!
Other benefits include an electronic auto-start ignition, dual meat probes so you can keep an eye on the temperature of your meat, and a trap door through which you can clean out ash and add pellets. You won’t get a lot of ash with a wood pellet grill, so clean-up is easy.
- Never use gas or charcoal again: cooking with wood just tastes better. Traeger created the original wood-pellet grill as the ultimate way to achieve wood-fired taste.
- Versatile barbecue cooking: hot and fast, or low and slow, the Traeger Renegade Pro pellet grill offers 6-in-1 versatility to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ food to juicy perfection.
- Precision temperature control: The Digital Pro Controller rocks Advanced Grilling Logic, which maintains a +/- 15 degree F temperature control to guarantee precision grilling.
- Sturdy and Durable: Powerful steel construction and durable powder coat finish, easy to clean porcelain grill grates and all-terrain wheels.
- Perfect size for the at-home cook: 380 sq. in. cooking capacity that can accomodate 2 chickens, 3 racks of ribs or 12 burgers.
- Easy to assemble
- Made from sturdy and durable steel
- Easy to clean porcelain grill grates
- 380 square inches of cooking space
- Dual meat temperature probes
- Electronic auto-start ignition
- A couple of customers complained that the temperature fluctuated
This grill is made from durable steel so it should stand up to all weathers. It comes with 3 aluminum basket liners and drip tray liners.
It has built-in WIFIRE technology so you can switch it on, change the temperature, set the timer, and keep an eye on the level of your wood pellets, all from the comfort of your couch. It is also Alexa enabled so you can control it with your voice.
Like the previous Traeger grills, it has 6 – in – 1 capability. You can smoke, grill, braise, roast, bake, and barbecue.
It has 575 square inches of cooking space which means that you could cook 24 burgers on it at any one time or 5 racks of ribs. The hopper holds 18 pounds of pellets which will give you around 18 hours of cooking time.
For faster grilling, this grill comes with the innovative D2 Direct Drive drivetrain. It has a fan with variable speeds which both stokes the fire and circulates heat and smoke around your food.
It has 2 wheels so you can move it easily.
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- Made from steel
- 575 square inches of cooking space
- 18-pound hopper
- Can operate from your smartphone
- Alexa enabled
- Short power cord
- 1 customer complained that it didn’t have any power going in from day 1
This wood pellet grill and smoker is a little different to the ones we have been looking at so far as it is oven shaped. It is ideal for travel and it will work if you plug it into your car battery. It’s great if you’re going tailgating or visiting an RV park or campsite.
It is durable as it is made from porcelain and it comes with porcelain grill grates and a cast-iron griddle. On the griddle, you will be able to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast and vegetables and fish cook better on it than on the grill grates.
There are 184 square inches of cooking space which is plenty big enough for a family of four, if not more. Although it is a compact unit, the hopper will hold 8 pounds of wood pellets. Traeger recommends that you use their hardwood pellets which are 70% oak and 30% flavored wood.
Other benefits include a digital arc controller so that you can set the temperature you want, a keep warm mode, a meat probe, and lid latches. It will heat up to a temperature of 450F so you can grill on it as well as smoke at a lower temperature. The convection fan gives an excellent smoky flavor to your food. There is a drip bucket to catch the grease from your food which makes for easy cleaning.
For safety, you need 12 inches of spacing all around the grill and at least 40 inches above it.
- Digital Arc Controller
- Advanced Grilling Logic for precise temperature performance
- Easy-to-clean porcelain-coated grill grates & Separate Cast Iron Griddle Included
- Meat Probe
- Keep Warm Mode helps your food to stay warm until you're ready to eat
- LComes with both grill grates and a cast-iron griddle
- Made from porcelain
- Comes with a meat probe
- Drip bucket
- Digital arc controller
- 1 customer complained that the controller didn’t work and nor did the replacement
- 1 customer complained that grease ran down the sides and stained the patio
This is another oven shaped grill which is great for use either at home or on the road. It is similar to the Ranger, but it doesn’t come with a griddle and the hopper holds just 5 pounds of pellets. Still, that will last you for around 5 hours.
The grill is made from porcelain and has a porcelain-coated grill grate. It gives 184 square inches of cooking space which is adequate for cooking 10 hot dogs, 6 burgers, or 6 chicken breasts.
Other benefits include a digital pro controller so you can set both the temperature and the time, a meat probe meaning that you don’t have to lift the lid to check the temperature of your food, and lid latches for easy transportation. You can set the temperature in 25-degree increments.
- Digital Pro Controller
- Meat Probe
- Lid Latches
- Porcelain-coated grill grate
- 184 sq. in. grilling area
- Made from porcelain
- Porcelain-coated grill grate
- 184 square inches of cooking space
- Digital pro controller
- 2 customers complained that they couldn’t control the temperature
Traeger Grill Reviews – Buyers Guide
How Do Traeger Grills Work?
The majority of Traeger grills have a hopper in which you put the wood pellets. They work on all-natural hardwood pellets and you can choose from a wide variety of woods, including oak, mesquite, apple, and cherry. The pellets are moved to the fire pot by an auger where they are ignited. The higher you set the temperature; the more wood pellets are dispensed. There is a fan that circulates the heat and the smoke making for even heating. You don’t get any hot and cold spots on the grill which could mean that some of your food is undercooked and other parts are burnt. All Traeger grills have a drip tray so they are easy to clean. The drip tray also prevents flare-ups as extra fat goes in there rather than staying on the grill grates. Check out how other grill brands work in our articles.
Pros of Pellet Smoking
- You get a wood-smoked flavor on your food.
- Easy to operate, unlike charcoal which needs tending throughout the cooking process.
- They are economical as they burn just 1 pound of pellets per hour.
- You don’t have to transport bulky propane tanks as you do with gas grills.
- There are no flare-ups, unlike gas grills. A fan circulates the air and the firepot is shielded from the food by the drip tray and a heat deflector.
- The weather doesn’t have a big effect on the temperature. Wood pellet grills generally stay within 15 degrees of the temperature which has been set. If you want to cook in the winter, you can just put the grill on and leave while you sit in the warmth of your home.
- Wood pellet grills are great for people who don’t have the time to watch over a charcoal grill. With a wood pellet grill, all you have to do is press the power button and set the temperature. That’s it. Yes, you can do this with a gas grill, but you won’t get the same smoky flavor.
Cons of Pellet Smoking
- Using a wood pellet grill needs electricity to work things like the auger so it’s not the best if you want to take it camping or tailgating. However, some can plug into the car’s battery.
- They are not recommended for wet weather because of the electrics.
- They don’t sear meat that well. You can get a temperature of 500F from a wood pellet grill, but meat sears better at 600 – 700F. You can get this temperature easily with a charcoal grill.
Are Pellet Grills Better Than Charcoal?
Both wood pellet grills and charcoal grills have their advantages, but it all depends on what you want from your grill. Wood pellet grills are easy to start and control, much more so than charcoal. You can leave your wood pellet grill to work on its own, while charcoal needs to be tended to. However, charcoal can reach a higher temperature so you will get a better sear with it.
Final Thoughts
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about Traeger grills and have possibly found that one of our choices will suit your needs. They specialize in wood pellet grills and produce their own pellets so you can be assured that you will be cooking with the right fuel source. They produce both large grills and portable ones so you can choose the one which is appropriate for you, or you can even buy two, one for at home and the other for traveling. We stand by our top pick of the Traeger Ironwood grill because you can operate it from your cell phone and there are 650 square inches of cooking space. We hope that you have a great summer smoking or grilling on a Traeger grill.
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