Move from Propane & Charcoal to Traeger?

[mlondon]

Would like to get some advice about purchasing a Trager.

I mostly use the grill for steaks, burgers, whole fish, veggies, oysters. I like a large surface area so I can create different zones and cook a variety of foods at once. I like being able to put small cast iron frying pans on it to heat up small appetizers, etc. Mostly cooking for 2 people, occasionally up to 4 or 6 (especially once we are all back to having people over for dinner again!)
I have never done any smoking/briskets/ribs/etc. Not opposed to that, but just have never gotten into it.

I have a Kamado Joe Big Joe that I really like. Plenty of surface area on the grill and gets plenty hot. But it takes at least 30 minutes to get the charcoal set, lit, and burned down enough to start cooking. That's fine for a long summer evening when I'm not in a hurry, but sometimes I just want to turn on a grill at cook ASAP. Cleaning the Big Joe, getting the ash out, etc is a PITA.

For quick cooking we have a Weber Q propane. It's underpowered, too small, and there are no zones. But I can turn it on and it gets hot enough to cook in less than 5 minutes. I was thinking of getting a bigger/better propane grill as I really like the convinence and low maintenance.

But I've been hearing about the Trager and wondering if it would be a better choice than a bigger/better propane grill?
How quickly can I go from a cold grill to ready-to-cook?
I like the idea of cooking over wood, but as stated, I'm not necessary looking for a smoker.

Also, I know this is a Trager forum, but based on some comments here, wondering if RecTec is a better choice?

Thank you.

 

[Slimpicker]

I have the Weber Q also.
A Traeger is not "light and cook" either tho...
It is easier than messing with charcoal but only maybe 50% faster to get to temp, I don't know what you mean by Zones. The left side of most grills are hotter than the right but I don't see that being a zone. Traeger is a convection wood oven with a fan blowing at all times.
And a Traeger will get to 500° but a lot of us don't go over 450° for safety reasons.
A Traeger is not a GASSER and won't really replace one, BUT, I throw my meat on a lot of times before I even IGNITE my grill... so what if it sat thru the warm-up, that don't bother me.

And you do need to vacuum out the ash in a Traeger, clean the fire pot, load pellets, change the grease trap area, rotate the tires, etc.
It's not maintenance free and you WILL buy accessories, so beware.

 

[Timmy]

I dont do steaks, burgers on my Traeger. I either use my gas grill or I really like my Blackstone griddle for cooking, it has more of the "zones" you a looking for. We do breakfast on it alot, eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns,pancakes, etc., all cooking at the same time. I'm not familiar with RecTec so I can't comment on them. Some members got grill grates for there Traegers for grilling. I'm not going to as I am not going to cook that hot much.

 

[GrillMeister]

Plenty of room on a Traeger for cooking all those items. I do burgers on the Traeger all the time and they turn out great. Give those steaks a smoke bath for an hour at 180 F, then sear them on your gasser. Best way to cook a steak, especially a thick one to a perfect medium rare.

While this is a Traeger specific forum, all the pellet grills on the market have their pros & cons and every one will have folks with service issues (many are self induced, regardless of brand). I looked at Rec Tec, Yoder, Green Mountain, and others before buying my Ironwood 885 and am very happy with it. Traeger has been responsive (on Facebook) to any issues I have had. Local dealership and support should play into your decision. Costco is a great place with their unbeatable return policy if you end up with a lemon (again, that can happen with all brands)

Whatever your choice in a pellet grill, you can always get great advice on cooking ideas here and great tips & tricks on the Traeger brand of pellet grills.

 

[YYCRed]

Would like to get some advice about purchasing a Trager.

I mostly use the grill for steaks, burgers, whole fish, veggies, oysters. I like a large surface area so I can create different zones and cook a variety of foods at once. I like being able to put small cast iron frying pans on it to heat up small appetizers, etc. Mostly cooking for 2 people, occasionally up to 4 or 6 (especially once we are all back to having people over for dinner again!)
I have never done any smoking/briskets/ribs/etc. Not opposed to that, but just have never gotten into it.

I have a Kamado Joe Big Joe that I really like. Plenty of surface area on the grill and gets plenty hot. But it takes at least 30 minutes to get the charcoal set, lit, and burned down enough to start cooking. That's fine for a long summer evening when I'm not in a hurry, but sometimes I just want to turn on a grill at cook ASAP. Cleaning the Big Joe, getting the ash out, etc is a PITA.

For quick cooking we have a Weber Q propane. It's underpowered, too small, and there are no zones. But I can turn it on and it gets hot enough to cook in less than 5 minutes. I was thinking of getting a bigger/better propane grill as I really like the convinence and low maintenance.

But I've been hearing about the Trager and wondering if it would be a better choice than a bigger/better propane grill?
How quickly can I go from a cold grill to ready-to-cook?
I like the idea of cooking over wood, but as stated, I'm not necessary looking for a smoker.

Also, I know this is a Trager forum, but based on some comments here, wondering if RecTec is a better choice?

Thank you.

If you are looking for those distinctive charred grill marks from a Traeger, you will need some Grill Grates. Otherwise, you are just "baking" your food.

 

[Murphy's Law]

I am new to Traeger (and pellet grilling in general) and so far I really like it. I have a nice Weber Genesis with three "zones" and a "sear station" but I rarely use the Weber now. I cook just about everything on the Traeger, including some really good vegetable dishes and appetizers. I have the Weber Q as well but that is pretty much my camp grill only.

What I enjoy is the versatility I get with this grill. I can cook a steak as I normally would (higher temps and shorter cook) or last night I put them on at a low temp for about an hour and got a nice wood/smoke profile (not overwhelming but subtle), then raised temp to 500 and got a good sear. You can do a long, slow cook (pulled pork, brisket, etc). Heck, you can just about cook anything. And you also have the versatility of moving from one "flavor" to another with all the pellet options on the market.

I have the Pro 780 so there is plenty of cooking space for a few steaks, a cast iron pan or two for side dishes, a loaf of bread, etc. You'll easily prepare entire meals if you so choose.

Yes, it does require maintenance but it takes about 5 mins to vacuum, clean and get ready for the next cook, and you don't have to do that after every cook. This will be the same with any pellet or charcoal grill.

It's a more expensive cook compared to propane but you can find pellets at under $10 a bag just about anywhere so you don't have to buy the $20 Traeger pellets and the small cost difference is worth it (again, one man's opinion).

You also mentioned you don't want a "smoker". I had a misperception that Traeger = smoker and that's really not true at all; in fact, people who buy pellet grills for this purpose are often disappointed and you will see many "lack of smoke" threads on various forums. You'll get a wood fired, smoke smell and flavor but nothing like an offset smoker. As mentioned above, it's a wood fired oven essentially and you have complete control over time and temperature.

I am getting rather windy but one more thought...download the Traeger app or visit their web site and look at some of the recipes and video's. That should give you a pretty good feel for what the grill is all about, as well. Even if you don't buy a Traeger it is a pretty good resource.

Good luck on your cooking journey!

 

[Switz]

I have cooked on Weber gas grills for over 50 years. I have a the top of the line six burner built in on the patio now. I can do a decent job with that grill on almost anything the wife wants keto cook..

I also have tried a medium Big Green Egg with little results because we suddenly had no open fires at our summer Airstream only camp ground in the mountains due to a lack of rain. So the BGE has made several trips from Phoenix to the mountains and each year the no open fire rule killed it's use.

I find I need a different mind set as compared to the Weber. I have a couple of Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen and two of their Signals four port temperature monitoring device. The latter is really necessary as the Traeger temp system leaves a lot to be desired. I have found that one needs to create a reality table to determine what number the Traeger needs to display to hit the real number desired on the Thermoworks equipment.

Then after joining the Traeger forum, the possibilities for "necessary" accessories opens wide stressing the wife's patience.

Switching between wood types is really easy but does require a Lowe's white food quality five gallons bucket with sealing screw on lid for each wood type to keep them dry. Also a small Stanley stainless steel wet/dry vac is useful to get the ashes out.

The Traeger was an impulse buy when at CostCo on 4 DEC 2020. If I had paused and done thorough research, I probably would have gone with the top model (Timberline 1300) which is about twice ($1.999.00) what the CostCo unit cost. However, where I have the Traeger now it is about 8" away from a concrete block wall. The chimney keeps the smoke and heat away from the concrete block wall. The 1300 vents out the back, so a significant space is necessary to keep from sorting and smoking the wall.

Lots of nuances to consider.....

 

[Jim G]

I also have a Genesis and a Ironwood 885. I use my Weber for cooks over 350 and the Traeger for under 350. I chose the IW 885 because the Timberline grease mgmt system was too much like my SmokeFire.

 

[nhighnote414]

For more than 50 years, I've cooked on Weber gas barbecues. On the patio, I now have a top-of-the-line six-burner built in. I can cook nearly anything the wife asks me to keto cook on that grill.

Due to a lack of rain, we had no open fires at our summer Airstream only camp area in the highlands, so I tried a medium Big Green Egg with mixed results. So far, the BGE has made many journeys from Phoenix to the mountains, but the no open fire regulation has prevented it from being used each year.
I'm getting a little carried away, but here's another idea...download the Traeger app or go to their website and check out some of the recipes and videos. That should also give you a decent idea of what the grill is all about. It's a good resource even if you don't buy a Traeger.

Best of luck on your culinary adventure!

 

[TheGrumpyGriller]

As you can see....lots of opinions and yours is the most important for whatever you get I use my T-1300 for virtually everything and I also have various accessories, including the Grill Grates. I often use a cast iron skillet as well.

I haven't used my gasser in 6+ months, making everything from brisket, to pulled pork, to filet mignon and shrimp. That being said, I do plan on asking Mrs. Claus for a 36" Blackstone Griddle for Christmas to allow for some additional versatility!

 

[TF_Member6575]

Would like to get some advice about purchasing a Trager.

I mostly use the grill for steaks, burgers, whole fish, veggies, oysters. I like a large surface area so I can create different zones and cook a variety of foods at once. I like being able to put small cast iron frying pans on it to heat up small appetizers, etc. Mostly cooking for 2 people, occasionally up to 4 or 6 (especially once we are all back to having people over for dinner again!)
I have never done any smoking/briskets/ribs/etc. Not opposed to that, but just have never gotten into it.

I have a Kamado Joe Big Joe that I really like. Plenty of surface area on the grill and gets plenty hot. But it takes at least 30 minutes to get the charcoal set, lit, and burned down enough to start cooking. That's fine for a long summer evening when I'm not in a hurry, but sometimes I just want to turn on a grill at cook ASAP. Cleaning the Big Joe, getting the ash out, etc is a PITA.

For quick cooking we have a Weber Q propane. It's underpowered, too small, and there are no zones. But I can turn it on and it gets hot enough to cook in less than 5 minutes. I was thinking of getting a bigger/better propane grill as I really like the convinence and low maintenance.

But I've been hearing about the Trager and wondering if it would be a better choice than a bigger/better propane grill?
How quickly can I go from a cold grill to ready-to-cook?
I like the idea of cooking over wood, but as stated, I'm not necessary looking for a smoker.

Also, I know this is a Trager forum, but based on some comments here, wondering if RecTec is a better choice?

Thank you.

My Traeger takes longer to heat up that using Fogo or Jealous Devil lump in my Weber 22" kettle