So disappointed ....

[Murphy's Law]

Ran an Honest test this week cooking steaks and burgers on various platforms ranked in order if goodness. No rubs or sauces, a pinch of S&P and let rest on counter for 20 minutes. Same steaks from same Butcher. Same Burgers from same Butcher. I Do Not eat store bought meat, pure road kill. This is actual results.

1.) Weber Charcoal with Fogo Lump ignited with torch. Moderate heat up time , GREAT sear at 600F short cook time GREAT TASTE !!!
2.) Weber Genesis-B gasser - Seared @600F, Short warm up time, missing the fire taste but OK
3.) Traeger Pro22 - 40 minute warm up , cooked for 20 minutes while heating up cast iron on gasser, reverse sear, takes too long flavor is meh ...

I think we all could have saved you the trouble and told you those results! I never cook steaks or burgers on the Traeger.

Traeger is good for what it’s good for - slow cooks and/or low temp cooks (ie seafood).

Gas is meh but good for quick cooks and or high heat cooks.

Charcoal is best for flavor out of all the methods above. I cook my burgers and steaks over indirect heat and then throw them over the coals for a sear. Makes for a great meal!

 

[Dan-H]

Microwave ovens don't make grilled cheese sandwiches very crispy.

 

[T from FL]

Ran an Honest test this week cooking steaks and burgers on various platforms ranked in order if goodness. No rubs or sauces, a pinch of S&P and let rest on counter for 20 minutes. Same steaks from same Butcher. Same Burgers from same Butcher. I Do Not eat store bought meat, pure road kill. This is actual results.

1.) Weber Charcoal with Fogo Lump ignited with torch. Moderate heat up time , GREAT sear at 600F short cook time GREAT TASTE !!!
2.) Weber Genesis-B gasser - Seared @600F, Short warm up time, missing the fire taste but OK
3.) Traeger Pro22 - 40 minute warm up , cooked for 20 minutes while heating up cast iron on gasser, reverse sear, takes too long flavor is meh ...

But maybe an alternative to a pellet (for you) would be your charcoal grill with an aftermarket temperature controller? Sort of The Best of both worlds in that regard. You can do low and slow. And hot and fast. Although you have the gasser for hot and fast too. So you've got options.

I've done a lot of reverse seer on charcoal. Taste good. I also cooked a lot of steaks on my aluminum grillgrates. No charcoal flavor, but it tastes like a steakhouse steak. Both good, but different, IMO.

Burgers? Ever since I started making smash burgers with 80/20 ground beef and a pinch of kosher salt, I haven't made a regular burger on a grill. They cook so fast there's no time to pick up any charcoal flavor if I make them on charcoal.

 

[TF_Member6575]

But maybe an alternative to a pellet (for you) would be your charcoal grill with an aftermarket temperature controller? Sort of The Best of both worlds in that regard. You can do low and slow. And hot and fast. Although you have the gasser for hot and fast too. So you've got options.

I've done a lot of reverse seer on charcoal. Taste good. I also cooked a lot of steaks on my aluminum grillgrates. No charcoal flavor, but it tastes like a steakhouse steak. Both good, but different, IMO.

Burgers? Ever since I started making smash burgers with 80/20 ground beef and a pinch of kosher salt, I haven't made a regular burger on a grill. They cook so fast there's no time to pick up any charcoal flavor if I make them on charcoal.

Need the cast iron for reverse sear for sure ..

 

[Bfhouse]

My first impression of my Grillgrates on my 575... I turned up to 500 and grilled a Strip steak, approx 1" thick... Did the 2 minutes, rotate same side, 2 minutes, Flip, 2 minutes, rotate, 2 minutes... Steaks were almost 140 degrees... Gave another 2 minutes and removed at 140 degrees. Very adequate grill marks on both sides and and after resting a perfect medium rare... I'm happy with these results. Looking forward to trying hamburgers and kabobs. Will remove Grillgrates for the low and slow stuff.

 

[T from FL]

My first impression of my Grillgrates on my 575... I turned up to 500 and grilled a Strip steak, approx 1" thick... Did the 2 minutes, rotate same side, 2 minutes, Flip, 2 minutes, rotate, 2 minutes... Steaks were almost 140 degrees... Gave another 2 minutes and removed at 140 degrees. Very adequate grill marks on both sides and and after resting a perfect medium rare... I'm happy with these results. Looking forward to trying hamburgers and kabobs. Will remove Grillgrates for the low and slow stuff.

Like this?

 

[Bfhouse]

I'm likin' that!! Good work!!

 

[chefdepartyG]

How do you prime auger on Traeger Tailgater?

 

[JPSBBQ]

How do you prime auger on Traeger Tailgater?

Not 100% sure but I think push up arrow and ignite buttons at same time. Once it engages you let off the buttons. Can’t remember if you have to manually stop the prime or it shuts off. If it doesn’t shut off by itself I think just press the center button. Or shut it off via power switch. Usually there is a timer count down on units with auto prime. Good luck.

 

[T from FL]

You make great steaks and probably have it to an art for yourself, but this opening and closing the lid this many times is what I can't get a hold off... but like I said, you can so POINTS for you.

I don't think the lid has to be down when searing as part of the reverse sear method. The internal temp is supposed to be close to where you want it. The searing won't affect the internal temperature that much.

So no need to have to lid down because not really trying to cook the meat. Just affect the outside layer.

That's my experience.

 

[Scootlaroo]

I got my Pro22 6 months ago, got caught up in the Traeger hype. First off it is a SMOKER not a GRILL unlike what they say. I prefer a good Oak fire/grill flavor, Traeger stopped making OAK pellets !!!! But even more than that the food sux. Can't make a steak worth a darn, start slow, take steak off grill, put on cast iron crank up heat ,wait, put steak in cast iron, A REAL PITA. Burgers take 20 minutes to cook, even at the 475 degree setting, POS

The times in recipes are too short by almost 50% !!! The dial settings for temp is 1 or 2 clicks off on the cold side. The recipes are very heavy and greasy. I am so pissed I spent all this money on something that makes worse food than my weber gas/charcoal grills. I will be listing my Traeger on Craigs list soon and buy a Big Green Egg.

I was at an Egg Fest past weekend. I tasted food that was 10x better than my Traeger produced. Had the great Oak/Hickory flavor. The BGE is a grill and a smoker, I watched them in action.

Sorry for the rant ....

I wholeheartedly agree! I have too of the li e timberline, and guess what? Everything is 2-3 hours longer! It’s a smoker! I fire up my gas or my charcoal to finish a true sear!

 

[Ray Reiter]

I got my Pro22 6 months ago, got caught up in the Traeger hype. First off it is a SMOKER not a GRILL unlike what they say. I prefer a good Oak fire/grill flavor, Traeger stopped making OAK pellets !!!! But even more than that the food sux. Can't make a steak worth a darn, start slow, take steak off grill, put on cast iron crank up heat ,wait, put steak in cast iron, A REAL PITA. Burgers take 20 minutes to cook, even at the 475 degree setting, POS

The times in recipes are too short by almost 50% !!! The dial settings for temp is 1 or 2 clicks off on the cold side. The recipes are very heavy and greasy. I am so pissed I spent all this money on something that makes worse food than my weber gas/charcoal grills. I will be listing my Traeger on Craigs list soon and buy a Big Green Egg.

I was at an Egg Fest past weekend. I tasted food that was 10x better than my Traeger produced. Had the great Oak/Hickory flavor. The BGE is a grill and a smoker, I watched them in action.

Sorry for the rant ....

Traegers are slow cookers, grills are high heat charing machines. They have attempted to make the traegers do both, but they only do the slow cook well.
Get a sear box, or grill to do your searing, and let the traegers do the other magic.
A grill and a traeger work magic together...A not disappointed Traeger owner of 4+ years
Traeger=Low and Slow

 

[BobbyQ]

Unfortunately, the Traeger hype needs to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun). I've tried steaks, tri tips and burgers and found it takes too long with so-so results. So, I bought a Weber Original kettle for the quick stuff and I use the Ironwood for smoking brisket, ribs and pork butt. That's where it shines.

 

[Shedd]

Well I actually thought the same thing since I’ve owned my 780 Pro it never went much over 300 but recently I’ve found a new love for it. I’ve never been fond of smoked burgers or smoked beef for that matter until recently. My son recently got a 575 Pro and has been cooking burgers, I absolutely loved them. So here’s what I do. Set at 500 and after it reaches temp I place my burgers on the grate, set my timer for 7 minutes. After timer goes off I flip and go another 7 minutes. I fresh grind my burgers to around a 80/20 the afternoon before and I season them both sides and let them sit in the refrigerator until they hit the grate. They are delicious, juicy and just the right amount of smoke. I actually just cooked 44 burgers last weekend for a family gathering, I can fit 15 at a time on it and it’s still 7 minutes per side for a medium burger. I use the Costco brand pellet’s.

 

[Larry C]

Yes, I have been eye ballin the Blackstone too. It looks really versatile and would bang out a hella breakfast for the whole family with ease. I am not sure how hot the surface gets for a sear tho.... induction plate and cast iron will still be cheaper if thats the only goal

I have a Blackstone 22" - 2 burner, it's great for searing. Also for fried rice, pancakes, etc.