So disappointed ....

T

TF_Member6575

Guest
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 ....
 
Not sure what the issues are. I bought my Traeger a little over a year ago and have not had one thing on it that was not great, and better then I had ever had with my gasser.

My first advice would be to get some other way to check your temp probe. I know it sucks but they are notorious for being off, some by as much as 40 degrees or more at higher temps. That might explain the cook time issues your having.
 
Did you seriously come here just to complain or to maybe seek some advice?
 
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 ....

Plenty of other brands that offer oak pellets. Check out B&B pellets. They offer a post oak blend.
 
Not sure what the issues are. I bought my Traeger a little over a year ago and have not had one thing on it that was not great, and better then I had ever had with my gasser.

My first advice would be to get some other way to check your temp probe. I know it sucks but they are notorious for being off, some by as much as 40 degrees or more at higher temps. That might explain the cook time issues your having.
I will do some troubleshooting on the temp probe. I always keep it shiny clean. THANKS !!!!

The 3 things that bug me the most are:
1.) Takes 30+ minutes to get over 350 degrees
2.) can't sear a steak unless you do the reverse sear method which is a pita and takes along time.
3.) Times and temperature are all off. For Beer Can Chicken recipe states 1:30 cook time at 350 degrees. Takes 2 hours on mine

I have the grill on the non wind side of house. I a corner where garages meet house. No wind at all, can light a match and won't blow out. Traeger stopped producing Oak Pellets, my favorite. It is built fairly well, solid and stable. The accessories are great, I use the chicken throne, popper and wing racks often
 
I will do some troubleshooting on the temp probe. I always keep it shiny clean. THANKS !!!!

The 3 things that bug me the most are:
1.) Takes 30+ minutes to get over 350 degrees
2.) can't sear a steak unless you do the reverse sear method which is a pita and takes along time.
3.) Times and temperature are all off. For Beer Can Chicken recipe states 1:30 cook time at 350 degrees. Takes 2 hours on mine

I have the grill on the non wind side of house. I a corner where garages meet house. No wind at all, can light a match and won't blow out. Traeger stopped producing Oak Pellets, my favorite. It is built fairly well, solid and stable. The accessories are great, I use the chicken throne, popper and wing racks often
Your temps probably are way off. It sucks, but it is what it is.

There are better pellets available than the Traeger brand at lower prices and they’ll have Oak. I use Bear Mountain
 
The 3 things that bug me the most are:
1.) Takes 30+ minutes to get over 350 degrees
2.) can't sear a steak unless you do the reverse sear method which is a pita and takes along time.
3.) Times and temperature are all off. For Beer Can Chicken recipe states 1:30 cook time at 350 degrees. Takes 2 hours on mine

4 things you ought to know:
  1. Pro 22 is the lower grade Traeger and yes, it can take 30 minutes to reach 350°, it's NOT A GAS GRILL
  2. reverse sear is what we all do, it turns out great steaks and it just takes patience
  3. NEVER go buy "times" in a recipe on your Traeger, go buy Internal Temp so you don't DIE of under cooked meat!!! Invest in a good set of probes, for your grill temp and meat temp.
  4. Traeger pellets are the worst on the market, made of artificial ingredients and added flavored oils... get a GOOD PELLET, suggestions are everywhere on this site.
Burgers take 20 minutes to cook, even at the 475 degree setting, POS
Whats wrong with that???
First off it is a SMOKER not a GRILL
Exactly, (who said it was a grill, smokers SMOKE food, not "weber grill" food) maybe you should have done a little research before your purchase, but once you learn more and have a little patience you can put out some good food.
 
I bought my T C885 to smoke briskets, pork shoulders, ribs, etc. Not to smoke/grill burgers, dogs, steaks, etc. That’s why I still have my Weber gas & charcoal grill. Live a little and experiment with your 22 smoker before complaining. If then you are mot satisfied then return it. Yes I have tried grilling burgers snd other stuff. It’s a waste of time and pellets, IMO. But damn those pulled pork, briskets and ribs have all came out smoking hot and delicious. Everyone in the house is loving it and the Traeger. The T grill isn’t for everyone. But for those who knows what there doing it’s awesome. I’m a just over 2 month
newbie to the T world and loving it. Oh and welcome to the T forum.
Maybe you should of got the EGG instead? I heard it’s more expensive and cooks great stuff on it.
 
Many egg owners own other grills and smokers.

I cook on the cooker best suited to the cook.

"best" criteria might be ease of getting it cooked, or most flavorful, or fastest time after lighting until eating, or most smoke, or least smoke, or fast sear, or holds the most meat, or.....
 
I have a Kamado 'egg' style grill, a gas grill, and a charcoal grill as well as my Traeger. They all shine in different areas and all serve a specific purpose, and they all come with their own faults.
Everyone has to select what they want based on what they are trying to do and what they can live with.
I will always have a gas grill, always have a pellet smoker and most likely always have a Kamado cooker
 
I hear ya. I will never not have a gasser. With it and my Traeger I fill pretty set for now, but I wouldn’t mind having a Kamodo style at some point.
Oh yeah....still have the Orion Cooker too. But with the addition of the Traeger I’m not sure I’ll be using it much anymore. It makes a pretty good turkey though
 

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I guess if you bought a Traeger and didn't have other grilling tools you might be disappointed with the sear level. I'd buy a torch and reverse sear it with a hand held torch on your Traeger & you will look like a bad-ass in the process. Or / get an additional gasser to sear..
(an induction plate and cast iron pan won't set you back much)
 
The bottom of my gasser has rusted out, so I don't use it any more. That means all my outdoor cooking is on my IW885. I plan on replacing the gasser so I can sear things, but I don't expect to get a big one. I'm never going to be searing 2 dozen burgers at the same time. Even if I'm smoking up 2 dozen burgers on my IW885, I can get by with searing 4-6 at a time as I pull them off the Traeger. I'm even thinking of getting a small Blackstone instead of a gasser grill. Most of what I want to sear could be seared just fine on a Blackstone. I'll never have a yard full of cooking gear like many of you have, so I have to make the most of what I do have. Until I get an outdoor device that can sear, I'll just make do with doing the final sear under the broiler of our convection oven, since the flavor has already been added by my Traeger.
 
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 guess if you bought a Traeger and didn't have other grilling tools you might be disappointed with the sear level. I'd buy a torch and reverse sear it with a hand held torch on your Traeger & you will look like a bad-ass in the process. Or / get an additional gasser to sear..
(an induction plate and cast iron pan won't set you back much)
Reverse sear is kind of a PITA. Cook the steak at desired temp/minute. Take steak off Traeger, place cast iron on smoker, crank up eat, wait 20 - 30 minutes. By then steak is COLD, then sear. Basically reheating 1/2 cold steak, tastes not that great. I tried putting the cast iron on right from the start, eliminates wait time. Then I tried Traeger on high with cast iron, wait 20 minutes. Sear steaks on both sides, then set grill to 350 and take steak out of cast iron and place on grill.... This worked the best for me.
 
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