I researched a lot before I bought mine, best all around deal is from costco. They also do a traveling road show once every other month or so where they bring in all their models and offer good prices on them. Never saw any amazing black friday type deals on them though. I say dont wait if you can afford it now.
Yeah, that's another qualm of mine. I don't know how suitable it is for my small balcony at the apartment I'm currently at. My lease is up in March though.
I know people that use them in apartments. The smoke off them isnt that bad but you might get in trouble depending on your neighbors and management company. Just cook extra brisket and offer them some.
I'm buying a traeger this weekend at Costco. I'm really nervous though, because I'm reading a lot of bad reviews about people having problems with them. How hard is it going to be to assemble? Is it an all day task? Also, what kind of pellets do you get? The traeger brand or some other brand?
I think mine took 1/2 hour to assemble. All you do is put the legs/wheels on, 2 screws to attach the handle, and the little hat on top of the smoke pipe. What problems do people have with them? They're really automatic. All you really have to do is keep it clean so the ash from previous fires doesn't clog the works. Also make sure you keep the hopper full enough or the fire goes out.
Which size do you have? I've heard of people having problems with the auger? What kind of digital thermostat did you get? Also, I've been told to stay away from the traeger brand pellets and get pellets from Costco?
The thermostat came built in to mine. I think all the new models are that way. The auger has never been an issue for me. I use the Traeger pellets. I wait for them to offer buy 3 get 1 free, or buy 5 get 2 free sales. Maybe using non-Traeger pellets screws up the auger Their chicken rub is tasty.
Ive never heard of anyone having issues with the auger either, I know about 10 others who have one and they all love theirs and none of us have had any issues of any kind. Ive also heard though that traeger has great customer service and sends out replacement parts with no issue, if something does happen. Traeger brand pellets are fine, they are expensive though unless you get them from costco. I recently switched to Bear Mountain pellets from cash and carry. They have a few different flavors and are a bit cheaper. From what I understand they are very similar to traeger pellets, some people even claim they are manufactured by the same company but I think thats true. Chicken rub is tasty. My suggestion for your first meal is full chicken, its easy and turns out really good. Treager brags about their chicken challenge anyway, which is full chicken on high for 1hr 10mins I think, check out youtube for some good videos. Dont be nervous, I am very happy with my Traeger, it was the best BBQ purchase I have ever made.
Where do you store your pellets? I've read that its very important to store them inside in a dry place. I think I'm going to take your advice and hit up Cash and Carry for some pellets. Is assembling it pretty straight forward?
I bought the floor model so i didnt have to assemble it, but it doesn't look to hard. 5 gallon bucket is a good suggestion. I have a few bags in my outdoor room, with no issue. I think as long as you avoid direct exposure to water or prolonged exposure to high humidity then you are ok. Youll know if they go bad, they puff up and turn to a saw dust. Dont use them if they get like that it will jam up your auger.
Not only do the buckets work, they're cheap and there's this: http://www.google.com/shopping/prod...src=17588969&gclid=COuxzI-OqsICFc1ffgod-E4AEg You can use it to vacuum out the pellets from the auger and bin so you can switch to a different flavor easy.
You can mix pellets also and create your own blends. Last years turkey I did apple wood, which I found was a little sweeter smoke flavor and to subtle for my tastes. So this year I did a 50/50 mix of apple and hickory and it turned out fantastic. Another tip I learned is to buy some pillsbury rolls and spread them evenly across your whole grill and cook them. Some will finish a little bit ahead of others or will be more done, this can help you figure out your grills natural hot spots. Did you decide on a size? Unless you regularly cook for 4 or more people a lil tex elite will do you fine. I own the regular Tex, which is more than I need, but it is nice to put the whole dinner of meat, potatoes, aspargus or beans, and home made bread all in the treager set to finish at the same time. in the summer we rarely use our indoor oven. Here is another option to add more grill space to any size traeger, you will want one eventually. http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/detail/BAC268#.VH89vjHF-jI Here are a few other random add ons that are good pick ups. http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/detail/BAC312#.VH8-HjHF-jI or http://frogmats.com/ I love my shelf, it is so helpful http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/detail/BAC016#.VH8-uzHF-j dome thermostat will give you peace of mind that your thermostat is working as it should, trust me you can over think yourself crazy sometimes. http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/detail/BAC211#.VH8-9jHF-jI Hopper extender, Its on my to get list. http://www.firecraft.com/product/lo...3Y07vMM3PEwj6n1EPEjW1jl-X_auVbNvzUaAkUd8P8HAQ This guy has some good ideas if you want to get crazy. I've heard the fire bricks are a good way to save on pellets in the long run. He also has an upgraded controller that you can look into if you want. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/132613/my-traeger-mods-so-far
I think I'm gonna do the lil tex unless a rep talks me into a bigger one. Thanks for all the help. I'll continue to take your advice. I've read that its important to get a digital thermo. I've heard Maverick makes a really good one. Do you keep yours in-doors? What about a cover? Do you mainly cook stuff on the 'smoke' level?
Do you trust the traeger to slow cook stuff while you're gone and can't check on it for a couple hours?
If you keep your traeger clean, then it will slow cook stuff for hours without you having to do a thing. If you don't keep it clean, the ash will put out the fire at random times. I vacuum mine out with a shop vac before using it each time. I've had the fire go out maybe 3 times, all my fault. Didn't fill the hopper enough and it ran out of pellets one time, ash the other two. There's a digital thermostat on the grill. The sensor is on the left inside right next to the pellet box. The readout of the current temperature is on the LCD on the pellet box. However, I got a cheap oven thermometer and put it inside and move it around so I can get an idea of where the hotter spots on the grill are. You generally cook food on smoke for 2-3 hours then crank up the temp and finish it off. Some food, like steaks, you cook at 450 degrees like on a regular grill. I keep mine outside and cover it with the official traeger cover. We get lots of marine layer here and stuff rusts really fast. People buy cheap grills here and let them rust out each season and buy new ones. The traeger has lasted 2 years for me already and still looks great. Some of the exposed screws have some rust and the handle, but those are relatively cheap and easy to replace. The cost of the larger traeger is only a little bit more, so it's easier to justify getting the bigger one. The times you cook a lot of stuff on it, you'll appreciate it. A couple weekends ago, I cooked 6 whole chickens for a friend's party. They barely fit, but they did fit. But there are a lot of times food only takes up maybe 1/3 of the space. The bigger grill may also get hotter. If you want to roast stuff at high heat (which I do sometimes).
I cook stuff when Im not at home all the time, it is very reliable. The only thing is you want to be around when its approaching its done window. You dont want to miss the perfect temp or your meat will suffer. Smoke or cook on it. Think of the treager as more of an outdoor oven. Meat absorbs smoke up to a certain temp, beef 150ish, so if you want to save pellets you can smoke on the treager and finish in your oven but thats to much of a hassel. What I do a lot though is smoke/cook extra on my treager, then vacuum seal it and pull it out for later. Pork butts are one the cheapest meats there is per lb, and you can get a huge one and divide it up into meals for later tacos, enchiladas, soup, bbq sandwiches. Brisket is more expensive but a big one is 3-5 meals for us. I also like to smoke extra trip tips when I do one, then vacuum seal them and finish them later in the oven. Beef gets up to previously cooked temps pretty fast, so partially cooking save you ton of time later and help you eat well when you are busier. So a food saver is also a good buy with your treager, if you dont have one already. All treagers above the tail gate model come with a digital thermostat, there is aftermarket upgrades available though but the standard one is good enough for me. I recommend a dome thermometer though just so you dont drive yourself crazy overthinking things. I store mine on a covered part of my porch, I have a treager cover but I dont need it that much where it is and I use it a lot.
