Anything I should know before buying a trager?

[twistzz]

Dang the poppers worked Cards win    Going to have to make some more next week!  My garden jalapeños are about done though.  Carry on…

[Bucks N Bulls]

Had a traeger pro 34. Was nice when it worked but like others does not sear. I had to replace auger twice and pull it and steel wool it constantly. After awhile would never get to high temp. So now have a louisiana grill which is the high end by pit boss. It gets hotter and has a grate you can move to sear. I like the auger in this one as it is set higher and drops pellets into burning pot with out any bind up or back log unlike my old traeger. Now my louisiana kept turning off into my cooks. Called louisiana and they sent me a new circut board and have had no problems since. Customer service on traeger and louisiana both were great to deal with.

[Eli]

Went with camp chef. Most bang for the buck. Get the biggest size you can fit!

[tanclan4]

Recteq with sear plates 🫳🎤

[WhtMtnHunter]

Got an Ironwood 650 on sale about 6 months ago.  Absolutely love it!  Never realized that it would completely replace our oven, literally haven't used the inside oven for months.  Has a max temp of 500 which is great.  It does eat lots of pellets though, kind of a unexpected expense but totally worth it.  

[trphyhntr]

Pepper your angus 

[Crazymonkey]

So much for a easy  change  . Looks like I'll  need to check out the BBQ store  by the house and see what they have that's  been recommended  by you guys and go from there. Lots of things  I would  not have known  but now I need to research  before  making  a decision  .

[PRDATR]

Check out Green Mountain. A friend has one and he has done a turkey and wings on it and it has all the bells and whistles like a Traeger.

[NewlyMinted]

Jumping on the bandwagon here. I got a Louisiana grill when they were being cleared out of costco. It's been great for searing and smoking. I used somes brick in the corners to even out the temperature gradient when doing our turkey, but it works and weathers well.

My neighbor is on his second Traeger over the same time period and talking about his 3rd "upgrade" .. our meat tastes the same. Still have my grill for burgers and stuff though.

[Little Creek Calls]

I bought a Yoder 12 or 13 years ago. I glad I bought when I did because the price has more than doubled since I purchased mine. Still running great. Only thing I have had to do was replace the igniter and it was a quick 5 min change and covered by the warranty. Heats up to 600 and holds temp well. I leave mine unattended all the time.

[HorseHunter]

I like my Traeger Texas Elite 34 a lot. I have put two large briskets on at one time. We are talking the largest ones Costco had. 

You do need a propane grill for quick jobs like burgers and steaks, imo. 

It has acted up a few times since I got it in Jan of 2019. I replaced the circuit board (temp setting plate), the thermometer, and the igniter. All DIY stuff with parts via uncle bezos' website. Parts were reasonable and readily available. 

Must clean every few months, (basically shop vac-ing the inside) Do buy the aluminum sheet for the grease shield and the bucket inserts for the grease, makes clean up tons easier. ACE Hardware has a great selection of accessories. 

Likely in the instructions, (IDK, never read 'em) but if set at high temps, turn to lower temp setting for a few mins before setting it to shut down mode. This allows the extra pellets in the burn can to burn down because some times the 10 min shut down is not enough after you have been pouring the coal to it. 

You also want to keep the hopper 1/2 full or oxygen can get pulled through the auger tube and it's a bigger job if it back burns (you will see smoke coming from the pellet box)

I am on my second cover and I was surprised by a few rain storms when I forgot to cover. This may have contributed to the circuit board I replaced.    

I have cooked more since I got it and I enjoy the process. Kinda goof proof for the most part.  Since the heat is defused, there are no flare ups and hockey puck burgers, should you get distracted by an instant replay on game day.   

[Crazymonkey]

Going  to check out a camp chief woodwind pro 34 with  the side kick . It seems  to check all the boxes  . It has a fire box ash dump,and a pellet hopper dump . With the side kick I could  sear or run as a flat top. Next is the rectec it seems  to be another  with great reviews  . It might  need some options  to make it perfect.  It doesn't  have all the extra  dump features  of the camp chief. And last is a Yoder  . I really  would have thought  the trager was the best option  as they sell the crap outa them but they seem  to have lots of issues 😕  .I'm definitely  going  to check  these 3 out and go from  there .

[NOTAGS]

6 hours ago, Crazymonkey said:

Going  to check out a camp chief woodwind pro 34 with  the side kick . It seems  to check all the boxes  . It has a fire box ash dump,and a pellet hopper dump . With the side kick I could  sear or run as a flat top. Next is the rectec it seems  to be another  with great reviews  . It might  need some options  to make it perfect.  It doesn't  have all the extra  dump features  of the camp chief. And last is a Yoder  . I really  would have thought  the trager was the best option  as they sell the crap outa them but they seem  to have lots of issues 😕  .I'm definitely  going  to check  these 3 out and go from  there .

The new Scheels is supposedly a Yoder dealer. You ( and I) can hopefully put our hands one one after they open this weekend.  I’m going to wait a few weeks for the initial craze to hopefully die off.

Traeger used to be a great unit, but, since they sold  and the new investors went to mass marketing and production, their quality has tanked. I sell them, and have a hard time recommending them now due to my own experience with their cutting corners

[Phil Carr]

Louisiana Grill less money and twice the quality. I loved my first  Traeger even my table top. My brother bought a high end Traeger and it would never stabilize the heat. Yes they sent him parts but still not right. I bought a new Traeger would not work. Found the auger slipped on shaft and it could never have been tested. Called Traeger and the lady told be it was impossible to have a bad auger. 
I had to completely disassemble and take pictures to prove it was a bad auger. It was improperly welded.

I was told it would be 7 to 10 days to get the part. I hauled it back to Costco and received a refund. I turned around and bought a much nicer Louisiana grill for several hundred dollars less. Works beautiful. Set it and it holds the temperature.

I believe that the guys that started Traeger sold the company and started Louisiana grills.  Traeger has lost my business for ever. They have let their quality slip. dang shame.

 

[dcshorthairs]

Buy the Yoder and don’t look back. I have the 640 and love it