Traeger Grill during Black Friday sale?

F

FIREarly

Recycles dryer sheets
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Apr 28, 2018
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I am interested in buying the Traeger grill for Black Friday at $100 off but it is going to still cost $1,029.97 (Pro 780+Grill cover+Pellet sensor). It will be used for years and DW and I just had a deck added to our townhouse so a grill is kind of important. It also burns wood pellets and smokes the food with more control of the temperature. It all sounds very useful and tasty. It also sounds more natural and better flavor than charcoal or gas. The $1,000 is holding me back bc I am a non-spender and we are also about to be buying a dog from a breeder. DW is SO EXCITED about the dog.

What are your thoughts on buying the Traeger grill?
 
Bruno,
Thank you for the videos. You've opened my eyes to the Pit Boss pellet grills. They have a 1,000sqft grill for a great price and, of course, "Out of Stock." It sounds like it has great features and want to have the extra cook space, to hopefully improve cooking on Sundays for the upcoming work-week.

Again, thank you!
 
We bought a small traeger when Costco had their yearly sale.
Less than $1000, though. But we use ours frequently and love it.
 
I was introduced to pellet stoves a couple years ago. My buddies all have Bighorn grills so I got one too. I think they're in the $400 range. I'm sure Traeger makes a great grill, but this Bighorn does everything I want it to. On a wood deck I would recommend putting down a pad made for that purpose to protect it from drips & heat. Also, my cheapskate friends and I all use genuine Traeger pellets. They burn cleanest. Traeger also makes some excellent seasoning rubs. Let us know what you get.
 
If you really want a pellet machine, that's a fine choice. But here's where I make my usual plug for the Big Green Egg.

It's a grill, oven and smoker all in one. Seven sizes, so a size and price point for anyone. I would at least check them out.

Find A Dealer
 
My vote goes for American/Veteran owned MAK Grills. We have had one for about a year and love the thing! I will admit...if you are looking for cheap/affordable...this is NOT the one for you.

While Traeger was once celebrated as the "go to" for the best pellet grill...they have since moved most the production to China (as has Pit Boss). My MIL has one (Traeger) that she has had for a couple of years and the temperature regulation is terrible and has pretty much abandoned its use.
 
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I didn’t spend nearly that much. I have a Traeger Pro Series 22. I upgraded to that model from a cheap entry level unit once I understood the features most important to me.

I love the flavor from the 100% wood smoke and the ease of operation. The food comes out fantastic and I have used it a great deal. I only use it for smoking and indirect cooking. I already had a Weber gas grill for the high temp stuff. I don’t use that as often as I use the Traeger.

I think there are high quality pellet smokers out there that might be better value. But I’m very happy with my setup. I got a discount when I bought it because newer models had just been released. I added a folding shelf.

Quite a bit of discussion of pellet smokers on this recent thread. https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/recommendation-for-electric-smoker-104292.html
 
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Appreciate all the feedback. I am not sold yet on which grill to get as it will be the first grill at my first home (townhouse) and put on the deck. I've grilled, maybe once, in multiple years. The hope is to use it for years to come, if that is feasible. One question, from DW and me, is if we want to make food quickly after work is the Traeger, Pit Boss, or MAK wood smoked grill going to be too slow to warm up? Too much extra work to clean vs gas grill?
(Like that MAK is Made-in-USA... don't like it is over double the price for entry-level model)
Pit Boss Sportsman 1000SP Bundle looks great. It has wood fire, gas section, and 1,000sqft to cook... and currently out of stock.
Green Turtle (Large) - $899 has 262sqft to cook. Maybe there is something I'm missing, but that is small. Does it cook much faster? At least, the reviews say using it 20+ years so it lasts.

You've quickly replied and I enjoy all the feedback. You are my knowledge base. Please continue to respond!
 
I use my Traeger for slow cooking at low temps. It’s a smoker. Yes, you can cook food at high heat and it gets to temp fast enough (15 mins), but what is the point of fast cooking on a smoker? It takes time to absorb smoke. If you want fast, a gas grill is fast and easy.
 
FIREarly said:
Appreciate all the feedback. I am not sold yet on which grill to get as it will be the first grill at my first home (townhouse) and put on the deck. I've grilled, maybe once, in multiple years. The hope is to use it for years to come, if that is feasible. One question, from DW and me, is if we want to make food quickly after work is the Traeger, Pit Boss, or MAK wood smoked grill going to be too slow to warm up? Too much extra work to clean vs gas grill?
(Like that MAK is Made-in-USA... don't like it is over double the price for entry-level model)
Pit Boss Sportsman 1000SP Bundle looks great. It has wood fire, gas section, and 1,000sqft to cook... and currently out of stock.
Green Turtle (Large) - $899 has 262sqft to cook. Maybe there is something I'm missing, but that is small. Does it cook much faster? At least, the reviews say using it 20+ years so it lasts.

You've quickly replied and I enjoy all the feedback. You are my knowledge base. Please continue to respond!
Click to expand...

As much as I like our pellet grill, I find that I use the propane grill more often. It's faster and for items like steaks, the flavor it better. I like the pellet grill for smoking...low temps and slow cooking. :D
 
I have two pellet grills. A Traeger at our lake home and a Camp Chef DLX at the city house. I've had them for several years; I also hang out at The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS. - Powered by vBulletin, where the cooker selection discussion is intense and never-ending.

The first thing to understand is that a pellet grill is basically a smoky oven. Some have a feature that claims to work like a grill, exposing the burning pellets for searing. IMO this is a workaround vs the basic nature of the things. Ref @ExFlyBoy5, a pellet grill is for smoking and a charcoal or propane grill is for grilling and searing. For my Camp Chef I have the add-on propane "Searing Station" and like it a lot.

Traeger and Camp Chef are kind of wannabe higher-end pellet grills but in fact they are in the low prices category with many others, including Pit Boss, Green Mountain, Louisiana, etc. There is very little to choose among them except price and availability. IMO my Camp Chef is the best because they have a patented pellet ash cleanout system. This compares to most brands where the grill must be cold and you have to take out a bunch of dirty, greasy pieces to get to the burn pot from the top. The sear station is also a big plus; I don't know any others that have this option. https://amazingribs.com has extensive cooker reviews.

Higher level pellet grills like the MAK and the Yoder are beautifully made and feature much heavier steel but the meat you're cooking doesn't benefit from any of that. As an engineer I would love to own a Yoder for its craftsmanship but as an engineer my cost/benefit calculation says it is not worth the money. YMMV.

I am a Kansas City BBQ Association Certified BBQ Judge and can tell you that at competitions there is a huge variety of cookers; pellet, barrel, charcoal/wood, etc. My conclusion from that experience is that there is no magic cooker. A good cook can probably produce competition-quality results from any of them.

Finally, the first thing you buy often just teaches you what you really wanted. You're not getting married here. Just pull the trigger on something that looks good, then cook and learn.
 
Ronstar said:
Buy the Traeger. I've had one 8 years. It's amazing. And congrats on the dog!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the dog comment. The in-law's first grandkid will be a grand-pet! They are excited!
 
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Be a little careful ref the Smokefire and do your homework if you are interested. I remember reading that it had lots of problems at introduction. A quick search gives me:

Weber Smokefire Secondary Market - The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS.

Pellet Grill Recommendations - The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS.

IIRC Meathead got shot up pretty badly for this review, with accusations that he was on Weber's payroll. I see he has now added a few updates: https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/pellet-grill/weber-smokefire-pellet-grill

Huge thread here: Weber SmokeFire Pellet Grill Review - The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS. . which I didn't bother to read completely.

I have no dog in this fight.
 
OldShooter said:
I have two pellet grills. A Traeger at our lake home and a Camp Chef DLX at the city house. I've had them for several years... I am a Kansas City BBQ Association Certified BBQ Judge and can tell you that at competitions there is a huge variety of cookers; pellet, barrel, charcoal/wood, etc. My conclusion from that experience is that there is no magic cooker. A good cook can probably produce competition-quality results from any of them.

Finally, the first thing you buy often just teaches you what you really wanted. You're not getting married here. Just pull the trigger on something that looks good, then cook and learn.
Click to expand...

All of your posts are very good. "Pull the trigger on something that looks good, then cook and learn" is the hardest step for me. With all of the expenses of buying a dog and all of the "accessories" right now I am temporarily putting the grill on hold. It is also getting very cold (lightly snowed here this morning) and I am using that as another excuse to postpone getting the grill.

Not to sidetrack the convo, but when I think of spending $1,000+ on a grill (and know it'll be over $1k with accessories) it reminds me that I did not come close to maxing out my 401k this year or any year. I also want to move with DW from a townhouse to single family home. Do we need to do it, no, but it will provide a backyard for the dog (or 2 dogs; DW already planning the second one). It'll also mean we don't have to walk up a flight of steps to get to the main level. It'll also provide more space at that time to grill out. Maybe these are all just excuses but I do not enjoy spending money... shopping.

"There are thousands and thousands of people out there living lives of quiet, screaming desperation who work long, hard hours, at jobs they hate, to enable them to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.” -Nigel Marsh
 
FIREarly said:
... when I think of spending $1,000+ on a grill (and know it'll be over $1k with accessories) it reminds me that I did not come close to maxing out my 401k this year or any year. ...
Click to expand...
401K far more important I agree. But $200-400 would do the deed on our local Craigslist, often with some accessories and a bag or two of pellets thrown in.

I bought my Traeger L'il Tex for $200 brand new. Just lurking on CraigsList waiting to pounce. It was a Home Depot floor display model that they donated (end of season, like now) to Salvation Army. I don't remember what I paid for the Camp Chef but for sure it was nowhere near list price. I am unashamedly a cheapskate, one of the reasons we now have more money than we will ever need.
 
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