Just got a Traeger - any words of wisdom?

[pellet ted]

As mentioned, use what is available. Your traeger gives good smoke. If you think you need more, get an a-maze-n-tube. http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AMNTS

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[ellymae]

Thanks Guys - I like a really mild smoke flavor so the Traeger works great for me, and it is just so stinking easy to use.

 

[phrett]

Traeger pellets are on the lowest end of the "good pellet" list. They use the softest hardwood (adler) as their product and use "flavor oils" for the Hickory, Apple, etc flavors. Not even the wood described, just a flavor oil. Using non=Traeger pellets does not void the warranty, and if it does why would one buy a Traeger? Get some good 100% flavor wood pellets, Cookinpellets.com 100% hickory being the best. Others make some nice pellets, but even then most are 70% oak (best) and adler (worst) and only 30% or so flavor wood. Mixing these "flavored" pellets is only diluting the flavor wood to such small quantities they don't make a difference! Just use a good pellet and enjoy the results!

 

[smoknastro]

I just bought a Lil Tex Elite and it was DOA out of the box. The Controller displayed ERR when I plugged it in.

Traeger support was great.. quickly identified the problem as a defective RTD probe and they sent me out a new one no charge.

Once I started the process of replacing the old probe, the real problem became obvious... so here's my words of wisdom for any Traeger owner;

Take a look at the RTD probe wires. They travel from the bottom of the probe - thru the wall of the grill - then down to the bottom of the hopper and up into the Controller.  Look at the wires just as they exit the grill and before the hopper.... Do you see a big wad of excess wire  held together with a plastic wire tie?  If so, I recommend carefully cutting the wire tie and gently pull all that excess wire down to the bottom of the hopper and re-tie it so that it can not bounce around and so that it wont get caught in the fans.

I have also seen some posts that suggest trimming the wires to the proper length (Something Traeger should have done in the first place) then tinning the ends with solder and connecting back to the controller.

My problem was that Traeger had wrapped up all the excess wire (several feet of it) and made a nice tight bundle between the hopper and the grill - but they did not secure this bundle to anything - this just left a big bouncy weight that constantly pulled on the probe wires right where they exited the grill - no doubt happened during the the long bouncy ride to NH!

This completely frayed away the outside insulation and broke one of the probe wires at the base of the probe.

If this is a normal production process for Traeger, then I would expect any Traeger to eventually wear out the probe wires just by moving it from place to place during the year.

 

[drifterdon]

Thanks Astro,

I will take a look at mine.

 

[grimreeper]

all I can say is good luck with it. I have a traeger 075 and it is the worst grill I have ever owned.I have added enough parts on warranty that I could have built 5 grills. I am looking at a Yoder ys1500 to replace my Traeger.I have Kamado Joe big Joe and it is hard for my wife to light. We do a catering business and need some thing very easy for her to us.

 

[captain bandana]

Congratulations on your Traeger purchase - even though you've had some trouble right out of the box. Once that's square away, I know you'll love your Traeger. There doesn't seem to be many Traeger lovers here so I really enjoy speaking up in support.

Having said all of that, one word regarding 'maintenance'. If you live in a damp, high humidity part of the country (the Pacific Northwest, in my case), pay attention to the operation of the auger. I have just spent the better part of an afternoon drawing out the auger to clean a frozen auger. It was apparent as I slowly drew it back out through the hopper, clearing 'sawdust', not pellets, out of the passageway, that moisture had caused the pellets to swell up, convert to sawdust and completely freeze the auger. And, before I identified the problem, all I was doing was compressing more sawdust against the blockage creating a virtual concrete plug.

So now, I try to empty the hopper (you need to anyway if your next project uses a different flavor) and run most of the pellets through to the burner. I know it takes a minute or so to 'reload' the next time but, for me, it's worth it not to have to taken the freakin' thing apart again.

I have the older model 075 with the round hopper that needs the interior sheet metal dismantled to get at the auger and the motor.

Anyway, good luck. Keep your posts coming!

 

[captain bandana]

One solution to the pellets hanging up in the hopper is to cut both ends out of a large coffee can and use it as a vertical pellet hopper. Just set it in the hopper over the auger. A piece of 6" or 8" stove pipe would work as well.

 

[cpchristiansen]

Keep your pellets where they won't be exposed to moisture, including not keeping the hopper full for long periods of inactivity. If the pellets absorb moisture they won't burn as hot and it becomes more of a challenge to achieve the temperatures you set the thermostat to. 

 

[bob the griller]

I had a malfunction while on vacation last summer with my treager. Same issue as stated in an earlier post. The wires got against the fan. A few zip ties and I was back in business. I use my treager mostly for camping because it's portable. It does a really good job. If you are going to try a long smoke, u will have to reload the hopper in the middle. You can also use a mountain dew box to extend the hopper capacity :yahoo:
It actually does work. Also buy a bucket shop vac to change pellets. I marked mine pellets only so no one uses it for cars.
I use the other shop vac to clean it every 2-3 uses. I clean my rec tech the same way.
It's a pellet smoker so there will be ash. No way around that. To me it's not much different than cooking on a campfire. I have all different flavor of pellets. I love to experiment with different ones. It's fun. My advise is to play and enjoy yourself. I grill/smoke as much as I can and the family loves it.
:grilling_smilie:

 

[smoke hog]

Check out the hopper extender that traeger offers as an accessory. I can get almost 20 lbs of pellets in my lil tex. You won't have to worry about pellets even on a 12 hour smoke. Enjoy!

 

[graywolf1936]

If anyone is interested, I was told that Traeger would be having a 5 hour sale on the 20th, don't know what is on sale other then the Digital Thermostat that I am interested in.

 

[smoke hog]

Check out ortech controls. They got together with traeger and built a digital thermometer and I feel it is better than what traeger is selling. Puts more smoke out during smoke cycle and is more adjustable. Price is right also. I meant digital thermostat.

 

[captain bandana]

Love my Maverick ET 732. A little difficult to program but once that's done, it's brilliant. Buy a set of the longer probes. Good grilling!

 

[motoxxx]

Check out ortech controls. They got together with traeger and built a digital thermometer and I feel it is better than what traeger is selling. Puts more smoke out during smoke cycle and is more adjustable. Price is right also. I meant digital thermostat.

That is who was already producing the controllers for Traeger. This is just an updated model with their name on it, and you can buy direct from them now. I just sent them a message asking about the shutdown mode on the new controller. It says "off" rather than shutdown like mine does.

 

[jake628]

Welcome to Traeger Nation.  We are on our THIRD Traeger.  We started with the Junior which we loved cooking on ... decided to upgrade to the LTE and loved it even more ..... then this past December just before Christmas we ran into the Traeger Traveling Show at Costco and ended up buying the Select which we love even better.  The first thing we cooked on it was the prime rib for Christmas dinner.  It was so good.

For pellets I like to use Q-Pellets.  Have had good success with them and like using the blend mix best.  http://www.qpelletsbymail.com/

I also recommend you check out Pellet Grill Accessories as mentioned.  I added the "Pellet Saver" to my LTE.  Helps to keep the pellets flowing.

Don't worry about using off brand pellets.  They cannot void your warranty.  Use what you like and works best for you.

As for other accessories you might want to consider getting a good remote thermometer like the Maverick ET-732 or the iGrill.  You should also consider investing in a Thermopen instant read.  Great tools to have on hand.

 

[jake628]

Ortech is no longer making the controllers for Traeger.  I installed one on my LTE that I just sold.  I contacted them recently to see if they had one for the new Select and was told they are no longer supplying the controls to Traeger.  Was sorry to hear this.  I loved how you could adjust the "P" settings with the Ortech

 

[jwg299]

Thanks to all who have shared, I've been looking at the Lil Tex Elite and wanted to hear from folks who have 1. The rep I spoke with is going to speak well about the grill but to hear from actual owners is priceless.

 

[karin]

I LOVE my lil' text by Traeger. Haven't had any problems. Thanks for the ads up on the wires I'll check it out.my question is what's the big deal about the pellets? Is the price, how they burn, flavor or all of the above?

 

[roblennis]

Hi there.  I got my Lil Tex about three months ago and we love it.  I've done ribs quite a few times, beer can chickens, chicken thighs, brats, pork chops.  All turn out terrific.  I've cured and then smoked my own bacon on the traeger and it turned out great.  I've also done a lot of veggies too - often at the same time as the meat.  Asparagus, green onions, green beans, etc.  Looking forward to doing my first brisket.   They often have great recipes on their Traeger facebook page.  

You can do steaks and burgers on it, they turn out okay but you wont really get the sear like on a gas or charcoal grill.  Or at least I havent figured that part out yet.  

The convenience is remarkable.  You can flip it on and be ready to go in minutes.  It makes it feasible for me to do a smoke on a weeknight.  I took it over to a friends house for a BBQ party.  He ran two 55 gal vertical drum smokers, using charcoal and lumps of hardwood.  Operating them side by side with my traeger it was rediculous how easy mine was to control and I think we got a better product out of mine.  

Definitely keep the pellets dry or you'll have a mess on your hands!

-R