The Greatest Traeger Grills of 2022

We’re followers of pellet grills; they’re environment friendly and simple to function and might preserve a gradual temperature for hours (which is good for smoking meats). Plus, their hardwood pellets yield a refined, wood-fired taste.

Although many main grill producers supply a pellet-burning possibility—we’ve examined a number of them—Traeger is synonymous with pellet grills. The Oregon-based firm has been making grills since 1985, and wooden pellets have been a part of their story because the starting. The corporate started as a house heating enterprise, and within the early ‘80s they launched the concept of wooden pellets constructed from compressed sawdust—a available byproduct of the area’s logging trade—as a solution to maintain properties cozy for much less money. To fight the issue of seasonal demand, Traeger quickly constructed a wooden pellet-powered grill to drive year-round purchases. You can say say Traeger was into wooden pellets earlier than they have been cool (or sizzling?).

Immediately, Traeger gives an in depth vary of pellet grills and people who smoke, with costs that change from just a few hundred {dollars} to 1000’s. However what’s the distinction between all of those grills? To discern whether or not it’s value splurging on a top-of-the-line Traeger, we put our testers to work evaluating six fashions. Throughout the board, the Traeger grills have been simple to assemble—30-to-60 minutes is all you’ll want—and simple to wash.

Right here’s what you should find out about every Traeger grill earlier than committing to your new yard greatest good friend. (We’ve put them so as from most to least costly—don’t let the primary price ticket scare you off!)

Traeger Timberline  

The Timberline—or Timberline XL for a further $300—options an induction cooktop, WiFi connectivity, touchscreen controls, and a great deal of equipment to make your out of doors cooking life simpler. Our testers even loved the Timberline’s meeting course of, which they cited as “not solely simply understood, but additionally enjoyable.” When’s the final time you had enjoyable assembling something? 

Throughout our flank steak check, our reviewers appreciated the Timberline’s regular temperature and constant smoke distribution that produced properly cooked meat with a average smoke taste. The Timberline additionally aced our baking check (we made a pizza). It was no shock that this Traeger grill additionally turned out tasty rooster wings and an ultra-smoky, richly barked pork butt. 

Greatest For: If you would like a grill that may operate as a full out of doors kitchen—one able to grilling, smoking, searing, simmering, and baking—the Traeger Timberline gives this flexibility. It’s additionally nice for a crowd due to an enormous cooking space and beneficiant hopper capability.

Challenges or Shortcomings: The Timberline doesn’t come low-cost, and it’s a big equipment that calls for satisfactory area. This in all probability isn’t the grill for somebody who simply needs to dabble in grilling or smoking.

Value at time of publish: $3500.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 59 x 51 x 25 inches
• Cooking area: 880 sq. inches 
• Max temperature: 500°F
• Hopper capability: 22 lbs

Traeger Ironwood 885

The Ironwood 885 is a big, mid-priced grill from Traeger. It options WiFi connectivity, a sensor to provide you with a warning when pellet ranges are low, and a digital show for simple temperature management—simply to call just a few facilities. As with the Timberline, our testers had no complaints concerning the setup course of with the Ironwood 885.

Surprisingly, testers have been extra impressed with how the Ironwood 885 carried out in our searing exams quite than the smoke check. Even with a “tremendous smoke” operate, this grill imparted little or no smoke taste. It additionally struggled to take care of most temperature, hovering round 490°F quite than 500°F.

Greatest For: When you’re not a fan of intense smoke flavors, the Ironwood 885 could also be value a better look. In our lengthy smoke check, testers described the ensuing pork butt as extra of a roasted pork than a real smoked butt—juicy meat, faint smoke taste. 

Challenges or Shortcomings: When you’re after a large-capacity pellet grill to make use of primarily for smoking functions, the Ironwood 885 could show disappointing attributable to its ultra-subtle smoked outcomes.

Value at time of publish: $1600.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 54 x 47 x 27 inches
• Cooking area: 885 sq. inches 
• Max temperature: 500°F
• Hopper capability: 20 lbs

Traeger Professional 780

Our testers stated the Traeger Professional 780 “features a honest quantity of good options for the value.” A few of these embrace WiFi (noticing a theme but with Traeger?), a digital controller, and TurboTemp performance for fast heat-up. Traeger claims that TurboTemp “improves startup time and helps grill temperature recuperate extra shortly after lifting the lid.” 

The Professional 780 shines greatest within the grilling and smoking arenas, yielding juicy, flavorful rooster wings and an evenly smoked—albeit subtly-flavored—pork butt. Much like the Ironwood 885, our lengthy smoke tester in contrast the ensuing butt to a roast pork, nevertheless it did prove a constant smoke ring.

Greatest For: When you benefit from the occasional bout of weekend grilling and would really like the choice to sometimes smoke meats or greens, the Professional 780 will in all probability match the invoice properly. It’s a fairly priced grill full of options, and it’s simple to maneuver round due to its rugged wheels.

Challenges or Shortcomings: Once more, in case you’re in search of wealthy smoke taste, the Professional 780 could also be too refined. In case your grilling fashion entails repeatedly opening the lid so as to add or take away meals, frustration could ensue over dropping temperatures.

Value at time of publish: $1000.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 55 x 49 x 27 inches
• Cooking area: 780 sq. inches 
• Max temperature: 500°F
• Hopper capability: 18 lbs

Traeger Professional 34

The Traeger Professional 34 is definitely a part of the model’s Gen 1 Professional Sequence, which implies it isn’t loaded with the fashionable options of Traeger’s new, pricier grills—although it does have a digital temperature controller. 

To be trustworthy, our testers didn’t love the Professional 34, citing problem with increased temperatures (it maxed out at 450°F) and poor warmth retention. The Professional 30 imparted little to no smoke taste within the searing and baking exams, however did produce reasonably smokey rooster wings. One tester described the Traeger Professional 34 as “decidedly common”—it’ll get the job performed, nevertheless it received’t knock your socks off.

Greatest For: The Professional 34 is greatest suited to occasional yard grillers who aren’t in search of intense smoke taste or a tough sear. 

Challenges or Shortcomings: This grill struggles with warmth retention and excessive temperatures, which may result in inconsistencies in cooking.  

Value at time of publish: $700.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 53 x 49 x 27 inches
• Cooking area: 884 sq. inches
• Max temperature: 500°F (although testers couldn’t get it there)
• Hopper capability: 18 lbs

Traeger Tailgater 20 Transportable

As its identify suggests, the Tailgater 20 Transportable is supposed to be…moveable. Its compact dimension and easy-fold legs make this grill a superb match for balconies, small patios, or, yep, to load up and take to the sport. You’ll discover a digital controller and a helpful maintain heat mode—all the time helpful whereas entertaining! 

Our testers appreciated this grill for its skill to infuse meats with a mild-but-lingering smoke taste, in addition to its speedy heat-up time—lower than 14 minutes—and stable warmth retention. They did discover the max temperature of 450°F inadequate when it got here to searing, however in any other case the Tailgater 20 Transportable was deemed an ideal worth. 

Greatest For: The Tailgater 20 Transportable is good for small areas and portability the place fundamental grilling and smoking is the aim. 

Challenges or Shortcomings: This isn’t a top-performing grill relating to searing, nor ought to or not it’s regarded to for heavy smoke taste.

Value at time of publish: $530.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 37 x 36 x 18 inches
• Cooking area: 300 sq. inches
• Max temperature: 450°F
• Hopper capability: 8 lbs

Traeger Ranger Transportable

Traeger’s different moveable mannequin is the Ranger, which appears extra like a giant field than a standard grill, however nonetheless gives digital controls and a maintain heat operate. At first look, the Ranger appears like an ideal choose for tailgating or tenting, however now we have to be trustworthy: our testers didn’t love this mannequin. 

Because of the grill’s small dimension, it heats up shortly and retains warmth properly, however testers didn’t discover any smoke (or char) taste in the course of the steak searing check. The Ranger did come via with flavorful rooster wings in the course of the smoke check, which left some testers saying they would suggest this as a transportable grill, however don’t anticipate it to supply the perfect meal of your life. 

Greatest For: The Ranger is better-suited for tenting, tailgating, or small-batch grilling with average expectations.

Challenges or Shortcomings: This isn’t a grill for lengthy smoking, or feeding a big crowd. 

Value at time of publish: $450.

Key Specs:

• Dimensions: 21 x 20 x 13 inches
• Cooking area: 176 sq. inches
• Max temperature: 450°F
• Hopper capability: 8 lbs

Our Takeaways

It’s the most costly, however generally you actually do get what you pay for: the Traeger Timberline has all of the bells and whistles you’d anticipate from the value level, and it’s the Traeger grill that almost all impressed our testers. It’s simple to assemble, simple to wash, and performs properly throughout the board. The Timberline is a superb purchase for the intense grilling or smoking individual. 

When you’re not eager on dropping just a few thousand bucks, the Traeger Professional 780 is a great alternative—so long as you’re not dreaming of a robust smoke taste from all the pieces that comes off the grill. 

FAQs

How do you clear a Traeger grill?

Traeger has an in-depth, step-by-step cleansing information that may be discovered right here. Additionally they promote their very own grill cleaner, which we discovered labored properly.

The place are Traeger grills made?

Whereas Traeger grills was made in america, they’re now manufactured in China.