The indirect cooking created by the barrel-shaped oven, the even heat and the use of wood food grade pellets make for some delicious meats and veggies. I won't go into the debate over pellets vs propane vs charcoal. Everyone's got their own opinion and tastes.
This review is not about the cooking but the overall quality and cost.
A disclaimer: I used to work for a retailer that sold Traeger's. I was the in-store expert on cooking and selling these units. When we first picked up the brand, I knew that spending $700 on a barbeque was outrageous. Then the company rep came around, did some demos in front of the store, and after trying chicken, pork roast, salmon and even acorn squash and other veggies, I was sold on the flavor of everything that can be cooked on a Traeger pellet grill.
Granted, I got a 30% discount from the company, but I still think the $700 retail price was fair, considering the results. Oftentimes, retailers have the 075 unit on sale for around $650.
It didn't take me long to become an expert on how to cook, barbeque and smoke with this grill. I had used a Weber Silver B propane barbeque for several years before this and I still believe that unit is outstanding. I wish I had kept it. It's easier and faster to BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs on a fast-heating propane flame than the slower heating wood pellet grills. I know wood pellet lovers have their rebuttals for this, but in my opinion, quick and easy means propane. I have supplemented my Traeger with a Weber Q series table top grill for hot dog days.
Who needs wood-flavored smoky taste on a hot dog, anyway? Just cook it, I say.
Now to the quality. My Lil Tex (075) is U.S. made, just down the road in Mt. Angel, Oregon where the Traeger thing all started. After four years of very heavy use, the auger motor and the 3-speed thermostat went under. The auger motor cost about $65 from a Traeger vendor in McMinnvile, OR. I got the thermostat from a dealer in West Linn, Oregon at a close out price of twenty bucks. Considering the amount of use I've put the unit through, it held up well. What a lot of people don't realize is that this is a sophisticated piece of electronic equipment that sits outside, usually uncovered in all types of weather.
(As I am writing this, a whole chicken is cooking on the 075, a half and hour on high and then 45 minutes to an hour on smoke. It's cold outside, about 45degrees, and cooking time is a bit longer than normal.)
A bit about pellets; there are many flavors of Traeger wood pellets from oak and mesquite to "sweet" pellets like maple and cherry. I use so many spices and marinades on the stuff I cook that I simply cannot tell the difference. Garlic pellets smell a lot different than mesquite while cooking, but honestly, I can't tell the difference in the final product. Get them on sale. Most vendors have specials from time to time, three bags for the price of two, etc., otherwise, you can expect to pay about $15 per 20# bag.
As for quality of the unit itself---I figure what I paid for replacement parts mentioned earlier is justified, considering the heavy use the unit gets and the superior taste of everything I cook or smoke on it.
Now to the China Syndrome.
If the legs on a Traeger are bolted rather than welded, it's Chinese. I assembled a few China Traegers before I left my retail company and it was disheartening when I had to add my own home-made shims to make the unit stable and not wobbly. Other than assembly, I have no experience with these units but have read negative reviews regarding the quality of the electrical components. Indeed, the West Linn, OR. company that sold me the replacement 3-speed thermostat have given up on Traeger and now sell another brand of pellet cooker.
Bottom line for me--my Traeger has cooked up the best food I've ever eaten from an outdoor or indoor cooker of any kind. I highly recommend the unit that's smoking away in my back yard right now. As for the newer foreign built models, I say ask around if you can about the quality--maybe they've improved. Check the warranty. It used to be a pretty good one. And check the dealers. Make sure they're happy with what they're selling and will help you with any warranty issues.
That's it. Good luck.
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I purchased my Traeger grill about 2 months ago based on a recommendation, and I would not recommend a Traeger grill to anyone due to quality control issues. The design of the grill is fine, but the poor quality of Chinese construction has made use of this grill an exercise in frustration. I think Traeger is trying to mass produce a grill at an affordable price by sacrificing quality, but there comes a point where the grill isn't worth buying regardless of cost. If it is always broken there's no sense in owning it.After owning the grill for three weeks one of the handles attached to the grill came loose. The attachments are concealed, so I contacted Traeger to make sure I would not void the warranty if I disassembled the grill and re-attached the handle. Traeger out-sourced its customer service department staff, and although the new support staff are friendly, they apparently know little about how the grill is assembled. It took three phone calls before I talked with someone who understood how the grill was assembled and who could tell me how to dis-assemble the grill as needed. With some effort I was able to tighten the handle.
Two weeks later I started the grill, waited for it to pre-heat and put on the salmon steaks. When I checked on the grill 5 minutes later I found smoke billowing out of the pellet hopper and the actual BBQ was cold. I turned off the grill and scooped smoldering pellets out of the hopper. The gasket that seals the hopper to the auger had come loose and was slowing being pulled into the auger that feeds the grill. This lack of an airtight seal caused a backdraft. To me this is a safety issue. The grill was / is not usable until Trager sends a new gasket. The replacement will require more disassembly. I've ordered the replacement gasket 4 times and have yet to receive it. The first time it wasn't shipped. The second time I was shipped the wrong part. The third time it was never shipped although I was told it would ship via overnight freight. The 4th time it was shipped regular mail although I was told it would be shipped overnight. I have yet to receive it.
Traeger is obviously experiencing growing pains, and in the process is sacrificing quality control. Until these issues are all resolved I would not recommend this product, and would suggest that a potential buyer look at other more dependable products. The company's intentions seem to be good, but the outcome is not.
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I did a lot of research on smokers and one of the key requirements for me was that my wife, who is fairly good at charcoal grilling, must be able to use it and not spend too much time watching it. It came down between this and a Big Green Egg (another great product) and we decided for this because of a special at my nearby dealer. Part of that special was a chance to upgrade the controller at half-price to the digital model.Plus
* Assembles easily (read all instructions). Came with tools but better off using your own.
* Packing excellent. Comes with a cook book but you can also hit the web site for more recipes
* Well built.
* EASY TO USE! That's the big seller on this item and righfully so. Switch it on to the settings you want and change them later during the grill for different results.
* Food: Excellent! You have to try food from these things. Juicy, tender, smokey flavors. When it comes to being able to produce good BBQ with minimal effort, it cannot be beat.
* 3 year manufacturer warranty(very rare). We have a service center near where I live so I know I can get help whenever I need it
Minus
* Doesn't get to a strong searing temp. For me it's not a problem since I can do that through another means.
* It doesn't come with a thermometer. The control unit takes care of that but the stock one doesn't have read out telling you what temp it actually is in the chamber. The upgraded control unit does, which is why I opted for it.
Other
* You are buying into Traeger. Pellets you get from Traeger. This is not necessarily "bad" per-say but you have to understand what you're getting into before hand. We went into this purchase understanding this so it's not a surprise for us. But for those who didn't take the time to understand this I can see it becoming an issue.
* The upgraded control unit is a definite plus but I can see going without it in most cases. I would get it if you can. It allows you to smoke at 180 and gives you a read out of the temp in the chamber.
* The only difference between this model and the Elite Lil Tex is the Elite comes with the upgraded controller, a different door (stainless steel or something), and casters on all four legs instead of only two. So by getting an upgraded controller, you pretty much convert it to an Elite.
Honest reviews on Traeger Lil Tex Pellet Grill
Okay, so I was not looking to get this grill. I went in with the objective of going with a built in Natural Gas grill. However, a friend had a Traeger, and got me to try some of the food from the grill. I was sold right then and there.What I like:
1. Pretty easy to assemble. Took me a couple of hours, and would have been a bit less if I could learn to read directions. :)
2. Easy to use. I simply add the pellets, let the grill heat up, and put on the food.
3. Very uniform heat. The first time out, I cooked six steaks. Every single one of them came out perfectly cooked. No more having to move food around.
4. Taste. The unit has a 'Smoke' setting, which really did impart the flavor of the pellets (I was using Mesquite, but there are around 10 various). What I did not taste was that occasional chemical taste you sometimes get with Propane.
5. Cookbook comes with the unit.
6. No flare ups. Since there is no direct fire, you get no flare ups as grease melts, drips and burns.
7. Easy clean up. The grease you do get drips onto a plate which leads to a bucket. I lined the plate with foil, and the bucket collected just a bit of grease. Soap and water took care of that.
8. Steaks were extremely juicy. Even my misguided friend who likes his steak the texture of shoe leather commented on how juicy the meat was. I could not believe how much juice ran out of his steak!
So, what do I not like?
Well the price is a bit high (though I now think worth the cost), and I did have to assemble the dang thing myself. Seems to use a fair amount of pellets, so the ongoing cost may be high. I have not used it enough to know for sure about that, though.
Overall, I really like this grill, and I strongly recommend it people give it a look. Better yet, try the food hot off the grill, and you will never look back.
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Shortly after I bought a Traeger it began to shed paint. Then it was coming off in sheets. They had a known problem learning how to powder coat and nearly all units had the problem.The issues were well documented and even went to litigation. All searchable on line.
Their solution when confronted was to offered to send a free can of spray paint.
Another letter was written and yielded their final answer (after 2 calls and several transfers, finally to George Costner); "Sorry, out of warranty, too bad for you".
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