The Treager roadshow is here in Ohio until 4/15. I saw them over the weekend, but didn't look at them closely as I didn't know I was in the market for a grill.

Grilling today for the first time this spring and my grill is falling apart. So I'm in the market for another.

I don't do gas, as I prefer wood or charcoal fired. I've seen decent feedback on Treager grills on the OB, but I can't find anything in my searches of the OB on the Costco versions. Are they the same quality? Are the deals good? I may have to go grab one unless someone here can give me a reason not to.

I've had mine for several months, stupid easy and basically feels like your cheating. Can't get a super bark of a brisket but it's pretty good. Doesn't get hot enough for steaks. Other than that it's a good investment.

Don't have any input on if there is a difference in Costco version.

Disclaimer- I have nothing against Traegers. My Dad has owned one for years, I have cooked on it many times. Great grill, just expensive.

Last Spring I got a Pit Boss pellet smoker from Tractor Supply (during a sale). WAY bigger cooking surface, more versatility with some of the features, and 1/2 the price of a Trager. Good quality, thicker steel. I have been very pleased with mine. I have smoked steaks, briskets, ribs, butts, and fish. Grilled all the obvious culprits. We do "wood fired" pizzas on it pretty often. I even did a cast iron apple pie last summer on it. Digital temp & smoke adjustment make dialing things in very easy. I use Traeger Pellets, but only because that is what is most available to me locally. My grill might do better with a slightly smaller pellet- but the auger doesn't seem to mind too much.

Pitt Boss is worth a look.

Thanks, I'll look into them. Looks like they have a higher temp setting. Are you able to do streaks on them?

cadetjay02 said:

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I've had mine for several months, stupid easy and basically feels like your cheating. Can't get a super bark of a brisket but it's pretty good. Doesn't get hot enough for steaks. Other than that it's a good investment.

Don't have any input on if there is a difference in Costco version.

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Doubt there are any. The long term money is in selling the ink not printer.

Grilla Grill eot

I think there may be better pellet smokers on the market, specifically RecTec and maybe others. That said, I still plan to buy a Traeger. They actively support and lobby for Hunters and Fisherman. Their whole business model is centered around it, just like Yeti. That means something to me.

I got a Traeger Pro 34 about a year ago to go with my Kamado Joe for when I have a lot of people over and have been very happy with it. The Traeger has been my go to for brisket the past few months. I never thought I would have a pellet grill and now I can't see not having one. The Traeger does have limitations on searing steaks but I will smoke the steaks on the Traeger for a while at low temp then sear them on my KJ. I have a buddy that does the sear on a Weber kettle after smoking on his Traeger. If I were to buy another pellet grill today and money wasn't an issue I would go with the Pitts & Spitts pellet. I probably upgrade to a Pitts & Spitts in a year or so. Someone earlier mentioned Grilla Grills and they do appear to have a good pellet grill at a good price.

pitts and spitts is made in Houston. Compared side by side it uses a higher grade of steel than a Treager. The pellet versions can cook steaks as well as smoke. My neighbor got a decent smoke ring using his on Easter. I was impressed.

I've had a green mountain grill for a year and it has worked well. I looked at traeger also, but thought the gmg was better in build quality and features. It will go to 500 degrees and is hot enough to cook steaks. I added a set of grillgrates and can cook an 1.25 inch ribeye to perfection in 6-7 minutes. Look into grillgrates as they are worth the price in my opinion for cooking steaks and other meat that you don't need to cook slow. Yoder uses these same grates in their pellet grills for searing. Also, look into the wifi model. It is really convenient to be able to turn your grill on/off, adjust temperature from the couch, lol

I own a camp chef woodwind with sear box. Reversed seared steaks are the best I have ever had. I can tell you camp chef is inexpensive and their customer service is best in the business. There is a Facebook group called Camp Chef Smoker Smokers. There are many members and a ton of knowledge as well. You can always join just to get a feel for how great Camp Chef is.

I've been looking at pulling the trigger on one of these for a while. Worth the price? Anyone else have experience with a woodwind?

Does anyone know if I can put the camp chef searing station on a traeger?

j_becan said:

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I've been looking at pulling the trigger on one of these for a while. Worth the price? Anyone else have experience with a woodwind?

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I certainly think so. The best part about it is their customer service. If something is defective or becomes defective there are usually no questions asked and new part sent. Truly one of the best customer service experiences ever.

V8Aggie said:

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Does anyone know if I can put the camp chef searing station on a traeger?

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I believe it is attached by only 4 or 5 bolts. You would need to drill new holes probably but not sure why you couldn't so long as the bolts where not in the way of anything.

2ndChanceAg96 said:

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V8Aggie said:

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Does anyone know if I can put the camp chef searing station on a traeger?

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I believe it is attached by only 4 or 5 bolts. You would need to drill new holes probably but not sure why you couldn't so long as the bolts where not in the way of anything.

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Thanks. I love my traeger but I really want to sear my steaks!

I noticed some of the Pit Boss grills have a flame broil option for exposure to direct flames. Does yours have this? If so, how well does it work?

When I wanted to do steaks on the traeger I would remove the grate and place a cast iron skillet directly on the heat deflector box and it definitely got hot enough to get a really good sear. A little extra work, but it worked like a charm...so it can be done.

FlyFisher99 said:

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When I wanted to do steaks on the traeger I would remove the grate and place a cast iron skillet directly on the heat deflector box and it definitely got hot enough to get a really good sear. A little extra work, but it worked like a charm...so it can be done.

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That sounds like a lot of extra (messy) work. I am thinking about getting the sear station. I can make it work and look nice if I need to mod it. Will post up pics when I do!

Wait for the Kamado Joe road show.
Purchase Big Joe
Purchase a lot of lump charcoal
EOT

OhAggie98 said:

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I noticed some of the Pit Boss grills have a flame broil option for exposure to direct flames. Does yours have this? If so, how well does it work?

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Yes it does. Basically a sliding section on the heat shield, so you can do direct or indirect heating.

For my steaks, I smoke them till internal temp is 120, then take them off and crank the grill to 500, and finish sear them. If I slide the shield over before cranking it up, the grates are SMOKING hot. I then slide the shield back closed, so the flames don't burn the steak (just my preference), and the sear comes out perfect.

Open flames gives chicken, fajitas, and pizza crust a nice kiss as well.

How does the ease of use for a pellet compare to a gas grill? How quickly does it get to 325-350 compared to a gas grill?

Was looking at replacing my gas grill with a Weber. I want something very easy for my wife to use and something that heats up quickly when we are in a hurry or late decision on what we're going to eat. I have an Akorn, but she's not going take the time to learn how to get to and control the temp for that. Of course, if I got a pellet grill to replace my gas grill, I don't know that I would need the Akorn.

They take about 5 min to preheat.

khkman22 said:

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How does the ease of use for a pellet compare to a gas grill? How quickly does it get to 325-350 compared to a gas grill?

Was looking at replacing my gas grill with a Weber. I want something very easy for my wife to use and something that heats up quickly when we are in a hurry or late decision on what we're going to eat. I have an Akorn, but she's not going take the time to learn how to get to and control the temp for that. Of course, if I got a pellet grill to replace my gas grill, I don't know that I would need the Akorn.

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My wife LOVES to use our pellet grill. She never really used the gas grill. On mine- simple turn the dial to "smoke" and it preheats to about 180-200, then flip it to whatever your desired temp is. You can also adjust the amount of smoke vs. flame, but she doesn't mess with that.

Depends on outside temp, as to how long it takes to preheat. Seems like the outside temp impacts preheating times a little more than with a Webber gas we used to use. Still only takes 5-10 mins to preheat, and you don't have to mess with any lighters or charcoal. However, once at temp, the pellet definitely seems to hold much more steady, regardless of wind or cold. For instance, if it is below 50 and windy outside (yes, I still grill in the cold), my grill might run 15 degrees cooler than what the target temp on the dial reads- however it will hold that temp steadily. So I just crank it up a notch above what I want when its cold, and have no issues.

My biggest complaint on my Traeger is the lack of smoke that it produces. It cooks great, but it just doesn't smoke very much. Seems like it only puts out a minute of smoke followed by 5 minutes of no smoke. I bought one of these, and it works very well. Fill with pellets, light with a propane torch, and it will produce a good amount of constant smoke for a couple of hours. As stated above, the Traeger won't produce a good bark. This helps tremendously with that.

While looking into some of the other brands mentioned above, I ran across the Green Mountain Grills brand of pellet grills. They seem stronger built than many others in the same price range, can reach 550deg vs the 400 of the Treager, and have a Wi-Fi option that you can use your phone to manage the grill AND internal meat temp. You can even setup different profiles that change temps based on time or meat temps.

Does anybody have any experience with GMG pellet grills?

OhAggie98 said:

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While looking into some of the other brands mentioned above, I ran across the Green Mountain Grills brand of pellet grills. They seem stronger built than many others in the same price range, can reach 550deg vs the 400 of the Treager, and have a Wi-Fi option that you can use your phone to manage the grill AND internal meat temp. You can even setup different profiles that change temps based on time or meat temps.

Does anybody have any experience with GMG pellet grills?

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I have a non wifi one, about 6years old. It has the wireless remote though. What you said about the gmg vs the treagar is true. It will hold temp in the dead of winter where the treagar struggles to. Im talking 10 degree weather or less so depending where in Texas you are it may not get cold enough to causes problem. The green mountain is a bit bigger inside and taller than the comporable treagar so you can do beer butt chicken in it.

EskimoJoe said:

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What you said about the gmg vs the treagar is true. It will hold temp in the dead of winter where the treagar struggles to. Im talking 10 degree weather or less so depending where in Texas you are it may not get cold enough to causes problem.

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I live in Central Ohio, so temps below 10 degrees happens. However, I doubt I'll be using it when it's on the single digits or lower.

Thanks for the feedback, right now I'm leaning toward the GMG.

you are making a wise decision choosing gmg over traeger. The wifi is a little finicky at times, but does a nice job overall. I encourage anyone who has a pellet grill to look into a set of grill grates for cooking steaks, they will increase the temp a few hundred degrees and put a nice sear on the meat. Also, get the cover and use it. My brother in law left his gmg uncovered during the torential Harvey rains and the pellets turned into sawdust and hardened inside the auger. I don't think he has fixed it yet

OhAggie98 said:

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EskimoJoe said:

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What you said about the gmg vs the treagar is true. It will hold temp in the dead of winter where the treagar struggles to. Im talking 10 degree weather or less so depending where in Texas you are it may not get cold enough to causes problem.

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I live in Central Ohio, so temps below 10 degrees happens. However, I doubt I'll be using it when it's on the single digits or lower.

Thanks for the feedback, right now I'm leaning toward the GMG.

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Pvssy.

I did two butts in 9" of snow the other day.

AggieChemist said:

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OhAggie98 said:

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EskimoJoe said:

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What you said about the gmg vs the treagar is true. It will hold temp in the dead of winter where the treagar struggles to. Im talking 10 degree weather or less so depending where in Texas you are it may not get cold enough to causes problem.

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I live in Central Ohio, so temps below 10 degrees happens. However, I doubt I'll be using it when it's on the single digits or lower.

Thanks for the feedback, right now I'm leaning toward the GMG.

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Pvssy.

I did two butts in 9" of snow the other day.

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Lol, It's not the snow that bothers me, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't single digits the other day. I don't mind the snow when it's not cold.

j_becan said:

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I've been looking at pulling the trigger on one of these for a while. Worth the price? Anyone else have experience with a woodwind?

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I bought a Woodwind for Christmas on the OB recommendation. Love it. I have the sear box like 2ndChance and really love the versatility. I put my cast iron skillet on the sear box last night to make a bunch of bacon so I wouldn't stink up my house.

Camp Chef has also been great to work with. I had an issue with the auger motor (mostly my fault) and they sent me a brand new one. I really wanted advice on fixing it myself but they went above and beyond.