Time to get serious about a new smoker.

[TripletDaddy]

We're looking at Traegers and are pretty close to getting one. I'm a long-time gas grill guy, so I have a few questions. I'm seeing that some purchasers complain about the smoke that the Traegers emit when starting up. Is there anything to that? I don't want my neighbors to hate me for that! Also, it looks like quite a few people have both a gas grill and a Traeger, and use the grill for things like burgers, and the Traeger for smoking. It's hard to get the Traeger hot enough for searing, thye say. What has been your experience?

gas grills are good for making delicious meat taste gross. A traeg isnt really great for searing because you cant really consistently get high 500s with it and certainly cant get into the 600s. Eggs are really the master for searing or cooking pizzas.

I still use my gas grill to cook hot dogs or burgers...in other words cooking for small children or people you hate and want to leave your home quickly, like ward members or in-laws. I will also use it to sear tip, which is basically the last few minutes of the entire cook for me. You can still sear tip on the traeger, but you have to burn fuel and it takes time to crank it all the way up. Flame is instant.

I have no idea about the smoke at start up thing being a problem. All smokers smoke at start up. they have to emit smoke in order to function properly. With a traeger, you generally keep the lid opened until you see smoke start to flow, then you close the lid and set it to the desired setting/temp. It isnt a large billowing cloud of smoke we are talking about, just the initial traces of flavor-imparting wood burning. The only thing your neighbors will hate you for aside from those ridiculous Ute flags in your yard is that you are now making meat that destroys theirs and you arent giving free samples to them every time. Your neighbor's wife will start being attracted to you and the husband will be jealous, so be prepared for a lot of "smells good, what are you cooking" visits.

My FIL is a gas grill guy and he likes to invite everyone over for tip and man it is not great. you can taste the propane and it isn't good. yuck. ditch the gas grill for meat, it really does taste not good at all.

welcome to the club.

ps dont w.a.s.t.e. time with a smaller smoker. get a texas. you will want the grill space.

[ERCougar]

Eggs can smoke!
Obviously, everyone is biased towards what they chose, but I think the real reason for a Traeger is ease. There's nothing as easy as flipping a switch. But you pay for that, and you also have a fussy electric device that you have to rely on. That sort of kills it for me.
If you're looking for something to do both, get an Egg (or an akorn for a third of the price)--they do both very well, and with a temp controller for another $150, you approach the traeger in ease. It's not quite flip a switch and forget it, but it's pretty close. Even with it, I'll still do the occasional cook without any help from a temp controller. It's fun and once you get the hang of it, the work consists of checking the vents every hour or so. There's a sort of primal satisfaction that comes from just cooking with fire. if I have to leave it for longer, I turn on the temp controller. Also, lump charcoal and wood chunks are way cheaper pellets.
I now have an akorn, a pit barrel smoker that we take camping, and a smoky Joe, along with a few hundred dollars of accessories, and I'm still into it less than I would be with a Traeger.
Either way you go, it's a great hobby. In the summer, I cook 2-3 times a week, which makes it a much easier sell for my wife.
I agree with DDD about the smoke thing being silly. Um...it's a smoker. It will put out smoke. There is a little heavier smoke at first, butpretty quickly, it turns into a little wisp. And yeah...you want grill space.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

gas grills are good for making delicious meat taste gross. A traeg isnt really great for searing because you cant really consistently get high 500s with it and certainly cant get into the 600s. Eggs are really the master for searing or cooking pizzas.

I still use my gas grill to cook hot dogs or burgers...in other words cooking for small children or people you hate and want to leave your home quickly, like ward members or in-laws. I will also use it to sear tip, which is basically the last few minutes of the entire cook for me. You can still sear tip on the traeger, but you have to burn fuel and it takes time to crank it all the way up. Flame is instant.

I have no idea about the smoke at start up thing being a problem. All smokers smoke at start up. they have to emit smoke in order to function properly. With a traeger, you generally keep the lid opened until you see smoke start to flow, then you close the lid and set it to the desired setting/temp. It isnt a large billowing cloud of smoke we are talking about, just the initial traces of flavor-imparting wood burning. The only thing your neighbors will hate you for aside from those ridiculous Ute flags in your yard is that you are now making meat that destroys theirs and you arent giving free samples to them every time. Your neighbor's wife will start being attracted to you and the husband will be jealous, so be prepared for a lot of "smells good, what are you cooking" visits.

My FIL is a gas grill guy and he likes to invite everyone over for tip and man it is not great. you can taste the propane and it isn't good. yuck. ditch the gas grill for meat, it really does taste not good at all.

welcome to the club.

ps dont w.a.s.t.e. time with a smaller smoker. get a texas. you will want the grill space.

You can get a charcoal grill for less than $50 that will work perfectly for 2-3 summers or longer. No reason to ever use a gas grill.

[LA Ute]

Eggs can smoke!
Obviously, everyone is biased towards what they chose, but I think the real reason for a Traeger is ease. There's nothing as easy as flipping a switch. But you pay for that, and you also have a fussy electric device that you have to rely on. That sort of kills it for me.
If you're looking for something to do both, get an Egg (or an akorn for a third of the price)--they do both very well, and with a temp controller for another $150, you approach the traeger in ease. It's not quite flip a switch and forget it, but it's pretty close. Even with it, I'll still do the occasional cook without any help from a temp controller. It's fun and once you get the hang of it, the work consists of checking the vents every hour or so. There's a sort of primal satisfaction that comes from just cooking with fire. if I have to leave it for longer, I turn on the temp controller. Also, lump charcoal and wood chunks are way cheaper pellets.
I now have an akorn, a pit barrel smoker that we take camping, and a smoky Joe, along with a few hundred dollars of accessories, and I'm still into it less than I would be with a Traeger.
Either way you go, it's a great hobby. In the summer, I cook 2-3 times a week, which makes it a much easier sell for my wife.
I agree with DDD about the smoke thing being silly. Um...it's a smoker. It will put out smoke. There is a little heavier smoke at first, butpretty quickly, it turns into a little wisp. And yeah...you want grill space.

Thanks, that looks like an interesting option. It's new to me as a long-time basic Weber gas grill guy. Researching Eggs now.

gas grills are good for making delicious meat taste gross. A traeg isnt really great for searing because you cant really consistently get high 500s with it and certainly cant get into the 600s. Eggs are really the master for searing or cooking pizzas.

I still use my gas grill to cook hot dogs or burgers...in other words cooking for small children or people you hate and want to leave your home quickly, like ward members or in-laws. I will also use it to sear tip, which is basically the last few minutes of the entire cook for me. You can still sear tip on the traeger, but you have to burn fuel and it takes time to crank it all the way up. Flame is instant.

I have no idea about the smoke at start up thing being a problem. All smokers smoke at start up. they have to emit smoke in order to function properly. With a traeger, you generally keep the lid opened until you see smoke start to flow, then you close the lid and set it to the desired setting/temp. It isnt a large billowing cloud of smoke we are talking about, just the initial traces of flavor-imparting wood burning. The only thing your neighbors will hate you for aside from those ridiculous Ute flags in your yard is that you are now making meat that destroys theirs and you arent giving free samples to them every time. Your neighbor's wife will start being attracted to you and the husband will be jealous, so be prepared for a lot of "smells good, what are you cooking" visits.

My FIL is a gas grill guy and he likes to invite everyone over for tip and man it is not great. you can taste the propane and it isn't good. yuck. ditch the gas grill for meat, it really does taste not good at all.

welcome to the club.

ps dont w.a.s.t.e. time with a smaller smoker. get a texas. you will want the grill space.

OK, you and ER have taught me a lot in two posts. Thanks for the time you both spent on that. I think this is going to be fun.

[TripletDaddy]

Sorry I need to clarify my post above. Yes eggs definitely can smoke. They are great smokers. I meant to say that In addition to the smoking, eggs are a great option for searing or pizzas. Traegers or even traditional stick burners aren't really made for that. I think the BGE is the best overall device but I put a huge premium on set it and forget it so I like my traeg. Bottom line is any of those options will destroy gas grilling. As ER said it is a primo hobby and the wife loves it because you start becoming obsessed with cooking food. My only regret is not starting sooner.

as it has been pointed out many times in this thread, neophytes will swoon over the meat but the best kept secret of all is how fun and easy it is.

[Sizzle]

Sorry I need to clarify my post above. Yes eggs definitely can smoke. They are great smokers. I meant to say that In addition to the smoking, eggs are a great option for searing or pizzas. Traegers or even traditional stick burners aren't really made for that. I think the BGE is the best overall device but I put a huge premium on set it and forget it so I like my traeg. Bottom line is any of those options will destroy gas grilling. As ER said it is a primo hobby and the wife loves it because you start becoming obsessed with cooking food. My only regret is not starting sooner.

as it has been pointed out many times in this thread, neophytes will swoon over the meat but the best kept secret of all is how fun and easy it is.

Preach on brother DDD!

Like Sweet Triple said, owning and using a smoker does nothing but increase your manhood. Like this last weekend, I made my own bacon. I don't care who you are, if you can make your own bacon, your manhood increases substantially. Also, walking down the meat aisle at a grocery store, you no longer look at any cut of meat thinking "I don't know how too cook that." Instead you wonder what grade it is, if there is enough marbling, and eventually hit the point that you wonder why you are wasting your time at the grocery store and find a butcher.

The only downsides I have found are as follows: first, kiss goodbye eating at crappy places like Texas Roadhouse, Dickeys, etc. you just can't do it anymore. The quality pales in comparison to the stuff you'll make your first try at home. Serious. Second, get ready to cook for family and ward outings. Third, prepare to be outraged the next time someone says "hey do you guys want to come bbq" only to find out they mean cook burgers and dogs on a gas grill. :Wuap:

In short, I am a big believer that smoking meats is one of the next rites of passage to becoming a real man, only slightly behind puberty and ahead of things like shaving and changing a tire on the scale of manliness. Welcome to the club!

[Green Monstah]

LAU, if I could do it over, I'd get a Traeger. I love the meat I cook on my WSM, but I don't have tons of spare time, and the WSM temp doesn't stay absolutely steady and requires periodic adjustment. When Smoking a pork shoulder or brisket for 12 to 18 hours, that means losing sleep.

[LA Ute]

LAU, if I could do it over, I'd get a Traeger. I love the meat I cook on my WSM, but I don't have tons of spare time, and the WSM temp doesn't stay absolutely steady and requires periodic adjustment. When Smoking a pork shoulder or brisket for 12 to 18 hours, that means losing sleep.

I'm pretty sold on Traeger but I want to be able to grill too. I'll either have two cookers (a Traeger and a gas grill) or I'll go the Egg route. I like he versatility I see in the Egg, but it's missing the "set it and forget it" feature -- I think. Apparently there's an Egg accessory that us supposed to give me that. Still looking into it.

[TripletDaddy]

The only downside to the egg is the price. You are going to want one of those good looking wooden counters as well as the temp monitor, which will put you close to $2k out of the gate. Ouch! But as ER mentioned you can get egg knockoffs for far less and they work just fine.

i like instant flame for simple tasks but I keep toying with getting a BGE. My dream machine would be a mak.

[Moliere]

LAU, since you live in California you will be fine plugging in your smoker.

[Green Monstah]

LAU, since you live in California you will be fine plugging in your smoker.

I will say that there is something more manly about lighting up coals and letting large chunks of hardwood flavor the meat.

[FMCoug]

The only downside to the egg is the price. You are going to want one of those good looking wooden counters as well as the temp monitor, which will put you close to $2k out of the gate. Ouch! But as ER mentioned you can get egg knockoffs for far less and they work just fine.

i like instant flame for simple tasks but I keep toying with getting a BGE. My dream machine would be a mak.

I thought that until I went and looked at them. Too small if you're used to a Texas.

[TripletDaddy]

I thought that until I went and looked at them. Too small if you're used to a Texas.

were you looking at the 2 star? I'm talking about the 4 star. That thing is a monster

[FMCoug]

were you looking at the 2 star? I'm talking about the 4 star. That thing is a monster

We'll sure if you want to spend 11K.

They need to come out with a 3 star.

[Sizzle]

We'll sure if you want to spend 11K.

They need to come out with a 3 star.

He said "dream machine", didn't he?