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Traeger or maybe BGE

Tigerjam
Tigerjam Posts: 10
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
A friend at work wants to move up from a gas grill and is strongly considering a Traeger. He's loked at the BGE but is intimidated by it. Any suggestions that I can pass along?

Comments

  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    You're kidding right? Motorized compressed pellets held together with glue vs. lump charcoal.
  • Hi T.J.
    Have your friend go to Traegers website and look for their forum. They do not have one. Then remind him of the great forum support family here with the BGE. Also remind him the Asians have been cooking with BGE komado style cookers for over 1000 years. I don’t think Traeger has been around quite that long. :whistle:
    BGE'er since 1996 Large BGE 1996, Small BGE 1996, Mini BGE 1997
  • Rolling Egg
    Rolling Egg Posts: 1,995
    Don't be scared! That's what you can pass along. :woohoo: I've had mine over two years now and it's yet to bite me. Traegers are fine for people who want low and slow or want to plug and go. Your out of luck with one if the power goes out or you want a high temp cook. Tell him to get on the forum and look around and read.
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Traeger is a decent grill for what it was designed for but not near as versatile as the egg. Also here in Florida the metal will rust and humidity will swell the pellets and clog the auger if you leave them in overnight. I've cooked several times on one with good results it's just not what I would want in my backyard.
  • Grilldog
    Grilldog Posts: 21
    Hi, Grilldog here. I produce and direct an Cooking Show that airs all over the United States, New Zealand and Australia. It's one of the most distributed shows on Community TV in the world. Traeger gave me one of their grills for use in my show. I've also Demonstrated and had cookoffs on the Big Green Egg and will be one of the instructors at Egg University at the Egg Fest here in Austin on the 30th. Here's the facts, life time warranty for the Egg, fix the electronics in 5 years or less on the Traeger. Expensive Pellets that you seem to only be able to get from Traeger vs any ole lump coal. Ceramic that won't rust vs better keep that cover on the traeger or it'll rust.

    As for Grill'n, Smok'n and Baking, with the plate setter, BGE does it all. Traeger, the least Expensive Traegers can't do all of that unless you buy an enhanced motor and install it yourself.

    Costs are about the same when you consider the accessories that enhance the BGE. Treager representatives and support have dwindled in the past two years due to corporate "restructuring". Most sales reps have either been fired or quit. Some are even starting to make and sell their own Wood Pellet Grills that are actually better then the traeger vs cheap imitations like BBQ Galore's Red Cafe or what ever they are calling it, all of the knock offs burn Hot so have fun wiyh your briskets..

    i think that should do it
  • I was a little intimidated by it as well. A good chunk of change for something you fear you may not be very good at cooking on. However, this weekend being my first cook on it, I am no longer intimidated. Blazing hot grill, throw on the meat, close the dome, flip and repeat for quick delicious burgers, and spare ribs on Sunday (best I have had in years) that we at the point of falling off the bone and where still very moist.
    I couldn't be more happy....I had been wanting an Egg for years... As one of the replies stated, there is excellent support here, they answered a few questions for me.
  • I took a one-day BBQ class back in June 2008. The pit master teaching the course had 3 Traegers and 2 large BGEs. Before the clock struck noon all 3 Traegers were dead and pushed out of the way. Apparently there is some sort of screw mechanism that feeds the pellets into the Traegers and all 3 had some issues with that screw mechanism locking up. The BGEs kept on cookin' and saved our instructor some major embarrassment. My neighbor currently owns a Traeger and often threatens to come over and steal one of my BGEs while I’m not looking. More than once I’ve heard her swear at her Traeger for flare-ups that ruined her dinner – the last time with a house full of people. I’ve never had any sort of a mechanical problem or flare-up issue with my BGE. I hope this doesn’t sound too much like a commercial, if it does BGE can send me a check and thank me later!
  • Hotwingking
    Hotwingking Posts: 279
    My brother has a higher end traeger and has blown 3 ignitors in less than a year, he
    is now threatening to buy an Egg like big bro.
    B)
  • Grilldog
    Grilldog Posts: 21
    How about Thanksgiving Morning tossing your Families Turkey on the Treager to smoke and then 5 hours later you go to check and the electronics failed 3 hours earlier, the hot plate doesn't heat up and you end up with a barrel full of wood pellets and a ruined turkey!

    If you do own a Treager for what ever reason, better keep it clean. The sales people tell you that the Treager is easy to use, simply put aluminum foil on the drip pan and toss it out when your done and it'll keep the pan clean and worry free. What they don't tell you is that YOU BETTER PUT THE DANGED ALUMINUM FOIL ON AND KEEP IT CLEAN because if you don', the first time you cook at high temperature you better have your fire extinguisher nearby and I've a scar on my arm to prove it! If you're just smok'n at the lowest setting you'll be safe, but if you cook at a higher temperature, better have that baby clean! OR ELSE! "My Briskets are Burning"!
  • Grilldog
    Grilldog Posts: 21
    good for him. Those ignitors blow and are a pain in the Brisket to replace. Then when you ask the Treager folks for directions theres a number of geeky wiring tests you have to perform in order to get it to work on not. I don't want to be an electrician to grill a Boston Butt, I want a grill!

    Oh, here's what gets me the best. Treager GAVE me the grill to use on my cooking show. When the auger busted, ignitor stopped and numerous other problems, ruining my Thanksgiving Turkey, they wouldn't honor the warranty and even hung up on me several times. I was demonstrating their grill on national and international TV and they wouldn't honor a warranty because I didn't have a sales slip on the grill they gave me to use! I must admit that after 3 months of calling around I finally did hook up with someone at Treager that was more then helpful and even sent me the parts to get it working again. But He was the top dude and only did it because he knew of the advertising I had been doing for them. What about everyone else who does not have resources to go that high up in the chain. That's a troubling thought.

    If you can afford a Treager, you can afford an egg, the results are better, you don't have to be an electrician and you'll be much happier in the long run. Yes, your neighbors will want to steal your egg.
  • Frobozz
    Frobozz Posts: 98
    Eggs are more versatile, more reliable and will last much longer than a Traeger, which is both filled with electronics/mechanical parts *and* susceptible to rust. Eggs are no more difficult to use than your typical backyard charcoal grill -- in fact, they're not all that dissimilar from a Weber kettle, except they are far, far more thermally efficient and controllable.
  • Serial Griller
    Serial Griller Posts: 1,186
    I have both and use them .Ive had no problems like others have mentioned with my Traeger maybe due to the low humidity here.The egg is more versatile.You can't sear meat or do a good pizza, on a Traeger. But if you're busy and don't have the time to wait for the egg to heat up or just want to "set it" and go then you can do just about anything else with the Traeger.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    I have nothing to add after Grilldog's post :).


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • bees
    bees Posts: 335
    Please don't let him buy the Traeger. My brother loves his custom $2000-$3000 Traeger, but,and I would never tell him this, the meat from a BGE is much better,and you can do so many more types of cooks with a BGE.Save him! Good Luck, Randy
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Well I guess that answers that question.