Traeger Timberline vs BGE

fbskiracer · April 2017

So I am building a new house and planning the back yard. I've hard a large BGE until this year. I moved for work for thisyear and left it at my brothers. In August we are moving for a permanent just in Upstate NY. The plan is to rent for ~9 months and move into the house we are building.

I had been planning an outdoor kitchen/entertaining area with a built in natural gas grill and XL BGE in the back patio. When I got my BGE I went all in. Stoker, CGS accessories ect. Its great, but unless I'm just slow or not using it enough, it seems like I never plan enough for setup and cleanup. Granted I'm usually working 75+/week (which will hopefully get better now that I'm done training).

I recently came across the new Traeger Timberline 1300 in a mailing and I'm really considering it. I know its not as versatile as a BGE, but it seems a little simpler. You loose the sear option and I don't know if 500 is really enough for a pizza, but I never managed to pull that off anyway. Overall it seems there is less setup and less mess/clean up. It also seems like the pit is a lot easier to access. I have always used gas for quicker cooking previously, so its a push to me. The Timberline will be close to 2K so its probably a little more than an XL BGE with a full accessory load out. The wifi controller is built in and the app is supported by the company.

Traeger Video
Traeger Review (compensated)

The other 'draw' is it would be easier to get the Traeger for the next year with a rental home and not need to move an XL BGE. I could still add the XL BGE to house as the back yard will be the last part of the build.

Does anyone have any experience with it or similar pellet smokers? I know this is probably the wrong place to ask this but most people on here have more experience than I probably ever will.

Thanks in advance.

blasting · April 2017

I have tried to like pellet smokers. The yoder on a competition cart looks very cool. However, I just can't get into them. For me bbq is a process, and pellet smokers seem to take the craft out of bbq. Good luck with your decision, and all that you have going on.

hondabbq · April 2017

blasting said:

IFor me bbq is a process, and pellet smokers seem to take the craft out of bbq.

How so?

I have both a LBGE and GMG Jim Bowie.

Having cooked on both I don't feel the Pellet takes anything away or negates the "craft" out of BBQ. You light both, add meat, cook.

The value everyone puts on the BGE is the set it and forget it option. " just get it stabilized and put the butts on and walk away for 10 hours" How is that craftier, than a pellet smoker?

I have done burger and butts with the same results as if I cooked them on the EGG. the egg albeit, is a little more versatile than a pellet smoker and can definitely do more, but as far as comparable food its a toss up.

lousubcap · April 2017

Paging @pgprescott as he has a wealth of knowledge regarding cookers of all types.

johnnyp · April 2017

I'm going to level with you. Nobody needs a $1000 grill. For me, it was about having a top-flight tool to support a hobby.

If you don't have a love for the process, and the hobby feels like a chore, go with the easy option. It sounds like you place more value on simplicity because of your limited free time. Get what fits your life.

blasting · April 2017

@hondabbq with an egg I'm responsible for the vents, amount of smoke, watching for temp bump as protien cooks. My involvement is at least necessary, and I find the process to be therapeutic. If I have time I prefer to smoke on the stick burner which is a very needy pit. I like that. The pellet grills seem very simple, and would free up a lot of time. I have have looked into the pellets with an open mind. Some are very impressive, just not my style. I also don't use a controller, however I completely understand why others do.

SmokeyPitt · April 2017

One thing that would bug me about pellet grills is the cost to run them and the availability of the pellets. I have never owned one but I was just curious how much they burned through, and it sounds like you could burn through $20-$30 worth of pellets to cook a butt or brisket. It also seems they are not as readily available. If I run out of lump I can go to any grocery store near me and get a bag. If you are out of pellets you have to find a specialty store that carries them. Since the new Traeger is insulated perhaps it doesn't burn through as as much fuel.

YukonRon · April 2017

Pizza.

GrillSgt · April 2017

I don't know anything about pelleting, but if it means that all cooks are accomplished by smoking the product until done then I wouldn't be interested at all.

Photo Egg · April 2017

GrillSgt said:

I don't know anything about pelleting, but if it means that all cooks are accomplished by smoking the product until done then I wouldn't be interested at all.

That's a great point. Most of my home cooking is done with very little smoke wood. I know most of the pellet grills have heating elements that actually control the heat but I have no idea how much control they have over the smoke. Do they feed pellets at different selectable speeds? Might vary my brand/model?

WeberWho · April 2017

Keep the large and add the pellet smoker

hondabbq · April 2017

SmokeyPitt said:

One thing that would bug me about pellet grills is the cost to run them and the availability of the pellets. I have never owned one but I was just curious how much they burned through, and it sounds like you could burn through $20-$30 worth of pellets to cook a butt or brisket. It also seems they are not as readily available. If I run out of lump I can go to any grocery store near me and get a bag. If you are out of pellets you have to find a specialty store that carries them. Since the new Traeger is insulated perhaps it doesn't burn through as as much fuel.

The cost to do a cook with pellets is about the same as using lump. Pellet grills vary in the volume of pellets they go through during a cook. Some use more some use less. Just as with lump, there are very expensive pellets and more cost effective ones. I bought up several bags of Myron Mixon branded pellets off of Amazon last fall. They were $14 for 20 lbs delivered. My hopper holds 17 lbs and I used about 1/3 of the hopper for a 4 hour rib cook at 265F last weekend. Works out to about $4-5 for the cook.

GrillSgt said:

I don't know anything about pelleting, but if it means that all cooks are accomplished by smoking the product until done then I wouldn't be interested at all.

You can put as much or as little smoke on any item as you see fit for personal taste. I have been working with the pellet grill to try different profiles of flavor. Adding smoke at different intervals. the lower the temp the more smoke produced, ironically just like an egg.

You don't get any smoke flavor when using straight lump?

Im not starting a war here, It just seems to be so much hate on for these types of grills, and I don't understand why. The cooks can be very complex or very simple. Just like all our eggs can be. the level of skills needed can be varies on them as well. Just like there was a learning curve to the egg, there is a learning curve to these.

fbskiracer · April 2017

WeberWho said:

Keep the large and add the pellet smoker

Simple solution, but not an option. The Large BGE is 600 miles away and 400 miles from where we are moving to.

Legume · April 2017

What do they recommend over on the Traeger forum?

lousubcap · April 2017

Try typing pellet grills into the search box here. You will find several recent threads discussing pellet smokers. FWIW-

Legume · April 2017

I'm not anti pellet grill at all, I just think there are at least 5-6 types of smokers/grills I would want before getting one and 6 grills isn't going to happen.

blasting · April 2017

hondabbq said:
Im not starting a war here, It just seems to be so much hate on for these types of grills, and I don't understand why.

@hondabbq I hope you didn't think I was hatin'. I actually gave them a hard look, and I can understand the appeal. While I determined they aren't for me, I thought enough of them to recommended my dad look into getting one.

HeavyG · April 2017

hondabbq said:

SmokeyPitt said:

One thing that would bug me about pellet grills is the cost to run them and the availability of the pellets. I have never owned one but I was just curious how much they burned through, and it sounds like you could burn through $20-$30 worth of pellets to cook a butt or brisket. It also seems they are not as readily available. If I run out of lump I can go to any grocery store near me and get a bag. If you are out of pellets you have to find a specialty store that carries them. Since the new Traeger is insulated perhaps it doesn't burn through as as much fuel.

The cost to do a cook with pellets is about the same as using lump. Pellet grills vary in the volume of pellets they go through during a cook. Some use more some use less. Just as with lump, there are very expensive pellets and more cost effective ones. I bought up several bags of Myron Mixon branded pellets off of Amazon last fall. They were $14 for 20 lbs delivered. My hopper holds 17 lbs and I used about 1/3 of the hopper for a 4 hour rib cook at 265F last weekend. Works out to about $4-5 for the cook.

GrillSgt said:

I don't know anything about pelleting, but if it means that all cooks are accomplished by smoking the product until done then I wouldn't be interested at all.

You can put as much or as little smoke on any item as you see fit for personal taste...

How does one vary the amount/duration of smoke during a cook on a pellet grill?

epcotisbest · April 2017

Had no idea those new Traegers were that expensive.

hondabbq · April 2017

blasting said:

hondabbq said:
Im not starting a war here, It just seems to be so much hate on for these types of grills, and I don't understand why.

@hondabbq I hope you didn't think I was hatin'. I actually gave them a hard look, and I can understand the appeal. While I determined they aren't for me, I thought enough of them to recommended my dad look into getting one.

Not at all.

I had a thread up last fall when I was looking at them as well. There was a few comments that seemed to have turned up noses towards them, and again in recent posts.

I admit they can be very simple to operate, if you want to just turn them on and let them run. That is the appeal for some. I have done some pretty great cooks on mine and I am still learning to use the smoke and heat to my advantage, for different durations and intensities. I needed more real estate for larger cooks and was debating this or a stick burner but the need for chopped wood and the storage of wood was the major deterrent.

GrillSgt · April 2017

nm

scdaf · April 2017

Well, I got here from the other direction. I've had a pellet grill for a long time and considered ceramic cookers to be far to expensive for what they offered. Finally got a great deal on a ceramic grill and have been loving it. Don't have any hate for either and can turn out really good food on both.

If pizza is a consideration, look at the Green Mountain Grills Daniel Boone or Jim Bowie. Both have a new pizza oven attachment available and it's terrific!

Oven attachment fits directly over the firebox and I've seen stone temps up to 898 degrees and I can drop it anywhere down from there very quickly.

The smaller of the two, the Daniel Boone can be had for about $600 and the pizza oven add-on $129 retail. Try to avoid the wifi "upgrade" which just adds a layer of complication and frustration.

For pellet cost, I pay an average of $9 for 20 lbs, which is a little cheaper/ btu than I can get lump charcoal.

Nearly forgot, because my older grill doesn't have it, the new GMG grills have the ability to direct-sear over open flame, built in.

To sum it up, if I were on the Pelletheads forum right now and somebody was thinking about getting a ceramic cooker, I'd tell them to go for it. Same here, other way around. About the only exception, having owned one would be a stick burner, just too darn much work.

oldmandawg · April 2017

I'm a BGE fan and will never go the pellet grill route. However a buddy of mine loves his pellet grill, a Rec Tec and says it is much better than a Traeger. Check out the Rec Tec.

bhedges1987 · April 2017

I started out with a traeger and they're junk. If your spending that on a pellet grill get a yoder.

CtTOPGUN · April 2017

I have been looking at reasonably priced pellet grills lately. I am wanting another wood fired device that can be used at all temps, as well as be a set it to temp and keep it there outdoor oven. The pellet types match those needs. I am thinking the Rec Tec is for me. But I do have to replace the aging gasser before dropping the coin on this new toy. Gasser this season(Napoleon Pro) then the pellet pooper next season. cost/cook should be close to the same as my BGE unless ambient temps are really cold. Lots of pellet choices and I don't mind planning ahead.

noveggske · April 2017

I bet this has been said but Ill say it anyways an egg isn't and grill, smoker or oven... It's all of the above, with a controller like a stoker you can't get any more versatile.

A traeger is a very good smoker but its limited with wood options and with heat. It seems like a great companion cooker but at $1700-2k for the timberline I would want something a little more versatile if it were to be my primary.

That all being said, Why not both? I've been looking for a decent pellet cooker to sit next to my eggs, i was interested in the Timberlines but the base looks REALLLY cheap for a $2,000 cooker.

pgprescott · April 2017

lousubcap said:

Paging @pgprescott as he has a wealth of knowledge regarding cookers of all types.

If I was going to have one unit, it would be a Kamado. I am a pretty big fan of the newer pellet cookers as they have been advancing pretty rapidly for about five years now. The new Traeger is awesome and combined with a set of grill grates will be a great setup. Maybe you get the Traeger first in your case because of moving and rental restrictions? Either way, you will have an awesome combo with both units.

Focker · April 2017

I look at ceramic, like most look at pellet cookers here.

To me it's a Swiss Army knife grill.

When it comes to traditional q, the egg is at the bottom of my smoker list.

I'm sorry, I'd snake in a kettle before the egg.

Ceramic does have it's place for convenience in Jan/Feb here in the Midwest though.

Anymore, I lernt to get in my low and slows, cold smokes in Fall or Spring, timing the ambient seasons right. Nothing is worse than trying to cold smoke belly, and having your lips freeze to your teeth here in IL, during a quick trip out to check on things.

To be honest, I'd like to play around with a cookshack, have played around with just about everything else.

Toxarch · April 2017

SmokeyPitt said:

One thing that would bug me about pellet grills is the cost to run them and the availability of the pellets. I have never owned one but I was just curious how much they burned through, and it sounds like you could burn through $20-$30 worth of pellets to cook a butt or brisket. It also seems they are not as readily available. If I run out of lump I can go to any grocery store near me and get a bag. If you are out of pellets you have to find a specialty store that carries them. Since the new Traeger is insulated perhaps it doesn't burn through as as much fuel.

Around here, pellets are sold all over: Wal-Mart, all the hardware stores, tractor supply, I think even the grocery stores have it. If they sell charcoal briquettes, they probably sell pellets.

SaintJohnsEgger · April 2017

i spent several months investigating and sure that I was going to buy a pellet cooker. But in the end I realized the Egg was more versatile.

Pellet smokers give you lots of versatility with different types of smoke but they are know for not having a lot of smoke flavor into the meat. That is why you find items like the Amaze-n-smoker that people use to add more smoke flavor. They can also be very finicky of the auger that distributes the pellets jams up. There are no coals just a flame burning the pellets and if they don't feed the the fire goes out. But an egg can go out too if you don't use enough lump. Swapping one set of problems for another.

Finding pellets isn't that hard as most any Ace, Lowes or Home Depot will have them and they are available from Amazon.com.

Pellet fed grills are just another way of controlling the grill temperature. Same thing I do with my Egg and FlameBoss. The real skill comes in controlling the rubs, sauces and the meat.

I just decided for m that if I was spending that much money the the Egg gave me more options, better warranty and longer life.

dstearn · April 2017

One thing that no has mentioned is moisture retention. The Egg is not only versatile from a temp range but the ceramics provide the ability to retain moisture for longer cooks. I have also smoked Butts and Briskets overnight in cold winter temps with no issues.

Traeger Timberline vs BGE

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