How It Works

Traeger Grill Hardwood Pellet Auger

Easy Operation & Automatic Start

The Traeger Wood Pellet Grill is simple and safe to operate. When a Traeger is turned on, the igniter rod is activated, the auger begins to feed pellets into the firepot, and the draft induction fan feeds air into the firepot. The igniter rod glows red hot for the first four minutes of operation - just long enough to ignite the pellets in the firepot.

Traegers require standard household electric current (110 VAC), which powers the igniter rod, auger motor and draft induction fan.


Traeger Grill Temerature Control

Electronic Temperature Control

The start-up process and operating temperature are controlled by Traeger's electronic control board. The microprocessor circuitry regulates the heat and smoke in the Traeger by stopping and starting the auger motor.

There are two types of controllers:

  • The Digital Thermostat Control allows you to select a specific temperature, automatically feeding pellets as needed to maintain the desired temperature. The operating temperature inside the Traeger is monitored by an RTD (resistance temperature detector) probe and displayed on a bright red LED display.

  • The Manual Control has three settings: smoke, medium, and high.


Convection BBQ cooks your food evenly on all sides

Even Heating & Convection Airflow

The draft induction fan and auger in the Traeger operate continuously, as long as the Traeger is turned on. Air is fed to the firepot via several small holes in the cylindrical wall. Directly above the firepot is a heat shield that acts as the primary point of heat diffusion, forcing heat from the centrally located firepot to spread to the sides. A few inches higher is the steel drip tray. Besides catching the drippings from the cook surface (we recommend lining it with foil for easy cleanup), this piece also serves as a secondary point of heat diffusion, channeling the heat into the front and rear of of the cooking chamber. This effective system of heat distribution allows you to cook evenly enough to grill or smoke the most delicate fish or even bake a large pizza - right on your Traeger.

As the hot, smoky air circulates around the cooking chamber, it surrounds your food with heat, cooking it evenly on all sides, both top and bottom. This means that Traeger Wood Pellet Grills do not need a rotisserie. In most cases, you don't even need to turn food unless you are cooking at a high temperature or want grill marks on both sides of the meat. This even heating means that you achieve perfectly cooked food every time, with no flare-ups, no burnt food and no hassles.

Lightbulb

Power Consumption

During the first four minutes of operation, the igniter rod is activated and the grill will draw 300 watts of power. After the first four minutes only 50 watts per hour are needed. This is equivalent to a standard household light bulb.


Major Components

The major components of a Traeger Wood Pellet Grill are:

Auger
Cooking Grate
Control Board
Draft Induction Fan
Firepot
Grease Bucket
Grease Drain Pan/Drip Tray
Heat Shield/Fire Baffle
Hopper-Auger Assembly
Igniter Rod/Hot Rod
Pellet Hopper
RTD Sensor (Resistance Temperature Detector)
Smokestack/Vent

Traeger Grill Component Chart

THE TRAEGER TRUTH

Up until now, you have been given only two choices for grilling: propane and charcoal. Finally, technology has caught up and a healthier, safer and tastier alternative has arrived: Traeger Wood Pellet Grills.


PROPANE

They use this stuff to fuel blow torches or to run a fork lift. Do you want that next to your food? People say it’s easy to use. Really? Only if you like lugging around a highly dangerous and flammable tank in your car, not to mention store it just steps away from your family. Is that your idea of easy?

CHARCOAL

How about that dirty black mess of a choice, charcoal? Wikipedia describes charcoal with words like “black residue … animal, and vegetation compound.” Canada law requires charcoal briquettes to be labeled under the Hazardous Products Act. We don’t know what that means, but it scares us and it’s not something we will let seep into our food. Consumer Reports says, cooking directly over a high temperature flame is responsible for turning healthy foods into carcinogens. We looked it up, it’s not good.

TRAEGER WOOD PELLET GRILLS

Before Traeger Wood Pellet Grills, you just couldn’t cook with wood unless you wanted to dig up your backyard, a National Forest, build a pit, cut down the trees, chop the wood, and make the fire ... that sounds like a lot of work. At Traeger, we make it simple. We have eight flavors of wood pellets that provide great taste to every dish.

The amazing taste the pellets provide is just one of the many benefits, there are no artificial binders and they are EPA recommended. You can't say that about the other grilling options. Additionally, Traeger cares about our environment. All Traeger Wood Pellet Grills provide a zero carbon footprint and are made from 100% natural material. That means nothing harmful is cooking your food. That’s something we think is important.

As far as cost, wood pellets win there as well. Propane costs twice as much per BTU as natural wood pellets, and as far as charcoal is concerned, are there really any benefits? Why would you cook with anything else?

Stop grilling, start TRAEGER'ing!