What is a Pellet Grill & How Does it Work - Traeger Grills (2024)

FAQs

What is a Pellet Grill & How Does it Work - Traeger Grills? ›

All-natural hardwood pellets are moved from the hopper to the fire pot by an auger, where they're ignited by the HotRod to feed the flames and add delicious wood-fired flavor to your food. A fan circulates heat and smoke for even, consistent cooking, and a drip tray keeps flames off your food and prevents flare-ups.

Con: You can't use them everywhere.

Moving them a lot may cause damage to electrical parts, and they tend to be heavy. It's also worth noting that, because they use electricity, they're not meant for wet-weather use. This makes them less versatile than other outdoor grills if you live in a rainy climate.

Traeger's Set-It & Forget-It® convenience means you just have to pick the temperature you want, hit “Ignite”, and let your Traeger do the rest. And with Traeger's WiFIRE®-enabled grills, you can even monitor and adjust your grill from anywhere using the Traeger App. Learn more about how Traeger grills work here.

Since Traeger wood pellet grills are 100% fueled by all-natural hardwood pellets, they actually use a relatively small amount of electricity to operate.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed when fat from meat drips onto an open flame, creating smoke that coats the food. Pellet grills produce less smoke and therefore, lower levels of PAHs, contributing to a healthier grilling option.

A thermostat inside the cooking chamber will read the temperature throughout the entire smoking process and automatically add pellets faster or slower to keep it steady. It's important to point out that pellet grills or smokers do require electricity to operate the wood pellet feeding system and temperature monitoring.

But your Traeger should also be your go-to when it comes to grilling foods, too. From grilled steak to grilled corn, burgers and hot dogs, the Traeger can grill foods like a gas grill but with a hint of irresistible wood-fired flavor.

Traeger provides all-natural, flavor-packed wood pellets that provide a consistent temperature and burn clean and in addition to being a smoker, you can also grill, BBQ, bake, braise, and roast.

On average, an 18-20 pound page of wood pellets can last anywhere from 6-20 hours. If you're cooking at higher temperatures (like grilling), you might go through a bag in about 6 hours, while lower temperatures (like smoking) could last up to 20 hours.

With proper care and maintenance, a Traeger should last between five to 10 years.

Can you cook burgers in a Traeger? ›

Anything between 400-500 ˚F will work though. Add Burgers to Your Pellet Grill: When your Traeger has gotten to your desired temperature, take your burgers out of the fridge and season.

It will not affect the grill's ability to operate or ignite, even if the pellets get wet. Should you find water in your grill's barrel, simply remove the water using a towel or a wet vacuum. To prevent water collection, we suggest always storing your grill with one of our all-weather grill covers.

Your Traeger grill is built to operate in most weather conditions, including rain and snow.

But the pellet grill's versatility doesn't stop there. These cookers can also be used for standard grilling in the same way you'd use a gas grill. Fire it up fast and use it to whip up flavorful burgers and dogs on weeknights.

To start a wood pellet grill, you need a connection to an electrical outlet, GFCI outlet, and food-grade wood pellets. Traeger provides a free app that connects to your grill via Bluetooth, so you can change the temperature of your grill from anywhere in your home.

A wood-fired smoker offers more versatility and control over your finished product than a pellet-fired one does. However, this does not mean that a pellet smoker is incapable of producing high-quality meat—it just means that it's less likely to do so consistently than a wood smoker.

However, pellet grills are generally more fuel-efficient, which can help offset the cost in the long run. Charcoal Grill Costs: Charcoal grills are generally more affordable upfront, and charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal tend to be less expensive than wood pellets.

Though it may seem like a chore, cleaning a pellet smoker isn't all that difficult or time-consuming. In fact, we encourage you to get in the habit of cleaning at least your grill grates after every cook so leftover food debris and grease don't eat away at them.

Pellet grills are also designed to be able to cook at higher temperatures compared to smokers (100°F up to 600°F), whereas smokers are designed to achieve tender, smoky meat and vegetables, which is why it's designed to cook food at around 200°F for a longer period of time.