Pellet Grills: Sophisticated, Energy-Efficient, and Easy to Use

You’ve heard of charcoal and gas grills – but how about pellet grills? Pellet grills from Traeger have garnered a cult following because they’re so easy to cook on and they use energy-efficient food-grade wood pellets.

How Traeger Grills Work

Traeger grills use small, food-grade pellets made from 100% hardwood sawdust (these are NOT the same kind of pellets used in a stove that heats your home). Pellets come in flavors such as hickory, cherry, and mesquite. 

You simply load the pellets into the pellet hopper, select the desired temperature and turn on the grill. The grill ignites with a standard 110 VAC household electric current. The igniter rod (a small heating element) activates and the auger (a corkscrew-like rod) feeds pellets into the firepot.

[When the igniter rod is active, during the first four minutes, the grill operates on 300 watts. After that, it drops down to 50 watts per hour, less than a standard light bulb.]

Traeger grills are unique in that once they’re heated up, you place your food in and let the grill do the work – you don’t have to babysit your grill. No flare-ups, no hot spots, and no unevenly cooked foods.

That’s because these grills are manufactured with sophisticated microprocessor circuitry that regulates the heat and smoke by stopping and starting the auger motor. The auger precisely controls the dispense rate for the pellets, keeping the temperature just right.

A fan evenly distributes the heat and the smoke. 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. 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.

Grill, Smoke, or Bake

This heat distribution system makes for a versatile grill that allows you to do everything from smoking ribs or a brisket to grilling burgers and salmon. It also functions as a wood-fired convection oven – you can bake pizza, breads, biscuits and cookies – right on the grill.

Stop by one of Rich’s five Puget Sound showrooms – in Silverdale, Tacoma, Southcenter, Bellevue, or Lynnwood – to see our line of Traeger Grills. Be sure to ask about the most popular model, the Lil’ Tex BBQ070 (pictured at top).

Stay tuned for future posts, when I’ll be sharing delicious recipes for your Traeger grill.

Here’s a video from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, who interviews Traeger spokesperson, Terry Bradshaw (who, in turn, interviews frounder, Joe Traeger).