Quote:
Originally Posted by azar
Traegers are a big deal in this area of Wyoming. As I enjoy the meals off of them I am wondering is there an alternitive out there to them?
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In the pellet market, Green Mountain Smokers is the primary competition to the Traeger (
http://greenmountaingrills.com/). Lots and lots of advantages to a pellet and the Traeger with the temp control (actual temp setting, not the default hi/med/low) is hard to beat in that market. For a pellet smoker, I'd probably be hard pressed to find a better option than the Traeger.
I've had bad luck recently with Traegers but that doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed years of great service from mine either. The real point of frustration to me, when it came right down to it, was the lack of insulation. I live where it is cold and rainy (it is cold and windy where you are at, I bet). The lack of insulation on the Traeger and similar brands makes it too limiting for me. I would rather BBQ year round.
As a result, I went with a Big Green Egg (
www.biggreenegg.com). Ceramic insulation and uses lump charcoal (I use Royal Oak from Home Depot). Some add-ons to the BGE can cause the price to jump quickly, but if you don't mind making a platform out of concrete blocks and jury rigging some table space, then the medium is about the same as the Traeger lil tex elite.
I bought the large and added a rolling nest and a couple other items that drove my final price closer to 40% above the Traeger.
One note: it is hard to do other than smoke on a Traeger. You can cook a steak, but expect no sear (about 450* upper limit). I don't have that limitation with the BGE as I can remove the "plate setter" to get a traditional high temp BBQ or pizza oven, but is it worth the cost? Dunno, I've only had mine a few weeks.
Pnoon can even tell you how to do some tasty cheese and salmon on a Traeger as well.