I know this is more a travel and outdoor blog so fair warning, if you don’t want to hear me gush on about the new Treager Bonny bought me, click away now.
Full disclosure: Treager did not give me anything or pay me for this and I do not get anything from them if you decide to go buy one. However this post does contain Amazon affiliate links and if you purchase through one of the links in this post I may recieve financial compensation from Amazon.
As many of you know, I have had a lot of outdoor cooking implements over the years. Built in BBQ’s, free-standing cart BBQ’s, Smokers, on and on and ON. Currently I have 2 grills, 3 smokers, and a pizza oven on the patio ready to go. I have another grill and stove with griddle attachment packed in the RV ready to go. It’s a relaxing hobby of mine.
I recently added the Treager to the stable of outdoor cooking implements. Bonny bought it for me for my birthday but it showed up at my door a few days early and we were both home so she let me open it and set it up. That was a few months ago now and I still love the thing. It has taken over as my main go to cooking appliance.
Unlike any of my previous outdoor cooking implements, the Treager is a pellet grill meaning that you put wood pellets in a hopper on the side and it electronically controls the speed in which they are added to control the smoke and temperature. You set the dial to the temperature you want for what ever your cooking, turn it on, and leave it alone. Such a simple design but the results are amazing.
My first hurdle to overcome was what to do when I am not constantly fiddling with everything as I cook. Before when I was smoking something I was constantly fiddling with the heat to get it right, the wood to control the smoke, water basins for moisture…… I had a knack for making an all day smoked turkey a full-time job but I loved it. With the Traeger all I had to do was resist the urge to keep opening it and checking on it. Now my focus has changed and I spend much more time on developing my cooking seasoning and prep. I work on rubs, seasoning, bastings, and timing more than ever before just to keep busy. This thing does all the work and takes the guess-work out of it.
Last night I did a Brisket, one of my many go to cuts of meat when I want to smoke something. I was worried it was going to be overdone as Bonny was late getting out of work. I shouldn’t have worried. It’s almost impossible to mess it up with the Traeger. Each time I have done one on the Traeger Bonny has responded by proclaiming it my very best one ever. Even being on over an hour longer than I would have intended, it came out amazing. After a good rest period, the meat was falling apart tender with a delicious crust. I tried to carve it but as I pressed the knife into it, it literally just fell apart. I ended up just using the edge of the knife to press away pieces of meat. And Juicy…I collected over a cup of juice left over after carving.
As for the details, Traeger has a huge selection of units to choose from to fit any and all needs. As I love to smoke full turkeys, Bonny got me the smallest one they had that would still fit two full turkeys if necessary.
The Traeger Renegade Pro is a super capable little grill that is far better than its size would leave you to believe. It can do multiple racks of ribs, dozens of burgers, or a few full chickens, NOT ALL AT ONCE mind you. I regularly throw on 2 big steaks, a couple of potatoes, and half a rack of odd vegetables. For a small family it’s absolutely perfect.
Not big enough for you? Try the Traeger Texas Elite 34
And don’t forget the pellets, seasonings and accessories.
This is a little side note from Bonny – “Purchasing this item for Ryan was definitely not a selfless act. Dinner has never so amazing, and Ryan is doing most of the cooking. It was definitely worth it!”
