Preparing To Purchase First Treager

To reiterate many others comments. I bought a Timberline 1300 and got rid of all my other grills. One month later I bought a Weber gas grill. I really like having both. Easy for a quick cook. I get plenty of smoke flavor from my Traeger, btw. No complaints there. I just wouldn’t get rid of my gas grill yet. You can always get rid of it later. Sucks to have to buy a new one.
 
I am very pleased with my Timberline 850.

I also have a Weber Genesis gas grill and a Weber Performer Deluxe. I like having all 3 to use for different needs.
 
If you think the Traeger will take your cooks to the next level, you might be disappointed.

The Traeger should provide more flavor than your gas grill, but the gas grill can reach the high temperatures needed to sear steaks. You do not have to worry about flare ups like you do with gas grills.

The Traeger won't provide the same level of smoke flavor as a properly operated offset smoker, but it is a whole lot more convenient. You can load the pellet hopper, set the desired temperature, ignite the fire pot and only have to check on the cook periodically. Some even do unattended cooks overnight.

If you have room for all three grills, keep them until you figure out which grills work best for specific cooking tasks.
 
As others have said - there are lots of opinions, largely based on the person's particular experiences with their Traeger. I have two (2) Timberlines 1300's. The first one had a paint issue on the bottom of the barrel area on the side. After not a lot of discussion with Traeger, they sent a brand new one and hence I have both.

The new Timberlines are really expensive, and while I would certainly take one if gifted, I am happy with what I have. And while you may think that you don't need it for large cooks, you'd be surprised what you may want to do in the future. And even doing a couple of rib racks, chicken, some seafood or Boston but and the room goes quickly.

I haven't use my gasser since I got the Traeger - I use the Grill Grates and/or cast iron skillets to sear when needed, and I don't mind using a few more pellets to get it up to 500. With having two (2) units, I usually use the first one for higher temps, but that's just the way it worked out.

I have been leaning towards getting a Blackstone griddle to do hibachi/stir-fry/smashburger etc., but haven't pulled the trigger on that yet.

Good luck!
 
I have the Ironwood 650 and have loved everything about it. I can smoke 3 racks of ribs, at least 2 pork butts and I did a Turkey last Thanksgiving that was outstanding. I also have a gasser for searing, as others have suggested.
 
On grills with two levels of cooking surfaces such as the Ironwoods, what is the temperature difference between the top and bottom grates, i.e. if cooking at 250 what's the approximate temp at each level?
 
I have an IW885, but I do most of my cooks on the top rack. I usually keep a drip pan on the bottom rack to catch juices to make clean-up easier. The presence of the drip pan will affect the temperature distribution in the grill.

The temperature distribution within the grill depends a lot on air circulation. Thus, if you have both rack loaded up, the temperature will be different than with both racks empty. I always measure my cook temperature at the grate level of the cook and adjust the controller accordingly.

Since heat rises, there will be more indirect heat on the top rack. However, there may be more direct heat from the burn pot at the level of the bottom rack. Thus, it is difficult to answer your question with specific numbers.
 
I purchased a IW650 about a month ago and really like it. I cooked a couple of ribeye steaks at a relatively low heat until 125 and then raised the temp to 500 and got what I think was nice grill marks. I've cooked the steaks, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, pork loin, ribs, brisket, chicken (tonight), and pull apart bread on mine and been very pleased with the results. the longest cook was 13 hours for the brisket flat cut and my family enjoyed it's relative smokiness and flavor. YMMV
 

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