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Your Guide To Traeger Grills

From Farming to Grilling with Traeger Gas Grills

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Traeger grills were an innovation resulting from an unfortunate disposal problem.

It was in 1982 when Joe Traeger Jr., a descendant from a family of German immigrants who settled in South Dakota, and then later on in Oregon to build a blacksmith metal fabrication business, discovered grilling using wood pellets.

Then in the business of producing wood-fired furnaces, Traeger had a visit from an old farmer at his shop, Traeger Heating. The old farmer had with him a bucket full of wood pellets and wanted to find out how to dispose of it. Traeger thought to throw it into his wood fired boiler but found that they did not burn well. So, he added a blower and succeeded in making it burn at a better rate. He experimented by putting in a little firepot, and discovered that it worked even better. Such are the beginnings of the first wood-pellet fired furnaces and stoves. Traeger Industries, as Traeger’s company is now called, continues to be one of top manufacturers of commercial and residential pellet fired grills and other innovative outdoor products designed and developed by the perennial tinkerer Joe Traeger Jr.

Traeger grills are diverse and are on the mid-priced to high-priced categories. It is widely known that food cooked on Traeger grills are better tasting than those cooked on grills using gas or charcoal. Wood fire is generally considered to be a more natural and healthier way to cook. The smoking that one gets from a Traeger is immensely flavorful as the hardwood smoke penetrates into the food. As these grills use wood pellets, there is no danger of having gas leaks or flare-ups from smoldering briquettes.

The grills from Traeger are operated using an electric power switch that automatically lights the wood pellets. The chances of having flare-ups is nil. Grease drippings are also not a problem with these grills owing to the patented E-Z Grease Drain System that efficiently channels drippings from food away from the cooking chamber and into a catch bucket made of galvanized steel. Healthy and versatile cooking can be enjoyed with grills from Traeger. It's like having four appliances in one. These grills can smoke, barbecue, grill, and bake. The cooking temperature can be controlled at three levels, high, medium, and low. Cooking using Traeger grills turns out food that has no added fat, cholesterol, or calories. The carcinogen benzopyrene is also avoided since the indirect cooking method reduces its production.

Here are some of the grills in Traeger’s product line up:

Traeger Junior – This is the most affordable of this wood pellet grill line. It is just the right size for those who are always on the go and are frequent out-of-home grillers. Small households can make do with this compact griller.
$The Traeger Lil Tex$ Lil’ Tex – This grill is also a compact grill with about 418 square inches of cooking surface. While small in size, this grill can accommodate about ten gallons of food. It has an electronic Autostart mechanism and a three-speed temperature control system.
$The Traeger Lil Tex Elite$ Lil’ Tex Elite - A big brother to the Lil’ Tex model, this grill boasts of feature upgrades such as a grill door made of stainless steel, a hinged hopper lid, and a dome thermometer. This grill also come with viper casters and viper wheels that make it easy for the grill to be moved around.
Texas Grill – This is one of the most popular models of Traeger. Following the tradition of Texas-style wood cookers, this grill is a fusion of the old fashioned and the contemporary. This grill has the amazing feature of an automatic auger of wood pellets that accurately conforms to the temperature settings.
Traeger Professional – Aside from the standard over-the-top features, this grill is stylishly finished with a grill door that is coated and textured with bronze powder. This grill is also upgraded with a digital thermostat in multiple positions that allows for more control over smoke and fire.
Lil’ Pig – Cute and pricey, this is one pig that turns out the perfect roast every time. Fully functional with standard Traeger features and a multi-position digital thermostat control, this grill is sure to be a backyard barbecue attraction.