Traeger Renegade Elite Reviews 2021

In 1985, Traeger, a wood heating company owned by Joe Traeger, created the first wood pellet using wood from aged trees from local orchards. The process involved chipping the wood, grinding the pieces into sawdust, and then compressing this into pellets the size of a capsule. These resulting pellets were 100% wood with no additives and flavors came from whichever fruit or nut tree was used.

After the invention of these pellets, Traeger designed and produced an auger use to turn the pellets in their holder; a hopper, where they would then fall into the firepot to burn. Convection air is let in and blown into the main barbecue tub where the meat and food is now cooked by convection heat. Although this process is similar to a gas grill where electricity is used to ignite the gas, The results of cooking with wood pellets are tremendously flavorful and easy.

From these two new ideas came the very first Traeger Wood Pellet Grills that renovated the idea of barbecue. The result was wood fired grilling that ingeniously made use of smoke to cook meat and vegetables with delicious flavors of naturally added wood aromas.

The Traeger Design

Creating their first grill in 1985, Traeger made the grill’s exterior much like the traditional offset smokers of the day. That included the drum barrel body and of course, the chimney. Under the chimney was the side-mounted firebox. Traeger exchanged the firebox for the hopper that was made to hold the wood pellets. The pellet grill looked almost exactly like the standard charcoal grill and smokers, but Traeger had developed the innovative wood pellets and auger to create a controlled heat and temperature.

The Largest Barbecue in History

There are many sized wood pellet grills and people have many choices as far as size, capacity, and applications. But in 2004, the Discovery Channel decided to wow the barbecue world and they built the largest barbecue ever conceived. The humongous grill was a bit over 15 feet high, 20 feet wide and 8 feet deep. You wouldn’t want to make room for this monster grill in your yard, and the Discovery Channel was not intending to enter the BBQ grill market, so Traeger continued to create newer and better models of their original wood pellet grill and smoker.

How Traeger Grills Work?

Traeger grills each have a three-position switch. The originals were manual, but newer models have electronic switches. When the switch is turned on, the wood pellets are released from the storage hopper and the auger rotates them around so they will get fed into the firepot. A fan gently stokes the fire and blows the heat into the belly of the grill.

The combination of the aroma from the wood pellets and the way these pellets cook evenly, allows your food to be grilled and smokes meat to a perfectly. The even temperature and various wood pellet flavors create a mouth-watering flavor and tenderness. BBQ lovers covet the flavor of natural woods and Traeger offers many varieties of wood pellets.

The Competition Opens Up

Joe Traeger, inventor and pioneer of the wood pellet grill and smoker, sold his company a year after the grill patent expired in 2007. He had owned the field of wood pellet grills for 20 years and was ready to let the competition have a go at it. Traeger created a long line of loyal grillmasters who touted his grills as the best. Traeger still remains the biggest name in wood pellet grills, but other companies have joined the market.

Below we have reviewed the top 5 Traeger grills so you can investigate the options and make an informed purchase. The fire up your grill and invite family and friends for an incredible barbecue!

Best Traeger Renegade Elite Reviews

1. Traeger TFB42LZBC Grills Lil Tex Elite 22 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

The Traeger TFB42LZBC replaces gas barbecuing, which leaves out wood-grilled flavors and eliminates dealing with charcoal and lighter fluid. With this Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker, you can easily set the temperature and time, and walk away for effortless and tasty grilled foods.

The Traeger grill and smoker uses 100% pure hardwood pellets to achieve authentic wood-grilled masterpieces for your barbeque menu allowing you to choose from several ways to cook your meats; grilled, smoked, baked, roasted, braised, or barbecued. Food will be juicy and flavorful with the Integrated Digital Elite Controller that maintains temperatures within +/- 20 degrees.

With the 418 square inches of grilling area, you can fit up to 16 hamburgers, 4 whole chickens, 5 racks of ribs, and an array of vegetables or fruits. The perfect size for a home grill-master, the Elite 22 offers perfect temperatures and air circulation to even cook a wood-fired pizza!

The Traeger grill works perfectly for smoking large cuts of meat for holidays and large family dinners and gives you the freedom to set the temperature and leave it unattended. Traeger has great customer service if you do need to call for anything, but you’ll enjoy your Traeger Elite 22 so much, you won’t need to call customer service!

2. Traeger TFB65LZBC Grills Texas Elite 34 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

The Traeger TFB65LZBC  provides more grilling area than the Elite 22 and has room to cook 24 hamburgers, 6 chickens, or 9 racks of ribs. Intersperse your vegetables among your meat to create delicious side dishes for your meal. With a roomy interior, you could even add dessert, such as grilled fruit sections, so your meal will be done in one spot.

The Elite 34 grill also comes with wheels that glide easily, making your grill mobile. Wheel it to wherever the barbeque is and then lock the casters so the grill remains in place. Plus, Traeger includes grill grates that are non-stick and easy to clean; even if you slow-cook a large, saucy rack of ribs! The grease is carried away by the drip tray so your meat isn’t lying in greasy liquids.

With all the space in this large party-size grill, you can go from grilling and smoking your main meal, to baking several fresh apple pies. This Traeger grill is perfect for all-year outdoor cooking. It can maintain its temperature in cold climates or snowy weather!

Wood pellet grills offer the advantage of purchasing flavored wood pellets to match whatever cooking style you choose. Apple wood pellets are great for chicken and pork as the light, fruity smoke enhances the meat. Marinated Beef Ribs tastes great when cooked under cherry wood pellets and mesquite wood pellets provide that Texas BBQ touch.

The Texas Elite 34 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker is made from durable steel and is finished with a bronze powder coating meant to last for years of grilling!

3. Traeger TFB29LZA Grills Junior Elite Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

Don’t let the name of this grill throw you, the Traeger TFB29LZA , is just as impressive as it Traeger cousins. It can still fit 12 hamburgers, 2 whole chickens, or 3 racks of ribs to accommodate your family and friends.

The smaller, more compact size makes this grill perfect for traveling to the lake house, bringing to a large camping group site, tailgating, or even for a backyard with a smaller patio. It’s easily transported, and the lockable wheels make it truly mobile.

Choose from different flavored smoke by using wood pellets flavored with cherry, oak, hickory, or even pecan, which is great for meats as well as baked goods that can be cooked in their pan right on the grill. Consistent temperatures, regardless of outdoor temperatures and weather, make it safe and convenient to bake many kinds of desserts.

Slow cook a large pork shoulder for juicy meat that shreds off your fork or smoke your Thanksgiving turkey, adding potatoes, yams or other sides to the ample sized barrel. Not a good griller? No worries. This Junior Elite grill will prevent burning and dry meat because of its consistent temperature and circulating air.

4. Traeger TFB30LZB Tailgater Pellet Grill, Bronze

Traeger made this Traeger TFB30LZB Tailgater Pellet Grill to be the envy of the tailgate grillers! As does all the Traeger grills and smokers, it delivers wood-fired flavor in a mobile grill. The wood pellet powered convection heat is a steady temperature so you can set your meat on the grill and not have to chase flame-ups or worry about low temperatures from breezy, cooler days.

This Traeger grill has EZ-fold legs to help fit it in the back of your vehicle or for grilling on the go. It makes a perfect addition to your camping gear and helps feed larger groups by fitting 12 hamburgers, 2 whole chickens, or 3 racks of ribs. And cleanup is easy with the easy to clean porcelain grill grates that prevent sticking and build up of baked on sauces and marinades.

Take this Tailgater Grill to every game and watch the crowd form around your tailgate party. The aromas given off from flavored wood pellets slowly cooking delicious meats and vegetables will attract everyone to your table. Pick up different flavors of Traeger wood pellets to use with various meats and poultry. Fish cooks great in the Tailgater Grill, never getting dried out or overcooked.

Enjoy the amazing flavor of meat cooked in your Traeger grill instead of the dull flavor of gas grills or the chemical taste of charcoal lighter fluid for charcoal grills.

5. Traeger TFB29PLB Grills Bronson 20 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

Never be caught without dinner when you have a Traeger TFB29PLB ! If guests show up unannounced, or your teenager brings home the entire soccer team for dinner, you can instantly start your Traeger Bronson 20 grill and cook up 12 hamburgers, 4 whole chickens, 18 hot dogs, or 3 racks of delicious smoked ribs for the crowd.

This perfect family sized grill and smoker in one allows you to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, or BBQ, easily and carefree. Auto start ignition strikes right up, and the hopper empties wood pellets into the barrel. A Hot Rod heats up the wood pellets, and they ignite, providing consistent heat and temperatures.

The Traeger Bronson 20 is made with saw-horse designed legs to make it stable, and the locking wheels allow you to easily roll it to any area of our yard. All Traeger grills have porcelain grill grates so clean up is easy. Add vegetables and sliced, marinated fruits to the grill so your side dishes and dessert will cook the same time your main meal does.

This high quality grill and smoker is made from strong steel and powder coated for a long lasting finish. The Bronson 20 will last for years and works great in all seasons. Neither snow, nor rain, nor stormy days will stop you from creating a masterpiece of smoked, grilled, barbecued, or roasted meats, poultry, and fish!

Customer Demand for Traeger Grills

After the first line of Traeger Grills appeared in the late 1980s, barbecue enthusiasts flocked to buy these new wood pellet grills. For years these innovative and popular grills were only manufactured in limited quantities in certain areas of the country. People who tasted food cooked on a Traeger grill wanted one themselves and the demand outdid the supply. Traeger was an instant success!

Today, there is no limit on Traeger Grills and the various models and accessories. The same grilling and smoking perfection achieved with expert engineered designs, is as consistent today as when they were first manufactured. But today’s grills have electronic switches and ignitions.

Traeger Grills are Easy to Use

Traeger has adopted the phrase, “Just set it and forget it.” Their grills are simple to use and take the risk out of burning meat, overcooking fish, or singing poultry. You can smoke a 15 pound turkey, slow-cook a rack of ribs, or sear a Porterhouse steak. These grills are perfect for a family and for grillmasters who love to grill on a regular basis. Fill the hopper, flick the switch, and your Traeger grill heats up in minutes.

Traeger Grills are Versatile

If you want to cook more than meat on your grill, the Traeger line of wood pellet grills are perfect for almost any cooking application. Lower temperature and longer cook times will slow smoke meats and can also be used to roast a pot roast or roast beef. The juices stay in the meat and it will come out tender and delicious. You can also bake fruit pies in your Traeger grill and make grilled fruit desserts. Vegetables cook well in a Traeger, and can be coasted with sauces and marinades for flavorful alternatives to bland vegetables.

Traeger Grills FAQs

Are Traeger Grills Hard to Clean?

No: They are easier to clean than other pellet grills. A grease collector keeps grease contained with a slanted tray that moves the grease into a bucket hanging on the outside. All Traeger grill parts are made to be easy to clean. The hardwood pellets only leave a small amount of ash versus a charcoal grill.

Are they Prone to Flare Ups?

No: Traeger pellet grills are designed to maintain whatever temperature you set so there are no flare ups and no loss of heat.

Does Traeger Sell Flavored Wood Pellets?

Yes: There are numerous offerings of wood pellet flavors offered from Traeger so you can purchase different flavors according to what you’re cooking.

Are Wood Pellets Better than Other Heat Sources?

Yes: Traeger designed its grills with an air convection system. They use a fan that blows air onto the burning wood pellets allowing them to burn more efficiently and to remain consistently hot. This also circulates the smoky flavor around the food. Wood Pellets will burn evenly versus gas or charcoal heat sources.

Do You Have to Buy High Quality Meats?

No: Regardless of what quality meat, poultry, or fish you cook on your Traeger grill, the flavored wood pellets and stable heating makes all food taste delicious!

Can a Traeger Grill be Used in Cold Weather?

Yes: Because the bottom of all Traeger grills is sealed, you can grill in cold temperatures and even in a snowstorm if you want!

Why Buy a Traeger Grill?

Why not buy a Traeger grill! They were the first company to develop and manufacture wood pellet grills and have reigned as kings of all grills and smokers. Barbecue chefs use Traeger grills because they know their recipes and foods will come out perfect each time. Once they place the food on the ample-sized grate, they can set it and then join the party to socialize while the grill does all the work.

Traeger offers dozens of grills from all price ranges and they sell their own flavored natural wood pellets. All their grills come with accessories and their customer satisfaction 3 year warranty. The quality and craftsmanship of these grills is superior to many other brands and their durable designs will last for years.

Now that we’ve touted the incredible points of the Traeger Wood Pellet Grill, buy one for your own backyard barbecue season and enjoy delicious foods and easy cooking!