Best Traeger Grill Reviews — The Original, and Still the Top Choice?

in 2019, Traeger released three all-new grill series, with Timberline as the top-of-the-line of all Traeger pellet smokers. Makes sense, right? You have to climb a long way up the mountain to reach the Timberline.

If you hadn’t guessed already, 850 represents the total cooking capacity of this grill; you get 858 square inches of space spread over three grates. (Apparently, 850 is a sexier, more marketable number than 858.)

The main grate is 352 square inches, secondary is 308 sq. In., and the top rack is 198 sq. In. While each grate is modestly sized, because Traeger’s cook with indirect heat and convection, you’ll get even cooking on each rack. If you need more height, you can take out one or both upper racks.

Traeger estimates there’s room for up to 9 chickens, 8 racks of ribs, or 6 pork butts.

An automated hopper dispenses pellets as needed to maintain the temperature of your choice. With a fully-loaded capacity of 24 pounds, you should be able to smoke virtually all day without refilling.

Thanks to an included meat temperature probe, though, you won’t cook even one minute longer than necessary.

All the new Traeger grills include their new D2 Controller with Wi-Fire technology.

The D2 temperature control system is a durable, direct-drive auger mechanism for precise pellet dispensing. It also offers a broad temperature range of about 160 °F to over 450 °F. That means you can do everything from smoke low ’n’ slow to roast and bake. Plus, it’s easy to set your target temperature and timer to monitor your session.

With Wi-Fire, the grill connects to your home wireless network so that you can control every aspect of your cook from your phone via proprietary app. This gives you the freedom to go about your life without worrying about checking on your grill regularly.

By stepping up to the Timberline series, you’ll benefit from a few premium features.

Your hopper can sense how full (or empty) it is, preventing you from running out of fuel unexpectedly. (The Ironwood series also comes with the sensor.) You also get rugged stainless steel grates, a stainless steel front work shelf for easier prepping, and a cool magnetic cutting board for slicing and dicing meat and ingredients on the spot.

Best of all, the Timberline 850 boasts full double-wall construction. This extra insulation helps keep heat in and cold out, allowing for faster heat up and more consistent temperatures, plus a better fuel economy for lower ongoing running costs.

If you live in a cool climate, you’ll appreciate this detail.

If you don’t mind spending the extra money, the Traeger Timberline 850 is one of the very best pellet grills you can buy. In fact, it’s one of the best smokers or grills out there, period.

For capacity, precision temperature control, and ease-of-use, it’s very tough to beat.

The Ironwood wood pellet grill is the mid-tier series of Traeger’s newest grills. They feature many of the same upgrades as the Timberline grills and are a step-up from the base Pro series.

As explained in the Timberline 850 review, the number references the cooking capacity of the grill. Between the primary and secondary grates, you’ll get a spacious 649 square inches of cook space — 418 on the main grate and 231 on the upper grate.

That means you actually have more surface area on the primary surface on the 650 than in the 850 pellet smokers! They’re the same width, but the 650’s grate is 3 inches deeper. Depending on how you use your space, that could be an advantage.

Traeger estimates the Ironwood 650 will cook 8 chickens at once, or 5 racks of ribs, or 6 pork butts.

The Ironwood 650 features the same programmable D2 controller, with direct drive for precision and durability, variable speed auger, and variable speed fan. Combined, these features mean steadier, more accurate temperature control, and less freaking out over fluctuations.

You also get Wi-Fire connectivity for remote access and control over your grill from any smartphone, anywhere you can connect to the internet — provided you have a home wireless network.

If you’re smoking meat for hours, you’ll be glad to be untethered from your grill.

For better cold-weather cooking, the Ironwood 650 features double sidewalls. The layer of dead air between the walls acts as insulation and reduces the severity of temperature swings. It also keeps the grill from working extra hard to get up to temperature, saving you time and pellets.

You don’t give up much if you opt for the Ironwood over the Timberline, and it’s certain to provide years of grilling, baking, smoking, and roasting pleasure.

Traeger delivers a great combination of features on this mid-level grill that will leave you wanting for very little. It’s a terrific investment for a serious smoker and griller.

The Pro Series is the bottom rung on the ladder of Traeger’s latest grills. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t fantastic and worth owning! In fact, they are the most popular line of Traeger smoker.

Although you’ll notice fewer buttons, the D2 controller is essentially the same on the Pro grills as on the Ironwood and Timberline. The auger is the same, the Wi-Fire connectivity is the same. Heck, even the main grate capacity is the same as the Ironwood 650 – 418 square inches.

The Traeger 575 Pro is nicely sized for a family, with a total of 572 square inches cooking area. In theory, that’s good for up to 24 burgers, 5 racks of ribs, or 4 chickens. So, you could cook for a party with ease, or just a few people without feeling you’re wasting a lot of space.

A welcome bonus on a “budget” grill, a single meat probe is included. Connect it directly to the controller to keeps tabs on your meat at the grill itself, or with the app on your smartphone while you’re watching TV or socializing with guests.

What you don’t get with the Pro 575 is any prep or storage space, though you can buy a folding front shelf separately.

You also get single-wall construction, meaning less efficient heat retention than on the Ironwood or Timberline grills.

Also, the 575 has just two wheels; ALL the other Pro, Ironwood, and Timberline grills include four.

Still, these are relatively minor exclusions, and this is an excellent pellet grill, whether it’s your first or an upgrade from a previous unit.

All in all, the Pro 575 by Traeger provides a robust pellet grilling experience that’s user-friendly and wallet-friendly(-er) at the same time.

It’s a logical step-up from a charcoal or gas rig for the casual smoker who knows better than to over-compromise and wants to begin smoking on a Traeger pellet grill at an affordable price.

No one would blame you for thinking you need to have a pretty fat bank account to become part of the Traeger crowd. Not the case! The Traeger Bronson provides all the advantages of pellet grilling in a stripped-down package at an affordable price.

This family-sized pellet smoker has a single main porcelain-coated grate with 300 square inches of cooking space. According to Traeger, that’ll accommodate up to 18 hot dogs, a dozen burgers, three rib racks, or two chickens. That’s ideal for day-to-day grilling, and the occasional party, if you’re so inclined.

It comes equipped with Traeger’s Digital Elite Controller, including a simple LED display and a knob for setting the temperature. A claimed range of less than 180 °F on the ‘Smoke’ setting to as much as 450 °F on ‘High’ means you can smoke, bake, and roast.

The 10-pound hopper capacity is smaller than most “full-size” Traeger pellet grills. So, while it’s ample for most grilling applications, you may need to top up for really extended smoking sessions.

Being an introductory pellet grill, you won’t get the fancy features found on more expensive models.

For instance, thermostat does not offer a timer, nor can you monitor it via Wi-Fi. Also, there’s no plug-in for a meat probe thermometer. Fortunately, you can get around all these issues with the purchase of a remote wireless thermometer.

If you’ve never tried pellet grilling, and you want the experience without the price tag, the Traeger Bronson is your way into the club. It’s also the perfect introduction to smoking meat, without buying a dedicated smoker, saving you room on the patio.

It’s time to take the pellet grilling show on the road! If you’re in the “rolling stone gathers no moss” club, the Traeger Tailgater is your passport to tasty food at home or away.

Lots of BBQ makers offer a portable or “tailgating” model. The problem with many of them, though, is that they are SO small, it’s hardly worth bothering.

Tailgating and camping are social activities, and you’ll usually want to cook enough to share. The Traeger Tailgater has 300 square inch cooking surface — enough for two whole chickens, a few racks of ribs, or up to 12 burgers.

If it’s so big, though, how can it be portable? The legs easily fold down, reducing the height from 36 inches to about 20. That means you can operate it right off the back of your truck or on a table. Just know that it still weighs 62 pounds empty, so you’ll need some help moving it around.

The hopper holds just 8 pounds of pellets, but that’s enough for grilling small items. There’s enough room for smoking big cuts, but you’ll need to reload after a few hours.

A sweet bonus is the ability to connect a meat probe thermometer directly to the programmable controller. That’s a convenient addition that’ll improve the quality of your cooking — meat should be cooked to temperature, not to time.

The controller features an LCD, plus a circular array of buttons a lot like what you’ll find on a TV remote. It’s less intuitive than the knob-style controllers, but it won’t take long to get the hang of it.

The Traeger Tailgater is a two-birds-with-one-stone kinda pellet smoker; it’s big enough to use at home and compact enough to take to sports events, cottages, and camping. It even features as the top pick in our lineup of the best portable pellet smokers.

This may be the choice for you if you consider grilling part of the experience when you go away.