My son was gifted this little used one. Data plate indicates 2013 vintage, 418 sq in (19" x 22"). Cleaned up, it checks out just fine, and he is smoking a 14 lb brined turkey tomorrow for Easter dinner.

Just wondering if any folks here have older Traegers and what their experiences have been.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

Found out this had been new old stock sold initially less than 3 years ago then traded in. Store gave it away and my son was the lucky recipient.

My CPA had one of their very early models sometime in the early growing years before they made it REALLY big & sold to a larger company. His worked very well, until he discovered storage on the porch under the drip line of the roof was not a good plan after all.

Company replaced with a no-hassle upgrade. This model is 10+ years old & still going strong.

I have one about that vintage that was excellent and has smoked just about everything you can smoke. Mine is on the verge of being retired, not because it doesn’t work, but because the legs are rusting away. It works well as a convection oven and smoker. Knowing which wood pellets to smoke for different meats can enhance the overall experience.

First use was a resounding success. Bird was succulently moist with crisp skin. Used Traeger hickory pellets.

Here about 90 minutes from being done. Used a separate thermometer probe to ensure proper cooked temps throughout.

Bought my 34" Traeger in March 2014 and it looks just like your son's Gen 1 smoker. I added the lower storage tray (mainly to stiffen up the legs) and the fold-down tray for the front. Both were worth the cost.

About 5 years ago I got tired of hauling it back and forth to the ranch, so I "retired" it under an awning at the barn. I fire it up about 4-5 times a year and it never skips a beat. I still have the original cover and always use it.

When mine begins to take awhile to start and doesn't hold the temperature well during the smoke, I know it's time to vacuum out the burner assembly . You're always going to have high & low temps during the smoke, but if it's having a hard time holding temp it's time to bring out the shop vac and remove the excess ashes.

After the smoke, make damn sure you empty out the pail of drippings or at least put it high enough to prevent your dog from licking out the entire contents. They will let you know that they too enjoyed your brisket by barfing out the juices next to your bed at 2:00 in the morning. (Yes, I know this from experience).

Being a cheap bastard, I replaced the Traeger at my house with a Pit Boss. It was a July 4th sale, one-third the price of a Traeger, and turned out to be one-third the performance of a Traeger. I instantly regretted my choice during the first smoke. It doesn't produce nearly as much smoke and the taste of the food reflects that. The pellet auger quit working the 2nd year I had it, and I was so tired of sub-standard smokes that I have yet to spend any time or money fixing it.

Glad to hear your son got one of the older reliable Traegers. Since it's only had 3 years of use I would expect many more years of great service.

That looks like a Lil' Tex Elite. I had what appears to be the same model as my first pellet grill in 2010. I smoked many turkeys, ribs, sausages and pork shoulders in the seven-ish years that I had it.

It was a great entry level smoker but it had some serious rust and paint issues when I gifted it to my daughter, who eventually gifted it to my friend.

Of those older Traegers, I noticed the following:
-Temperatures would swing +/- 25˚ from target temp, so not a very good temperature hold. Still worked fine, but you could would have a drastic swing in temps.
-Max temp was only about 475˚, even in the peak of summer. It was hard to reach 400˚ in the dead of winter.
-Paint was not so tough. Oven cleaner ruined the paint and it eventually rusted pretty good until my friend painted it with BBQ spray paint.
-Cooking chamber is carbon steel. Carbon steel= rust.

I eventually wanted something more and upgraded to a RecTeq RT-700. Here were the major differences that I noticed over my Lil' Tex Elite:
-Rock solid temperature hold. My temps now only swing +/- 3˚, if even that, until I open the lid and let the heat out. It recovers temperature quite well after closing the lid.
-Higher max temps. My initial burn out of the box was over 600˚. On any given day, unless the wind is a bugger, it will reach 525˚ and above. With high winds, it struggles to get above 475˚.
-Wi-Fi. I can turn on my grill from anywhere in the world using my cell phone and monitor temperatures of my two probes for very accurate meat readings.
-Stainless steel construction. My entire cooking chamber is stainless steel. I've been using it for 5 years now and I can almost get it looking brand new with some 409 and a lot of elbow grease.

For a free grill, you got a great little smoker! It will cook just about everything you want and is great for small gatherings. Cooking for larger crowds may require a larger smoker with higher temps, especially if you're trying to cook a lot of hamburgers. You can easily smoke two 10 pound pork shoulders in there though. Set it at 250˚ and it will stay within smoking range and yield fantastic pulled pork or brisket.

If you need higher temps in cold weather, consider a thermal insulating blanket. Amazon sells some for about $70.
https://www.amazon.com/BBQ-But...r/dp/B073PLH47B?th=1

Tony.

Yessireebob, bought one several years ago at CostMo, it's been flawless, zero parts replaced and still runs today. I have it's larger Brother, and as far as pellet smokers go, it's simple, doesn't have all the ghee whizz bang doo dad BT/wifi connections and works great.

Smoke some Hamburgers on it, the big ol thick, blu-cheese filled, or cheddar n bacon burgers that shrink up on the grill, they won't on the Traeger, come out full sized and excellent. Same for steaks.



I've done boston butts, brisket, hamburger, steak, chickens, turkeys, all come out excellent. Now for the especial of the day, Bacon, nothing does bacon like a Traeger. Set it up for Smoke, lay out the bacon, give it 20 to 30 min of smoke then turn up the temp to 275 and let it cook, you'll get perfect bacon every time.




Check his controller, there may be a small hole on the front, if so, you can take a small allen wrench and push the button in there to change the P factor from 1 to 5. Since you live up where it gets seriously cold this may help in the winter.

P-Setting

Congratulations on your new pellet grill!

I bought my first Traeger in 1992 when they were still selling them out of the old barn in Mt. Angel. I have been through 5 of them since then and still currently have 2, one of which dates back to when they were still being made in the US.

The early models didn't have the electronic fire starter so you had to open up the grill, access the firepot, pour an alcohol gel on the pellets and manually light them to get things started. Lots and lots of positive upgrades since then.

As long as you can avoid the body of the grill from rusting out they will last for a significant amount of time. All of the parts are replaceable and easy to work with. Replacement parts for almost all grills can be ordered from

https://pellet-stove-parts-4less.com/

Pellet grills/smokers are a step up from a charcoal grill and you are really going to enjoy it.

Thanks guys. Lots of good info here I'm passing to my son.

The saga continues. My son has been told that as a newbie to pellet smokers he should start with turkey, then ribs, burgers, steaks, and lastly roasts and brisket.

So with his day off Friday it was extra meaty pork loin ribs using Treager's 3-2-1 recipe save no mustard in the binder...he substituted butter. ( https://www.traeger.com/recipes/3-2-1-baby-back-ribs ) Traeger hickory pellets were used.

Here they are an hour from being done having just applied the BBQ sauce. Yes he turned them sideways for this step as he found it easier to apply the sauce.



Ready to eat! They were fantastic!