Traeger grill is an electric grill that burns wood for heat and adds a great flavor to any food that it cooks, whether fish, ribs, chicken, beef, burgers, or huge pork slabs.
It takes a Traeger grill to heat up based on whether you are grilling directly or smoking indirectly without defusing the heat. Smoking takes about 10 to 15 minutes, while it takes about 15 to 20 minutes for direct grilling. These times can be affected by ambient temperature.
In case you are wondering, “How long does it take to heat a Traeger?” “How do I light up a Traeger grill? In this article, I will cover these questions.
How Long Does It Take A Traeger Grill To Heat Up vs. Other Grills
Here, we will compare the time it takes for the Traeger grill to heat up with other grills. There are three major types of grills: wood pellet, charcoal grills, and gas grills.
The three of them undergo the preparation or preheating stage before you can commence cooking.
Wood Pellet Grills
Traeger grill is also a type of wood pellet grill. To start it up, you have to set the temperature, close the lid and wait for 15 minutes. After the preheating process, the grill gets assigned to the right temperature and ready to use. Traeger grills can get to the maximum temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gas Grills
The gas grill becomes ready for direct grilling immediately after you switch it on. If you need a particular temperature for slow and low cooking, you have to check different heat levels, close the cover, and monitor your gauge. The maximum temperature of a gas grill depends on the model you purchase.
Some models can provide maximum temperatures of 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Charcoal Grills
Charcoal grills become ready for cooking when the charcoal briquettes become lit and burn hot. It can take up to 20 minutes. To achieve low and slow cooking, you have to cover the lid and monitor the temperature gauge to get a particular temperature.
The maximum temperature of a charcoal grill is based on the charcoal you add, how hot they burn, and factors like the external temperature.
How To Start Up A Traeger Grill
Cooking with a Traeger Grill needs enough practice to get used to based on the required preparation. But when you learn the steps involved in setting up the Traeger, you will find out that the steps are not complex.
If you recently bought a Traeger grill, you might be clueless about the steps to take to make it work. To assist you, here is the guide for setting up a Traeger grill.
Step 1: Assemble the Traeger
When you purchase your first Traeger grill, you may need to assemble it by yourself. Assembling entails gathering together the body of the grill, flue pipe, lower cabinet, chimney cap, grill gates, grease bucket, the heat baffle, and grease drain pipe. For this step, you need to use the Traeger grill manual.
Because every model is special, you have to abide by the assembling instruction written in the manual.
Step 2: Connect to a Power Outlet
Traeger grill models need electrical power to operate the igniter rod, fan, wood pellet auger, and internal thermostat. If it is not being used, you have to make sure that you unplug it not to turn it on accidentally.
Step 3: Put the Traeger Wood Pellets in the Grill Hopper
The next step is to place specially designed Traeger wood pellets to operate the Traeger equipment. They have different flavors. You need to select a wood pellet that goes with your taste buds. The flavors include apple, cherry, hickory, pecan, maple, alder, and mesquite. The Traeger pellets are important for promoting safety and improving the durability of your Traeger grill.
You will place the Traeger wood pellets on the grill hopper, a big metal box attached to the grill’s main body. To put it, you open the chamber lid and fill it with wood pellets to the brim. A batch of pellets can stay for close to a week.
Step 4: Clean the RTD Temperature Probe
Before you start up the grill, you need to clean the RTD temperature probe to rid it of any grease or dirt that causes incorrect functioning. RTD temperature probe is the long metal positioned on the left side of the grill’s body. If you use it in its dirty state, it will cause unwanted heat fluctuations.
Step 5: Preheat the Grill
When you want to begin your cooking, open the grill lid and switch on the unit control panel’s power button. Then you preheat first. At this stage, you don’t need to add any meat. Then on the grill panel, search for a little temperature and adjust the knob to the smoke settings.
If there is no smoke option on your Traeger grill, set the temperature between 71 degrees to 93 degrees.
Step 6: Allow the Traeger Grill to Sit for Five Minutes
A lot of Traeger equipment requires four to five minutes to preheat efficiently. If your grill model has an advanced grill logic option, the time will be less than that. In that period, you need to watch to make sure that it starts properly. If there is any technical challenge, you will be able to know the step you jumped.
For a brand new unit, you need to increase the preheating time by 2-3 minutes. It will make your Traeger grill a good time to circulate the entire wood pellets to the firing box.
7. Close the Traeger Lid When it Starts Roaring
When the grills finish preheating, you will hear a quick roaring from the main unit body. It is not a bad sign. The sound is like the roaring of an engine. When you hear the roaring, close the
Traeger grill lid to pack in the heat and smoke.
If the grill does not roar or heat up, you need to check the fan, grill hotrod, or auger. Check if there is an issue with the components. The grill is at the base of the grill grate. You can find the grill fan and auger under the hopper. Verify if there is any debris or dirt that can clog them. If you find any dirt there, clean it and start it again.
If you try these processes and refuse to work, contact Traeger support for more assistance.
8. Regulate the Temperature to the Desired Rate:
When you have preheated the grill, then adjust the temperature based on your cooking requirements. Before you add any food, check the Traeger grill heat gauge to know whether the general chamber is hot for cooking.
9. Remove the Food from the grill
After your cooking, remove all food from the grill. If you allow some particles in it, it can lead to an unnecessary build-up of dirt and grime. Clean them off to prevent any build-up of food particles on the grill.
Hi all! I’m Cora Benson, and I’ve been blogging about food, recipes and things that happen in my kitchen since 2019.