OK, SO . . . . HOW DOES A TRAEGER WORK?
It all starts with pouring Traeger pellets into the "Pellet Hopper". The Pellet Hopper will hold enough pellets to burn for approximately 26 hours at the 180 degrees (using the 180º setting with the 180 Digital Controller) with the Traeger Lil Tex, Traeger Lil Tex Elite and Traeger Professional. For the Traeger Texas and Traeger Executive, the wood pellet hopper will hold enough pellets to last about 12-14 hours.
Now, turn on your Traeger.
☼ Traeger Tip: The first time you turn on the Traeger Grill, with the 3 Setting Thermostat Control, always start the Traeger on the HIGH setting until pellets have reached the firebox. Once the pellets are in the firebox, turn off the Traeger Grill, then start it on SMOKE with the lid open. You can start your Traeger on the SMOKE setting each time until you need to "prime" the auger with wood pellets again.
If you have the Digital Thermostat Control, always start the Traeger on the 180 setting (except the first time starting without pellets in the auger - see Tip above). This thermostat works on time and temperature, and because the unit is initially cold, starting on HIGH will cause it to dump excess pellets into the firebox possibly smothering the smoldering pellets or causing a few minutes of over-heating.
At the bottom of the hopper is a hole where the feed into an "Auger", which slowly rotates moving the pellets down the auger shaft. How fast? Well, the pellets take approximately 5 minutes to travel from the hopper to the Auto Start Firepot.
One of the best features of the Traeger is the "Auto Start" system. Just turn the unit on and the pellets light automatically. This is because inside the "Firepot" there is a short rod called the "Hot Rod" which ignites the pellets. It is electric and takes a few seconds to get hot, then stays hot for about 3 minutes.
☼ Traeger Tip: When cleaning your grill, leave about an inch of ash on the bottom of the Fire Box. This will improve pellet ignition because, like a fireplace, a layer of ash helps heat the wood pellets In a Traeger, the ash also holds the pellets near the Hot Rod as they are dropped into the Fire Box. But be careful not to cover the Hot Rod with ash. This can cause a misfire ending up with a mountain of unburned pellets in the bottom of the Traeger.
☼ Traeger Tip: The Hot Rod is somewhat adjustable. If it is sticking out too far, the rod will tend to burn out quickly. Too short, the Traeger will have trouble igniting. The proper length is about ½ inch.
The sides of the Fire Box has several "Convection Air Flow Holes". Air is blown down the Auger Shaft and through the holes by the "Muffin Fan". This process serves two purposes: (1) It causes the pellet fire to burn like a forge, swirling upward and (2) causes air movement thought the Cooking Chamber, the source of the Convection Oven air.
Covering the Fire Box is a removable, metal "U-shaped Flame Defector". This piece sits into two channels in the front and the back of the Cooking Chamber. The Heat Defector reduces the center hot spot and forces heat and air flow toward the sides of the Cooking Chamber.
Above the Flame Deflector is a removable metal tray called the "Heat Deflector" that fits into two channels on each side of the cooking chamber and slants toward the grease drain. The primary purpose of the Heat Deflector is to force the hot air up the sides (front and back). It is also the integral part of the Traeger's Grease Drain system. Meat drippings and grease drop onto this plate and run out of the Cooking Chamber into a bucket.
☼ Traeger Tip: Cover the Heat Deflector with aluminum foil for easy clean up, but make sure the foil does NOT hang over the edges of the Heat Defector. The excess foil will obstruct the air flow causing the food to cook improperly.
Also, there are aluminum bags available which fit inside the grease bucket allowing for easy grease removal. You can add wild bird seed to the grease in the bag and wild birds love it! What a great way for grease disposal!
The last piece is the Grill which is set in place over the Heat Deflector.
The heat is the same throughout the inside the Traeger's Cooking Chamber - side to side and up and down. Therefore, there is no need for a rotisserie and there is no reason to turn the food unless you want grill marks on both side.
No matter which unit you own, all the Traeger models cook identically - same temperature and same time. The difference is the burn rate of pellets - the larger the higher the burn rate - but of course, the more food you can cook.
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