Gayne Goes Grill Shopping
I’ve never made money off setting anything on fire. Joe Traeger has. A lot of it. Our story begins in Mt. Angel, Oregon back in the early 1980s when Joe was cooking chicken on a gas grill. A sudden flame up engulfed the grill, and Joe kicked it off the deck in frustration. He collected himself then vowed that he’d develop a better way to cook outside. That better way became the Traeger Grill, and the company Joe formed to build it currently is worth almost $200 million, has changed how people grill, and has a cult like following.
Back to setting things on fire…
I am not the best at grilling. I burn things, undercook food, and, yes, have set both gas and charcoal grills on fire. And yet I love to cook outside. Because of all of the aforementioned I decided to look at a Traeger as it’s apparently a far better way to grill. To do such I went to Biedermann’s Ace Hardware where I met with Sizzle Master Jon Hamilton (Yes, that’s his actual title at the store). Jon explained that the store has been carrying the upper end grill for quite some time and that’s it’s huge seller. “We’ve been selling Traeger for four to five years and they sell far better than anything else. Far better than Weber, Blackstone, or even the Big Green Egg.”
NOTE: My father has a Big Green Egg and, as a widower who apparently can’t cook on anything other than a grill, uses it every day. Despite this he proudly declares, “That Egg is the biggest pain in the world to cook on. And I love it.” Thus, I am not looking to get a Big Green Egg. I don’t like pain. I like easy. And not setting things on fire.
Jon says the Traeger’s ease is what makes it so popular. “You can cook just about anything on it. Steaks. Brisket. Pies. Casseroles. You name it. And it’s pretty much idiot proof.”
Idiot proof? Being an outdoor cooking idiot, I like the sound of that.
This idiot proofing comes about by two major reasons. The first being that the Traegar utilizes wood pellets rather than charcoal, wood, or gas. According to Traeger, “All-natural hardwood pellets are moved from the hopper to the fire pot by an auger, where they're ignited by the Hot Rod to feed the flames and add delicious wood-fired flavor to your food.” The second reason Traeger is supposedly idiot proof is that what Jon explains as “set it and forget it.” Users can set the grill’s temperature and the Traeger, through some kind of industrial wizardry, keeps that temperature constant despite how many times the lid is opened.
“It sounds like an oven,” I tell Jon.
“It works like one. Yeah.”
“Then why wouldn’t I just use an oven?”
“Come on man. Nobody stands around watching an oven. You’ve got to get outside with friends. Have a few beers. Smell the smoke. Enjoy yourself.”
Well, that is why I cook outside I suppose.
Alisha Draney, Brand Marketing Director at Traeger agrees. She told me, “The experience of cooking on a Traeger goes beyond the taste of the food, it brings people together and creates meaningful memories and moments. The passion that our community has is a direct outcome of that.”
Jon told me that he cooks pretty much everything on the Traeger he has at home. “My favorite is brisket. I got the recipe from my dad who got it from his dad.”
“Can I have the recipe?”
Silence then, “Let me show you this some more features.”
I guess the answer’s no.
After spending some time with Jon the Sizzle Master and speaking with Traeger directly I’ve decided to take the plunge and purchase the grill that has such a large fan base. I’ll let you know if it’s as idiot proof as everybody says it is.
“It really is idiot proof,” John assures me one last time. “You’ll love it.”
Do you have a Traeger? Have a brisket recipe you’d like to share? Shoot me an email at the below!
This piece first appeared in the Fredericksburg Standard.
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