Traeger TFB42LZBC Grills Lil Tex Elite 22 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker - Grill, Smoke, Bake, Roast, Braise, and BBQ (Bronze)

I'm new to smoking so I did a bunch of research, talked to friends and landed on a Traeger. Of all the Traeger's, this seemed like a great value for the money. It's modestly sized, making it easy to store while still having a grilling area that is plenty big for cooking more ribs or tri-tips than we could eat in a night. If you like to entertain for a lot of people, then it's probably too small, but it seems more than big enough to smoke for a family of 6. I opted to go without the wifi temperature control, which would have been nice, but it turns out I don't care about that at all, even though I'm a tech-oriented guy. The grill holds a super consistent temperature and, also, that's not really the important part. The important part is the temperature of the MEAT. For that, I got a $50 bluetooth-enabled thermometer which has several probes that keep track of the temperature and alert me via my phone when the meat reaches the right temperature. I'm SO glad I didn't pay the extra money for that feature!!However, the real problem is that this unit has no way of replacing the pellets. You can't scoop them out once you pour them in the hopper, because the hopper has a grill-like cover of its own that keeps all but the smallest scooper out. So I'm left with having to pretty much use up all of the pellets in order to try a different type of wood. This is SUPER lame because a huge part of smoking is being able to try different types of wood and figuring out what flavors we like for what types of meat. Apparently, the Pro version has a hopper with a little door that lets you easily poor out the current pellets and replace them with different ones. THAT is the feature I wish I had paid extra for and also that I wish ANY of the features lists or reviews talked about. You can't even find reference to that feature on the product page of Traeger's own website!!Super bummed about this. I tried to see if I could get a replacement hopper but they don't appear to be sold separately. I'll just have to use this for a while, sell it, and upgrade.

I bought this to "keep up with the Jones' so to speak. They raved about the smoker and how awesome it was, so the wife begged me to get one. The food tastes great! but it was pretty good coming out of our <$200 smoker too. The pellet feed/auger system, however, needs improvement. If the pellets don't feed properly, you get a "back burn" through the auger. It starts with a drop in temp and then a "WOOOFF" like a propane grill when the gas is on too long and your trying to get the igniter to work. Then a ton of thick smoke comes up through the hopper and makes you think, "that prolly ain't good!" All the while you got $40 worth of steak with an unsure future and your contemplating calling the local pizza man, cuz likely thats whats for dinner or call Traeger and see if there is a salvageable solution. I chose option B which was the right call but also revealed it's a problem that the rep from Traeger was familiar enough with to casually mention "just stir the pellets in the hopper, they're probably bunched up in there"Me: How? there is a grid screen in the way and I think it's on fire!Rep: There is fire in the pellet box?Me: No but there is a ton of smoke, and you know what they say... where theres smoke... (also think Bob Seger)Rep: Then use something to stir it up with...Me: There is a screen in the way...?Rep: Just take that out, you don't need it anywayMe: Mmm k (why is it in there then)Anyway I took it apart, stirred it up and ate steak!! Problem is now I'm afraid to just leave it to do its thing while Im doing something else. I didn't want to have to babysit the grill to keep the house from burning down but how do I trust it...? If were going to smoke or grill all day we move it out in the yard (PITB) Grillin burgers and dogs, it stays on the deck and we stir the pellets..That being said, the few times we moved it and did something else, no fire! So maybe it was just the once.The other thing is the paint burning off the lower right side...thats going to be a hole before long and then what? It will not hold a consistent temp. for smoking BTW my neighbors has the same "burn spot" so like I said, Meh...

Revising Product review to include photos! Excellent size and performs better than hoped for. Doe great job of smoking meats. Did a 12hr Pork Butt last weekend, tasty. Ran into a snag lately with the smoke stack though. Installed a aluminum patio cover over our deck $5,000. Now when I use my Traeger, the smoke has only a few feet to rise due to new roof over it. If windy, smoke billows in circles, trying to escape. And smoke will race into sliding door when opened. Experimented and came up with cure that works 100% excellent! Home Depot for 25ft roll of 6" Flexible Aluminum Duct. The 6" size goes over the hat on top of Traeger stack, pull down a few inches, wrap aluminum foil around bottom to seal. Other end over end of deck rail. Tried to keep as straight as possible, then trimmed to fit when expanded. Works like a charm and solved problem. Now smoke goes out end of 8ft long alum tube and out from under roofline, up into the air. No more smoke trapped under deck. With the flex alum tube, I can place it on East, West or North deck rails for smoke direction. Just thought I would pass this along as it did not effect the Traeger at all. Actually most likely helps with keeping air draft from entering thru smoke stack.

Quality is fantastic and the flavour is always delicious. I haven’t used my gas grill since I got it.