Traeger renegade elite review: Versatile and flavorful cooking
Traeger is a premium grill manufacturing company in Oregon. Founded in 1990s, the company produces one of the best grills in the market available now. Their BBQ grills are reputed for their exceptional taste, great value and multifunctional abilities. The grills made of wood provide flavorfully cooked food that is unique to wood pellet grills. The company is committed to delivering convenient to use grills of top quality workmanship. The wood pellets are safe and natural providing rich flavor and exceptional value. The grills can be used to bake, grill, smoke, braise, barbecue and even slow cook.
Traeger Renegade Elite is a product of Traeger grills. It is a small sized grill using wood pellet consisting of a prep rack with wire front, a convenient EZ drain system for grease management and a hopper door for clean out. The device comes with digital controller. Whether you are partying in the summer or just want to spend your holiday in leisure, the grill helps to enjoy all your special and cherished occasions with its delicious and healthy cooking system.
Important specifications of Traeger Renegade Elite
The Renegade Elite Traeger Grill belongs to junior grade and consists of a grill extending to 380 square inches. The grilling area measures 20 inches x 19 inches. The device weighs about 100.3 pounds. Its dimensions include a 22 inch cooking depth, width of 40 inches and it is 50 inches in height.
Other important specifications include:
- The Elite model has upgraded digital controller for temperature
- Cooking space of 292 inches
- BTU’s of about 19,500
- Has a cooking surface, which is 15 inches x 20 inches in dimension
- The product comes with components including digital controller, tool rack, wood pellet grill, all terrain tough wheels, and rack for tools and preparation, and a system for cleaning the grease.
- Requires standard electric outlet of 110 volt capacity
Top quality construction
The Traeger renegade elite grill is made of steel of 20 gauge and 19,500 BTUs. Hardwood pellets are used as heating medium. They are made of food grade hardwood that is 100 percent pure. The grill functions properly only with Traeger food grade wood pellets. The usual heating pellets have harmful chemicals and glues which are not safe for use in cooking.
The grill has an auger and convection blower for automatic feeding of pellets to the firepot. This keeps the temperature consistent. Once you set the temperature to your desired setting, you can rest easy while Traeger does all the work. With wood as fuel, you can be assured of a clean and less polluted environment.
The heat is also indirect, so you can have a healthy and versatile roasting, baking, smoking and grilling anytime. The grill also features ignition of auto start type. The grilling grate has a porcelain coating for easy and convenient cooking. The smoke exhaust helps to keep the cooking area free of suffocating smoke.
Outstanding feature of Traeger Renegade Elite
Renegade Elite from Traeger grills is designed to make grilling convenient and hassle-free. The grilled meat is perfectly cooked without any grease. Here are its main features
Easy Temperature Control
The Elite Renegade grill has an LED digital controller for easy temperature control. You can view the exact temperature of the grill and set the right temperature, so your meat is grilled to perfection. With the pellets being auto-fed into the grill, maintaining a constant temperature is easy.
Mess free Clean out
The flavor of the wood pellets can be changed easily with the clean out door in the backside of the grill’s hopper. When the pellets are emptied out completely, you can change a new flavor using this clean out door. This is especially handy when you want to change the flavor of the food you cook.
Efficient tool storage
Most of the time it is common to misplace the grilling tools, like a skewer, for instance. The traeger grill has an inbuilt caddy rack, especially for storing all the tools you need for cooking and for keeping the sauces handy. The elite grill also has magnetic hooks where you can hand the utensils and use them whenever needed.
Hassle free preparation
The prep rack at in front of the grilling grate makes grilling hassle-free and convenient instead of struggling while you unload or load the grill. The prep rack helps to hold the tools and plates as you grill letting you focus on the cooking instead of the tools.
Ez grease draining
EZ-drain is a system that is the most effective feature in the Renegade Elite, as it lets you drain all the fat from your grill without compromising the taste of the cooked meat. The consistent temperature maintenance lets the grease drip constantly and it is collected in a bucket. You can thus easily discard it and keep the cooking space clean.
Sturdy wheels
Moving the grill wherever you want is easier, when you have the appropriate wheels fixed to the grill. The heavy duty wheels do a good job of making the gill portable. You can move it anywhere around your yard or even to your neighbor’s yard during a cookout. The steel castors for locking helps to keep the machine steady when you are cooking. The legs are sturdy and do not vibrate during cooking.
Where is Traeger Renegade Elite manufactured?
Traeger Elite Renegade grills are made by Traeger Pellet Grills LLC situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company uses special wood pellets for the grills made from maple, cherry or pecan hardwood to give the smoky and delicious flavor to cooked food making the grill superior to others that use a different source for fuel.
Warranty period
Traeger provides a warranty of three years with free shipping in the USA exclusively. If any parts are found defective during the initial three years of use, replacement is done. The warranty however doe not cover the labor charges required to determine the necessity for replacement and for shipping the product parts. Any consequential or incidental damages are not covered by the warranty. Customer service can be reached via phone at 1-844-9WiFIRE or by emailing to service@traegergrills.com
Advantages of Traeger elite
- Product is of great value
- Easy to set up and use. Does not require you to hover near it until the food is cooked.
- The tool and prep rack, and EZ grease drain system are very handy
- Food cooked in the grill is juicy and delicious to taste
- Can cook in different styles including BBQ, roast, braise, smoke and grill.
- Wheels help to move the grill from storage area to the patio or yard
- The wood pellets are a better option than using charcoal
- Easy to clean as minimal ash is created by the pellets
Disadvantages of using Traeger Elite Renegade
- Huge fluctuations in temperature
- User manual does not have clear instructions on pellet use
- Pellets have to be bought from the company only
Customer reviews
Many users find the features like Digital controller, prep rack, tool rack and EZ drain system present in the grill very good, as they make cooking easy, fast and hassle-free. A few users mention that there is fluctuation in temperature, which is bad especially when you are doing long and slow smoking. Many users have also expressed their discontent over the company making the warranty void, if pellets other than the company brand are used. A few users have recommended addition of another shelf to the lower part for more storage space.
Bottom Line
Traeger Renegade elite grill is an ideal cooking aid when you want to cook outdoors. It has ample space for cooking, good temperature control, sturdy wheels, prep rack and EZ drain all of which make grilling a pleasant experience. Other than a few minor drawbacks, the grill is a versatile cooking aid that roasts, grills, bakes and smokes adeptly with just a single touch. The automatic pellet feeder helps to maintain the wood flavor. Overall it is a good choice to consider, if you are looking for a versatile grill with top quality construction.
