{"id":2041437,"date":"2024-09-15T19:45:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T00:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=2041437"},"modified":"2024-11-01T11:41:35","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T16:41:35","slug":"traeger-tailgater-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/traeger-tailgater-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Traeger Tailgater Review: The Best Pellet Grill for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"A Traeger pellet grill makes use of wood pellets to cook a variety of foods with smoke-kissed flavor. While most Traeger models are meant for use in the backyard or on the deck, there's one that can be used both at home or while traveling: the Traeger Tailgater<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOur Product Testing team recently tested multiple pellet grills<\/a>, with grilling expert Catherine Ward<\/a> leading the charge. We evaluated four models from Traeger<\/a>, plus others from Pit Boss, Recteq, Weber and Yoder. The Traeger Tailgater earned top marks for its accessibility, thanks to its folding legs and small, portable footprint. More importantly, we love that it delivers delicious cooks on pork, chicken and vegetables. Here's everything we learned about this beginner-friendly pellet grill.\r\n

What is the Traeger Tailgater?<\/h2>\r\nThe Traeger Tailgater is part of Traeger's portable line-up, meaning it's built to be compact. Due to its smaller size, it also comes in at a much lower price point than many other Traeger models, making it a great gift for grillers<\/a>.\r\n\r\nLike all Traegers, the Traeger Tailgater is constructed from powder-coated steel. However, instead of four legs with wheels, it has two legs with large casters and two legs without. Each of the four legs folds down to make transport that much simpler. The pellet hopper and its lid are located on the left side, but the grill doesn't have any additional shelving on either side or underneath. However, you can purchase an additional front folding shelf\u2014among other helpful Traeger accessories<\/a>\u2014for more prep space.\r\n\r\n\"Traeger\r\n\r\nInside, there is one porcelain grill grate with 300 square inches of cooking space. That space is large enough for cooking a pork shoulder, a brisket or two whole chickens at once. The pellet hopper can hold 8 pounds of pellets, which last four to seven hours depending on the temperature. The grill itself reaches a maximum temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit.\r\n\r\nTo control your cook, there's a small set of buttons on the pellet hopper, which allows you to turn the pellet grill on and off and adjust the temperature. It also has a keep warm mode, which holds food at 165 degrees Fahrenheit until you're ready to pull it off and dig in.\r\n\r\n[SINGLE_AFFILIATE_PRODUCT superlative=\"We Tried It\" product_name=\"Traeger Tailgater\" image=\"2043387\" image_credit=\"VIA MERCHANT\" pr_name=\"Traeger\" pr_url=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=131817X1598243&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.traeger.com%2Fpellet-grills%2Fportable%2Ftailgater-black\" pr_display_text=\"Shop on Traeger\" retailers_2_name=\"Amazon\" retailers_2_url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Traeger-Pellet-Grills-TFB30KLF-Tailgater\/dp\/B082N6BV3X\" retailers_2_display_text=\"Shop on Amazon\" retailers_3_name=\"Ace Hardware\" retailers_3_url=\"https:\/\/acehardware.dttq.net\/Nk5Gyq\" retailers_3_display_text=\"Shop on Ace Hardware\" retailers_4_name=\"BBQ Guys\" retailers_4_url=\"https:\/\/bbqguys.sjv.io\/MAnyK3\" retailers_4_display_text=\"Shop on BBQ Guys\" \/]\r\n

How We Tested the Traeger Tailgater<\/h2>\r\nThe Traeger Tailgater was put to the test along with three other Traeger models during our pellet grill testing. First up, the Product Testing Team assembled the pellet grill and noted that thanks to its 60-pound weight, it was easy to turn the grill upside down for smooth assembly. From there, the 8-pound pellet hopper was easy to fill to get the grill going.\r\n\r\nThe testing team cooked chicken breasts at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for about two hours and 10 minutes and noted they had a nice, smoky top with a little bit of caramelization. Both the chicken breasts and seared pork chops were juicy and moist.\r\n\r\nBecause this is a smaller pellet grill, it wasn't the best fit for smoking a large pork shoulder for a long smoke of about nine and a half hours. At 275 degrees Fahrenheit, the pellet grill ran out of pellets after seven hours without any notice. The team noticed the temperature dropping and refilled the hopper during the cooking process. The finished product wasn't dry, but it didn't quite fall off the bone. \"You'll want to keep an eye on the pellet consumption on the Tailgater,\" says product tester Sheri Kaz<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\"Traeger\r\n\r\nAfter plenty of cooking, the drip pans were easy to scrub, and it was simple enough to clean the grates with a sponge, soap and water in the sink after letting them soak.\r\n

Pros<\/h3>\r\n