Hi All,
I’m looking to upgrade my Traeger Lil Tex and would love some recommendations. It has been upgraded with the digital controller but not the latest model.
In addition to the Lil Tex that sits on the side the house, I currently have a built-in wood fire oven and a cutout for the freestanding 30” Lynx Grill that backs right into the built-in.
A couple of times a month I smoke salmon at 180 degrees and occasionally smoke a tri-tip or chicken. Maybe a turkey or two. I and everyone in my family loves the salmon. I don’t have much in terms of the amount of smoke to compare it against. Certainly, there’s room to expand my menu.
I’ve been tempted by a few options but these are not necessarily limited.
1) Since I have the Lynx and the wood-burning oven, I could buy a free-standing pellet smoker like a Pit Boss. Since the Traeger sits on the side of the house, looks is not a great concern.
2) Upgrade the Traeger with the Timberland 850. Traeger’s customer service has always been good to me even beyond the warranty period and the monitoring cook times on my phone seems handy.
3) Replace the Traeger with a demo Memphis Advantage for a few bucks more than the Timberland 850.
4) Replace the Lynx and the Traeger? Maybe something like the Memphis Pro will slip into the built-in. I don’t know.
5) Lastly, I could upgrade the controller and add a wifi board to my Lil Tex for about $500. Not crazy about the idea but it could be economical.
I’d love to stick to around $1000 - $2000 but would want to go much higher than $3,500 unless I sell both the Traeger and Lynx.
I live in Southern California and typically cook for 8 – 12 people. Max I’ve cooked for is 50 people but it’s not often.
Probes and remote monitoring are a definite plus. Remote control could be a luxury. I can’t see needing to move it.
The Traeger is simple but finicky at the same time. If I deviate from my launch sequence at all, it could take 20 minutes to an hour to settle down the temperature down. I don’t do anything other than set it to smoke. More accurately, the temperature fluctuation, once it’s settled, is about 15-20 degrees which is not too bad for me but could be better. What temperature it’s reading vs. what the actual temp is unknown. I’ve had it for about five years and it works fine.
I haven’t run into any limitations with hopper size yet and would only care about stainless steel if it was replacing my Lynx.
I’ve seen the Timberland 850 which looks like a big improvement over my Lil Tex and intend to see the Yoder, Memphis and perhaps the Green Mountain grills this weekend.
Made in the USA is nice but not a deal breaker.
Thanks for any input!
I’m looking to upgrade my Traeger Lil Tex and would love some recommendations. It has been upgraded with the digital controller but not the latest model.
In addition to the Lil Tex that sits on the side the house, I currently have a built-in wood fire oven and a cutout for the freestanding 30” Lynx Grill that backs right into the built-in.
A couple of times a month I smoke salmon at 180 degrees and occasionally smoke a tri-tip or chicken. Maybe a turkey or two. I and everyone in my family loves the salmon. I don’t have much in terms of the amount of smoke to compare it against. Certainly, there’s room to expand my menu.
I’ve been tempted by a few options but these are not necessarily limited.
1) Since I have the Lynx and the wood-burning oven, I could buy a free-standing pellet smoker like a Pit Boss. Since the Traeger sits on the side of the house, looks is not a great concern.
2) Upgrade the Traeger with the Timberland 850. Traeger’s customer service has always been good to me even beyond the warranty period and the monitoring cook times on my phone seems handy.
3) Replace the Traeger with a demo Memphis Advantage for a few bucks more than the Timberland 850.
4) Replace the Lynx and the Traeger? Maybe something like the Memphis Pro will slip into the built-in. I don’t know.
5) Lastly, I could upgrade the controller and add a wifi board to my Lil Tex for about $500. Not crazy about the idea but it could be economical.
I’d love to stick to around $1000 - $2000 but would want to go much higher than $3,500 unless I sell both the Traeger and Lynx.
I live in Southern California and typically cook for 8 – 12 people. Max I’ve cooked for is 50 people but it’s not often.
Probes and remote monitoring are a definite plus. Remote control could be a luxury. I can’t see needing to move it.
The Traeger is simple but finicky at the same time. If I deviate from my launch sequence at all, it could take 20 minutes to an hour to settle down the temperature down. I don’t do anything other than set it to smoke. More accurately, the temperature fluctuation, once it’s settled, is about 15-20 degrees which is not too bad for me but could be better. What temperature it’s reading vs. what the actual temp is unknown. I’ve had it for about five years and it works fine.
I haven’t run into any limitations with hopper size yet and would only care about stainless steel if it was replacing my Lynx.
I’ve seen the Timberland 850 which looks like a big improvement over my Lil Tex and intend to see the Yoder, Memphis and perhaps the Green Mountain grills this weekend.
Made in the USA is nice but not a deal breaker.
Thanks for any input!
