Any red-blooded male will tell you that when it comes to grillin’, size really does matter.
However, with pellet grills you can stretch that a little bit simply because of how they work. Instead of having hot spots and uneven temperatures like on any other grill, cooking with pellets is completely different.
Here’s where size doesn’t fit into the equation: even heat. In other words, you can cook, um, grill anything you desire right on up to the edge of your grillin’ surface. Try that with gas or charcoal.
First off, we love the names given to each of these as they more or less hint at what you may want to use them for. You have the Lil’ Tex Elite 22, the Junior Elite, the Texas Elite 34 and the Tailgater. All four of them feature the following:
Versatile Cooking
Traeger is not shy about this at all.
They even refer to it as a 6-in-1 versatility. What that means to you and us is this – you can use the pellet grill for more than just barbecuing.
So, in addition to barbecuing you can use these Traeger pellet grills to grill, smoke, roast, bake and braise. That’s a big money saver no matter how you slice it.
Digital Elite Controller
Each of these grills contains what may be considered the most important part of the grilled-to-juicy-perfection equation.
It’s a temperature control that operates like a dial and keeps temperatures in a range of plus or minus 20-degrees F. In other words, accurate temperatures that are easy to regulate up or down depending on your food preparation needs.
Predictability
The Lil’ Tex Elite 22, the Junior Elite and the Texas Elite 34 all are promoted as being easy to use with predictable results.
That’s a fancy way of saying the grillin’ is consistent and all you really need to do is set it up and let it do its magic. The Tailgater likely offers the same feature although it is not mentioned specifically in online specifications.
That being said, the Tailgater is the more portable of the Traeger pellet grills with EZ-fold legs so you can take it anywhere you need to do some outdoor grillin’ or barbecuing.
Size
Here’s where the four different Traeger pellet grills differ. Let’s break it down further for you with measurements and food visuals.
#1. Lil Tex Elite 22
This model is promoted as the perfect choice for at home cooking. No wonder, it has 418 square inches of grillin’ space.
If that doesn’t give you a good enough picture, imagine this one as having space enough to hold 16 burgers, or 4 whole chickens or 5 racks of ribs. Now you’re talking big time barbecuing.
The Traeger TFB42LZBC Lil Tex Elite is made from powerful steel and has a durable powder-coated finish. This grill is truly built to last, and you are going to be getting many years of use out of it.
You don’t have to worry about using any fire starters, charcoal chimneys, etc. to ignite this grill and smoker. All you have to do is flip the on/off switch, and it is ready to start cooking on.
#2. Junior Elite
This model is also a good choice for home use or camping. You will also get away with tailgating with this one as well.
The Traeger TFB29LZA Junior Elite Grill comes with a substantial grilling area measures 300 square inches (measuring 20” by 15”); this is definitely enough for cooking for your whole family.
This grill can easily hold 12 burgers, 18 hot dogs, or 4 chickens. If you are in the mood for a more elite form of meat, it can also fit three rib racks.
The cooking surface is 300 square inches or enough space for a dozen burgers, a couple of whole chickens or a set of three racks of ribs. We have a full review here.
#3. Texas Elite 34
In the world of big, bigger and biggest this model is the last on that list. It’s actually more what we would call ginormous.
With a cooking surface of 646 square inches, you may be spotted by the International Space Station on a clear day.
You'll have enough grilling real estate to comfortably fit up to 24 burgers, 6 whole chickens, 32 hot dogs, or 9 racks of delicious Traeger-smoked ribs.
Cook the whole meal at once, from the main course and sides, to even dessert, thanks to this grill's roomy interior.
With the simple flip of an on/off switch your Traeger is up, running, and ready to go.We have a full review here.
#4. Tailgater
We’ve already hinted that this is the portable on-the-go grill that you can basically fold up and take where you need it. However, it does pack some serious cooking volume.
The 300 square inch surface will let you scorch a dozen burgers, a couple of whole chickens or three racks of ribs.
This is more than enough space for a smaller-sized household, and you can fit a lot of meat or veggies on it.
The Traeger TFB30LZB Tailgater 20 Series Freestanding Grill can heat up using 100% pellets made out of hard wood.
We have a full review here.
Conclusion
Clearly a trick question. They all rock. You just need to match the right one with your specific cooking requirements and you will soon be in grillin’ Heaven. It couldn’t be much easier, especially with a quality brand like Traeger.