I keep harping on about this, but when I left my husband four years ago many tasks started falling to me. My youngest was craving a BBQ and wouldn’t stop asking for one but I’d always left the barbecuing to my husband. He loved being in charge of the meat.
So when I came across the gentle giant that is the Traeger 575 D2 Grill Pro I was intrigued. Rather than brimstone and fire crackles, this Barbecue smokes, sears with kindness and uses wood pellets as fuel. I decided that if I could master the Traeger then maybe I could claim the crown as BBQ king.
I didn’t plan on falling in love. As I opened it up, dispensed the pellets (with a few Applewood chips thrown in) and started her up I felt like I’d just been gifted a brand new, all singing, all dancing, state of the art kitchen. I became lost in my own little world of adjusting, smoking, cooking. It actually gave me my passion back for creating food that the family adore, a passion I lost a little as their tastes divided so much that they regularly requested three completely different evening meals!
Keep the Kid’s Entertained as You Assemble!
Between myself and my adult son we put the grill together with ease and felt so accomplished, then my youngest (the BBQ fiend) spotted something. When you turn the box inside out it turns into a cabin for little ones to play in. This is an excellent touch. It actually really helped us concentrate on the task in hand without distractions while also giving me a magical family moment.
As my youngest played with the box, my eldest helped me with assembly, my middle daughter, 18, made some salads to go with the meat. Sometimes, as a parent, there are moments when you think you have all your ducks in a row, when you feel so embraced by love that you realise this is what makes life so good. I don’t know if it was Traeger or the sunny day but something gave me that precious memory and feeling that I’ll never forget that day.
More Oven, Less Explosions!
As it’s more like cooking with an oven, with no direct heat, I felt entirely at home. I didn’t worry about poisoning the kids and isn’t too concerned with keeping my youngest out of the way. Don’t underestimate it though. It still gives that flame grilled taste BUT and this is a huge BUT it also delivers a smoky flavour that you won’t enjoy when using a regular charcoal grill!
It’s also very safe to light, you put in your pellets (and applewood pellets if you like a bit of extra flavour), set the temperature and press a magic button and poof, you’re good to go. We were all surprised at how easy it was as my husband had always made it seem like such a difficult task!
Although more gentle, you still get the BBQ sear
Witchcraft and Wizardry
After preparing the salads, while meat was cooking on the BBQ, my 18 year old daughter noticed her phone could connect to the Traeger. After downloading the APP she found it highly hilarious that she could control the temperature while lounging in a deckchair. The meat probe came in handy then as I could tell the food was thoroughly cooked.
Be careful who downloads the APP!
The Traeger really did give me a zen moment and memories I’ll carry for a lifetime while the food tasted so great my youngest now begs for a BBQ everyday. I think I can safely say, I am the BBQ King!
The Traeger 575 D2 Wi-Fi Wood Pellet BBQ has, of course, won our Top Product Award for BBQ of the Year!
