Wood chips are a great addition to Traeger grills since they can add authenticity and uniqueness to the grill’s aesthetic.
However, they’re also made from a variety of ingredients, including wood.
Since these chips aren’t made for a specific model, they’re made into a variety of different shapes and textures by different companies.
So, can you use wood chips in a traeger grill?
Wood chips are great for smoking. They impart amazing flavors to your food. However, they are only good for smoking.
You don’t really want to use wood chips in a traeger grill because it can damage the auger and damage the grill itself.
If you absolutely must use wood chips in a traeger grill, make sure to soak them in water first.
You should also only use wood chips that are specifically made for grilling, not smoking. Finally, you should only use them to get your grill going.
Don’t leave wood chips in the grill because it will damage the auger.
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Can You Use Wood Chips in a Traeger Grill?
Wood chips or pellets are a popular fuel source for Traeger smokers. What most people don’t know is that you can also use wood chips in your Traeger grill.
Wood chips can give your food a new flavor, as well as give you a consistent smoke flavor.
Wood chips are smoke-flavored, hardwood pieces that are 1/8-inch thick and come in a 40-pound bag. They are great for adding extra flavor to meat, fish, and poultry.
When a Traeger grill uses wood chips, it creates smoke from the smoldering wood.
The smoke is subsequently carried by the airflow from the blower system to the cooking chamber. This process infuses your food with smoke flavor.
Most Traeger grills have a specific cooking grate that you can use for different foods. This grate acts as a receptacle where the wood chips are placed.
Wood chips are cheaper than wood pellets. However, they are more difficult to use and require frequent checking of the wood chips to make sure they don’t burn.
Pellets offer more consistent smoke flavor than wood chips.
They are made from compressed sawdust and wood shavings from hardwood trees.
The wood pellets come from sawdust and wood shavings which, when compressed, become hard wood pellets.
Pellets are easy to use and you can manipulate the temperature easily by adjusting the air intake.
However, pellets are not used as often as wood chips because pellets burn out faster than wood chips.
You can use either wood pellets or wood chips in your Traeger grill. However, wood pellets are more consistent and easier to use.
Are Wood Chips Bad for Your Traeger Grill?
Wood chips are a great addition to a Traeger grill, giving your food a distinct smoky flavor that can’t be obtained in any other way.
However, some people wonder about the safety of using wood chunks in their grills.
Wood chunks are a simple way to add flavor to your food without any extra fuss.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that wood chunks are flammable and can produce dangerous fumes when burned.
According to some researches, wood chunks create a number of problems. When the chunks are burned, they burn hotter than coals, causing more soot to build up on the grates.
This creates the problem of blocking airflow, which can compromise your grill’s performance and potentially lead to fires.
In addition, burning wood chunks produces more smoke than briquettes, which means your Traeger grill’s chimney will need cleaning more often.
It’s best to avoid smoking your food with wood chunks altogether.
However, if you are determined to use wood chunks in your grill, make sure that you are using one of the following wood choices:
- Alder – Alder adds a mild, sweet flavor to food. It burns slowly and can be seasoned easily.
- Apple – Apple wood gives your food a sweet, fruity flavor. Apple are easy to chop and season, but you may have to pre-heat them for a few seconds before adding to your grill.
- Pecan – Pecan wood gives your food a sweet, nutty flavor. Pecan wood burns slowly and is easy to season.
- Oak – Oak wood gives your food a smoky, robust flavor. Oak wood burns slowly and is easy to season.
- Hickory – Hickory gives your food a smoky, robust flavor. Hickory burns quickly and can be difficult to season.
- Pine – Pine gives your food a sweet, piney flavor. Pine burns quickly and can be difficult to season.
Can You Put Wood in a Pellet Smoker?
It’s common knowledge that putting wood in a pellet smoker is a bad idea, but why are you not supposed to do this? Well, for starters, pellet smokers are versatile units that can be used to cook and grill food, and smoke meat.
However, wood can’t be used to cook or grill food in a pellet smoker. In fact, if you cook with wood in a pellet smoker, you risk burning the food inside, not to mention it will create a fire hazard.
The pellet smoker is also designed to use pellets for fuel. Most pellet smokers make use of an automatic feeder that feeds pellets into the machine, and this eliminates the need for you to manually add fuel.
Wood, on the other hand, is a combustible biomass material, which will ignite easily if exposed to the right temperature.
As such, it’s dangerous to put it in a pellet smoker because it could cause a fire.
You can buy them at home improvement stores or online from sites like Amazon. If you want to cook or grill food in your pellet smoker, use pellets for fuel instead.
Is It Possible to Use Dry Wood Chips in a Traeger Smoker?
Yes, you can absolutely use dry wood chips in a traeger smoker.
Dry wood chips are common in Traeger smokers and they offer a great smoke flavor with almost no work on your part.
To use them in your traeger smoker, you place them on the smoker rack and activate the Traeger’s smoker mode.
The auger will feed the wood chips into the firebox where they will be burned and produce smoke in the process.
Can Wood Chips Be Used in a Pellet Smoker Tube?
You should not put wood chips in the pellet smoker tube of a pellet smoker because they will clog the auger and restrict airflow.
If you use the same wood pellets in the smoker tube and the cooking chamber of the smoker, you risk burning your food, not to mention creating a dangerous fire risk.
Also Read: Why is My Traeger Grill Losing Heat?
Conclusion
In conclusion, wood chips aren’t good to use in a Traeger grill.
First of all, wood chips aren’t good for flavor. Most wood chips smell bad and can add a strange flavor to your food.
Second, wood chips aren’t good to use with an electric Traeger grill. Wood chips cause a lot of smoke which can damage your smokestack and electric heating elements over time.
Finally, wood chips aren’t good to use with a pellet grill. Pellets burn hotter than wood chips and can damage your Traeger grill’s interior over time.
For these reasons, wood chips are a terrible idea to use in a Traeger grill.
