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Costco Traeger Texas Elite 34
At a price of just $599, the Traeger Texas Elite 34 sold at Costco is a great deal on a high-quality wood pellet grill. It is based loosely on the Pro Series of Traeger grills, with some notable differences.
The Traeger Elite isn’t WiFIRE enabled and only has a digital control center with an LED display. It also has Traeger’s older exterior drip cup, and older ash management system.
Though when you consider that you can get the Costco Traeger Texas 34 Elite for $300 to $400 less, it’s a great deal. The box the Texas Elite 34 comes home in is 24 in. x 53 in. x 22 in. and weighs 163-pounds.
To maximize the smoke density in the primary cooking chamber, you can preheat the Texas Elite 34 to 165 to 180-degrees for 15 minutes. This promotes smoke production and helps build a good coal base in the firepot, before turning the temperature up higher.
At a base temperature of 250-degrees, you can expect the Traeger Texas Elite 34 to burn through roughly 1-pound of wood pellets per hour. As you turn up the temperature it will burn through pellets faster, up to 3-pounds per hour at a temperature around 450-degrees.
Should You Buy a Traeger Texas Elite 34 at Costco?
The Traeger Texas Elite 34 sold at Costco is the perfect wood pellet grill for a family who needs to feed a lot of people or a pitmaster who loves to host a crowd. It is based largely on the Traeger Pro series grills, but at $599.99 it is a much better deal than the $899 Traeger Pro 575 or the Pro 780 at $999.
Yet the only major difference is that the Costco Traeger Texas Elite 34 has a digital controller with an LED display, instead of the WiFIRE connectivity of Traeger’s Pro Series grills. If you are happy to check in on your Traeger grill from time to time, this is a complete non-factor for the price.
How Much Is a Traeger Texas Elite 34 at Costco?
You can get a Traeger Texas Elite 34 at Costco for as little as $599.99. It even tends to go on sale around special holidays like Father’s Day or is featured on promotion during Traeger Roadshows.
Traeger Texas Elite 34 Accessories
Some of the more common accessories for the Traeger Texas Elite 34 include disposable drip pans, grease cup liners, and temporary warming racks. Most of the Texas Elite 34 grills sold at Costco also come with a weather-resistant grill cover included in the purchase.
Can You Smoke with a Traeger Texas Elite 34?
The Costco Traeger Texas Elite 34 doesn’t have a Super Smoke mode, as some of Traeger’s newer grills do. However, you can punch up the smoke density inside the chamber by first preheating it at 165 to 180-degrees for 15 minutes.
All wood pellet grills produce more smoke at lower temperatures. By remembering this one simple preheating trick, you can ensure the maximum smoke density inside your new Traeger Texas Elite 34.
How Long Do Pellets Last in Traeger Texas Elite 34?
The rate that a Traeger Texas Elite 34 burns through wood pellets are directly related to the temperature setting of the grill. At a temperature range of 250-degrees, you can expect the Elite 34 to burn through roughly 1 pound of wood pellets per hour.
The higher you set the temperature, the faster the auger will deliver pellets to the firepot for the heating element and the fans to support rapid, vigorous combustion. If you turn the temperature all the way up to 450-degrees or more, you can expect the Texas Elite 34 to burn through as much as three pounds per hour!
What’s the Difference Between Traeger Elite and Pro?
The most notable difference between the Traeger Elite and the current incarnation of the Traeger Pro Series is that the Elite only has a digital controller with an LED screen and isn’t WiFIRE-enabled. The Costco Traeger Texas Elite 34 also has an older exterior grease cup, rather than the updated internal grease management system of the Pro Series.
The Traeger Texas Elite 34 sits in size between the Traeger Pro 575 and the Pro 780, with 646 square inches of cooking space. Though this is more than enough to smoke a Boston butt pork shoulder a hefty beef brisket or enough racks of ribs to feed an extended family.
The Traeger Texas Elite also doesn’t have the same updated ash management system as the newer Pro Series Traeger wood pellet grills.
Though when you consider the value price tag of just $599.99 at Costco, these differences are minor for such a quality wood pellet grill.
How Big Is the Traeger 34 Box?
The Traeger Texas Elite 34 comes in a box that measures 24 in. x 53 in. x 22 in. and weighs 163-pounds. This is still compact enough to fit in the cargo box of a half-ton crew cab pickup truck with room to spare.
Final Thoughts
You can buy the Costco Traeger Texas Elite 34 for just $599, which is a great value for the price. Though it does have some notable differences from the Pro Series of Traeger grills it is based on.
The biggest difference is that the Traeger Elite doesn’t have WiFIRE compatibility. It also has Traeger’s older exterior drip cup, and older ash management system.
These differences are more than offset by the fact that the Costco Traeger Texas 34 Elite is at least $300 to $400 less than the Traeger Pro 575 and the Pro 780. It also fits in a compact 24 in. x 53 in. x 22 in. box that weighs a total of 163-pounds.
Preheating the Texas Elite 34 to 165 to 180-degrees for 15 minutes will help increase the smoke density inside the primary cooking chamber. Not only does this technique help boost smoke production, but it also helps build a good coal base when you turn up the temperature on the digital controller.
When you set the Texas Elite 34 to a target temperature of 250-degrees it will burn through around 1-pound of wood pellets in an hour. At higher temperatures of up to 450-degrees, it can burn through as much as 3-pounds of wood pellets per hour.