Customer reviews from traegergrills.com
Traeger Grills - Tailgater 20 Wood Pellet Grill - Black
Average customer rating
3.9
(111 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 111 reviews
5 Stars
67
4 Stars
10
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
13
1 Star
16
58%of customers recommend this product.
(
7 out of
12)
Customer Reviews for Traeger Grills - Tailgater 20 Wood Pellet Grill - Black
Customer Rating
1
Piece of junk
on June 15, 2025
Posted by: Robert Causey
from Gainesville GA
So glad I got this for free from zyn. Cause I wouldn’t pay a dime for it. It’s a piece of junk. The manual you get is useless. It’s won’t hold temp for anything. It garbage. Do not buy the tailgatter
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from traegergrills.comBy Traeger Grills, Traeger, June 18, 2025
Hi there, thanks for taking a moment to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear the Tailgater hasn’t met your expectations. It’s important to us that every grill delivers a solid experience, and we’d like to understand a bit more about what happened. If you have a moment, we’d appreciate hearing what specifically felt unclear or unhelpful about the owner’s manual so we can continue improving those resources.
As for the temperature performance, we know how important consistent heat is for a great cook. If you're seeing swings, there are a few factors that can come into play, and we’ve put together a guide that walks through the most common ones here: https://support.traeger.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407213012379-Temperature-Swings.
If you’d rather walk through this directly with a team member, we’re happy to help. You can reach us at 1-800-TRAEGER or anytime at https://support.traeger.com/hc/en-us. We’d really like the chance to learn more about your experience and see what we can do to help improve it.
As for the temperature performance, we know how important consistent heat is for a great cook. If you're seeing swings, there are a few factors that can come into play, and we’ve put together a guide that walks through the most common ones here: https://support.traeger.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407213012379-Temperature-Swings.
If you’d rather walk through this directly with a team member, we’re happy to help. You can reach us at 1-800-TRAEGER or anytime at https://support.traeger.com/hc/en-us. We’d really like the chance to learn more about your experience and see what we can do to help improve it.
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Customer Rating
5
800 HOURS STILL RUNNING STRONG
on February 17, 2020
Posted by: Anonymous
from Mount Olive NC
Bought this grill in 2016 when a lot of people didnt even know what a pellet grill was. I use this grill 5 days a week to cook for four people at work. I have replaced the drip pan once because it was rusted through, replaced the grate because I lost it somehow and the controller because it got wet from rain when I didnt have it covered up and thats it.
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Customer Rating
2
It will grill but not smoke meat
on January 28, 2023
Posted by: Anonymous
from Iowa
The tailgator is great for grilling but thats it. I have had nothing but problems trying to smoke meat. It randomly faults out and losses temp. Shouldnt have to restart it 4+ times. It cant ever maintain a steady temp like if seen green mountain smokers do. As i write this now ive been cooking a pork butt for 12h and only at 170 temp because it losses flame with anything under 300 setpoint.
Response from traegergrills.comBy Traeger, January 30, 2023
Thank you for taking the time to review our Tailgater 20. We regret to hear this has been your experience while cooking on your grill. The smoking temperature range is 165-225 degrees F. Traeger grills cook on an average. This means the temperature will fluctuate above and below the set temperature throughout the cook, but the average temperature is very close to the set temp. A home electric oven works in the same way; it just shows only the set temperature; whereas, Traeger grills show the real-time temperature. On a typical, good-weather day, the grill should fluctuate no more than ±25°F/14°C. The most common contributor to any temperature management issue is low-quality or old pellets. Check the pellets at the end of the auger or in the firepot to make sure they have a nice sheen to them and have a nice "snap" to them when breaking. If the pellets crumble or look dull, try a fresh bag of pellets. If you change the temperature too often during a cook, this can cause issues with maintaining the temperature. Instead, give time between changing temperatures so the grill can keep up with the changes. Your grill does come with a 3-year warranty from the date of purchase. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us from 6 AM - 10 PM MT, 7 days a week, and one of our team members will get you squared away.
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Customer Rating
2
Don't Recommend
on May 24, 2022
Posted by: Biteme
from western Pa
Adjusting the P setting did not help .... temperature swings are horrible so don't plan on a low and slow cook. Stick to very basic cooking on this grill ... for the money it is not worth it
Response from traegergrills.comBy Traeger , May 26, 2022
Thank you for reviewing our Tailgater, Bruce. We appreciate the feedback.
We're more than happy to help you get cooking properly if you're still having issues with temperature swings.
Please make sure you are using the correct start-up procedure for your model grill. The Tailgater should be ignited with the open lid to start up. Please make sure to always complete the shutdown cycle when done a cook, before flipping the power switch off on the grill. It is also important to keep up on maintenance. We recommend vaccuming out all the ash often from firepot and bottom of barrel, along with using a natural degreaser after about every 3 cooks internally to ensure proper airflow, leading to more accurate temperatures.
Please give us a call at 1-800-TRAEGER to speak with one of our live agents available 7 days a week if you have any other questions and/or concerns. We're always more than happy to assist.
We're more than happy to help you get cooking properly if you're still having issues with temperature swings.
Please make sure you are using the correct start-up procedure for your model grill. The Tailgater should be ignited with the open lid to start up. Please make sure to always complete the shutdown cycle when done a cook, before flipping the power switch off on the grill. It is also important to keep up on maintenance. We recommend vaccuming out all the ash often from firepot and bottom of barrel, along with using a natural degreaser after about every 3 cooks internally to ensure proper airflow, leading to more accurate temperatures.
Please give us a call at 1-800-TRAEGER to speak with one of our live agents available 7 days a week if you have any other questions and/or concerns. We're always more than happy to assist.
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Customer Rating
5
Love the Tailgater!
on February 11, 2024
Posted by: Becca Putman
from Rock Hill, SC
I don't recall when I bought this, but it makes the best smoked food we've ever had!
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Customer Rating
4
I'm retiring my Weber!
on September 2, 2021
Posted by: Wanda
from Penn Valley, CA
My Nephew-in-law and I cooked a 5lb standing rib roast in his Traeger Tailgater. It was his first time cooking that kind of meat in it. It was my first experience with Traeger. The roast came out beautiful! It came out medium well instead of ideal because we had the following challenges. 1. Temperature fluctuated constantly from 5 to 20 degrees below setting. As a result we had to guess our cook time. 2. When we did a therm check on the roast it came out correct but resting cooked it more.
For a Choice 5lb standing rib roast we will shorten timing down on our next roast.
The flavor and tenderness of the medium well roast was still enjoyable. The next day we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the Traeger. Perfect!
I was so impressed that I'm retiring my Weber.
For a Choice 5lb standing rib roast we will shorten timing down on our next roast.
The flavor and tenderness of the medium well roast was still enjoyable. The next day we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the Traeger. Perfect!
I was so impressed that I'm retiring my Weber.
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Customer Rating
5
Very cute and versatile
on March 18, 2025
Posted by: I Be Mark
from Pasadena, CA
While we have a full size Traeger at our house, we also have a Tailgater at our apartment out on the balcony. Don’t let this cute little guy fool you, it is awesome! It can do anything my full sized grill can, but in many cases, better. We do chicken, rack of lamb, and ribs regularly. Last night we cranked it up to 450 degrees and cooked the best veal chops we have ever had! Love it!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com
Posted by: JAL J
from New Jersey
Verified Purchase:Yes
So far so good, picked up a small because I am only 1 person, only think it needs is pellet drain to switch pellets like you see on the other bigger units
Written by a customer while visiting traegergrills.com