)
Save up to $300 on select Traeger Wood Fired Pellet Grills
This item leaves our warehouse within
24 Hours
)
)
)
Key Features
- The simple grease drain management system draws all of your excess liquids into a bucket underneath
- EZ-Fold legs fold up and let you wheel the grill onto your tailgate for game day
- Features a Keep Warm Mode that ensures the food will still be hot coming off the grill
- Large capacity hopper allows you to hold up to 8 lbs of pellets at once
Traeger Tailgater: Convenient, Compact, and Full of Flavor
The Tailgater by Traeger offers the convenience and rich flavor of a wood burning pellet grill in a more compact size. With a smaller footprint and legs that fold flat, the Tailgater black 20-inch pellet grill is perfect for apartment balconies, tailgating, or anywhere else you want to bring the wood-fired flavor.
Designed for Portability, Built to Last
This grill is constructed of a powder coated steel and boasts 19,500 BTUs of cooking power. The 300 square inches of porcelain coated grilling surface produces excellent sear marks, while being easy to clean. Features EZ-Fold legs that offer maximum portability, letting you quickly place the grill in the bed of your truck, the back of your SUV, or the trunk of your car and be on your way.
Low and Slow or Searing Hot: This Traeger Does It All
The versatility of this pellet grill allows you to smoke at temperatures as low as 180 degrees and then crank it up to 450 degrees to sear to perfection. The Digital Arc Controller displays the temperature inside the grill on the bright orange LED panel and is monitored by a resistance temperature detector probe which keeps the preset temperature in 5-degree increments. Keep Warm Mode maintins the hot temperature of the food for when it comes off the grill.
Easy to Start, Safe to Use
Traeger grills feature an auto-start system that is simple and safe to use. The natural airflow inside of the grill allows for convection cooking, so you can bake a pizza right on your grill or slow smoke a large brisket. Turning and flipping different kinds of meat will be necessary at high temperatures.
Efficient Pellet Consumption
When you turn on the grill, the auger begins to feed pellets into the firepot while the draft induction fan feeds air into it. The igniter rod is activated and glows red hot for the first four minutes to ignite the pellets in the firepot. These cost-effective pellets burn at a rate of only 2 lbs per hour on high heat, 1 lb per hour on medium heat, and only 1/2 lb per hour when smoking.
Traeger Tailgater FAQ
Can you smoke with a Traeger Tailgater?
Yes, indeed! The Tailgater can maintain temperatures as low as 180 degrees, so low-and-slow is no problem.
Can you fit a brisket on a Tailgater?
The cooking grid dimensions are 20-in x 15-in, so all but the largest briskets should fit with no problem. Note that you do need to keep an inch or two free on each side to allow for air circulation.
Can you cook a steak on a Traeger Tailgater?
The Tailgater can cook as hot as 450 degrees, which is the sweet spot for grilling and searing a steak, so yes!
Does the Tailgater have WiFi?
The Tailgater doesn't have WiFi. It's meant for portable use, where there often isn't available WiFi. We recommend using a wireless Bluetooth meat thermometer if you feel the need to wander while your cook is ongoing.
Is the Traeger Tailgater electric?
The Tailgater does require a standard 120 volt AC current and has a 3-prong plug.
How long can you cook on a Tailgater without reloading the pellets?
The hopper has an 8 lb. capacity, so you should be able to go for 4 hours on high heat, 8 hours on medium heat, and about 16 hours when smoking.
Legal disclaimers and warnings
Product packaging, owners’ manuals, installation instructions, and/or operating instructions may include more information than what is shown on our website. The content on our site is intended to be used for reference purposes only. Please fully read all included manuals and documentation before installing or using this product. WARNING for California residents: this product may contain chemical(s) known to the state of California to cause birth defects, cancer, or other reproductive harm.
)
Ask an Expert
Expert Help, Zero Hassle
Stop Searching, Start Living
Advice We Stand Behind
Learning Center
Warranty
Refer to manufacturers manual for full warranty details.
Related Departments
Customer Reviews
120 reviews
Missouri
Dec 22, 2021
I use this thing every weekend and has held up great so far, I like how portable the smoker is. Makes it easy to move around outside and take it places. Has a good amount of grilling space inside it.
3 users found this review helpful
Dothan, Alabama
Oct 11, 2021
Grill is just out of warranty of course. The Hinges for the lid pulled out of the body. Metal is deformed where they pulled free. Just not a durable design. Thin metal + heat and cooling equals metal fatigue in a short amount of time. Disappointed it is not designed to last.
6 users found this review helpful
Penn Valley, CA
Sep 2, 2021
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.
3 users found this review helpful
Carlsbad Ca
Aug 22, 2021
I've had my Junior Elite for seven years now. Has worked flawlessly since the day I bought it. I love to cook ribs, brisket, pulled pork and some chicken recipes also. Trying to get enough money to buy another Traeger. Something a little bigger. It's been the best Investment I have ever made. Buy one I guarantee you'll be happy.
5 users found this review helpful
Chesapeake, Virginia
Jul 17, 2021
I was so happy when I got this as my Navy anniversary gift. Unfortunately after constant issues (catching fire, throwing error codes and shutting off randomly during a long smoke) over the last couple years I finally had enough and rolled it to the side of the street. I'm sure someone else will be happy with it for a while before they do the same. Using the right pellets, cleaning it properly, none of that mattered. I never ever want to deal with such frustration again
17 of 19 found this review helpful
Idaho
Jul 13, 2021
Had for three years. Had low temp issue and they sent me a new temp prob. Still had issues. Now high heat issues. Turn on smoke and it goes to 350. Have to keep opening lid just to get temp down. Won't hold at 180. Will call them but just think I got a lemon
6 users found this review helpful
Claremore, OK
Jun 14, 2021
My wife purchased this for me for Father's Day in 2018. I was very excited to get it and I followed all instructions carefully when putting together and doing the initial burn-in. It worked great for a couple months then we began to have issues with it. It never really held a low temp, so we always had to put it above 350. After about 4 months the LED display stopped working correctly, then the grill caught fire. I cleaned the grill regularly to ensure that I was following all guidelines and would have a nice grill for a long time. After the LED display stopped working and it caught fire it we stopped using it for some a few months. Went out to turn it on one day and it turned on and fire up just fine, LED still didn't work, but we turned it as high as it would go and continued to use it this way for awhile. I could never get through to Traeger customer support to get parts ordered and eventually just gave up trying to get parts. Now, the LED doesn't work, it doesn't hold temp, and when I went out to fire it up a months back it won't ignite. I have tried yet again to get through to customer support to no avail. Haven't decided if it is worth it to fix or just get rid of it.
13 of 14 found this review helpful
San Diego
Jun 6, 2021
Got this from a friend broken. Fixed with all genuine Traeger parts and the panel went bad again. Auger got jammed, twisted itself around, wrapped the wires up and broke the mount for the auger. Repeated problems, not that impressive food out of it. Disappointed. Moving to a Weber.
16 of 17 found this review helpful
Alberta, Canada
May 26, 2021
Love this grill for portability. Stows away nicely in our RV storage. Flaw one I find is, the handles are not to be desired. Come on Traeger, you can do better than cheap plastic handles that feel like they will snap any minute. Flaw number 2 is the folding legs are a pain folding and unfolding. Spring assist, easy stow away legs would be nice. Food taste awesome from this grill, love the new controller.
6 users found this review helpful
Colorado
Mar 20, 2021
Have had this for 6 months and it does not hold a temperature very well at all. It fluctuates so much and there is no consistency in it messing up anything you try to cook on it, especially trying to figure out cook times. Would not buy this grill at all. I follow everything and the instructions and care to a t!
13 users found this review helpful
Questions & Answers
Be the first to write a question!
Compare Similar Items
Current Item | ||||
Class | Entry-Level | Practical | Entry-Level | Practical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Size | Small (0 - 26") | Small (0 - 26") | Small (0 - 26") | Small (0 - 26") |
Primary Color | Black | Black | Black | Gray |
Made In USA | No | No | No | No |
Configuration | Portable | Portable | Portable | Portable |
Exterior Material | Powder Coated Steel | Powder Coated Steel | Powder Coated Steel | Powder Coated Steel |
Burger Count | 12 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
Fuel Type | Pellets | Pellets | Pellets | Pellets |
Collection | Portable | Prime 2.0 | Portable | Emberwood |
Hopper Capacity | 8 Pounds | 9 Pounds | 8 Pounds | 8 Pounds |
Quick Ship | Yes | No | -- | Yes |
Total Cooking Capacity | 300 Sq. Inches | 344 Sq. Inches | 184 Sq. Inches | 282 Sq. Inches |
Controller Type | Digital | SmartPhone App | Digital | Analog |
Max Temperature | 450 F | 550 F | 450 F | 500 F |
Cart Assembly | Some Assembly Required | Some Assembly Required | -- | -- |
Side Shelves | No | No | No | No |
WiFi/Bluetooth Enabled | None | WiFi & Bluetooth | None | None |
Cooking Grid Dimensions | 20 X 15" | 17 3/4 X 12 4/5" | 15 X 12" | 14 4/5 X 15" |
Side Burner | None | None | None | -- |
Grill Lights | None | None | None | None |
Spring Assisted Hood | No | No | No | No |
On Wheels | Yes | No | No | No |
Series | Tailgater | Trek | Ranger | 15" |
Cooking Grate Material | Porcelain Coated Steel | Stainless Steel | Porcelain Coated Steel | Cast Aluminum |
Commercial-Grade Multi-User | No | No | No | No |
Marine Grade | No | No | No | No |
Width | 37" | 34.25" | 21" | 26.7" |
Height | 36" | 24" | 13" | 15.7" |
Depth | 18" | 18" | 20" | 22.7" |
Weight | 60 lbs | 64 lbs | 60 lbs | 47 lbs |
)
)
)
Proposition 65
Shipping & Returns
Free Shipping on orders over $49
Ship your entire order to your home for free, especially the big stuff!
*Continental US only
When will my item arrive?
Once shipped, items usually arrive within 3-5 business days. While UPS and FedEx are our carriers for smaller items, be aware that larger items and orders are shipped via freight. The freight process is a bit more complicated than what we've all come to expect for small parcels, so it's important that you're prepared and understand what's required of you well before delivery day.
- Most freight products ship on a pallet
- Some carriers will call to schedule a delivery window, while others will deliver the shipment to a reasonably accessible location closest to your residence (their goal is to deliver as near a garage door as they can).
- We'll specify which process you can expect in your shipping confirmation email.
For carriers that schedule delivery appointments:
Carriers that schedule delivery appointments require you to be home for delivery and provide your signature. The delivery is made with a semi-truck with lift gate services, and the shipment is dropped off at the curb. If you authorize the shipping company to leave the delivery without a signature, BBQGuys can't be held responsible for damages that occur during delivery. As complicated as this process may seem, we've only scratched the surface here — please review our detailed guide to freight delivery so there are no surprises when a freight shipment heads your way.
For carriers that deliver without an appointment:
Carriers that deliver without an appointment don't require you to be home or set up a delivery window, and you aren't required to sign for the pallet(s). Instead of scheduling an appointment, arranging your schedule to be home for the delivery, and signing to confirm receipt, you can sit back and let your items come to you. If you're home at the time of the drop-off, you can request the driver place your delivery in the garage; if you're out of the house, the driver will leave it near the garage or doorstep.
This item leaves our warehouse within 24 Hours
$49 Flat-Rate Shipping
Anything under $49 ships at one low price. If your order increases, your shipping stays the same!
30-Day Returns
Return all new, unused, and unassembled items in their original packaging, and we'll give you a full refund minus the cost of the original AND return shipping.
No Restocking Fee
Most companies charge a restocking fee. We just don't do business that way.
