9 Best Traeger Accessories (And 3 You Shouldn’t Waste Your Money On)

Once you’ve got the grill, companies love to upsell you on a range of pricey accessories where they can earn a huge margin.

Traeger is no exception.

After years of owning and testing various Traeger grills, these are the accessories we recommend.

Some Traeger accessories, like the grill cover, are essential, while others are just nice to have.

The best Traeger accessories

These are accessories that are worth your time and money. They provide good value for money, are good quality, and are genuinely useful.

All in all, I believe these are some of the best Traeger accessories that you should pair with your new grill.

1. Grill cover

Whether you deal with rain, snow, or sun – you want to protect your Traeger grill (it’s an investment, after all). If you have a covered outdoor kitchen, that’s great and will go a long way to keeping your grill safe.

For everyone else, a grill cover is a must-have. Few things will destroy your Traeger grill faster than exposure to moisture. Get the right cover for your grill, and you’ll keep it safe for a long time.

The grill cover for my Pro 575 is still going strong after two years, while the cover on my Z Grills is ripped with big holes, so that gives you an idea of the quality yoe are getting.

2. Front folding shelf

Traeger grills are versatile; they make grilling and smoking easy. However, they lack space for preparation and storage. Investing in the optional front folding shelf for your grill fixes that prep issue.

The shelf has enough space for a large butcher block, so you will have plenty of room to set meat down to put on the grill or pull it off.

Traeger make a front folding shelf to fit all their popular models.

3. Pellet sensor

No one wants to run out of pellets mid-cook. The grill will force you to go through the full shutdown and start-up procedure.

Unless you have a top-of-the-line Ironwood or Timberline that comes with a built-in pellet sensor, it’s the one thing that keeps your pellet grill from being a true “set it and forget it” machine.

You can fix that by purchasing the Traeger pellet sensor add-on. 

The pellet sensor only works with their D2 WiFIRE-enabled grills. So, if you have a Pro 575 or 780, this sensor is for you.

The Traeger pellet sensor add-on allows you to monitor the pellet level in the hopper from the Traeger app on your phone.

4. All-natural grill cleaner

Grease build-up is inevitable in your Traeger grill. The last thing you want to happen when you crank your grill is a grease fire.

Regularly cleaning your grill will help keep that from being an issue, but you don’t want to use dangerous and unhealthy chemicals around where you cook food.

That’s why Traeger has an all-natural grill cleaner. It cuts through grime and grease to restore your grill to like-new without you having to worry about your family’s health.

5. Traeger pellets

Early on, Traeger found themselves defendants in a lawsuit about insisting that customers had to use their branded pellets or void the warranty. While this was a bad business decision (and a bad move all around by Traeger).

We recommend you experiment with different types of pellets, but from our experiments, Traeger pellets burn well and are usually very consistent.

6. Traeger power inverter 

How many times have you looked at your Traeger grill and thought it would be nice to take it camping or tailgating? If you’ve thought about it but decided that you can’t because you won’t have a source of electricity – think again!

With the Traeger power inverter, you can convert standard 12Vdc power to 110V/60HZ AC. Hook the inverter up to your car’s battery, start your car, and you have electricity for your Traeger grill. Whether you’re grilling hot dogs and burgers at the campsite or smoking chicken wings and sausage at the tailgate, the power inverter will ensure you can enjoy your Traeger wherever.

7. Insulation blanket

If you live in an area with freezing temperatures, you might see issues with temperature fluctuations or your Traeger grill working harder in the colder months.

With an insulation blanket for the Pro 22, 575, 780, or 34, you can ensure that you can smoke brisket and ribs despite snow falling. 

The blanket prevents temperature swings caused by cold exterior temperatures. Your Traeger grill would compensate for those temperature dips by burning more wood pellets to bring the internal temperature back up. So not only does the insulation blanket improve consistency, but it also stops your grill from burning through pellets more quickly than usual.

8. Rib rack

Do you love ribs? Do you wish you could smoke even more ribs than you normally do? Then a rib rack (or two) can turn your Traeger into the ultimate rib-smoking grill. Each rib rack holds eight racks on edge to save on space while still making sure every side of your ribs gets bathed in smoke.

The rib rack’s design allows you to use more of your Traeger’s cooking space while smoking a lot of ribs. Some people may use two racks when hosting a big party. Others will use the extra space for other cuts of meat or sides. Whatever you want to use that space for, grabbing a rib rack is the best way to smoke ribs on your Traeger.

9. Traeger Rubs and Sauces

You can argue whether these are accessories, but the fact is that Traeger has a lot of rubs and sauces to help you on your barbecue journey. Whether you like your dry rub to be sweet or spicy, Traeger has one for you. 

If you like a hot sauce, Traeger’s got you. Fruity and sweet? Honey-based? Traeger hasn’t forgotten you either.

All of them are good and worth testing. If you want further options for rubs and sauces, check out our roundups of the best BBQ rubs and the best BBQ sauces you can buy online.

Traeger accessories I wouldn’t recommend

While we’ve recommended some of the best Traeger accessories you should consider to accompany your Traeger grill, some accessories we don’t think anyone needs to waste their money on.

1. Butcher paper

Whether you’re smoking brisket, a pork butt, or even ribs, chances are you wrap the meat at some point during the cook.

While aluminum foil has been a popular choice for years, butcher paper has become popular. However, don’t take the plunge on Traeger’s branded butcher paper. A roll will set you back $45. You’re much better off grabbing a roll of our Smoke Kitchen paper which is FDA-approved and made in the USA, spec

For more information on why people wrap brisket and the options, check out our guide to wrapping brisket.

2. Drip tray and grease liners

Don’t take this to mean you shouldn’t line your drip tray and your grease cup. You absolutely, 100% should, but using Traeger-branded liners is the same as putting your money into the fire pot of your grill. You should be changing the lining on your drip tray and grease cup every 2-5 cooks, depending on what you’re cooking and for how long. 

With the liners costing around 15 bucks for five-packs, that’s a lot of money to just literally throw away every few cooks. So what’s a Traeger user to do?

Get a big roll of good, heavy-duty aluminum foil and line them yourself. You’ll save a lot of money and get as good a result.

3. Pellet bin

Moisture will absolutely ruin your wood pellets, so you should be finding a way to keep your pellets fresh and dry. However, you don’t need to spend around $30 on a branded plastic bin. 

A quick Amazon search will yield plenty of cheaper options that seal well. You can even find options at your local hardware store or big box store that will hold plenty of pellets.

Non-Traeger accessories you should get

Up until now, we’ve focused this article on the accessories that Traeger sells. However, if you’re brand new to smoking and want to know what other accessories you should get, we have a guide to 15 essential smoker accessories to help you.

The most important accessories all backyard pitmasters need are a good meat thermometer like the Thermapen One, some sturdy heat-resistant grill gloves, some good grill tongs, and a large butcher block or cutting board.

Wrapping it up

Remember, accessories are a tool. They can help you get better at smoking food on your Traeger, but the end result truly is up to you. 

Still, you want to invest money in quality tools that will help on your barbecue journey. Whether it’s tools to help you cook better, or just take care of your grill better, they’re worth it.

Just make sure you’re looking at the quality of the product versus the cost. You don’t want to spend unnecessary money on brand-name products that aren’t worth the extra cost. 

Now that you’re armed with some more knowledge of Traeger accessories, go and make some mouthwatering barbecue. Maybe start with some smoked beef ribs?