What I've learned is that it is more of a convection oven, since it does not use direct heat. Therefore, you won't get the sear or grill marks that you would with a charcoal grill.
That said, there are some compensations. The best is to order a set of Grill Grates from a company called GrillGrates. They focus the heat into the grates, sort of like a reverse heat sink that you see on computer CPU chips. Instead of routing heat away, they concentrate heat in.
You might also want to read up on a forum site called Pelletheads.com. There is also a subforum for Traeger Grills.
-PJ
I’m in the market for a new grill. The one we inherited here is gas and I just can’t taste enough difference to make the stress of going out and firing it up. It doesn’t get very hot either.
I love BBQ that is smoky. A lot fo you are talking about this Traeger - I will look into it.