Traeger Fremont at Costco {Better Value than the Pro Series}

Costco is selling the Traeger Fremont pellet grill and it looks to be the best deal in the Traeger product line.

Keep reading and we will cover:

Key Features of the Fremont
Why the Fremont is the Best Traeger Deal
Why You Might Not Want the Fremont

Table of Contents

Key Features of the Traeger Fremont

The Fremont is a mid-sized pellet grill with 520 square inches of cooking space spread across an upper and lower cooking grate. Traeger states that the Fremont has enough room to handle four racks of ribs or three pork butts. Basically the grill is large enough for most everyday needs.

From a size standpoint my only concern is how well it would handle a full sized packer brisket as the grease tray on the Fremont is 18 inches long and 16 inches wide. I suspect you could shoehorn a 15 pound brisket in there if you put it in diagonally.

The overall dimensions of the grill are 49 x 41 x 27 inches.

The Fremont has an 18 pound pellet hopper with an easy access pellet dump feature. The grill also has a folding front shelf and comes with a meat probe and grill cover.

The Fremont features Traeger’s new Digital Arc Controller which is not as fancy as the WiFire controller on the Traeger Silverton 620 but is an upgrade over the standard dial controller on the Traeger Pro 22.

The Digital Arc Controller lets you set the temperature in 5 degree increments and has a top temperature of 450F. The left side of the controller has a “Keep Warm” feature that takes the grill down to 160F if you want to hold your ribs a while before serving.

The panel has an input port for the included meat probe and the digital displays shows both the temperature of the grill as well as the probe.

The controller on the Fremont is not Wi-Fi enabled.

Why the Fremont is Traeger’s Best Deal

The Fremont has a retail price of $549 in the Costco warehouse.

From a value standpoint it makes sense to compare the Fremont to two equivalently sized Traeger grills, the Pro 575 and Gen 1 Pro 22.

Fremont vs Pro 575

The Pro 575, which you can buy online or get at Home Depot, currently costs $899 which is $350 more expensive than the Fremont and does not come with a cover or a folding front shelf. Buying the shelf and cover on their own will cost you an extra $140.

The only real upgrade you get on the Pro 575 for the extra $350 is a WiFi enabled controller that lets you operate the grill with your phone. Some other minor upgrades on the Pro 575 is that it has slightly more capacity (5 racks of ribs instead of 4) and a higher top temperature (500F vs 450F).

Fremont vs Gen 1 Pro 22

The Gen 1 Pro 22 currently costs $599 which is $50 more than the Fremont and does not come with the folding front shelf or cover.

The Pro 22 has Traeger’s older Digital Pro Controller. This controller is a standard dial type that lacks the precise 5 degree control for get with the Digital Arc Controller on the Fremont.

Why You Might Not Want to Buy the Fremont

If I were going to buy a Traeger today then I would jump all over the Fremont as it has all of the features that I value. However, the Fremont is lacking some features found on other higher end Traeger models so if you are into gadgets and things that go “Ding!” then here is the list of features missing on the Fremont.

WiFi Enabled

The Fremont is not a WiFi enabled grill so you can not remotely monitor or control your grill with your phone. The Traeger WiFire system is one of the best Wi-Fi apps on the market and can be found on the Pro 575 and Pro 780 along with the Silverton, Ironwood and Timberline grills.

Controller Features

There are other features on the Traeger’s with the advanced controllers which are not available on the Fremont including:

Turbo Temp
SuperSmoke Mode
Pellet Sensor Compatibility

Turbo Temp is the ability to quickly ramp up the temperature of the grill. This comes in handy when you want to slow smoke something and then give it a quick sear (check out this Reverse Seared Smoked Ribeye as an example.) Turbo Temp also helps the grill quickly return to the set target temperature after the lid has been opened.

SuperSmoke Mode is a special setting available on the Ironwood and Timberline grills. This mode, which can only be activated at low temperatures, is advertised as producing more smoke flavor. I am not sure if the feature actually works or is a marketing gimmick.

The WiFi enabled grills either come with, or can be fitted later, a sensor that sits in the pellet hopper and alerts you when the grill is running low on pellets.

Down Draft Smoke Exhaust

The last feature to consider on the Fremont is how the smoke moves through the grill. For this grill the smoke comes up from the fire pot and then goes up and out through the top mounted smoke stack. This is the same design seen on the Pro 22 and Pro 575.

On some Traeger grills (Ironwood, Timberline, Silverton) the smoke comes up from the fire pot, rises up in the grill and is then pulled down over the meat through rear mounted exhaust ports. The down draft exhaust configuration is designed to provide more interaction between the smoke and the meat.

The Fremont is Great Pellet Grill

The Fremont is not Traeger’s most advanced pellet grill but it does have all of the features I look for and is the best deal in the Traeger product line.

I love that it has a foldable front shelf and the grill is large enough for all of my needs.

If you have been thinking about getting a Traeger then the Fremont is absolutely worth your consideration.