Traeger's redesigned grill app offers cooking videos and customization

Traeger’s WiFi-enabled smart grills already benefit from a robust app packed with recipes for meat, seafood, side dishes and more. The software also allows you to control and monitor your grill remotely, so you don’t have to walk outside to change the temperature or get a status update. Today, the company announced a complete overhaul of the Traeger Grills App that goes beyond the typical aesthetic tweaks. Sure, there’s a new look, but there’s also a ton of new features — like cooking tips, video guides and personal customization.

First, Traeger has added video-guided tips and recipes to the app. These cover everything from how to chop an onion properly to taking care of cast iron. That’s in addition to the company’s team of chefs and grillmasters walking you through recipes. Before now, you could use the Traeger app to send recipe information like time and temperature to the company’s WiFi-enabled grills, but with the new version, there’s more detailed guidance every step of the way. What’s more, the tips and tricks reside in the Learn tab so you can expand your knowledge without having to pick a specific recipe.

Traeger also added detailed stats and graphs, which will be handy for advanced users. And no matter where you go inside the app, your grill and probe temperatures will always be displayed above the navigation rail alongside the timer (if you choose to set one). That means the full grill control panel stays just a tap away.

There’s also a lot more customization inside the app with this latest version. Previously, you could favorite recipes to keep track of ones you like, but Traeger has gone much further. You can setup a profile according to your dietary preferences and skill level. The app will then suggest recipes based on that info so you always have some recommendations if you’re looking for culinary inspiration. You can also make and share notes on recipes so you’ll have info for your next cook on what you might like to do differently or what you liked about the dish. There’s the ability to follow specific categories (pork, beef, etc.) or chefs so you’re always aware of new additions that might appeal to you. Both the profiles and the recipe notes are available on Traeger’s website too, should you need to hunt through the archive on your computer.

In addition to the app update, Traeger is updating its 2019 Pro Series grills to offer a maximum temperature of 500 degrees. The company regularly releases new features and software tweaks via OTA updates, and this is one of the more notable ones. Before now, the Pro 575 and Pro 780 grills could go up to 450 degrees, so tweaking the software to give these units a higher range will enable something closer to a true high-temp sear when cooking steaks and other foods.

Traeger isn’t the only grill company that offers culinary guidance for its grills via an app. Weber has Weber Connect that works with its SmokeFire grills and its Smart Grilling Hub in a similar fashion. There’s step-by-step guidance and video clips to help you along the way. However, Weber’s take on recipes are more presets for specific cuts of meat and seafood rather than complete dishes. You aren’t offered any ingredients for rubs or sauces, but that does leave things open to you to use whatever you like.

The new Traeger Grills App is available now from the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android.