Traeger Fremont Pellet Grill at Costco vs the Silverton 620

Costco is selling the Traeger Fremont pellet grill and it is one of the best values that I have seen from Traeger.

Note: In 2023 Traeger introduced the Redland 650 that, while more expensive than the Fremont, is also an excellent value.  Here is the link to learn more about the Traeger Redland 650 at Costco.

Keep reading and we will cover:

  • Key Features of the Fremont Pellet Grill
  • Cost of the Fremont at Costco
  • Is the Fremont a Grill or a Smoker
  • Traeger Fremont vs Silverton 620

Traeger Fremont Pellet Grill

Key Features of the Traeger Fremont

Like all Traeger grills, the Fremont is designed to burn wood pellets to produce both heat and smoke while grilling.  This is a “set it and forget it” type grill where you program in the temperature you want and let the grill do all of the work.

A Traeger pellet grill is easier to use than a gas grill and gives you some (but not all) of the great flavors that you get from a charcoal grill.

Pellet grills are actually pretty simple devices and the three most important issues are:

  • Control System
  • Cooking Capacity
  • Pellet Hopper

Let’s look at each of these in more detail!

Digital Arc Control System

All pellet grills need a control system to maintain the temperature inside the grill.  The control system measures the temperature inside the grill and adjusts how fast wood pellets are fed to the burn pot along with how hard the fan is blowing that is providing combustion air.

The Fremont uses Traeger’s Digital Arc Control system that was developed for the Traeger Trailhead, Ranger and Tailgater grills.  You can use the controller to set the temperature of the grill between 180F and 450F in five degree increments.

The controller has an input port for the included meat probe which allows you to monitor the internal temperature of whatever you are cooking and also has a Timer and Keep Warm mode.

The meat probe, Timer and Keep Warm Mode are not integrated like they are on higher end Tragers like the Timberline.  The “Keep Warm” mode is activated by pressing the button on the left side of the control panel and drops the temperature of the grill to 165F to keep your food warm until you are ready to serve.

Digital Arc Controller on the Fremont

Cooking Capacity

The Fremont has a two tiered grate system that provides 520 square inches of cooking area.  According to Traeger the Fremont has the capacity to cook:

  • 3 whole chicken, or..
  • 4 slabs of ribs, or..
  • 3 pork butts

It looks like you might be able to fit a whole packer brisket onto the bottom grate if you put it in on the diagonal.

Always make sure that whatever you are cooking is located over the grease tray as you do not want dripping grease to get into the bottom of the grill near the fire pot.

Large Cooking Area

Pellet Hopper

The Fremont has an pellet hopper that can hold 18 pounds of wood pellets.  I never really understood the 18 pound design as most companies sell wood pellets in 20 pound bags.

There is an “easy dump” hopper clean out system at the base of the hopper that lets you empty the hopper and fill it up with different types of pellets.  That is a handy feature if you want to smoke chicken with apple pellets today and smoke a brisket with hickory pellets tomorrow.

The hopper does not come with a pellet sensor that sends an alert when the hopper is low like on higher end models of Traeger grills.

18 pound pellet hopper

The Fremont is a Costco Value

The Fremont currently costs $549 at Costco making it the best value in the Traeger product line.

If you go to Home Depot to buy a Traeger then the cheapest one you will find in the Generation 1 Pro 22 that costs $649.  The more expensive Pro 22 has the outdated dial type controller and does not come with the meat probe, folding front shelf or grill cover.

The least expensive Traeger at Home Depot that comes with a digital controller is the Pro 575 which will cost you $800.

Price of Traeger Fremont at Costco

Is the Fremont a Grill or a Smoker?

Traeger markets their pellet grills as an “all in one” solution that lets you, grill, smoke, bake, roast, etc.  The reality is that this grill is a great smoker and an average grill.

Using a Traeger as a Smoker

You can put a couple of seasoned pork butts onto the Fremont, set the temperature to 250F and let them smoke for 12-14 hours to make some of the best smoked pulled pork you have ever eaten.

Many competition barbecue teams use Traeger grills and routinely take home the top prizes.

The ability of these grills to hold a relatively precise temperature for long periods of time makes them ideal for barbecue as you can leave them unattended for many of the long hours required to cook “Low and Slow”.

The only real downside of using a Traeger as a smoker is that the wood pellets burn cleanly and sometimes do not produce as much smoke flavor as desired. However, with a little practice and research you will find that there are several tricks to getting as much smoke as you want.

Using a Traeger as a Grill

The Fremont has a top temperature limit of 450F which makes it fully functional as an average grill.

The grill is great for chicken wings, burgers, fish, brats, etc.

Where the Fremont falls short as a grill is that it does not get hot enough to properly sear a steak.  This is a limitation of most brands of pellet grills.   While there are a couple of hacks people use to try to get these grills hotter I find they are not worth the effort.

My solution to the problem of grilling steaks on a pellet grill is to cook them in the smoke of the pellet grill until they reach an internal temperature of 125F and then sear them on a scorching hot Weber portable gas grill until done.

Traeger Fremont vs Traeger Silverton 620

If you want to but a Traeger grill then your only real question is whether you should buy the Fremont of the Silverton 620.

Note: The Silverton 620 has been discontinued and replaced with the Traeger Redland 650 which is an excellent grill.

Both the Fremont and Silverton are Costco exclusive grills with the Silverton costing a couple hundred dollars more than the Fremont.

The three biggest differences between the grills are the control system, ventilation design and size.

Control System Differences

While the Fremont has the Digital Arc Controller the Silverton utilizes the WiFire system.  The WiFire system on the Silverton can be paired with the Traeger app on your phone for remote monitoring and control of your grill.

You can use the WiFire system to program your grill in such a way that when the meat probe reaches a set temperature the grill will automatically lower the temperature to prevent the meat from over cooking.

The WiFire feature is very functional and neat but is not something that I value. When I am smoking some ribs I want to be chilling and relaxing, not checking my phone.

The control system on the Silverton lets the grill have a top temperature of 500F compared to 450F on the Fremont.  I consider this difference to be minimal as neither one is hot enough to put a serious sear on a steak.

Ventilation Differences

In my opinion this is the most important difference between the Fremont and Silverton.

One of the biggest complaints about all brands of pellet grills is the lack of a deep smoky flavor.

Traeger addressed this complaint by changing the exhaust configuration on some of their grills.

The Fremont has a traditional ventilation design where the smoke goes up and out a smokestack which is mounted on the top right side of the grill.

The exhaust for the Silverton is in the back of the grill closer to the cooking grate.  This means that instead of the smoke going “up and out” it has to come “down and through” exposing the meats to more smoke flavor.

In concept, meats cooked on the Silverton should have more smoke flavor than those cooked on the Fremont.  Whether or not that is worth an extra couple hundred dollars is up to you to decide.

Size Differences

The size difference between these grills is subtle and misleading.

If you just look at the names and numbers for these grills then you will believe that the Silverton 620 has almost 20% more grilling area than the Fremont.  However, when it comes to pellet grill the size of the cooking grate is not what determines how much grilling area you get.

Pellet grills have a grease tray under the cooking grates that directs grease to an external catch pan.  It is important that you do your grilling directly over the grease tray so grease does not get into the fire pot or accumulate in the bottom of the smoker.  You also want to cook over the grease tray because just past the edge of the tray the grill is significantly hotter and will burn your food.

Since cooking over the grease tray is important, it is the size of the grease tray that determines how much grilling area you have and not the size of the cooking grates.

It turns out that while the cooking grates on the Fremont are 20% smaller than on the Silverton, the grease tray on the Fremont is larger then the Silverton!

  • Fremont Grease Tray: 18 x 16 inches (288 sq in)
  • Silverton 620 Grease Tray: 19 x 14 inches (266 sq in)

So, from a size standpoint, the Silverton looks bigger but you really have just about the same cooking area on the Fremont.

Traeger Silverton 620

 

David

Good morning and welcome to the site dedicated to helping you find great products at Costco and other stores! My name is David Somerville and these are hands on reviews of products that I have bought and used or am seriously considering purchasing. I do most of my shopping at the Costco in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but will check out any other Costco warehouses I find while travelling. Please get in touch with any questions and let me know of any great products that deserved to be featured in this blog!

18 thoughts on “Traeger Fremont Pellet Grill at Costco vs the Silverton 620

  1. The Silverton also has 620 Sq. Inches vs 520 sq. Inches. The Silverton also reaches 500°. The Silverton also has four castor wheels and the bottom is completely enclosed for storage. The Silverton also comes with a heavy duty cover.

  2. I purchased the Traeger Silverton grill from the Gypsum Co. store in 2020. The cover has been a big disappointment it has multiple holes along the seams that can not be repaired. I also have Weber I purchased in 2015 that the cover is fine. Please pass this info on

    Thanks

  3. Costco has another $50 off the Fremont until Tuesday, with the cover, probe, and folding table included.

  4. I just purchased (6/16/22) the Fremont from Costco in Phoenix and it was marked down an additional $100 off the already low price of $550! Happy Father’s Day to me….

  5. Why can’t I find any reviews on the Cosco Traeger grills “outside” of this review? I would like to know if there are any differences between the Fremont and the Pro 22 other than the Digital Arc Controller, cover, and table? I was out-the-door at Cosco with my Freemont for under $500. There are only 2 of us, and my 72 yr old wife is a Traeger Master. She loves the Freemont. Also, we roll our Traeger into place when we use it. Rolling weight and handle position should also be reviewed.

  6. Purchased a Fremont Traeger Grill. this grills lowest temperature is 185 degrees. Buy different grill if your a sausage maker.

  7. My Freemont went together very quickly and fired up well. It did make it upu to 470 degrees on the 500 degree setting and then settled down. Be sure to check for the chimney gasket. Mine was missing and a quick call to Traeger and they sent a replacement. Please note you can’t register your Freemont on the Traeger website as the model is not listed. But if you call the support line, they will register it for you over the phone.

  8. Correction….My Freemont went together very quickly and fired up well. It did make it upu to 450 degrees on the 500 degree setting and then settled down. Be sure to check for the chimney gasket. Mine was missing and a quick call to Traeger and they sent a replacement. Please note you can’t register your Freemont on the Traeger website as the model is not listed. But if you call the support line, they will register it for you over the phone.

  9. I bought the Fremont after hearing everyone rave about Traeger. Maybe I did not understand, however I expected to set the temp and that be the max temp reached. I set it for 325 degrees and came out to check on it and the digital display was showing 415 degrees. Any ideas on what is causing this?

  10. We just bought our Fremont at Costco for $449.99. It’s not out of the box yet but I’m excited to get cooking on it.

  11. Freemont was they way to go for me. Note I’ve only been able to fit 3 racks of ribs. I can fit 4 if I utilize the top rack and rotate them but I don’t need to make four for my family. Also I got a 16 pound brisket to fit diagonally I would not suggest any bigger unless you want to clean out juices from the bottom of the grill. From what I can tell this is a Costco exclusive item that is great for a family/ extended family get together. If you expect to be making more than what I listed above. Go with a pro series.

  12. Count us in on the Freemont party. Its our first pellet grill. Purchased on July 1st for $449.00. I still can’t believe the bang for the buck the Freemont gives the customer. We still have our Weber genesis for certain foods. There customer service is really exceptional. Called in to register our grill and he sent us all kinds of information on cleaning, recipes and cooking techniques. It’s nice to see quality products are still here in the USA.

  13. Thanks for your review. I read it that other day and decided on the Freemont for $450 after the $100 off right now. Great pice and good size for small family. Assembly time was less than 60 min; had daughter help turn it upside down then right side up, otherwise it was a single person assembly. Going to season it and smoke some meats this afternoon!

  14. I went in Costco for a car battery, walking down the back isle where I tend to find good deal, I picked up the Traeger Fremont 520 for the lowest price I’ve seen, 299.97$
    Got home and my son helped me get in out of truck and he just left to get one to take back to Nashville for him and his wife.
    Happy thanksgiving

      1. Picked up one yester day for $299.xx and used my $52 credit. Couldn’t pass that up as I was looking at the 575 model which cost way more but has wifi. Guess I don’t need wifi for a grill/smoker.

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