Traeger help please!!

[Troutinator]

I have been volunteered to cook burgers (frozen patties) for 400-500 hungry people. This is for a high school homecoming bash following the friday football game.

They have a brand new Traeger that was donated to the HS... I have never cooked burgers on a Trager... and in fact am unclear if this is even a good idea!

This is one of the trailer units with two SMK150's mounted back to back. Should have a good amount of grill space but.. I am clueless how to best cook burgers on it?

My inclination is to crank it up to max, let it heat up good and hot then "roast" the burgers until they seem done through...

Any ideas or better yet, real experiences would be most appreciated!!

[Chukar Chaser]

The Traeger model you're using will be quite adequate, especially if you have two. The problem you'll run into is timing all the burgers to be finished at about the same time for your large group. Heat the smoker up to about 375-400 degrees and start cooking at least an hour (maybe longer depending upon how many patties you can cook at one time) before you want to start serving. If you are using frozen burgers and fill the grate up, it will reduce heat inside the cooking chamber and the meat will take longer to cook. Use a good quality meat, one without too much fat. Too much fat will start to burn and possibly create a grease fire. Cook all patties to a brown center. You can hold finished burgers in covered, full sized, stainless or aluminum pans (hold hot >140 degrees) until all patties are finished or start serving and continue to cook until all guests are served. Cook and hold the patties versus having guests wait for their burger. Hungry people can get cranky. Ask this same question on the Western BBQ Associations website (wbbqa.com) and you'll get pages of information! I'm a competitive BBQ cook and also cater large groups... Most of all, have fun with it!