Is Traeger Better Than Pit Boss
Pit Boss vs Traeger Wood Pellet Grill Head to head. Pit Boss, in general, offers better value for money. Most people agree that older models of Traeger were better quality although the new 2019 Traeger Grills are much better. Traeger grills used to be made in the USA but they have since moved to manufacture to China.
Pros And Cons Of Pellet Grills
Pellet grills offer several advantages over other grills.
- Better temperature control. Pellet grills have an electronic temperature gauge that operates like the one in your oven. You choose the cooking temperature, give the grill 15 minutes or so to heat up, then start cooking. No need to open or close air vents like with a charcoal grill.
- Food grilled on a pellet grill has the flavorful wood smoke taste you cant get with a gas grill.
- Pellets made from different woods hickory, apple, cherry and mesquite, to name a few add a variety of flavors to your food.
- Pellet grills can also cook at low temperatures for long periods of time. Long, slow cooks like brisket and pork shoulder work well in a pellet grill.
- Many pellet grills offer built-in temperature probes that let you monitor whatever youre cooking.
Plus, check out these eight things you should never do to your grill.
Disadvantages? There are a few.
- Some people say the smoke taste isnt as prominent with pellets as with a charcoal grill or smoker. If you like a heavy smoke taste, you may not get it with a pellet grill.
- A pellet grill requires electricity so you need access to an outlet or a generator.
- Because of the electronic parts, pellet grills cost more than other grills.
How A Pellet Grill Works
Lets go over the basics of using a pellet grill. Well use our Silverbac pellet grill as an example:
- To start, all pellet grills require electricity to operate. It will power the igniter, auger and control board.
- When started, the Silverbacs auger system will automatically feed pellets from the hopper into the firepot at the bottom of the grill.
- In the burn pot, the igniter rod will light the pellets,starting your fire. This will turn off automatically after a few minutes.
- The electric fan, controlled by the grills cpu, will activate to help maintain clean airflow and your set temperature.
- At this point, the three main components of your grill are working together to maintain a fire at the temperature you set. Whether thats low-and-and-slow for smoking, or hot-n-fast for grilling, your pellet grill will take care of all the work.
- If you need to adjust the temperature during cooking, just use the built-in control panel or Grilla Grills Alpha Connect app! For example, to sear a steak its as easy as cranking your temperature up to 450º for the last few minutes of cooking.
- Your Silverbac will alert you through your Alpha Connect app if there is anything you need to address with your grill.
You May Like: How To Clean Grease Off Grill
Pellet Grill Buying Guide: What To Look For
When buying a new pellet grill, I suggest the first thing you look at is the company itself. A good company will make longer lasting grills.
You should also research the warranty offered by the company to ensure repairs if anything does break.
Check to see what kind of temperature control the unit has. Some are better than others at holding temperatures even in different weather conditions.
When in doubt ask for help!
Always look at the size of the hopper and the cooking space. It would be a shame to buy a grill that is lacking in cook space. If the hopper is too small you may not be able to grill for long periods of time without reloading it.
Look at the temperature range of the grill! Grills vary in the high and low temps they can operate at if you dont check youll find out when you need those extra degrees! Check twice, cook once.
Check the construction of the grill. You most likely will be buying a painted steel grill and so ensure that the paint is of high quality. You dont want a grill that has low-quality paint as it can chip and boil in the heat.
Once steal is exposed it can rust ruining your brand-new grill.
The best option is Stainless steel!
Ask questions about the material of the firepot . It is the most replaced part on pellet grills and asking these questions before buying will get you more life out of your purchase.
A cheaper model will require more replacement which will offset the cost of a more expensive grill with better construction.
Pellet Grill Vs Propane Grills
Both gas grills and pellet grills offer convenience to the consumer. And when Pit Boss® bursted onto the scene a few years ago, they both offered affordability as well. However, there are some major differences between the two types of grills.
Gas grills are great for cooking at mid to high to high temperatures. However, due to poor insulation, gas grills typically dont perform well at low temperatures. Gas grills need proper ventilation and because of this they dont typically perform well as smokers.
Pellet grills also offer more flavor options due to gas itself being flavorless. The wood pellets, on the other hand, can come in a variety of natural flavors that help enhance the food.
It is also a little easier to control temperature on a pellet grill. Each gas grill has a dialing in process with the user but a pellet grill can be set to the temperature you desire within a 15°F variance.
Read Also: Do Traeger Grills Need Electricity
Our Reviews Of The Best 5 Inexpensive Pellet Grills Under $500
Pit Boss prides themselves on delivering the most cooking space for the dollar, and they didnt miss here either.
While one of the cheapest pellet grills out there, this beast offers 700 square inches of cooking space and an 18-pound hopper capacity.
Additionally, they have a slide plate that allows for direct flame searing. The ability to sear is rare with pellet grills, so this is a huge benefit.
Another neat feature is the bottom shelf for storing your accessories.
Though it has wheels, its not extremely portable. The smaller wheels make it difficult to move other than on smooth surfaces.
This particular model is the Pit Boss 700FB. Theyre selling quickly, so if this is the one, order it today to have it shipped to your doorstep.
Pros
With its digital thermostat, you can easily adjust the cooking temperature. You can make precise temperature adjustments in 5 degree increments.
The Traeger Tailgater offers 300 square inches of cooking space and an 8-pound hopper capacity.
But note, this Traeger grill does take time getting up to temp during the colder months. When using it in the summer, it can reach its max temp of 450ºF easily.
This particular model is the Traeger Tailgater and it has foldable legs. They also have an even more portable option, which is the Traeger Ranger. The Ranger can be put in any trunk or placed on any tailgate.
Pros
Its foldable legs fold up into something that looks like a bag of luggage. Its the best portable design youll find.
Pros
Best High End Pellet Smoker Traeger Timberline 850
This is a really hard selection to make, and were confident well get some flack for picking the Traeger Timberline 850.
The truth is once you get up to this price point you are spoiled for choice with a wealth of great options from the likes of REC TEC, Memphis Grills, and Yoder.
The Traeger Timberline ticks all the boxes for us because its well built and packed with tech thats actually useful.
Traeger has the best app out of any pellet grill manufacturer, plus you get access to 1600+ recipes in the Traeger app.
The Timberline is a big step-up in quality and features from the Pro. Besides you the larger size you get better insulated construction, more prep areas, a pellet sensor, the dual position sear grate, and super smoke mode.
One thing to note is that the Timberline includes a folding front shelf, while this is an optional extra on the Pro.
You can choose between the 850 and 1300 which come with 869 and 1343 square inches of cooking space respectively. There are no significant differences besides the amount of grill space and a small price hike.
For comparison, the larger model can fit 15 racks of ribs compared to 8 racks on the 850. If you plan on cooking for a large crowd get the 1300, otherwise, go for the 850. The 1300 is more pellet hungry because it needs to heat up a larger space.
You also get a three-year warranty and one of the best customer service teams in the industry in case you have any problems.
What we like:
What we dont like:
Read Also: How To Clean Traeger Grill
Yoder Ys640s Pellet Grill
For $150USD more than the Yoder YS480S above, you get a good deal of additional space with this model. Costing around $1,800USD this is a big smoker with a great, heavy metal look. This is a 335-pound unit built to produce a lot of great barbecue. No wonder it is a favorite among those serious about hardcore smoking. If you don’t need the large cooking chamber, you can save yourself some money by getting the Yoder above, but considering the price difference, I don’t really know why anyone would dig a little deeper and buy this pellet cooker. It is one of the best in its price range.
Pellet Vs Charcoal Grill: Which One Is Right For You
So, whos the winner of pellet grills vs. charcoal grills comparison? It comes down to you.
Think about all of the points I listed here. Is the flavor the most important thing to you? If yes, what kind of flavor do you want?
How important is the cooking process? Do you want to be constantly in charge of the airflow or more laid-back? Finally, consider the maintenance and costs.
Both pellet and charcoal smokers are some of the best cooking grills in the grilling world, and most grill manufacturers have various models you can choose from.
As long as you take into consideration your personal preferences before the final decision, you wont make a mistake.
References:
Also Check: Pit Boss Pro Series 1600 Elite
Pg1000 Fast Eddy’s By Cookshack Pellet Grill
The PG1000 is twice the grill of the PG500 listed above. It has the same stainless steel construction and direct flame searing capability, but also a much larger cooking area. Of course, at nearly $3,000USD this is an expensive pellet cooker. At this price range, you can get larger cooking space as well as better technology, but you won’t get the corrosion resistant construction. If you live near the ocean, this is a pellet grill to consider.
Pellet Grills Require Electricity
Pellet grills are versatile cooking machines that run on electricity.
Unlike propane or charcoal grills that can be used to cook food in the backyard, near the river, or when you go camping, pellet grills always need an electrical power source.
So if you plan on using the pellet grill around the home or have a car or generator that can power the pellet grill then pellet grills are a great option. However, if you want to grill food while camping and you do not have an electrical power source then pellet grills are not a good option.
You May Like: Weber Grill Reset Regulator
The Pellet Grill Experience
Ive had pellet grills for several years now and I love the overall cooking experience especially low and slow meat smoking. Its the most convenient way to get the smoky wood-fired flavors you typically find in classic upper scale restaurants to your own dinner table. Its much cleaner than charcoal barbecuing, more flavorful than gas or electric cooking, and far easier and more accurate than working with rough cut logs. Pellets are far easier to acquire and store than logs too if you live in the city.
I recently added a Pit Boss Copphead Vertical smoker to my arsenal of pellet fired appliances. It is my go-to smoker now thats even a little easier to use them my Austin XL. Both are great units.
Theres something peaceful and comforting about seeing smoke rise up out of a grill or smoker thats got a beef brisket or rack of pork ribs cooking inside of it. A similar feeling to being near a campfire in the woods.
The Wood Pellet Grill
Wood Pellet Grilling, invented in the 80s, has come a long way and has some increased popularity today.
Most Wood pellet grills are fueled by Wood pellets and powered by electricity, although with more improved technology, there are some other options today.
Pellet grills today are here for good with their many excellent Benefits.
A Pellet grill uses all Natural wood pellets that are moved from the hopper to the fire pot by an auger and then ignited with a HotRod that feeds the flames and the delicious wood-fired flavor to your food.
The higher your Grill temperatures, the more Pellets are dispensed, and the more smoke you will get to infuse delicious flavors into your food.
All in all, you get the advantages of a Smoker and Grill in one system with the Wood Pellet grill.
Recommended Reading: Is Macaroni Grill Still In Business
Cost: Are They Expensive
That depends on what youre comparing them to.
A basic charcoal grill can be had for very little money. Ceramic Kamado grills can easily run into five figures. Pellet grills live somewhere in the middle, and are priced more like better gas grills.
Of course, you get what you pay for, as you usually do with barbecues and smokers. You could pay anywhere from about $350 to pushing $5000.
Do you need to fork over thousands for a decent pellet grill? Not necessarily. But, dont expect great results from a bargain unit, either.
Mid-priced is where the wise money is spent, units such as the Rec Tec RT-700, or the Cookshack PG500 Fast Eddy are amazing cookers for under $2000. But some models come in at way under $1,000, such as the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX, which gets rave reviews from owners.
There are ongoing costs after your initial purchase to be aware of too. Youll have the cost of buying pellets for a start, but they are reasonably economical compared to other fuel types, probably because theyre made of by-products from the lumber industry.
Pellets are usually under $1/pound, making them cheaper than chips, chunks, or even propane.
What do you get from your bag of pellets? Grilla Grills breaks it down this way: 20 pounds of pellets average about 20 hours of cooking. Even at the high end of $1/pound, thats an operating cost of $1/hour, less than most gas grills.
Are Pellet Grills Portable
Some manufacturers have added portable pellet grill models to their lines, but these sometimes weigh 50 pounds or more. Definitely not for backpackers. More importantly, all pellet grills rely on electricity to power their digital controller, ignition system, and the augur that delivers pellets to the burn pot. They can be powered with car or boat batteries, battery packs, or gas-powered generators. They are great for car camping, tailgating, festivals, or lakeside living.
Don’t Miss: Grilling Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
Advantage Of Gas Grills
One advantage of a gas grill is that you can choose from a wider variety of grills. There are three types of grills: propane, natural gas, and charcoal. While a pellet grill may not offer all three options!
Another advantage is that they are easy to assemble and can last for years without having to be replaced. Gas grills tend to be less complicated than pellet grills because there arent any bells or whistles.
They just provide the essentials for cooking with fire, which some people prefer instead of the high-tech gadgets included in pellet grills.
Gas grills also come in more sizes, so you can fit them in your outdoor kitchen more easily. Because of this, some people prefer the larger sizes that gas grills come in for big parties or family gatherings.
Best Budget: Z Grills Zpg
-
Great value for its size
-
Some temperature control issues
At around $500, this grill may not scream budget-friendly, but considering its size , it’s actually a great bargain. This unit uses convection heat distribution technology , which provides a versatile environment for grilling, baking, roasting, and searing. However, this model also has a number of upgrades.
The 7002E is unique in that it is stainless steel built, meaning it is less susceptible to corrosion. Other upgrades include a more precise temperature control and a new and improved pellet feed system. This automated electric feed system maintains the temperature of your grill for you, ranging from 180 to 450 degrees.
In terms of space, it has a large, 513-square-inch grilling area and a 187-square-inch smoking/warming rack . This grill also has a whopping 20-pound hopper , an electronic auto-start ignition, and an LED temperature readout. Many users claim this grill is super easy to use and makes maintaining temperature a piece of cake. It also comes with two wheels to move it around easily, a grill cover, and a three-year warranty.
Weight: 112 lbs.| Grilling Area: 700 sq. in. | Hopper Capacity: 20 lbs. | Temperature Range: 180-450ºF | Dimensions: 48 x 22 x 51 inches
Recommended Reading: Are Grilla Grills Made In Usa
What Kind Of Smoker Should I Buy
It honestly depends on how you plan to use it. There are different sizes and styles of pellet grills available, and what you pick will affect factors like how much food you can make at one time. The amount of space the grill takes up in your backyard can be worth considering too. If you look at the Grilla Grills lineup, you can find all the details for cooking space.
There are other types of smokers but they can take some mastery and a significant time commitment to coax out the best results. There are gas grills too, but they honestly just dont provide the flavor that cooking over wood does. Kamado grills are incredibly versatile, but they do take some time investment and they are not as easy to light as a pellet grill.
Nevertheless, if you do work with the Kong, you still get all the functionality of a grill. It also comes with the ability to generate a heck of a lot of heat in that ceramic interior.
A grill like our Silverbac wood pellet grill or our Grilla pellet smoker grill can slow smoke a brisket or pork butt, grill a great burger or brat, and even sear a great steak all with the push of a button. There is no need for lighter fluid or even a match to get it started. You push a button and the electronic controls take over to start the grill and heat it to the temperature you select.
