Camp Chef vs Traeger Pellet Grill – A Comparison of Two of the Top Pellet Grills

[Updated May 20, 2018]

Invite friends and family for a barbecue and you're sure to draw a crowd! The word barbecue conjures up grilled ribs, roasted corn on the cob, juicy hamburgers, foot-long hot dogs, and more. Instantly, the thought causes you to smell the aroma of meat cooking, slathered in barbecue sauce, and get ready to taste all the other fixings that go so well with a barbecue. And to cook your meat perfectly, the grill you purchase makes all the difference.

This article is going to compare two of the top pellet grills, the Traeger TFB42LZBC Grills Lil Tex Elite 22 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker vs the Camp Chef Smokepro STX Pellet Grill. We've chosen to review and compare these two grills, both pellet grills, to highlight the advantages of using a pellet grill.

What Are The Advantages of Pellet Grills?

There are several types of standard barbecue grills; the old fashioned coals and lighter fluid, gas grills, electric grills, and pellet grills. Any experienced grillmaster will have their own preference when it comes to grilling and smoking. And grillmasters take their techniques very seriously! But as the debates continue to be passionately argued, one of the more popular ways of barbecuing is gaining popularity; wood pellet grills.

Ease of Use

Wood pellet barbecue grills are simple and make grilling much easier. You add the packaged wood pellets to the grill, set the temperature, choose the timing, and then forget it until it's done! A wood pellet grill is just as easy as using the oven in your kitchen, but instead of cooking inside, your cooking outside and using wood. Set your pellet grill and then enjoy the party!

Even, Precise Cooking 

Gas grills, charcoal grills, or even electric grills will flare up when grease drips, even starting a fire in the grill at times. But wood pellet grills never have flare-ups and are designed with a large range of temperatures and settings according to what meat, poultry, or fish you're cooking. You can choose from low heat for a slow cook cycle or go with the high heat for searing.

Delectable Wood Fire Flavor

Wood pellets for grills come in a wide range of flavors. You can choose from mesquite for a desert aroma, pecan or hickory for more true to wood accents, cherry or apple wood for a sweeter flavor when you make pork, or maple for a dark, rich flavor. You can even mix wood pellet flavors for your own, custom seasoning. Wood pellet grills give your food a much more subtle flavor; not an overbearing flavor.

The Leader in Wood Pellet Grills and Smokers 

The first wood pellet grills hit the market more than 20 years ago and were designed and market by Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC. Traeger was the first to offer grills with no charcoal, no lighter fluid, and mo gas. These grills are powered by small pellets of wood about the size of a large pill. They only take a fraction of the time of a charcoal grill to get to the programmed temperature and meat and poultry cooks more succulent and it's easier to avoid overcooking fish.

Traeger may have been the first to introduce wood pellet grills, but since their beginning, many other companies have since joined the wood pellet grill market. For this article, we will take the Traeger model wood pellet grill and compare it to another brand equally popular, the Camp Chef wood pellet grill.

Comparing the Performance and Configurations

Let's take a look at the two wood pellet grills and provide for you all our findings!

Temperature Control

The Traeger TFB42LZBC Grills Lil Tex Elite 22 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker is a great addition for your backyard grilling. You'll be able to create the most incredible wood-fired meals whether you're making grilled steak, a rack of juicy ribs smothered in premier BBQ sauce, or even if you're baking a luscious apple pie! The set it and forget it use allows you to plan your barbecue menu and know that your food will be cooked to perfection. You can visit with family and friends and when it's time to serve the food; your Traeger Wood Pellet Grill will satisfy your diners. Being the creators of the original wood pellet grill, Traeger has an advantage as they designed and manufactured the protocols for wood pellet grills all other companies followed. With this Traeger being built so well, you can use it all year; warm weather and cold! Grill in the snow and cold temperatures—your Traeger can take it!

With the Camp Chef Smokepro STX Pellet Grill, you get a premier wood pellet grill for your backyard. The slow smoked flavors and juicy meats and poultry is perfected by the wood pellet system. Precise temperature control and the stainless steel temperature probe provide flawless grilling for even the most inexperienced grill. Camp Chef is pleased to offer their Smart Smoke Technology maintains the optimum temperature and for producing more smoke if you prefer the taste. Cleanup is easy with Camp Chef's simple ash cleanout system—just pull the lever and the ash is easily emptied into a bucket for dumping. Grill, smoke, braise, and even bake in your wood pellet grill to become the best grillmaster!

We hope you've enjoyed our comparison of Traeger TFB42LZBC Grills Lil Tex Elite 22 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker vs the Camp Chef Smokepro STX Pellet Grill. Now that you are armed with the information, purchase either one that fits your barbecue needs and enjoy those family dinners with grilled meats, poultry, fish, and of course, rack of ribs!