Check also this special article: Conventional (Vertical Cooker) Vs. Traditional Grill...
[Updated Mar 16, 2019]
Invite friends and family for a barbecue and you're sure to draw a crowd! The word barbecue conjures grilled ribs, roasted corn on the cob, juicy hamburgers, foot-long hot dogs, and more. The mere thought of it causes you to smell the aroma of meat cooking, slathered in barbecue sauce, as you get ready to taste all the other fixings that go so well with a barbecue. But when it comes to cooking 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.
Grilling Area | 418 sq. | 429 sq. |
Hopper Capacity | 18 lbs of pellets | 18 lbs of pellets |
Weight | 98 lbs | 110 lbs |
Digital Elite Controller | Yes | Yes |
Clean | Easy | Easy |
Versatility | Smoke, Grill, Bake, Roast, Braise, & BBQ | Bake, Braise, Smoke, Grill, &Sear |
Contents
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 preference when it comes to grilling and smoking and they take their techniques very seriously! But as the debate rages on about what technique is the best to turn a hunk of meat to a piece of absolute culinary marvel with all the attending tastes and smells, one of the more popular ways of barbecuing that is fast gaining popularity is 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, you’re 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 applewood for a sweeter flavor when you make pork, or maple for a dark, rich flavor. You can even mix wood pellet flavors and come up with 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 grill hit the market more than 20 years ago and was designed and market by Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC. Traeger was the first to offer grills with no charcoal, no lighter fluid, and no 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. Meat and poultry cooks more succulently 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 equally popular brand; The Camp Chef Wood Pellet Grill.
Comparing the Performance and Configurations
First, we took a look at the various performance metric and configurations of the two grills. Our findings are presented below!
Temperature Control
Traeger
The Traeger boasts grilling perfection each time you cook while utilizing its Digital Elite Controller. Temperature settings are kept within +/- 20 degrees F for predictability and control of cooking levels. Turn the dial and choose your temperature knowing there will not be large temperature fluctuations.
Camp Chef
The Camp Chef has precision temperature control settings that provide even cooking. This grill includes a Digital Probe to provide the internal temperature of your meat or poultry at all times. It has an easy to read digital display.
Cooking Methods
Traeger
Wood pellets taste better when grilling any kind of meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, and even fruits. The ability to cook at a lower temperature for a longer time allows for juicy, melt-in-your-mouth meats. The higher temperatures are perfect for searing, grilling fish, cooking a perfect, rare steak, and grilling crispy, flavorful hot dogs. This grill comes with dual meat temperature probes.
Camp Chef
The Camp Chef has precision temperature control settings that provides even cooking. This grill includes a Digital Probe that gives the internal temperature of your meat or poultry at all times. As stated earlier, It also has an easy to read digital display.
Grilling Capacity
Traeger
With a grill size of 4" by 42" by 22", the Traeger can grill 4 chickens, 5 racks of ribs, and 16 burgers at one time. It also has a non-stick grill surface that makes it easy to clean the grates. Even after smoking a saucy rack of ribs or grilling a dozen burgers with BBQ sauce on them, the grates come clean easily.
Camp Chef
The grilling surface covers 19.5" by 22" and can accommodate a 14-pound turkey for smoking. This is a full-size wood pellet grill with a heat range of 160°F to 500°F. The Camp Chef comes with a coated stainless steel grilling rack.
Design
Traeger
Besides the classic round belly-shaped grill, the Traeger has a linebacker-like sawhorse chassis to provide ultimate stability. A side lift bar allows easy hauling and balances out the weight distribution while the heavy-duty wheels are solid and allow you to roll your grill over rocks, pavers, soft dirt, and sand. The grill is made with ultra-durable steel and has a powder coat finish in either bronze or blue.
Camp Chef
This Camp Chef wood pellet grill comes in a silver vein finish and has an adjustable top chimney. Camp Chef refers to it as their Smart Smoke Technology that maintains a constant temperature and also allows you to control how much smoke is in the grill. The steel frame comes with roller wheels that makes it easy to move the grill to any area of your yard.
To Sum Up Our Findings
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’ feature 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 follow. With this Traeger being built so well, you can use it all year round; during warm weather and cold! You can even grill in the snow at very 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 are perfected by the wood pellet system. Precise temperature control and the stainless steel temperature probe provide flawless grilling for even the most inexperienced griller. Camp Chef is pleased to endorse its Smart Smoke Technology and assure you of its ability to maintain the optimum temperature and produce 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 you need, purchase either one that fits your barbecue needs and enjoy those family dinners with grilled meats, poultry, fish, and of course, rack of ribs!
Last update on 2020-10-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
