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Tender steaks, smoky potatoes, and perfectly grilled vegetables always make the best meal, especially on a warm summer night. Good pellet grills make this come to fruition fast and easily. I spent time testing these out so that I could compare wood pellet grills. Via research, I was able to conclude which of the pellet grill brands could stand up to the competition and make grilling sessions easy.
By the time you finish this comparison, it will be easy to determine which one of these high-end pellet smoker grills for a big family is the best choice for your next cookout.
Louisiana Grills vs Traeger Comparison:
Traeger Grills Pro Series Pellet Grill and Smoker Review:
The Traeger Grills Pro Series Pellet Grill has a generous cooking space so that you can prepare food for an entire part at the same time.
Use this grill and smoker for everything from grilling burgers to smoking large cuts of meat. Its minimum temperature is 140 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the ideal choice for low and slow cooking.
It can hold up to 18 pounds of pellets at once, allowing you to prepare food for hours before you need to refill the hopper. Use a wide array of pellet types so that you can easily alter the flavors of the foods that you are preparing.
With its digital controller, you are able to set a precise temperature, allowing you a greater level of control over the foods that you are preparing.
The grates are highly durable and great at retaining heat. Once this grill heats up, you can use the temperature probe to keep a close eye on the temperature of your meats.
This ensures that you are cooking everything to your preference without having to worry about issues like cold spots.
With its electric ignition, it takes only seconds to get this grill started so that it can heat up. From here, you have a lot of versatility in the cooking method that you use.
There are four wheels on this grill, making it easy to move around your property. They are all-terrain wheels, so even if you are in the mud or on gravel, you can still push the grill around with minimal effort.
Simply remove the ash with a vacuum and empty the grease tray to maintain this grill. Overall, the cleaning only takes a few minutes.
This grill is a good choice when you want to have optimal versatility with the foods that you prepare. Use it to slowly smoke a variety of proteins, or when you want to make a quick meal on the grill. It is maneuverable and relatively easy to keep this grill clean and ready for use.
The features ensure that it is relatively easy to use once you learn how to operate all of the controls. It takes slightly longer to heat up, but once it does, the temperature accuracy is plus or minus 15 degrees so that you can cook exactly to your specifications.
Features
- This grill has a hopper capacity of 18 pounds, making it slightly smaller, but this is still enough to cook for hours without needing to refill it.
- There is a three-year warranty with this grill, making the warranty longer compared to the Louisiana grill.
- It features an electric ignition, allowing you to quickly get the grill started.
- The grill has a temperature range of 140 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can use this grill to smoke a variety of proteins and other foods for a versatile cooking experience.
- This grill has integrated meat thermometers so that you can always know what temperature your food is cooking at. There are two so that you can prepare two proteins simultaneously with separate temperature control.
- The hopper clean-out feature allows you to remove ash quickly.
- The auger on this grill sends pellets automatically to ensure temperature precision.
- There is an igniter rod that ignites the pellets immediately to start heating up the grill.
- This grill has a cold-rolled construction for optimal durability. It is further protected against the weather due to being powder coated.
- There is a 36,000 maximum BTU output for the pellet burner.
- You can move the grill around with ease due to it having four wheels.
- This grill features a barrel shape for optimal cooking space.
- The grates maintain a solid temperature due to being porcelain-coated steel.
- The 884 square inches of cooking space is enough for full meals simultaneously.
Pros
- You receive clear and detailed instructions to assemble this grill.
- This grill is a good choice for all types of foods and imparts a delicious smokey flavor to your foods.
- You can use it as a traditional grill, slow cooker, and smoker.
- The grease management system is easy to work with and makes cleaning the grill fast.
- You can clean out the hopper within minutes.
- It is highly insulated to keep the smoke and heat inside when you close the lid.
Cons
- If you are using the maximum temperature setting, it takes about 20 minutes for the grill to heat up completely.
- After two to three cooking sessions, you will need to perform maintenance to remove the ash.
- It can take a little time to learn digital temperature controls.
- The secondary grate is smaller compared to similar grills.
Louisiana Grills LG 900 Pellet Grill Review:
The Louisiana Grills LG 900 features an exclusive LG burn system and digital control center to ensure precise temperature control no matter what temperature you are cooking at.
Since you can prepare foods up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, this is a good choice when you need to make thicker cuts of meat without wanting to spend hours cooking.
With its high BTU limit, you can ensure that it will heat up fast and maintain its temperature. The cast-iron cooking grates have a porcelain coating so that they can retain the right level of heat so that your foods cook evenly and without any cold spots.
Use this grill for both indirect and direct convection cooking since it has a flame broiler mechanism. This makes it an ideal choice for all types of proteins, especially red meats like steaks and burgers.
Its meat probe allows for full programming so that you have optimal control over the meats that you cook.
Fit a wide array of foods on the grill surface at a time since you get approximately 900 square inches regarding the space on the grates.
You can use a variety of wood pellets in this grill so that you are getting the exact type of flavor that you want.
The hopper holds up to 14 pounds, allowing you to cook for a few hours only before you need to refill it. When you do need to refill, it only takes minutes to empty the ash and add fresh pellets
When you need to move this grill around, do so with minimal effort due to its four wheels, two of which are rolling and two others that are swivel caster wheels. It is also easy to clean and comes with a greased pan that takes under a minute to empty.
This grill is a good choice whether you are new to grills or someone who has extensive experience. It has precise temperature control so that you never have to worry about foods taking longer to cook than they should. With its sizable cooking surface, prepare food for an entire meal without running out of space.
With this grill, you only need to set the temperature and ensure that there are pellets in the hopper to start using it. Once you are done cooking, removing the ash is easy, and there is a greased pan for quick and simple cleaning.
Features
- This pellet grill is 913 square inches, giving you a bit more space to prepare your food compared to the Traeger.
- This grill’s hopper capacity is 14 pounds, making the capacity larger compared to the Traeger.
- The ignition is electric, making it fast and easy to start the grill.
- This grill has a warming rack, giving you some additional space to keep food warm while you finish preparing a meal.
- You get a one-year warranty with this grill.
- It features a heat thermometer so that you can easily keep an eye on the heat level of the grill.
- Cook your foods at a range of 170 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, offering a higher temperature range.
- There is a bottom shelf where you can store cooking tools.
- Take advantage of both indirect and direct cooking thanks to the flame broiler.
- The temperature controller is a PID type, allowing for optimal precision.
- The pellet system is controlled by a computer so that you always have enough to maintain the right temperature.
- This grill is made up of 14-gauge steel, ensuring a high level of durability. The powder coating helps to protect it against the weather.
- The grates are made from porcelain-coated cast iron for longevity and steady temperature control.
- The pellet burner has a maximum BTU output of 48,000.
- There are four wheels, making it easy to push this grill into place.
- The barrel shape of the cooker allows you optimal space to spread out your food for even cooking.
Pros
- Once you load the hopper and set the temperature, you are ready to start grilling.
- You have the ability to add an additional hopper so that you can expand your cooking times.
- The temperature control is very precise
- It has a very large cooking surface.
- You can take advantage of flame-broiling abilities.
- The meat thermometer is programmable for further control.
- It has a very large hopper box.
Cons
- The heat retention is not as good compared to similar grills.
- You may need to reset the control unit’s programming before you can use it.
- This grill is not ideal for low and slow cooking.
Insights and Takeaways
Both of these options are good pellet grills that will get the job done. After extensive research to write this review, it is clear that the Louisiana Grills LG 900 slightly outshines the Traeger Grills Pro Series 34.
The Traeger Pro 34 temperature range is not as extensive as that of the Louisiana Grills LG 900. If you are looking to prepare very thick meat cuts faster, the LG grill is the better choice due to the higher temperature settings.
While I worked to compare these wood pellet grills, I also found that the LG was a bit less expensive while getting more cooking space and features. The temperature control is also more precise so that you are able to prepare foods exactly to your specifications.
If you are new to grilling, the LG is also a better choice because it is easier to learn the controls. However, if you want to smoke and grill seamlessly, the Traeger is the front-runner.
