Traeger vs Louisiana Grills
 

Ok
I done with propane bbq's and going to buy a wood pellet one

I'd like to hear from you's that own a trigger and those who own a Louisiana .
Good and bad.

I can get both locally so just wondering who has what and why they chose them
Im spending a $1100 on trigger or $1000 on the louisiana so price is very comparable

Let me know
Pin

Look at the thickness of the metal on both units. The thicker the metal
the better heat retention.

Since the dragger control patent expired the control panels on both brands will
be just fine.

Do your research before you pull the Trigger:)

I think you mean Traeger.....:sHa_sarcasticlol:

The Louisiana grill is my preference, it can sear meat where as the Traeger (trigger) cannot.

If you gave up on your gas bbq then stay away from the traiger unless you buy the new timberline but at 3 Grand there’s lots of other options. Any other traiger will not sear a steak, period. Don’t listen to anyone that tells you a grill that only hits 450 will grill a steak. The Louisiana is supposed to hit 600 so it can replace the bbq. The GMG will hit 550 so it will also replace the bbq, however I would recommend grill grates for them both. The thickness of all the main pellet smokers will not vary by much. The thicker the steel the more pellets it takes to heat it to temp, but on long smoke it will take less pellets to maintain, everything is a give and take. Some have options others don’t, like meat thermometers. Some have cold weather turbo mode (Jim Bowie GMG and Yoder, not sure on the others). Some have cold weather blankets. Some have an upper shelf others don’t (needed) but those can be fabed after. Louisiana and yoder have the heat shields that move so your grilling right over the flame. Gmg has a two piece heat shield that slides open for grilling. All said, the traiger( with the exception of the timberline) is the worst choice of all of them. The timberline is traegers model to try to compete with yoder, crazy Dave’s etc I’ve heard they are good but 3 Grand put’s you up with the tried and true top end models that are ten gauge steel or real stainless.

Traeger used to be pretty good, but then they sold the company and its all made in China. Quality seems to have dropped a lot. I have had a traeger for the last 8 years and it has been alright. If I had to replace t I would look at Green Mountain Grills as a replacement.


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The Green Mountain Grills are amazing! After much research, I purchased one (Daniel Boone series) last spring and couldn't be happier. I did purchase a smoke tube also for those times I want that added extra smoke flavor.

As already said.. if your serious about a pellet Grill look at the Green Mountain Grill. I bought the Jim Bowie wifi last winter and love it, also know lots of guys that have had Treagers and most of them have already or will shortly switch over to a GMG.. don’t be surprised if someone local to you sell them..

Jim...

Xbolt is correct in my opinion, Traegar is the worst option of all mentioned.
I know guys with them all including Yoder, Louisianna, Traegar, Rec Tecs and GMGs. Yoder is the one to choose if money is not an issue. I have a RecTec and a GMG tail gate version for camping. They both are great but I prefer the RecTec. I know several guys that competition BBQ and use many different brands. If Rec Tec had distributers (only can order directly from the manufacturer in Atlanta, Georgia) they would have much more of the market. BUT of the 2 you mentioned, Louisianna hands down...

If you are open to options I would suggest a charcoal Q might interest you. Lots of different kinds to choose from. If you use a Q a lot, pellets can add up fast. The lump charcoal grills work well for low and slow, as well as searing. If your used to propane, they are much faster to operating temp than the others. A change to a different grill is a good time to check these out. You don't need the cadillac model as many will do the same job for half the price. Still have to keep in mind you get what you pay for in most cases. Good luck with whatever route you take.:)

Too much work and charcoal/ wood ain’t free either

I almost bought a Traegar grill but once I looked at the Louisianna Grill - I was sold. The CS series (Country Smoker) are made in Canada. They don't look as fancy as the Traegars - but who cares - its all about the taste. I really like the searing feature for the steaks, burgers and wieners if you want a quick meal. Their controllers are top notch and you can also add cold smoking boxes. racks and other accessories later. I used it all summer and fall with salmon, steaks, burgers, roasts and chicken and everybody loved what came off that grill once you learned how to use it. (first time I burnt the steaks). I bought mine at Eiserman Meats in Slave Lake for a 1/3rd of the price of a Traegar. He was awesome to deal with and gave some great tips on how to use it. He gets them from the Edmonton distrubition center so you never know - he might sell them right from the warehouse in Edmonton for a great deal. Definitly worth the phone call.

Not sure why people say this. I have had a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker for 3 years now. I load it and fire it up and once I fine tune it do not have to touch it. Maybe have to toss some charcoal in it for long smokes.

Usually once a person has gained some actual experience with a charcoal grill, they realize how cheap they are to operate.

Oh,, it’s just me, I’m lazy, others love it

What is the name of the distributor in Edmonton where your contact gets the grills from?

Yes the country smokers are made in Edmonton. Dansons i believe. They have good service and work great. The igniters do go eventually

Trigger vs Louisiana Grills
 

I have the Louisiana Grill LG900. I've had it for two years now and I love it.

I've also had to call their customer support because my temps were not staying low enough. They are based on Edmonton and I had a very good experience. Someone from their office was emailing back and forth with me helping me change settings on the control board. Eventually we got it all sorted out and now I've got my low smoke temps back.

I paid $700 for a floor model at Co-Op (which was a steal).

I'm considering the cold smoke box one of these days so I can start doing bacon. But no complaints overall and i love doing steaks in the open fire on it when you open up the heat shield.


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I have had a traeger for 4 or 5 years and have never had a problem with it, don't see a need to sear steaks they come out great without it. I have never burnt anything on the Traeger.... you can't, food can be over cooked but that can happen with any cooking appliance. Can't speak for the other brands as I don't know but a traeger will never flare up from grease fires and burn food.

Im in the process of upgrading my RT 680 Rec Tec to the new RT 700 Rec Tec.
Im getting the Competition Cart and extra cold smoke box with it. The new ones are stainless steel for the most part, have an upgraded ceramic ignitor rod that will last several years and a new Wifi controller. It should ship next week. I was in the garage cleaning up the 680 for the new owner. Absolutely nothing wrong with it after 4 years and lots of use. The only blemish is a bit of paint is peeling off of it. Rec Tec is sending me some heat paint to spruce it up. Will be kind of sad to see it go as it has cooked us many fantastic meals but looking forward to the new and improved 700.
If you're in the market for a Pellet Grill, check out the RecTecs. Google Traeger VS Rec Tec reviews on YouTube, you will see the huge differences between them.

Cheers,
SS

FWIW the Napoleon Prestige Pro 660 has a smoke tray in it. Plus all the benefits of a gas grill over pellet.

$3050 in Lethbridge.

Have the napoleon 825 (5500.00) with that same option, its not even close to the same as a pellet grill, they are not ment to be the same,,,different tools for different effect and results, they certainly are not ment to compete with each other. Apples vs oranges if you will. Someone mentioned the rec tec, once again, not in the same class as a traiger or a Louisiana (traiger does now make a higher end unit) do the research, the dollar value is actually pretty accurate for quality in the pellet grills.

What's the cost of the new RecTec RT700?

Reg 1997.00 us on sale for 1199.00 us right now

So for the brands easily available to us in Canada, that a guy can actually go look at and purchase & take home which would you guys choose?
I can buy Traeger, Louisiana, Bull, Green mountain and Yoder (Not in my price range) in Lloydminster.
I originally thought id buy a Traeger, but after reading this thread I may have to look at a GMG.

I see that the Louisiana grill cs and lg series are pretty much the same. What is better the porcelain coated steel grill or the coated cast iron grill?

7mm, out of that list, obviously Yoder is at the top and then I would say the LG or GMG, Traeger is on the bottom of my list. I don't know anything about the Bull you mentioned.

MF- The RT 700 is $1199 US but you can still get the RT 680 as they are wanting to sell all them and replacing with the RT 700. You can get the 680 for $998. Even after converting to Cdn $ and getting it shipped here, they are just just much better quality than most brands up here. (Traeger, LG, GMG)
Im selling my 4 year old Rec Tec 680 and getting close to the price of a Traeger new. That speaks volumes on their quality and resale...

www.rectecgrills.com

I’m with you about the rectec being better than the treiger and the louisanna by a long shot, I did say they were not in the same class, you just took it the other way is all. I don’t like the rectec simply because I like the look of the some of the others more but nothing to do with how they cook. I have a yoder and gmg and I actually prefer the gmg but likely because I’ve had it longer and know it better.
If I was to buy another it would be a Memphis or maybe a larger fast Eddie

Have you sold your Rectec yet?
If not maybe I could buy it and put it beside the 5th Wheel I bought from you lol

Hey 7mm, yes I have a friend that has dibs on it, he's actually picking it up tmrw.
Which lake did you end up setting the trailer on? I hope everything has been good with it.
We went a couple years without a trailer after you bought the Eagle and last year we ended up getting another. Went with a toy hauler this time so we can go take quads, kids bikes etc...
Anyways, best of luck on the smoker, regardless of the brand you choose, you will love the new cooking experience and the flavour of the foods you cook.
Brisket, pulled beef, pulled pork and ribs are my favourites so far... I guess pig candy, anything bacon wrapped, chicken wings, hams, turkeys etc are really good too... hahaha

Cheers,

SS