Country Smoker Vs Traeger

[Bentley]

It's friggen sawdust compressed with a natural glue called linogen and you don't really have any idea where it came from. :smile:

The lignin is found naturally in the wood, when it is heated to 140* it becomes a natural "glue", which when compressed binds the sawdust. As long as there are no other fillers in the wood and you are confidant it is 100% hardwood then I agree, it should not be an issue.

 

[kwantz]

I think the Mak Grill is the best by far and I have Mak, Traeger, CS, and the Fast eddie...You can buy my fast eddie as Im not a fan of it.

THe cs gets hotter the traegers digital thermostat is slightly better.

Traegers CS has been good...Danson who makes the fast Eddie has been slow to take care of some problems with the hood hitting the pellet hopper door when the grill gets above 350

The drum is crazy cool too....

Do you have the fast eddy from pelletcooker.com or one of the FEC smoker type ones?

 

[Big Poppa]

fast eddie grill from pelletcooker.....

 

[bbqdano]

If you decide CS, you'll want to make sure your dealer is selling you their "Series 3" unit. This is an auger feed unit vs the older paddle wheel design. Now, there is really not much wrong with the paddle wheel version and I have two of them but the auger will handle longer length pellets with better consistency and you might as well have the latest technology.

The CS construction is heavier than the Chinese made Traeger. At least two gauges heavier. While heavier gauge steel won't save much on pellet consumption, it will prolong the overall lifespan.

Good luck and welcome to Pellet World!!

 

[HoDeDo]

And while it is not within your stated budget you and it deserve a look see. That would be Fast Eddys NEW Pellet Grill not to be confused with his FEC series! Where can I get the info on the NEW Pellet grill. I went to the Cookshack web site, but did not see it.

I was cooking on one at GAB... but Bob has two on his showroom floor. Do a quick search on some of my posts, I have posted my experiences with it.

pelletcooker.comwhat are the differences between heating pellets and cooking pellets?

Heating pellets can have fillers.... If they are 100% hardwood, then the only difference is usually the lubricants in the pellet mill... cooking pellet production equipment has food grade lubricants.

 

[HoDeDo]

As far as CS vs. Traeger... The country smokers cant be beat... and if you get a digital controller for them, they are REALLY awesome.

If you wanted a double walled cooker and space isnt an issue... a Louisiana Grills (sister to the Country smoker) Kentwood or Greenwood has a double walled lid as well... and about 420 sq. inches of cooking space.

 

[jawquin]

Heating pellets can have fillers.... If they are 100% hardwood, then the only difference is usually the lubricants in the pellet mill... cooking pellet production equipment has food grade lubricants.

That's a great point. If the pellets don't have the HPBA stamp then you have to check out the company processes. You may find out that food grade lubricants are less expensive than petroleum lubricants and some companies use the less expensive one which is better than petro. It does not bother me. I still use wood with a bit of chainsaw oil and some lighter fluid or diesel fuel to start and run the fires on the non pellet pusher. :lol:

 

[Bossmanbbq]

I have both and have to agree with alot of the other posts here I would recommend the CS over Treager. CS is better constructed and I'm able to get grill marks on my food! My only suggestion is to replace the wheels they attach they are not by any means user friendly.

 

[kwantz]

As far as CS vs. Traeger... The country smokers cant be beat... and if you get a digital controller for them, they are REALLY awesome.

If you wanted a double walled cooker and space isnt an issue... a Louisiana Grills (sister to the Country smoker) Kentwood or Greenwood has a double walled lid as well... and about 420 sq. inches of cooking space.

So you would pick the CS over the traeger because of the thicker gauge steal? Is that basically the only difference? and the higher heat? how hot can the country smoker get ? the tragers top out at 400 I believe.

 

[kwantz]

how come the country smokers dont have a chimney? Im pretty sure they are made in canada by dansons? but I cant seem to find a retailer that sells them? Im in ontario canada.

 

[HoDeDo]

They have portholes across the back at the top, instead of a stack.

Depending no the size of your CS, a TG-300 will get up to 700, a CS450 will get 650 -- And the hottest I have seen a CS680 is 600.

Obviously to cook that hot... you have to keep that cooker clean.

 

[jawquin]

kwantz,

I have a Traeger 070 and I like it. You cannot sear on it stock and I have not removed the governor. It will get 400-455 depending on environment and fuel. Yes you can make grill marks with it. It will eat pellets and leave a nice wood cooked flavor.

 

[Big Poppa]

Try Grill Grates on the traeger they leave nice grill marks

 

[Bentley]

Obviously to cook that hot... you have to keep that cooker clean.

LOL...Man, have I learned that the Hard way a few times!

 

[kwantz]

how are pellet grills in comparison to charcoal and gas when it comes to economical and money saving to run? Say you ran them side by side, cooking the same foods.

 

[KC_Bobby]

That's gonna differ from unit to unit and model to model.

For instance, a CS is probably going to be less expensive to run then say a Lang 84 on straight charcoal, but will cost more then running a BWS Chubby. Why? size, materials and design.

 

[kwantz]

say a kettle vs 450 cs-250 vs a weber genesis. say all three cook the same things for the same length of time and temps for a month. which is more economical??

 

[Bentley]

how are pellet grills in comparison to charcoal and gas

There is no comparrison in flavor. 100% hardwood vs charcoal, I will take the wood...I wont even dignify a response for the gas...

 

[kwantz]

I know the hardwood would taste a whole lot better, but when it comes down to price to run a cs 450 vs a weber kettle?

 

[embo500]

Well, I can cook for 24 hours solid with a $5 bag of pellets on my CS680. I suppose you might be able to get that out of a Weber with a $5 bag of lump, but with the CS you get one thing on that 24 hour cook that you won't get on a Weber...8 solid hours of SLEEP!