Pellet grills are amazing machines that can transform your backyard cookouts. They’re easy to use and consistently produce outstanding results.
Traeger is a well-known option in pellet grills, but other companies like Louisana also offer some great products. And there are some notable differences between their products — everything from the digital temperature controllers to grilling grates is different between these two brands.
So let’s take proper a look at these two great grill brands to help you choose the best option for your backyard.
Summary of our comparison between Traeger and Louisiana pellet grills:
- Best Mid-Range Pellet Grill: Traeger Pro 780
- Best High-End Pellet Grill: Traeger Ironwood 885
Traeger – Brand Overview
For decades, Traeger has been the go-to brand name for pellet grills. The company brought the technology to the market in the 1980s and was the only game in town for many years.
Traeger’s patent ran out in 2007, and after that many new companies have jumped on the pellet bandwagon.
Consumers have a lot more options today, but Traeger grills are still some of the best you can buy. They’ve mastered the technology, and their grills perform extremely well.
These grills are famous for being reliable and perfect for cooking some classic barbecue dishes that are smoked in low temperatures. For example, if you want to smoke ribs at 225 degrees it’s important to have a pellet grill that can hold a steady temperature for as long as 6 hours.
Traeger pellet grills come in four product lines — Timberline, Ironwood, Pro, and Travel. All of them utilize similar technology but differ in price, size, and features.
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Traeger is a US-based company but the grills are now manufactured in China.
Louisiana Grills – Brand Overview
You would be forgiven if you hadn’t heard of Louisiana Grills — it’s a smaller, high-end brand owned by the same people who make Pit Boss.
Dansons own both companies, plus Country Smokers. The US-owned Dansons is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, but they use Chinese contractors to manufacture their products.
Louisiana Grills was founded in 1999 by Dan Thiessen and makes pellet, gas, charcoal, and combination grills. They even have vertical smokers and ceramic kamado grills in their lineup. The company’s products are innovative and rugged, built to bring professional results to backyard chefs.
In addition to the grills, Louisiana makes a full line of 100 percent-hardwood pellets to burn. Their pellets are made from North American hardwoods and are available in various blends or single-source flavors. The company also has you covered with cooking tools, apparel, sauces, and spices.
So what makes Louisiana Grills worth a look?
Their grills have a few unique features that stand out. They’re made robustly, with sturdy components that will last a long time. Plus, all of their pellet grills have a unique sliding plate that allows you to use direct flame grilling.
Some pit masters have measured searing temperatures as high as 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit on their Louisiana grills!
Here is a short video that introduces the renewed Louisiana Black Label Series:
Traeger vs Louisiana Pellet Grill Comparisons
Both companies have some great mid-range and high-end pellet grill and smoker options available.
The choice depends on your budget — while all of the pellet grills included in this guide are generally well-made and offer plenty of cooking space, the high-end models have some extras like a double-walled interior for better heat retention or large storage cabinets.
I recommend that you also check out our Traeger vs Pit Boss pellet grill comparison for more interesting options.
Mid-Range Pellet Grills: Traeger Pro 780 vs Louisiana Grills Black Label 1000
Two interesting mid-range pellet grill options are the Traeger Pro 780 and the Louisiana Black Label 1000. These grills look similar but have some features that set them apart from one another.
The competition here is really tough and it’s hard to choose a clear winner.
The Traeger Pro 780 is our recommendation if you are looking for a reliable pellet grill that is effortless to use. This popular pellet grill offers excellent value for money and the WiFi connectivity and polished app make cooking super easy and fun.
On the other hand, if you don’t have separate gas or charcoal grill, the Louisiana Black Label 1000 might be a better choice. It has direct heat searing function and gets hotter than the Traeger. In addition, you get a 5-year warranty to give you some peace of mind.
If you feel like these pellet grills are too large, there are also smaller versions available that are a bit more affordable. And the Louisiana Black Label even has a larger version with whopping 1180 square inches of cooking space.
Traeger Pro 780
- Cooking Area: 780 sq.in
- Weight: 146 lbs
- Temp Range: 180 – 500°F
- Hopper Capacity: 18 lbs
- Warranty: 3 years
Louisiana Black Label 1000
- Cooking Area: 1028 sq.in
- Weight: 191 lbs
- Temp Range: 180 – 600°F
- Hopper Capacity: 18 lbs
- Warranty: 5 years
Design and Build Quality
There are a few big differences between these two grills, but one of the most impacting is the Louisiana’s lack of a smoke stack. Instead, it uses vent holes along the back of the grill to vent the smoke, which, unfortunately, also allows wind to affect the cooking temperatures.
The overall build quality of the two grills is very good. The Louisiana includes a folding front food preparation shelf, a great use of space that everyone will find handy. A front shelf for the Traeger is available as an accessory.
Ease of Use and Maintenance/Cleaning
Points go to Traeger for focusing on ease of use and after-cooking cleanup. Under the grates is a full-length drip tray and heat diffuser plate. Drippings are ducted to an external bucket, making cleanup about as easy as can be.
Both grills have a chute on the back that empties the chamber for cleaning the hopper or just changing the flavor of pellets. The Traeger’s trap door is more effective and allows you to empty the hopper in record time.
Unfortunately, neither grill has a way of cleaning out the ignition chamber without removing the grates and vacuuming the ashes.
Temperature Range and Control
The Traeger’s digital controller allows you to set any cooking temperature between 180 and 500 degrees. The grill does a great job holding temperatures and cooking evenly.
The Louisiana Black Label allows you to cook much hotter, with settings up to 600 degrees. However, the grill isn’t as consistent at holding those temperatures as the Traeger.
Additionally, the Louisiana grill incorporates a sliding plate that allows you to grill over a direct flame. This is a welcome feature for chefs that like that perfect sear.
It’s worth noting, however, that Traeger’s full-size drip tray diffuser is part of why the grill is so easy to clean and has such good heat distribution. It makes the flame broiling impossible, but it makes the pellet grill work better overall.
Both grills have large 18-pound pellet hoppers. The Louisiana burns through its fuel more rapidly, however, due to its larger size and less insulated cooking area.
Cooking Space
The Traeger has 780 square inches of cooking space with a removable top rack. The grates are made of porcelain-coated steel.
The Louisiana grill has porcelain-coated cast iron grates that make great sear marks. It’s a much larger grill, with 1,028 square inches of cooking space on two levels.
Extra Features & Accessories
The new Traeger Pro series grills feature WiFi technology and a single meat probe thermometer. Their companion app includes many of their best recipes and remotely monitors grill and meat probe temperatures.
What’s really nice about the Traeger app is that it’s quite polished so using it really makes things easier instead of giving you a headache.
The Traeger also has a few other really neat features. For example, the D2 digital controller controls a multi-speed fan that circulates the smoke better than most pellet grills. The fan, combined with Traeger’s new controller, makes efficient use of fuel. It burns as little as two pounds per hour on high heat and half a pound per hour when smoking.
The system also includes the industry’s first variable-speed brushless motor to power the pellet auger. And the grill has a low pellet warning that will come right to your phone!
Louisiana’s grill also has WiFi, two meat probes, and a similar app. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t allow you to set the desired temperatures on the meat probes, so you must monitor your food closely.
High-End Pellet Grills: Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Louisiana Grills Deluxe 800
When we are looking at the high-end pellet grills, the Traeger Ironwood 885 is a clear winner.
The Ironwood series has been upgraded with the same D2 Direct Drive technologies as the Pro series grill above. This means it has the same controller, WiFi module, app, new brushless motor, and a fan system for quick starts and efficient cooking.
But besides those great upgrades, the Traeger is a bulletproof grill that delivers incredible grilling, roasting, and smoking performance.
The Louisiana Deluxe 800 isn’t a bad choice either but it lacks WiFi functionality. However, it’s a stylish unit built with sturdy stainless steel and has handy storage cabinets under the grill.
Traeger Ironwood 885
- Cooking Area: 885 sq.in
- Weight: 172 lbs
- Temp Range: 165 – 500°F
- Hopper Capacity: 20 lbs
- Warranty: 3 years
Louisiana Deluxe 800
- Cooking Area: 838 sq.in
- Weight: 225 lbs
- Temp Range: 180 – 600°F
- Hopper Capacity: 21 lbs
- Warranty: 5 years
Design and Build Quality
Again, both the Traeger and Louisiana are great grills that are built to last. Both units have double-walled construction for better insulation helping you maintain steady heat levels for consistent results.
The Traeger is a traditional-looking pellet grill with a barrel shape and a side-mounted hopper. It also has a small side shelf for prep work.
The Louisiana Deluxe is a stainless pellet grill that looks more like a gas barbecue from the outside. The hopper, rather than being bolted to the side, is slickly designed into the shape of the grill with a lid that matches the grill’s curved stainless hood. The grill has two side shelves for prep work and an enclosed cabinet below.
The Traeger features a 20-pound hopper, while the Louisiana holds 21 pounds.
Ease of Use and Maintenance/Cleaning
The Ironwood has Traeger’s standard drip-catching system, which is very easy to use. All drippings drain into an external bucket.
The stainless cabinet of the Louisiana Deluxe is beautiful and designed to be easy to keep clean. The company has even integrated the grease-catching bucket into the under-grill cabinet, keeping it out of sight but easy to tend to.
Temperature Range and Control
Both grills allow you to set the cooking temperatures. The Louisiana Deluxe starts at 180 and lets you set it as high as 600, while the Traeger starts at 165 but is limited to 500 degrees Fahrenheit on the high end.
The Traeger includes a “keep warm” mode that allows you to leave food on the grill while you step away for your pre-dinner cocktails. It also has a “super smoke” mode to fine-tune the fan’s output when appropriate.
Cooking Space
As its name implies, the Traeger Ironwood 885 has 885 square inches of cooking area. The main rack is 30 by 19 inches, plus a 30 by 10.5-inch extra rack. The racks are porcelain-coated steel.
The Louisiana Deluxe has 838 square inches of space divided among two porcelain-coated cast iron grates.
Extra Features & Accessories
Like all Louisiana Grills, the Deluxe has a sliding plate that allows you to flame broil and sear your favorite foods. The Deluxe model, however, lacks the WiFi connectivity of the others.
Traeger’s D2 controller has a single meat probe and WiFi built in.
Final Thoughts
Both Traeger and Louisiana make some excellent pellet grills — which one is better depends mainly on your personal preference.
The Traeger Pro and Ironwood series offer some tried and tested pellet grills that are easy to use and deliver smooth and even cooking performance. The Louisiana grills shine with their direct searing capability and higher maximum temperature.
Whichever brand decide to buy, we hope that you enjoy your barbecue!
