BBQr’s Delight vs Traeger Pellets

Every step in the barbecue process is there to add flavor and texture to our favourite meats. Perhaps one of the most important steps is the choice about which wood pellet we are going to use as the fuel for our smoke.

When it comes to flavor we don’t compromise, but getting the right wood pellet that burns consistently well is just as important. We’re going into an old fashion smoke off: BBQr’s Delight wood pellets vs. Traeger wood pellets

Start up your pellet grill. It’s time to fuel the fire.

BBQr's Delight Vs Traeger Pellets

Time to fire them up. We’re comparing the igniting quality, burn quality, how long lasting they are, the clean-up, and of course, the flavor.

Although both BBQr’s Delight and Traeger supply many wood types, such as hickory, apple, and cherry, we are going to be comparing BBQr’s Delight hickory wood pellets with Traeger hickory wood pellets.

BBQr's Delight Wood Pellet Review

Best For Flavor

As I poured BBQr’s Delight pellets into my hopper I could immediately smell the distinct and reminiscent aroma of hickory. Real, potent hickory. The size of the pellets was a touch thicker than some others, but they felt stiff and well compressed. BBQr’s Delight uses a 2/3 white oak, 1/3 hickory blended pellet.

I let my pellet smoker burn on medium heat for half an hour to make sure all the wood pellets had burnt that were already in the auger and the observations begun.

Really the smell of the smoke was pleasant, and there were no problems at all with the pellets burning. The smoke was thin and white, which was an amazing sight. One small-ish a rack of pork ribs over 5 hours and it came out with great amazing red mahogany and had a true hickory smoke flavor, strong and delicious.

BBQr’s Delight wood pellets were outstanding, I did feel they may have burned slightly more quickly than other options, such as Traeger wood pellets, but overall the flavor of the meat was amazing and the aroma was truly mesmerizing.

Traeger Wood Pellet Review

Best For Burn Quality

Traeger Grills wood pellets are arguably one of the most popular, high-quality natural hardwood pellets easily available in the market. And for good reason!

I took a big whiff and you can certainly smell the hickory, but the aroma wasn’t quite like BBQr’s Delight. From the get-go the Traeger pellets do release a nice clean white “blue” smoke. I am always impressed by this, as you can constantly see it throughout the whole smoking process.

Traeger grills recommend their wood pellets for use in their own grills, but honestly, they tend to burn consistently well in any pellet smokers. To me, that’s the biggest stand-out quality here.

Although you do pay a premium for the quality here, it’s very hard to have a poor smoking session due to the wood pellets. They never tend to crumble easily, and clean-up is a breeze with minimal ash and dust left over. No problems at all.

The flavor is still there, believe me, but I have definitely experienced a more prominent hickory smoke with other options, such as BBQr’s Delight. A solid pick time and time again, and definitely the best for burn quality.

If you are looking for the very best, see our full guide for the best wood pellets for smoking.

What Makes A High Quality Smoking Wood Pellet

Flavor

Barbecue is all about the flavor. Adding layers and layers (and layers) of flavor. The smokey flavor comes directly from the wood pellets, so it makes sense to use wood pellets that will provide you the best, natural smokey flavor possible.

Always use 100% natural hardwood. Make sure to check the packaging and make sure you’re confident that it’s actually made from the wood it’s stated, and not just flavored with oil that mimics that wood flavor. If that packaging is unclear, check with the manufacturer.

Don’t compromise when it comes to flavor.

Burn Quality

Just as important as the flavor is the way the wood pellet actually burns. What good is a flavorsome wood pellet if it just doesn’t burn properly? This usually comes down to the compression, manufacture, and what is used as a binding agent if any.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to test burn quality without actually using the wood pellets. If possible jump on the web and find a genuine review of the product. If in doubt of the product quality it’s always best to go with what you know works, so you can produce amazing quality food without dealing with unnecessary temperature fluctuations or weird flavors.

Wood Flavored Oil

One of the most common problems you find in wood pellets is that instead of using each different type of wood, such as hickory, apple, cherry etc, they start with a standard filler wood base, commonly oak or alder, then add flavored oils to mimic the real wood flavor. 

Although this doesn’t generally affect the burn quality, in terms of flavor, wood oils will always come second to the actual wood flavor.

Crumbly Pellets

One thing I’m confident that almost everybody sees in their pellet smoker and barbecue journey is crumbling and dusty wood smoker pellets. Although a few broken pellets won’t do any harm, if they are not compressed correctly and easily crumble they can cause auger fires. Although most pellet smokers are designed well to avoid this, it does increase the risk.

You may find that the wood pellets burn too easily, making it harder to keep the temperature of your smoker on at that sweet spot.

So What Brand Of Pellets Are Best?

If you value flavor above all, BBQr’s Delight wood pellets out-perform. They are also a touch less expensive, have virtually no clean-up required, and don’t burn up too quickly.

However, if you do love flavor but you value the burn consistency, and quality, the long lasting and premium quality pick is Traeger hickory pellets. 

Although we tested these out using a Traeger, both brands of pellets can easily go well over charcoal, in an electric smoker, or even in a pellet tube or smoker box to provide that extra smokiness during your next session.

Best Flavors Of Traeger & BBQr’s Delight Wood Pellets

Both BBQr’s Delight and Traeger pellets come in a variety of all-natural hardwood wood pellets. Honestly, pick to your personal preference, but if you are feeling experimental or want to try a different flavor profile check out the most popular flavors below.

Hickory Wood

Probably the most popular pick here, mostly because it’s so reliable and provides that traditional and strong savoury smoke flavor we all love. It’s also incredibly versatile, burns well, and has a bacon-like uniqueness. 

Hickory is so versatile it’s hard to say what it’s best for. For me, it’s my honest go to for smoking brats, and even smoking lamb.

Apple Wood

The most popular sweet and fruity wood. It’s much more mild flavor rather than strong smoking woods like hickory or mesquite, but the trade off is a clean smoke and a distinctly sweet aroma. Works well by itself, or can easily be blended.

GrillSimply’s Pick: Best wood for smoking turkey

Cherry Wood

Cherry is very popular, and works wonders as a good in-between, providing both a medium smokiness, but also a quality sweetness that gives it a place in my barbecue journey.

GrillSimply’s Pick: Best wood for smoking pork butt

Mesquite Wood

Mesquite pellets are the most potent smoking pellets in terms of their smokiness. Delicious? Absolutely. However, always be aware mesquite can be overpowering on more delicate meat, such as chicken or turkey.

Final Words

I really had a blast doing this kind of comparison. Not that I needed another excuse to fire up the pellet grill. For this experiment I used my trusty Traeger 575, however I also vigorously read reviews to fill in any gaps, and to see how BBQr’s Delight & Traeger Wood Pellets measured up on various pellet grill models, from larger models to smaller portable pellet grills.

Just like anything, a lot does come down to personal preference, even when you are comparing two high quality brands like BBQr’s Delight and Traeger. In short, i found BBQr’s Delight to give amazing flavor, and Traeger wood pellets to have the most consistent burn quality. 

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