Traeger Scout vs Ranger Portable Grill ( Features Compared )

Are you looking forward to enjoying the quality and delicious smoked foods in your backyard but feeling disheartened when you couldn’t get desired results from all the grills you tried until now?

Many people who use traditional charcoal or gas grills complain about their inflexibility regarding temperature control, not only that these units produce unwanted, unpleasant flavors.

If you are one of them, pellet smokers can be a great choice. You need to learn more about the best pellet smoker brands and models before finally picking up the right model for yourself.

When it comes to tabletop pellets grills; Traeger Scout and Traeger Ranger often discussed and sought for. In this article, I will explain the difference between these two pellet grills.

Traeger Scout vs Ranger Pellet Grills: Which is the Best Choice for Your Needs?

Size

The Traeger Ranger is the smallest of the Traeger pellet grills. It can be considered a smaller version of the original Traeger Grill. It measures 33 inches in height, 21 inches in width, and 24 inches in length.

The cooking surface measures about 240 square inches, which is a little less than you get with other models, such as the popular Traeger Junior Elite, which has a total cooking area of 440 sq. inches.

In contrast, the Traeger Lil’ Tex Elite 34 inch smoker grill has a whopping 460 sq. inch cooking surface for people who want to feed their entire family at once or have enough room to entertain guests while they cook delicious food on one central.

In addition to its extra cooking space, such as an additional side firebox and removable legs.

Cooking Area

The Traeger Pro Series 34 comes with a total cooking area of 560 square inches, and it can be expanded up to 830 square inches with the addition of a second shelf.

With its digital Elite Controller, which includes Sear Box and Sense-Mate feature.

You can now cook those mouth-watering steaks all the way through without having to worry about them getting burnt on the outside or undercooked in the middle.

The temperature can be set from 160 degrees Fahrenheit up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows you to cook your food nice and fast.

Traeger’s lineup’s biggest pellet smoker grill is the Traeger Renegade Pro.

With a total cooking area of 836 square inches and four removable racks, this pellet grill will let you cook enough food to feed all your guests at once.

It has three hoppers that can hold up to 20 pounds of pellets each, and its digital Elite Controller allows you to set the temperature anywhere between 160 degrees Fahrenheit and 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another pellet smoker grill that is bigger than most but still not quite as big as the Traeger Renegade Pro is the Camp Chef SmokePro SE Pellet Grill.

While its overall dimensions are similar to those of other grills in Traeger’s lineup, the Smokepro offers 375 square inches of cooking space that can be expanded up to 716 square inches.

It also has two removable racks and an extra side shelf that you can use to place additional food or items that you need to access quickly while cooking without further dirtying your grill.

Temperature Range

The temperature range is the amount of degrees Fahrenheit in which your pellet smoker can cook before starting to burn the pellets inside it.

So if a certain model offers a temperature range of 160-600F, it means that you will be able to cook anything between 160F and 600F provided that the maximum temperature setting for this unit is turned up.

This may seem like a really wide range but knowing how low temperatures affect pellet grills and what kinds of meats people usually cook on them is the key to getting the most out of this feature.

When you set your smoker at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, it will be more than capable of providing a smoky and authentic flavor to all kinds of meat.

Especially jerky and other types of meats need to be cooked slowly for a long time to get their rich taste and tender texture. On the other hand, when you set your pellet grill at 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

It can do things such as reverse sear steaks, which means that you’ll get restaurant-quality results on even the simplest dishes, such as hamburgers and hot dogs.

Water Pan or No Water Pan?

Since Traeger is an American company that prides itself on its technology, no water pan is included in any of its pellet smoker grills.

This is because a water pan would be a regular cooking element that Traeger doesn’t think you’ll need, but you can always buy one separately if your heart is set on it.

All the other brands featured in our list come with water pans included, mainly because every type of meat needs to be moistened while smoking for optimum taste and tenderness.

This means that having a water pan inside your grill will ensure that all the food you cook on it gets some moisture, allowing for maximum flavor absorption and better results overall.

Many brands will use natural hardwood pellets for great quality smoked meats instead of soaked sawdust to lower their costs.

Also, be sure to leave enough room between the lid and your meat so that smoke can circulate freely for an authentic smoky flavor that is hard to imitate with charcoal, gas, or electric smokers.

Construction Material

The most popular pellet grills are usually made out of light but durable metals such as aluminum, stainless steel, or even titanium, all excellent heat conductors with great resistance to high temperatures.

On the other hand, certain brands also make pellet grills in China, which may seem cheap at first but will not last you very long over time because they are made from poor-quality materials.

It’s always a good idea to stick with well-established American brands which have been around for a while and have a good reputation for producing grills that last long.

Ease of Use

To get the most out of your pellet grill, you will need to know how to use it properly from start to finish without any issues or problems along the way.

So whether you’re cooking with gas, charcoal, or electricity, the first few times you use your grill should be done at home to get a feel for the temperature control system and how easy it will be to cook with your smoker.

If using an electric smoker, make sure there is a power switch on the side so you can easily turn it on and off when needed.

As far as space limitations go, if you plan on smoking just a few burgers at a time, you can find a unit that will fit in your kitchen, but if smoking large quantities is something you do regularly, then it’s always a good idea to opt for the largest pellet grill possible.

Wood Chip Tray

The Traeger comes with one wood chip tray located on the side of the grill, allowing you to add more chips without opening or closing its lid easily.

However, it is also listed as a potential problem area due to its attached (with screws) and can make cleaning difficult since you have to remove it before hosing down the interior.

The Traeger Ranger has two wood chip trays accessible during grilling; however, they are smaller than those of other pellet grills, which makes adding more pellets at once impossible.

Pellet Hopper

The Traeger has a 20lb pellet hopper while the Ranger drops down to 18lbs.

Both are not accessible during grilling, and both require unplugging the unit before adding or removing pellets for safety reasons.

However, some customers were frustrated by how hard they could remove from the units when they were full.

Especially the Rangers claimed that sometimes their hands would get caught between its auger and walls of the hopper, requiring them to use tools like screwdrivers to remove them.

Conclusion

When it comes to pellet smokers vs. electric smokers, the decision of choosing one or the other will come down to personal preference because both have their pros and cons.

But overall, if you’re looking for an easy-to-use smoker that offers amazing results with little effort, then your best bet would be an electric smoker.

On the other hand, if you are already used to smoking meat with firewood or charcoal, there is nothing more authentic than using a wood pellet grill to up your barbecue game!

When choosing between the two most popular portable grill and smoker; both Traeger scout and Traeger ranger came in close in their features, cooking performance and self life.

So, in general, whichever type of smoker speaks to you, and whatever your budget is, we’re sure that we can find an option that will suit your needs perfectly.

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