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Traeger Pellets vs Cabela’s
Traeger is the original pioneer in wood pellet grills and they have developed the best performing premium-wood pellets.
Though other companies, like Cabela’s and their affiliate pellet manufacturer Lumberjack, have put up stiff competition.
Traeger’s pellets tend to burn hotter and preheat faster while leaving minimal dust or wood fibers in the hopper.
This reduces the risk of auger jam and possible burn back problems.
They also tend to burn cleanly with little ash left behind in the firepot.
Cabela’s wood pellets are still very high in quality and produce a slightly more robust smoke.
This is due to Lumber Jack Grill’s manufacturing process which debarks oak trees for the base wood fibers and then uses the aromatic bark of the accent woods in each of Cabela’s proprietary blends.
When it comes to price, a 20-pound bag of Cabela’s wood pellets can be bought for around $9.99 to 12.99.
Whereas a 20-pound bag of Traeger wood pellets can range from $15.99 to $19.99.
Are Cabela’s Wood Pellets Any Good
Cabela’s wood pellets are made by Lumber Jack Grilling, though they are allowed their own proprietary blends for use in Cabela’s wood pellet grills.
These pellets use a high percentage of the named wood, but don’t necessarily use 100% of one wood type.
One of the most important things to note about Lumber Jack Grilling’s wood pellet manufacturing process is that they de-bark the oak trees that they use in their base material.
Yet they leave the bark on the trees of the named accent wood.
The bark of most traditional smoking woods like mesquite, hickory, and apple tends to produce a more characteristic aroma and flavor.
This means that Cabela’s wood pellets offer oak’s consistency and high lignin content, for superior integrity.
While allowing a lot more of the accent wood’s natural flavor to come through in the smoke the pellets produce.
This makes Cabela’s wood pellets a nice compromise for barbecue purists, who demand the strong aroma of specific traditional smoking wood.
Yet still want the superior lignin integrity, hot burn, and base that premium oak wood fibers provide.
Cabela’s wood pellets are available in a Competition blend, Bourbon BBQ Brown Sugar, Mesquite, Hickory, Cherry, and Apple.
This makes them great for barbecue purists who want the bold aroma of a specific type of smoking wood.
Though all of these are blends that include an undisclosed amount of oak wood fibers and are not 100% named wood pellets.
Traeger Pellets vs Cabela’s Smoke Flavor
Traeger wood pellets are some of the best in the pellet grill industry and offer up a robust smoke flavor that meets or exceeds Cabela’s wood pellets.
However, Cabela’s wood pellets are made by Lumber Jack whose proprietary method calls for debarking the oak component of the pellets while leaving in the bark of the accent woods.
This gives them a slightly more appealing flavor and aroma that appeals to barbecue purists.
Traeger Pellets vs Cabela’s Price
The price of a 20-pound bag of Traeger wood pellets can range from $15.99 to $19.99, whereas a 20-pound bag of Cabela’s wood pellets ranges from $9.99 to 12.99.
At first, this makes it look like Cabela’s wood pellets are the better deal, and they are in terms of the price per pound.
However, they are not as common in brick-and-mortar retailers.
Usually, to get that friendly price tag, you have to order the pellets directly from Cabela’s online, or you have to go to a Cabela’s store near you.
There are times when this delay is simply too much.
So, if you really want to save and use Cabela’s wood pellets all the time, you need to stock up and plan ahead.
With Traeger pellets, you are getting a slightly higher quality pellet, and they are much more widely available at brick-and-mortar retailers, BBQ shops, and hardware stores.
They also tend to have faster delivery for online orders.
Though it’s not clear if that makes them worth nearly double the price for a 20-pound bag compared to Cabela’s.
Traeger Pellets vs Cabela’s Quality
Traeger makes some of the highest quality wood pellets in the industry, with Cabela’s pellets falling on the second tier of quality when it comes to performance.
Traeger wood pellets heat up faster and can attain a higher heat with less ash than Cabela’s wood pellets.
Though this isn’t to say that Cabela’s wood pellets are bad.
They are very much worth the money and produce a rich flavorful smoke.
However, they do make a little more dust and leave behind more wood fibers than Traeger.
So, it’s a good idea to sift them before adding them to the hopper, and then purge the hopper after every use.
Cabela’s wood pellets might take a little bit longer to preheat a grill than Traeger, but it’s not prohibitively long.
While Traeger’s wood pellet might burn hotter, Cabela’s pellets can handle all low-temperature applications and still get a wood pellet grill well beyond 400 degrees.
The small amount of extra ash that they produce is insignificant for all but the longest of smoking sessions.
Especially if you are cleaning out your wood pellet grill’s firepot after every session like you should.
When you consider the minor decrease of perhaps 10% in quality and the fact that you can get them for nearly half the price, it can make Cabela’s wood pellets a way to save money on your wood pellet budget.
Final Thoughts
Traeger technically takes the top spot when it comes to high-quality wood pellets that burn hot, preheat quickly, create robust smoke, and leave little ash behind.
They are also more widely available.
Though Traeger’s wood pellets are almost twice the price of Cabela’s wood pellets for a single 20-pound bag.
Cabela’s wood pellets are still quality pellets that can heat a grill nicely and produce a slightly more robust smoke.
This is thanks to the way Lumber Jack makes them by debarking oak trees for the base wood fibers and then using the aromatic bark of the accent woods in each of Cabela’s proprietary blends.
If you are price conscious, and willing to plan ahead, or you are a barbecue purist who is looking for as much accent wood flavor as possible, then Cabela’s wood pellets make a lot of sense.
If you like to use your Traeger grill for a lot of high heat applications, then Traeger’s brand of pellets is hard to beat.
They have minimal dust and hold their integrity while burning cleanly with minimal ash left behind.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.