Pellet Grill Face-Off: Traeger Ironwood 650 vs. Weber SmokeFire EX6
Can a new Weber rival a model from the leading pellet grill brand? Consumer Reports’ tests reveal the answer.
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The indisputable king of pellet grills is Traeger, which has been making them for more than 30 years. But this year Traeger faces competition from Weber, which has introduced its first line of pellet grills after years of dominating the charcoal grill and gas grill markets.
And with pellet grills more popular than ever, this year also marks the first time that Home Depot and Lowe's have stocked these versatile outdoor cookers in stores, with Home Depot selling Traeger grills and Lowe’s selling the new Weber SmokeFire models.
Vitals
Traeger Ironwood 650: The Traeger has a barrel-style design that resembles a beer keg turned on its side. It provides nearly 700 square inches of cooking surface, split between a 460-square-inch main surface and a 235-square-inch elevated surface above the main grates, which can be used for indirect cooking. It has a 20-pound hopper for pellets and a claimed temperature range of 165° to 500° F.
Weber SmokeFire: Like the Traeger, the Weber has a barrel-style design, but it’s quite a bit larger. In fact, it’s the biggest pellet grill we've tested. It offers 935 square inches of cooking surface: a 585-square-inch main surface and a 350-square-inch elevated surface. It has a 22-pound hopper for pellets and a claimed temperature range of 200° to 600° F.
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