The quality of your pellets plays an important role in the quality and taste of your food.
When shopping for the best wood pellets, there are several options to choose from, but Bear Mountain pellets and Traeger wood pellets top the list for several reasons.
But the big question is which one is better of the two.
Without further ado, here’s my comparison of Bear Mountain pellets vs. Traeger pellets to ease your buying decision.
Both Traeger and Bear Mountain pellets are made in the USA, and the two companies offer several options to choose from.
Traeger pellets as well as Bear Mountain pellets are made from 100 percent natural hardwoods.
But Traeger pellets are just 100 percent alder hardwood with flavoring, whereas Bear Mountain pellets are 100% premium, natural hardwoods, and no flavorings.
In terms of price, Traeger pellets also cost a bit more compared to Bear Mountain pellets.
I will also provide 5 main differences between the two pellet brands in the end of this article.
So, I recommend to read this article till the end to understand all the main differences between these brands.
Table of Contents
Main Features of Bear Mountain Wood Pellets
1. 100% Natural Hardwood:
Bear Mountain pellets are made from 100 percent hardwoods and do not contain any cheap fillers like poplar and oils to create flavors.
Those cheap fillers often lead to inconsistent burning and poor flavored food.
2. Consistent Burning Performance:
Adding to this, pellets from the bear Mountain stable use oak or alder as a base, which may sound deceptive but create consistency in pellet performance in your grill.
Given that densities vary across different woods which can cause different burn rates.
It may also lead to different amount of heat production, smoke, and ash creation.
But Bear Mountain pellets are made from oak and alder hardwood which burn at a similar rate and with similar heat output.
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Pros of Bear Mountain Pellets
1. Versatility
Most grill manufacturers strongly recommend using their own branded pellets.
However, Bear Mountain pellets are compatible with all the pellet grills and smokers.
2. Quality of Wood
Bear Mountain pellets are made from 100 percent sustainable hardwood and locally sourced pressed sawdust.
These premium quality hardwoods are hand-selected and exceed industry standards.
3. Use of Base Woods
Bear Mountain pellets use alder or oak as a base, which provides a more consistent burn and smoking experience.
4. Slow Burn Rate
The burn rate varies across different flavors or types of pellets.
But Bear Mountain claims that most of their pellets burn at one pound per hour on a low or smoke setting and up to 3 pounds an hour on a high setting.
5. Can be Used in Gas, Charcoal, and Electric Grills
There are several ways to use Bear Mountain pellets in gas, charcoal, and electric grills.
You can even use them by sprinkling the pellets over the hot coals, using a small baking pan, and the foil pouch method.
Cons of Bear Mountain Pellets
1. Color of Pellets May Slightly Change
The color of these pellets may be different in bags of the same flavor.
This issue, as per the company is not a manufacturer defect.
It is the result of seasonal temperatures, and type of wood used in the production.
Main Features of Traeger Wood Pellets
1. Made in USA Manufacturing:
Made in the USA, Traeger wood pellets are made from 100 percent food-grade hardwood and offer the perfect burn for unmatched wood-fired flavor.
The company bills its pellets as the “gold standard” in the pellet space, and delivers the best of both worlds.
2. Most Consistent Flavors:
and When it comes to quality hardwood flavor and consistency, you can surely bank on the Traeger wood pellets.
3. Right Moisture Ratio:
Traeger pellets feature the right moisture ratio, so you can rest assured of the highest quality smoke.
No matter whether you’re grilling, smoking, roasting, baking, braising, or barbecuing your food, you can rest assured of the quality, burn rate and flavor of these pellets.
Pros of Traeger Wood Pellets
1. Superior Composition
When it comes to moisture ratio, Traeger’s got things right!
The company’s pellets emit a thin, blue smoke, resulting in a balanced, dependable burn.
Achieving this ratio didn’t happen overnight, but Traeger has spent years to reach this sweet spot of the right amount of moisture content.
2. All-Natural Hardwood
Traeger pellets are made from 100 percent natural hardwood, meaning no binders, and no natural additives.
Cheap pellets are developed with additives, and source their wood from old cabinetry or flooring, which isn’t the case with the pellets from the Traeger brand.
3. Made in the USA
Traeger pellet mills are located all across the USA, and the company oversees the entire pellet-making process right from raw wood to bagging.
Traeger also adheres to stringent quality standards, and pellets that don’t meet these requirements don’t make it to the bag.
4. Sustainability
The sawdust used to make Traeger pellets are mostly green hardwood and clean sawdust.
5. Variety of Pellet Flavors
Traeger offers a passive lineup of pellet flavors including hickory, apple, and pecan, etc.
It has higher number of flavors as compared to any other brand pellets.
Cons of Traeger Wood Pellets
1, Bit Expensive
Traeger pellets aren’t the cheapest pellets in the market.
However, if you want superior quality smoke and consistency, then you really can’t go wrong with them.
Comparison of Bear Mountain Pellets vs. Traeger Wood Pellets
| Traeger Wood Pellets | Bear Mountain Pellets |
| Higher number of flavors available | Limited flavors available |
| Little bit costlier than Bear Mountain pellets | Cheaper than Traeger wood pellets |
| Traeger recommends to use only their own brand pellets in their grills | They can be used in any of the pellet grills and smokers |
| Traeger wood pellets have superior flavors and food taste. | Bear Mountain pellets have decent flavors and provide good food taste but not as best as Traeger pellets. |
| Moisture ratio and ash build up are lower. | Ash build up and moisture ratio is bit higher than Traeger pellets. |
Final Verdict
Both Traeger and Bear Mountain offer bestselling smoker pellets in the market.
The Traeger Signature Blend is available in several different flavors like cherry and hickory and can be used for just about anything you grill or cook.
The Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend BBQ flavored pellets boast a robust blend of 100 percent premium all-natural oak, mesquite, and hickory hardwoods.
They have a low moisture ratio and emit the perfect smoke.
So, which one is better?
Bear Mountain pellets or Traeger pellets?
Bear Mountain and Traeger pellets feature the same superior quality.
If you have a Traeger smoker, it’s best to use pellets from the same brand.
But if you own a smoker from a brand other than Traeger, then Bear Mountain pellets are cost-efficient and only come in a smaller number of flavors.
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