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How to Buy a Pellet Grill | Buying Guide
Benefits of Pellet Grills
Effortless Ignition
All you have to do is load your pellets and ignite the grill with the touch of a button! The controller will take care of the rest.
Even Heat
Pellet grills act as an oven or smoke chamber, providing generally even heat through every inch of the grill.
Wireless Connectivity
Many pellet grills connect to a phone app via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, letting you control the grill from your smart phone.
Amazing Smoke Flavor
Pellets come in a wide variety of flavors like pecan, hickory or cherry. Mix different pellets for even more unique flavor combinations.
Easy to Use
Pellet grills are the easiest grills to use. Some can be pre-programmed with entire smoking cycles.
Fewer Flare-Ups
Because most pellet smokers have a full-coverage heat baffle separating your food from the fire pot below, flare-ups are almost non-existent.
Unmatched Consistency
Pellet grills constantly monitor temperature, automatically moving pellets into the fire as needed to keep the heat exactly where it should be.
Wide Temperature Range
While these grills are great at low-and-slow smoking, newer models are also capable of high-heat grilling, and some can even sear.
Choose Your Pellet Grill's Configuration
The first thing to decide is whether you’d like your pellet grill to be freestanding, portable, or built-in. All have a specific purpose, so consider your options, available space, outdoor kitchen setup, and where you intend to use your grill the most.
Freestanding Pellet Grills
Most pellet grills are freestanding. This offers mobility that built-in grills can’t match. Some have bottom shelves for storage and side shelves for prep space. A select few grills offer extra cooking appliances like the gas side burner on the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro. The freestanding Traeger Timberline XL features an abundance of storage plus an induction cooktop for easy searing.
Built-In Pellet Grills
Select brands offer built-in pellet grills that make a great addition to your outdoor kitchen. They come with their own unique set of features that stand out from the rest. The recteq E-Series features all-304 stainless steel construction, a front-accessible pellet hopper, two front-accessible slide-out grease catches, and front shelf. Then there’s the Traeger Timberline XL which has a convenient side shelf as well as storage underneath the grill. Twin Eagles sets themselves apart with their 304 stainless steel pellet grill complete with a rotisserie kit.
Portable Pellet Grills
These countertop and portable grills are perfect for on the go. Take them to a friend’s house, the hiking trail, or the tailgate. Some models like the Camp Chef Pursuit come with compact foldable legs for easy smoked goodness wherever you want to grill. The Traeger Ranger is lightweight and compact enough to take with you on all your outdoor adventures.
Hardwood Pellet Cooking: Grills vs. Vertical Smokers
Pellet grills are often called pellet cookers, pellet smokers, or smoker-grills. While it may seem confusing, one reason that pellet grills go by so many names is because they can do so many things. Another is that there is some disagreement about whether pellet grills can actually be called “grills”. Still, there’s an important distinction to make between pellet grills and vertical wood pellet smokers.
What are Pellet Grills?
These versatile machines are capable of both maintaining low-and-slow temperatures and reaching grilling temperatures. Some can even reach temperatures of up to 700°F or more. There are specific models that have an exposed fire pot that allows you to sear, others have this as an add-on feature like the Camp Chef Woodwind that comes with the optional propane Sidekick Sear Box.
What are Vertical Pellet Smokers?
While pellet grills can cook in just about any way, vertical pellet smokers are specifically designed for low-and-slow smoking. They max out around 450°F, but the trade-off is that they generate steady temperatures as low as 150°F for smoking delicate foods like salmon. Vertical smokers resemble electric smokers in their upright configuration, yet they still create combustion using a gravity feed of wood pellets. Perhaps the best example of this space-saving aesthetic is the Pit Boss Copperhead Series which comes with a built-in water pan and full-view window.
Pellet Grill Innovations: Wi-Fi, Direct Sear, & Gas Features
There have been many innovations to pellet grills in recent years, most notably is the addition of Wi-Fi connectivity. Several brands have created smartphone apps to act as a companion alongside their grills, which gives backyard cooks like you access to easy control and temperature monitoring in the palm of your hand.
Pellet Grills with a Sear Station
Grills like the Memphis Pro have special attachments or accessories that allow you to grill directly over the fire pot of your pellet grill. Brands like Camp Chef even offer full sear-zone side burners on their pellet smokers.
Pellet Grills with Gas Features
The Camp Chef Woodwind series leads the way here with a Sidekick propane power burner that can act as a griddle, sear box, or pizza oven. You can’t beat the convenience of smoking a brisket while grilling burgers or warming sides on the power burner.
Controllers: Non-PID, PID, & PID-Plus
How do pellet grills run? The secret is in their temperature controllers, which manage pellet consumption and stoke the fire as necessary to get to the desired heat and smoke levels. PID controllers have experienced a surge in popularity because of recent innovation in the industry, though some models still operate using the less precise technology of the past. Others have equipped PID controllers with touch screens, Wi-Fi capabilities, smartphone apps, and integrated recipes that take the concept of convenience to another level. Pellet grills are all about what’s under the hood, so it’s important to know how each type of controller works when making your decision.
Non-PID Controllers
These Multi-Position or “LMH” controllers offer up to 10 pre-set temperature positions, including “Low,” “Medium,” and “High”. These devices cycle anywhere between 30–40°F of your set temperature and rarely reach over 500°F. Non-PID controllers are most common among Entry-Level pellet smokers. We recommend using a remote thermometer with these grills to get a better idea of the internal temp of your food in the grill.
PID Controllers
The introduction of proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers has been a major advancement in the pellet grill industry. These controllers constantly run calculations based on factors like fan speed and pellet rate to maintain constant temperatures within 5 degrees of your setting. PID controllers are necessary for pellet cookers with variable-speed fans and augers, making them a standard feature for Practical pellet grills.
PID-Plus Interfaces
There’s not much room for improvement when it comes to temperature control, so wood pellet grill brands did the next best thing and equipped the controllers with even more high-tech features. The most widespread “PID-plus” advancement is the combination of Wi-Fi capabilities and companion smartphone apps that monitor cooks and send alerts, which adds to the set-it-and-forget-it appeal of models like Camp Chef Woodwind pellet smokers and Traeger Timberline and Ironwood pellet grills.
Pellet Smoker Classes
When you see us discussing different classes of grills, all we’re doing is categorizing models based on their quality, performance, and features. For hardwood pellet grills, those categories are Luxury, Premium, Practical, and Entry-Level. Choosing the right pellet grill class involves finding the right type of model to fit your lifestyle and budget, so be sure to take your time here. To get you closer to your final decision, we put together this brief glance at what you can expect from all 4 classes.
Luxury Pellet Smokers
- Constructed entirely from high-quality stainless steel to last a lifetime
- Widest temperature range of any pellet grills from 180°F to over 700°F for slow-smoking, searing, and everything between
- Accurately maintains set temperature within 5 degrees
- Direct-flame accessories make it easy to sear on high heat
- Available in both freestanding and built-in configurations to fit your outdoor needs
Premium Pellet Smokers
- Available in both freestanding and built-in configurations to fit your outdoor needs
- Commercial-grade quality with incredible performance and innovative features
- Double-walled insulation keeps heat inside the grill where you need it most
- Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity gives you alerts when your food is ready
- Versatile cooking options including grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, and more
Practical Pellet Smokers
- Includes a mix of stainless steel, aluminized steel, and painted or powder-coated steel
- PID controllers allow for Wi-Fi control with companion smartphone apps
- Temperatures range between 200–600°F for smoking, baking, and grilling
- Temperatures generally remain within 15°F of the controller setting
- Select models have designs that allow for grilling over direct flame
Entry-Level Pellet Smokers
- Constructed from galvanized, painted, powder-coated, or porcelain steel
- Optimized strictly for low-and-slow smoking, temperature usually tops at 500°F
- Fewer available features mean less cooking versatility
- Typically come with non-PID controllers with preset temperatures
- Temperature and smoke production tend to cycle up and down on non-PIDs
Other Things to Think about When Buying a Pellet Grill
There are a few more important considerations to keep in mind when shopping for a pellet grill. We answered some common questions about them so you can understand everything you need to know up front. You can learn more by reading through the Pellet Grills FAQ. Our guide on pellet grill accessories will also help you find the best add-ons to get the most out of your grill.
Cooking Pellets vs. Heating Pellets
It is strongly advised to never use heating pellets in a pellet smoker. Heating pellets contain a mixture of wood and binding agents that are harmful when ingested or inhaled. Instead, fill your pellet hopper with food-grade cooking pellets. They’re produced from 100% hardwoods under strict guidelines and have no additives, preservatives, or binders, making them free of adverse health effects when burned. If you need more convincing, food exposed to smoke from heating pellets will taste bitter and gross.
Electricity is Required
Though pellet smokers rely on hardwood pellets for combustion, they run on electricity. That means they must be plugged into a standard outlet for the controller, fans, and auger to work properly, so you should plan to keep yours in a location close to a power source. If you intend to use your pellet cooker on a deck or another setting with no direct access to an outlet, some models can run on a high-amp extension cord. Keep in mind that this capability is highly model-specific and that every brand has different specifications. For that reason, our experts highly recommend you always plug your pellet smoker directly into an outlet.
Do Pellet Smokers Work in Cold Weather?
Yes, they do! Many newer pellet cookers have little trouble maintaining temperature in snowy conditions, though colder external temperatures will force them to burn more pellets to hold steady heat. To prevent inefficient consumption and save on fuel costs in temperatures below freezing, we recommend investing in an insulated grill blanket. It’s important to note that these should only be used on pellet grills with chimneys. A little extra insulation goes a long way in terms of sustaining desired temperatures, meaning your grill won’t have to feed as many pellets into the fire pot. You should check manufacturer recommendations when it comes to grill blankets, but it won’t hurt to have one on hand.
Do Pellet Cookers Work Only with Pellets from Their Brand?
Generally, food-grade pellets differ slightly in size, thickness, length, and wood blend depending on the manufacturer. This may result in minor differences in the way pellets fall into the auger and how they burn once inside the fire pot. The only sure thing is that pellets from your pellet cooker’s brand will be perfectly suited for your grill and almost certainly give you the best results. Again, the manufacturer’s recommendations should be the first thing you check when trying to figure out which pellets go best with your pellet smoker. Our guide on How to Choose Wood Pellets is a helpful resource for more information.
To get more information on pellet grills, give our experts a call at 1-877-743-2269. Our free Outdoor Kitchen 3D Design Service (a $500 value) is also a great resource for help in planning your backyard from start to finish.
