Finest Pellet Grills of 2024

Pellet grills have elevated in recognition over the previous couple of years, and for good cause. Like pellet people who smoke—a lot of that are additionally pellet grills—they provide you that daring smoky taste with out a lot effort in your half. They’re a “set it and overlook it” type of cooking, permitting you to smoke and grill something from complete chickens to brisket to recreation meat. The identify of the pellet grill recreation is low and gradual.

Armed with a bag of wooden pellets, some meat from our native butcher, and a hearty urge for food, I fired up pellet people who smoke and grills from high manufacturers like Traeger, Weber, and Pit Boss to check them out and see how they actually carry out. After reviewing their options and cooking capabilities and consuming a lot of smoked meat, I’ve decided the most effective pellet grills for any event and price range beneath.

Finest Pellet Grills

Specs

• Weight: 238 lbs
• Max Temperature: 500 F
• Cooking House: 880 sq. in.
• Hopper Capability: 22 lbs
• Guarantee: 10 years

Professionals

• Tons of superior options—very well-designed
• Comes with Meater probes
• Cooks meat evenly with terrific smoke taste
• Has an induction cooktop and chopping board for prepping sides

Cons

• The most costly grill on our checklist

Traeger is arguably essentially the most well-known model on the planet of pellet grills and people who smoke with a popularity for among the highest high quality cookers. And the Traeger Timberline definitely lived as much as that popularity, if not exceeded it. From the minute we began setting it up, I knew it was on a complete different degree. For starters, it’s extremely simple to place collectively—it even ships with a ratcheting wrench to make use of for meeting, and the field itself turns right into a youngsters’ playhouse.

From there, the Traeger Timberline simply appears to be like good. From the pure wooden cabinets to the magnetic detachable bamboo chopping board, it’s an announcement piece that might look good in any out of doors area however particularly lends itself to an outside kitchen aesthetic. Those self same options are as sensible as they’re enticing, too. The cabinets present ample space for storing for instruments, seasonings, and the like, whereas the chopping board is clearly for prepping your meat and veggies. It snaps simply to the grill by way of a powerful magnet.

Our expertise cooking with the Traeger Timberline XL was like no different. There’s a lot to like about it. It has a touchscreen management panel that feels high-tech but is simple to make use of and navigate on the identical time. When you’re planning to depart the grill whereas your meat smokes, it connects to WiFi so you should use the app to regulate the grill’s temperature, test your meat’s cooking progress, browse and bookmark recipes, and extra. It’s simply as intuitive because the on-grill management panel. The Timberline comes with a Meater probe—which we dubbed one of many finest meat thermometers—so you possibly can monitor the temperature of your meat out of your telephone. We’ve owned a Meater for awhile and our huge followers, so this was a pleasing shock to seek out inside. There’s additionally an inside mild, eliminating the necessity for an additional grill mild attachment, and loads of hooks and rack area for extra equipment (or for hanging towels, utensils, and so forth.).

From a smoked rooster to pork tenderloin, all the things we made on the Traeger was scrumptious, flavorful, and infused with simply the correct quantity of smoke. In truth, my husband dubbed the rooster we made the most effective he’s ever eaten. Coming from him, that’s excessive reward. One factor that improves the smoke taste is the Traeger’s distinctive down draft expertise, which pulls smoke down by way of the grill to permit the flavour to soak deeper into your meals. It additionally has “tremendous smoke” mode, do you have to need an excellent greater burst of smokiness.

One other enormous draw of the Timberline—and one of many options that makes it our primary decide—is the induction cooktop on the aspect. No extra operating from the grill to the kitchen again to the grill. You possibly can prep your sides with out ever stepping away from the grill. It boils water inside minutes, and is sufficiently big to carry your common induction-compatible saucepan.

Simply know that you simply’ll be shelling out upwards of $3,000 for this dangerous boy. It’s properly value the associated fee, although. You received’t discover a extra well-designed pellet grill, for my part.

Specs

• Weight: 166 lbs
• Max Temperature: 600 F
• Cooking House: 1,156 sq. in.
• Hopper Capability: 20 lbs
• Guarantee: 5 years

Professionals

• Excessive temperature vary
• Huge cooking area
• Straightforward to observe remotely with the app

Cons

• Doesn’t drain grease properly

We’ve owned a Weber gasoline grill for years, so I had excessive hopes for the Weber pellet grill. It didn’t disappoint. A few of the highlights embrace the SmokeBoost function, which lets you add a burst of smoke in the beginning of cooking for an excellent richer taste, and the built-in inside mild that turns out to be useful whenever you’re grilling within the night or at night time. The SmokeFire additionally comes with Weber’s well-known Flavorizer bars, that are made with porcelain-coated metal that’s sturdy and simple to wash and designed to reinforce the flavour in addition to distribute warmth evenly.

What units the Weber SmokeFire Sear+ other than different pellet grills is that it may well attain temperatures as much as 600 levels F—excellent for searing, because the grill’s identify suggests. It delivers on that. Once we cooked steaks on the pellet grill, we have been in a position to get the char and sear marks which are so usually missing when cooking in a pellet smoker. We weren’t in a position to obtain that sort of sear on any of the opposite grills we examined. Thus far, it’s one of many solely pellet grills that gives the capabilities of each a gasoline grill and smoker multi functional. It’s the most effective of each worlds.

When smoking meat on the Weber pellet grill, we discovered the meat to be cooked by way of evenly and with a stunning quantity of smokiness. The included probes offered correct temperature readings and the grill stayed inside a 5-degree vary of the set level whereas it was operating.

Specs

• Weight: 335 lbs
• Max Temperature: 600 F
• Cooking House: 1,070 sq. in.
• Hopper Capability: 20 lbs
• Guarantee: 10 years

Professionals

• The most important prepare dinner area on our checklist
• Holds temperature impressively properly
• Made within the USA

Cons

Identified for its competition-level people who smoke, Yoder People who smoke has garnered a cult following of pit masters. The model additionally has a line of pellet people who smoke and grills for residential use—a.okay.a. what you need to your personal yard. The most well-liked in its line-up is the Yoder Smoker YS640S Yfi Pellet Grill. With a prepare dinner area of 1,070 sq. inches (the biggest on our checklist), it’s excellent for anybody who desires to prepare dinner meat in bulk or for a crowd. It will probably match a pair slabs of brisket, racks of ribs, complete chickens—the selection is yours.

What makes the Yoder Smoker pellet grill so good is its warmth retention. Whereas it smokes, it holds its temperature inside +/- 5 levels of your required temperature the entire time. Which means evenly cooked meals with out you having to observe it or fiddle with the controls when you set it. The Fireboard app permits you to management virtually all the things out of your telephone, which is handy. And the detachable warmth defend provides you direct entry to the open flame do you have to need to get sear marks in your meat after you smoke it. With chrome steel parts, this Yoder Smoker has some fairly stable development—it’s constructed like a tank and definitely worth the expense.

Specs

• Weight: 182 lbs
• Max Temperature: 500 F
• Cooking House: 811 sq. in.
• Hopper Capability: 22 lbs
• Guarantee: 6 years

Professionals

• Customizable with loads of completely different cooking choices
• Can management smoke degree by way of app
• Straightforward to wash

Cons

• Considerably difficult to arrange

I’d heard quite a lot of good issues about Camp Chef (they make one in every of our favourite tenting grills) so I used to be excited to check out the extremely rated Camp Chef Woodwind. What’s cool about this pellet grill—and what units it up other than others—is you can create taste with extra than simply wooden pellets. Due to the design of the smoke field, it’s also possible to use wooden chips, chunks, and even charcoal. We solely used pellets however the versatility is unquestionably an ideal choice. Plus, you may get the Sidekick attachment, which provides you a propane-powered aspect burner for extra prepare dinner area.

Like others on this checklist, the Camp Chef pellet grill is WiFi-connected, with an app that’s intuitive to make use of. You are able to do virtually all the things, together with controlling the smoke output, setting timers to your meals, and recording your previous cooking information. As we cooked on the Camp Chef, we preferred how environment friendly it was at heating up and that we may customise the quantity of smoke taste infused into our meat. Every part turned out flavorful and juicy within the anticipated time predicted by the included probes. One underrated perk is how simple it’s to wash after you’re completed cooking. All it’s a must to do is pull the Ash Cleanout knob on the aspect of the grill, which dispenses the ash neatly right into a cup. No mess in any way.

Nonetheless, be sure to have loads of time and endurance to set this pellet grill up. It took us longer than anticipated to assemble and we discovered the directions a bit difficult to comply with. In fact, it’s value it in the long run whenever you’re having fun with a slab of completely smoked brisket.

Specs

• Weight: 157 lbs
• Max Temperature: 500 F
• Cooking House: 849 sq. in.
• Hopper Capability: 21 lbs
• Guarantee: 5 years

Professionals

• Extra reasonably priced worth level
• Straightforward to make use of digital management panel
• Massive hopper capability for wooden pellets

Cons

• Temperature isn’t all the time tremendous exact
• No app for distant management

When you don’t need to spend 1000’s on a brand new pellet grill, we advocate the Pit Boss Sportsman 820. At simply $699, we dubbed it the most effective price range pellet smoker and grill because of its versatility, ease of use, and prime quality development. The digital management panel is intuitive so even essentially the most newbie griller can use it. All it’s a must to do to regulate the temperature and smoke degree is flip the “P-setting” on the panel up or down. (Observe, nonetheless, that not like many pellet grills on this checklist, the Pit Boss doesn’t have an app or WiFi connectivity so you can not management it from afar.) With the Pit Boss, you get a refined smoke taste in your meat with good colour and a juicy inside. And if sear marks are what you’re after, you possibly can obtain them with the porcelain-coated forged iron grill grates together with the lever that enables you entry to direct warmth.

This Pit Boss pellet grill additionally comes with a couple of considerate options that basically elevate the cooking expertise. Suppose: a built-in spice rack on the aspect, two digital meat probes, and even a bottle opener so you possibly can crack a chilly one whilst you’re ready to your meals to be performed. The hopper additionally has a window that permits you to simply hold tabs in your wooden pellet standing and know when it’s time for a refill. When you want extra prep area, there’s additionally a detachable aspect shelf that has greater than sufficient room for marinating or slicing meat. I like you can take it off in case you’re brief on area or need to make the grill simpler to retailer, too.

Specs

• Weight: 62 lbs
• Max Temperature: 450 F
• Cooking House: 300 sq. in.
• Hopper Capability: 8 lbs
• Guarantee: 10 years

Professionals

• Light-weight (in comparison with different pellet grills)
• Heats up quick and maintains temperature
• Straightforward to assemble and disassemble

Cons

• Smaller cooking area
• Not as sturdy

Possibly you desire a transportable pellet grill you possibly can take tenting or tailgating. Or perhaps you simply desire a Traeger with out blowing your price range. Enter the Traeger Tailgater. At simply 62 kilos, it’s a fraction of the burden of most pellet grills, making it simple to move and journey with. Plus, it has folding legs so you should use it as a freestanding grill or set it in your tailgate or tabletop. Don’t be fooled by its measurement—it smokes simply as successfully as a full-size Traeger and might nonetheless match 12 burgers. It heats up rapidly and has a “hold heat” setting so your meals doesn’t get chilly whenever you’re ready for everybody to get again to the campsite after a day of mountaineering.

How We Examined Pellet Grills

As somebody who likes to eat—and somebody with a household obsessive about grilling—I used to be very happy to sort out the problem of testing the preferred pellet smoker grills. To begin, I researched the preferred fashions on the market from high manufacturers like Traeger, Pit Boss, Weber, and Yoder People who smoke. Then, as soon as the grills arrived and we (a.okay.a. my husband) assembled them, it was time to start out the exams. We smoked all completely different sorts of meats, from complete chickens to pork to brisket, on the pellet grills and evaluated them on components together with the next:

• Ease of use
• Efficiency
• Temperature and cooking
• Effectivity
• Useful options

Shopping for Information

As a result of a pellet grill is an funding—they will get very costly very quick—you’ll need to do all of your analysis earlier than shopping for one. Beneath are some issues to think about when deciding which is the most effective pellet smoker grill for you.

Dimension

How many individuals will you usually be cooking for? Or extra importantly, how a lot meat would you like to have the ability to smoke at a time? Pellet grills are available in a variety of sizes, particularly with regards to the prepare dinner area. You’ll find them as small as 300 sq. inches (as within the transportable Traeger Tailgater) and as massive as upwards of 1,000 sq. inches. Many can match a number of complete birds or racks of ribs or dozens of burgers. Which measurement you select will depend on what you propose to make use of it for.

Efficiency

That is probably going to be the largest deciding issue when selecting a pellet grill. In any case, you need one thing that will get the job performed and will get it performed properly. Think about the grill’s most temperature and the way properly it retains warmth whereas smoking. How rapidly does it warmth up? What’s the smoke output like? Are you able to management the extent of smokiness? How exact is the temperature whereas cooking? You’ll additionally need to take into consideration added options, like WiFi connectivity. A wise pellet grill that has an app that permits you to management it from anyplace and in every single place could be very handy.

Hopper Capability

The scale of the hopper is measured in what number of kilos of wooden pellets it may well maintain. The bigger the hopper capability, the much less you’ll should refill it. Some pellet grills—just like the Pit Boss Sportsman—have a window on the hopper so you possibly can see the present degree and know when you’ll want to add extra.

Value and Guarantee

We’ve stated it earlier than and we’ll say it once more—pellet grills aren’t low cost. Many price upwards of $1,000, with some triple that. That stated, yow will discover some first rate price range pellet grills for underneath $1,000 (just like the Pit Boss Sportsman). It’s necessary to concentrate to the guarantee, too. If one thing breaks or malfunctions in your grill, you don’t need to should pay for costly repairs or worse, a complete new grill. Many manufacturers supply no less than a five-year guarantee that covers defects in supplies and workmanship.

FAQs

Identical to with something you purchase, the best pellet grill for you will not be the best one for another person. All of it will depend on your use and preferences. Nonetheless, you possibly can’t go flawed with any of the most effective pellet grills and people who smoke we examined above. Select what you’ll, however I can’t emphasize sufficient how deserving the Traeger Timberline is of our greatest total award. It does all the things you need—and a lot extra. Is it costly? Sure. However is it value it? Additionally sure.

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