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How to Choose a Wood Pellet Grill or Pellet Smoker | Buying Guide
That smell of hardwood smoke drifting across the patio used to cost you an afternoon of tending a fire. A wood pellet grill gets you there without the babysitting. Pellets feed from a hopper into a fire pot, a fan carries the smoke around your food, and a controller holds the temperature you set. Smoke a pork shoulder low and slow, bake a pizza, sear a steak on many models, all on one cooker you'll see sold as a pellet grill, a pellet smoker, or a pellet smoker grill. Load it, set it, and go be a guest at your own cookout.
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 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.
What's the Difference Between a Pellet Grill and a Pellet Smoker?
Most people use the names interchangeably, and you'll see pellet smoker grill thrown around too. There's a real distinction worth knowing, because we sell them as two different products built for two different jobs.
What Is a Wood Pellet Grill?
A wood pellet grill looks like a grill and behaves like one. A hopper feeds pellets into a fire pot, they ignite, and a fan pushes heat and smoke through the chamber. That range is the whole appeal: smoke all morning, roast in the afternoon, and on many models sear over open flame come dinner. Some run as hot as 800°F.
What Is a Pellet Smoker?
A pellet smoker is laid out more like an electric smoker, standing upright with rack after rack of capacity, using pellets to do the work a heating element would. It holds low temperatures beautifully for a long smoke. What you give up is the high end and the direct-flame searing a pellet grill gives you.
Pellet Grill Innovations: Wi-Fi, Direct Sear, & Gas Features
Pellet grills have changed fast over the last few years, and three upgrades stand out. Wi-Fi turned the grill into something you can run from the couch. Direct-flame searing answered the one complaint people had about pellet cooking, that you couldn't get a real crust on a steak. And gas burners bolted a second cooker onto the side, so the grill isn't tied up while a brisket takes its time. None of these are standard across the board, so it's worth knowing which ones you actually want before you shop. Here's what each one does on a wood pellet grill.
Pellet Grills with a Sear Station
Some models open the fire pot so you can cook straight over the flame. Pit Boss slide plates crack open with an outside lever and sear at up to 1000°F, and Weber's Searwood runs DirectFlame across the full grate. The Memphis Pro ships a direct flame insert standard.
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. Smoke a brisket on one side while you grill burgers or warm sides on the other, without tying up the main chamber.
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.
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.
How Many Pellets Does a Pellet Grill Use?
Less than you'd expect on a long smoke, more than you'd expect when you crank it. Plan on roughly 1 lb per hour holding low temperatures and 2 to 3 lb per hour at high heat. Traeger rates the Tailgater at 0.5 lb per hour on its smoke setting, and Cookshack rates the Fast Eddy's at 1.2 lb per hour holding 400°F.
Hopper size decides how long you get to walk away. Ours run from 5 lb on compact models to 40 lb on the big freestanding cookers, so an 8 lb hopper covers a weeknight cook while 20 lb carries an overnight brisket without a 3 a.m. refill.
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.
How Do You Clean a Pellet Grill?
Brush the grates while they're still warm, right after you pull the food. That 30 seconds saves you a scraping session later. Empty the grease container before it gets anywhere near full.
Every other cook, let the grill cool all the way down, unplug it, and vacuum the ash out of the fire pot and around the igniter. Ash is what chokes a pellet grill's temperature control.
Every 5 to 10 uses, do a real clean. Pull the grates, drip tray, and heat baffle, degrease them, then check that the lid gasket still seals and the temperature probe is clean. A dirty probe lies to the controller, and a worn gasket makes it fight to hold your heat. If you run all-day smokes often, move that schedule up.
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.
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.
