Smoke, Sear or Both? Picking the Best Pellet Grill

A pellet grill is an outdoor oven that burns wood. An auger feeds hardwood pellets from a hopper into a small fire pot, a fan pushes the heat and smoke around the cooking chamber, and a digital controller adds pellets to hold the temperature you set. That makes it the easiest way to cook the low-and-slow meats a Mexican kitchen cares about, a barbacoa-style beef cheek or chuck roast, smoked pork shoulder for tacos, a whole chicken for pollo asado, without tending a fire for ten hours.

What a pellet grill does less well is sear. Most of the grills in this guide top out at 450 or 500°F of circulating heat, which browns food but does not char it the way a gas burner or charcoal does. This guide is honest about that: for each grill we list the cooking area, temperature range, hopper, controller and Wi-Fi, whether it has any direct-flame sear option, weight and warranty, as the maker or the Amazon listing states them, and we write “Not stated” where neither gives a figure.

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Quick verdict: which pellet grill to buy

The table compares the five picks we would steer most people toward, one for each kind of cook. All eight grills are reviewed in full after it.

Five pellet grills side by side

Cooking area, temperature range and hopper for our five standout picks, as each maker or Amazon listing states them.

Product images from Amazon. Specifications as stated by each maker or Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best pellet grill

These eight grills cover the choices that actually separate pellet grills: size, how hot they get, whether they can put direct flame on food, whether you want app control, and how much you want to spend. Three brands appear twice because they make distinct models for different cooks. Each pick explains who it suits, the specs that matter, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a pellet grill

Six things decide which pellet grill suits your cooking. Brand matters less than how hot it gets, how big it is and how much control you want.

1. Size: cooking area and footprint

Pellet grill makers quote total area, often including an upper rack that sits close to the lid. For a family of four, around 500 to 600 square inches is plenty; for parties and whole briskets, look at 800 square inches and up. Then measure your patio: the Pit Boss 1300 and Traeger Woodridge are large, heavy machines.

2. Temperature range

The bottom of the range matters for smoking: most start at 180°F, the Ironwood 885 at 165. The top matters for grilling. Most of the grills here stop at 450 or 500°F; recteq’s Patio Legend goes to 700, and the Bullseye to 749. If you want one grill for everything, a higher ceiling makes chicken skin and steak much better.

3. Searing, honestly

A standard pellet grill cooks with hot air moving around the food, like a convection oven. It browns, but at 450 to 500°F it does not char the way a gas burner or a bed of charcoal does. There are three ways around it: a direct-flame option like Pit Boss’s Flame Broiler, a high-temperature grill like the recteq models, or the restaurant method of smoking low and finishing fast in a very hot pan. For that last one, our guide to the best cast iron skillet covers the pan to use.

4. Controller and Wi-Fi

A PID controller adjusts pellets and fan continuously to stay close to the set temperature; recteq and Z Grills say theirs do, and Traeger quotes plus or minus 15 degrees for the Pro 22’s controller. Wi-Fi lets you check and change the temperature from your phone, which is most useful on overnight cooks. It is a convenience, not a requirement: plenty of good barbecue comes off grills without it.

5. Hopper size

The hopper sets how long the grill runs before you refill it. Larger hoppers (24 to 30 lb on the Woodridge and Pit Boss 1300) cover a long smoke without a top-up; a 7 lb hopper on a portable is enough for an afternoon. A hopper clean-out, which the Traeger Pro 22 and Z Grills have, makes it easy to empty pellets before storage or switch from hickory to mesquite.

6. Warranty and build

Warranties here run from three years (Ironwood 885) to five (Pit Boss) and ten (Woodridge); several listings do not state one at all, so check before you buy. Pellet grills have electronic parts, an auger, a fan and an igniter, that can fail, which makes warranty cover more important than on a simple charcoal kettle.

Pellets, fire and food safety

Use hardwood pellets made for cooking, and follow your grill maker’s recommendation; Traeger and Pit Boss both describe their grills as fueled by all-natural hardwood pellets. Keep pellets dry and store them in a sealed bin rather than an open bag. Many cooks use oak or hickory for beef and lighter fruitwoods for chicken; mesquite is strong, so use it in moderation.

Pellet grills are fire appliances. The U.S. Fire Administration’s outdoor fire safety guidance says to use propane, charcoal and wood pellet grills only outside, because indoor use can cause a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. It also says to place the grill well away from siding and deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches, to keep a 3-foot safe zone for children and pets, not to walk away from a lit grill, to clean it after each use to remove grease that can start a fire, and not to store or use a grill on a porch or balcony. That rules out garages, tents and other enclosed spaces.

For doneness, go by a food thermometer. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s safe minimum internal temperatures are 145°F for beef and pork steaks, chops and roasts, with at least a three-minute rest; 160°F for ground meats; and 165°F for all poultry. Low-and-slow cuts such as brisket or pork shoulder are usually cooked well past those minimums so the connective tissue softens; the safety number is the floor, not the target.

How we picked these eight pellet grills

We started from what a working kitchen asks of a smoker: steady temperature over many hours, enough capacity for a full cook, clean-out that does not take an afternoon, and an honest answer on how hot it gets. We then looked at pellet grills from the major brands sold on Amazon in the United States and in stock when we checked, and confirmed each specification on the maker’s own page or the brand’s Amazon listing, writing “Not stated” where neither gave a figure. We left out models that were out of stock or showing very low stock when we checked, including Weber’s Searwood 600 and Searwood XL 600, Traeger’s Pro 780 and Timberline, and Z Grills’ 600D, and we could not find in-stock grills from Camp Chef or Oklahoma Joe’s on Amazon, only covers and parts. We have not cooked on these grills for this guide, and we did not consult outside equipment reviews for it.

Pellet grill questions, answered

What is the best pellet grill for the money?

The Z Grills 700D6 gives the most cooking area with an insulated base and PID controller for the class, but it tops out at 450°F and the listing states no warranty. For more features, the Pit Boss 1300 Navigator adds Wi-Fi, a 30 lb hopper, a Flame Broiler and a 5-year warranty.

Which pellet grill brand is best?

No single brand is best for everyone. On the models here, Traeger offers the longest warranty (10 years on the Woodridge), Pit Boss the only built-in direct-flame option, and recteq the highest temperatures. Pick the model that fits how you cook, then check its warranty.

Can a pellet grill sear a steak?

Only some can do it well. Grills with a direct-flame option (Pit Boss Flame Broiler) or a high ceiling (recteq, 700 to 749°F) can. Grills that stop at 450 or 500°F brown steak but do not char it; finish those steaks in a very hot cast iron pan.

What are the best pellets for a pellet grill?

Food-grade hardwood pellets of the type your grill maker recommends, kept dry. Flavor is a matter of taste: oak and hickory are all-purpose, fruitwoods are milder, mesquite is strong.

Do I need Wi-Fi on a pellet grill?

No. It helps on overnight or all-day cooks, because you can check the temperature and probes from your phone. A simple controller like the Traeger Pro 22’s still holds temperature on its own.

What kind of pellet grill is best?

For mostly smoking, a barrel-style grill with a large hopper, like the Traeger Woodridge. For mostly grilling, a high-heat or open-flame grill like the recteq Bullseye. For both, a grill with a direct-flame option, like the Pit Boss 1300 Navigator.

Our final pick for wood-fired cooking

Buy the Traeger Woodridge if you want one pellet grill for weekend smoking and everyday roasting, with app control and a 10-year warranty. Choose the Pit Boss 1300 Navigator if searing matters, the recteq Patio Legend 600 for the widest temperature range, the Z Grills 700D6 for capacity on a budget, and the Pit Boss 150 to take wood-fired cooking camping. Whichever you choose, keep it outside, keep the pellets dry and cook to temperature.

For the other half of outdoor cooking, a flat top is ideal for tortillas, fajita vegetables and smash tacos; see our guide to the best outdoor griddle, or the best portable outdoor griddle for the road.

Kitting out your grill? See the best pellet grill accessories.

Related guide: Best recteq grill.

Related guide: Pellet grill vs smoker.

Related guide: Traeger vs pit boss.

Smoked and grilled meats belong in tortillas; how to eat fajitas explains how to build them. Or let us do the cooking: see the menu or call to order.