A pellet grill (also known as a pellet smoker) looks like a normal outdoor grill, but instead of using propane or charcoal, a pellet grill uses compressed hardwood pellets as fuel to produce heat for cooking. It is a hybrid of a grill and smoker, combining the best of both worlds. No other type of grill is able to deliver food with the delicious smokey wood fired flavor like a wood pellet grill. Pellet grills use a digital controller to ensure precise temperature control so you can set an exact cooking temperature and then just walk away. No tending to a fire all night, or scrambling to put on more charcoal. The ease of use, versatility, and varied cooking options make a pellet grill an easy choice for anyone who is looking to cook delicious food without the hassle of dealing with charcoal or wood fired smokers.
How Does a Pellet Grill Work
Pellet grills work by heating all natural hardwood pellets, which burn more completely and efficiently than traditional charcoal or propane grills. The pellets are placed in a hopper on the side of grill, which feeds them into the fire pot. The rate at which they are added to the fire pot is controlled by a corkscrew shaped auger. The fire pot is heated and a fan forces air into the fire pot, igniting the pellets. The heat and smoke produced by the burning pellets provides the delicious smoky flavor that is unmatched in other types of outdoor cookers. Temperature inside the cook chamber is controlled by a digital display on the pellet grill or your phone. The auger automatically adjusts the rate at which pellets are fed into the fire pot to maintain the set temperature.
A pellet grill must be plugged into a normal electrical outlet to power the auger, digital controller and display. Only a very small amount of electricity is used to initially heat up the grill and then power the fan and auger during use. The internal temperature of the cooking chamber is monitored by a digital thermometer. Most pellet grills also come standard with a meat probe that will track the cooking progress of what you are grilling or smoking.
Advantages of a Pellet Grill
The biggest advantage of a pellet grill over charcoal grills and gas grills is convenience. A pellet grill starts up with the push of a button. It quickly comes up to the precise temperature that you selected on a digital display (or on an app on your phone). The grill holds that temperature for as long as you want, just like an oven. Most quality pellet grills offer a wide temperature range, from 175 degrees to 600 degrees. They also offer direct or indirect heat, so you can sear a steak at 500 degrees over a flame, or cook a brisket low and slow at 250 degrees for 12 hours…with the push of button or tap on your phone.
The versatility in cooking options is unmatched with any type of other outdoor cooker, including a gas grill, charcoal grill, offset smoker, or Big Green Egg. There is a reason why the barbecue world has recently been taken over by the introduction of so many different types of wood pellet grills.
Another huge advantage of a pellet grill is flavor. Cooking food on a wood pellet grill results in deep and robust smoky flavors that are unmatched. You can use different woods when you buy pellets for unique flavors to complement what you are cooking. For example, I like to smoke ribs using apple wood pellets, but I prefer hickory to grill steaks, burgers, and hot dogs.
Pellets are also the easiest fuel source to buy and manage. You can have Amazon, Lowes, or Walmart deliver a bag of wood pellets to you door within a day or two. You will no longer have to deal with exchanging propane cylinders or lugging around heavy bags dirty of charcoal.
Different Types of Pellet Grills
There are many different types of pellet grills available on the market for sale. Each type of grill offers different unique features to suit your needs.
Portable Pellet Grills – very small, compact, and lightweight which makes them ideal for camping or tailgating. They typically have a small cooking area, but offer convenience to easily take they with you the game, or on a weekend camping trip.
Premium Pellet Grills – These are larger, more powerful, and feature higher-quality materials and construction. They are designed to provide superior cooking performance, have larger cooking areas and more high tech control features.
Value Pellet Grills – offer good performance at an affordable price. They usually have a smaller cooking chamber, but are still capable of providing great results. They are a great option for those on a budget, but are still looking to grill and smoke food with an easy-to use outdoor cooker.
How to Choose a Pellet Grill That is Best for You
Pellet grills have come a long way in the last five years. There are now over a dozen pellet grill manufactures and close to 100 different models to choose from. It may seem difficult to choose which grill is right for you, but I am here to help. Here are a few of the most common features and questions that you will come across when looking for a pellet grill:
Wifi
Many grills have built in remote thermometers that use wifi to connect to an app on your phone or tablet to monitor the temperature of the cooking chamber and the temperature of your food. Wifi connectivity provides an unlimited range, so you can check the temperature of your brisket when you are at the grocery store or your kids soccer game. Some grills also offer Bluetooth connectivity, but the range is limited to less than 50 feet.
Size (aka Grilling Area)
The grilling area is usually measured in square inches and is the size of the cooking area. The bigger the grilling area the more food you can cook at one time. Many pellet grills offer a primary and secondary grilling area. The primary area refers to the grates directly over the fire pot and heat diffuser. The secondary area is a shelf located above the primary area. The secondary area is great for smoking and cooking foods at a lower temperature, but you cannot sear food on this cooking area
Pellet Hopper Sensor
Many premium models offer a digital sensor in the pellet hopper that will notify you if they hopper is getting low. This feature is excellent and has saved me from running out of pellets on more than one occasion.
Portability
Do you want to take your pellet grill with you on the road?Traeger, ASMOKE, and Z Grills all offer portable suitcase models that weight about 50 lbs that are easily transported. Traeger and Pitboss also make larger models that look more like traditional pellet grills but have folding legs
Searing
The majority of pellet grills offer a temperature range from 175 – 475 degrees. This wide range allows you to grill, smoke, roast, braise, and bake. But if you are looking to sear food over extreme heat, only a few select models currently offer this feature. The secret is not only in providing direct heat, but a way to concentrate the heat into a small area. If this is a critical feature to you you should be focused on looking at the following models, Weber EX 6, Cookshack Fast Eddy PG1000, and the Yoder YS640 (or YS1500).
Warranty
Most pellet grill manufactures offer pretty decent 6 month to 1 year warranties on parties and materials. Some manufactures like Yoder and Cookshack offer phenomenal warranties, up to 10 years. You should review the warranty for the specific model you are considering purchasing.
Best Accessories for Your Pellet Grill
There are a many different types of accessories you can purchase to make your grill experience better. Most, if not all of these products are what I call nice-to-haves, but are not totally necessary. Here is a list of the things I think you should definitely have to keep your pellet grill running like new and also become a better Pellet Griller.
Grill Cover
A grill cover is a must if you are storing your pellet grill outdoors. Its best to keep your grill indoors and away from the elements, but a lot of people cannot do that. Water and moisture are the worst thing for the digital controller. A high quality grill cover will keep water out and your grill protected from the elements.
Wifi Remote Thermometer
Many pellet grills today come with a built in wifi meat probe, but if yours does not, I HIGHLY recommend buying an aftermarket one. These thermometers connect wirelessly to your phone of table over wifi and will monitor the internal temperature of your food for maximum consistency. This information will help you determine exactly the precise moment when your meat is cooked to perfection. There are many different models but I think the gold standard is Thermo Works Signals. Read more about other top performers here.
Grill Brush
A dedicated grill brush is a necessary tool to keep your grill grates looking like new. Its great practice to clean off your grate immediately after you finish a cook. Grill specific wire brushes are designed just for this task. Stay away from wire brushes that are used for concrete or metal work, as the bristles can come free and end up on your grill. Read more about cleaning your pellet grill here.
Pellet Storage Container
A dedicate storage container for your wood pellets protected from the elements and humidity. Traeger makes an airtight pellet container, but I like to use small plastic totes that I can stack. You can used any container you like as long as it is weathertight I label the tote with the unique flavor on the outside to quickly know what is inside for adjusting the flavor profile when I cook.
Pellet Smoke Tube
A pellet smoke tube is a small device that adds extra smoke to the cooking chamber without adding a lot of extra cost. There are a few different designs but essentially the principal is the same, contain pellets in a small area, ignite one end to slowly burn the entire group of pellets in a slow controlled manner. I primarily use the smoke tube when cold smoking cheeses and salmon.
Recommended Pellet Grill Brands
YODER – Made in the USA, Yoder has been building high quality competition barbecue smokers for years and is well-known for high quality. They began manufacturing pellet grills in 2008 and currently offer three models. Each is top of the line and the YS480 is my recommendation for anyone looking to buy a mid sized pellet grill that will last a lifetime.
TRAEGER – Traeger started the pellet grill revolution back in 1986 with the original patent. They have continued to make a wide range of pellet grills and set the bar on quality and features that all pellet grill manufactures are chasing. You can’t go wrong with a Traeger
Z-Grills – Z-Grills is produces feature packed pellet grills that don’t break the bank. They offer many different models from the portable 200A to the massive 1000D. These grills may not be built like a tank like a Yoder, but will still produce delicious food without spending a fortune.
ASMOKE – ASMOKE is a relatively new comer to the pellet grill scene, but I have been very impressed with their grills so far. There portable model AS350 is my go to for camping and tailgating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hardwood pellets are made from compressed sawdust or other wood shavings from hardwood trees such as oak, hickory, apple, and cherry. The sawdust is compressed under high pressure into small pellets that. The natural resin and sap inside the wood provides a natural binder so the pellets hold their shape. Hardwood pellets have been used for many years in the United States, but have become increasingly popular for grilling in recent years.
Pellet burn times can vary depending on several conditions (like the size of your pellet grill and outside temperature), but you can typically expect to burn ½ – ¾ lb of pellets per per hour at 275 degrees. This means that you can reasonably expect a 20lb bag to last around 25 hours at 275 degrees. A 20lb bag will last less time if you are cooking at higher temperatures.
No, pellet grills do not cook food the same was as other grills. Pellet grills use a digital controls and an auger to automatically feed pellets into a fire pot, which slowly burns the pellets. The heat and smoke produced by the burning pellets provides the heat and flavor for grilling. Temperature is controlled digitally on the grill or over wifi (which controls the rate at which pellets are fed into the fire pot).
Traditional propane grills use a gas flame to directly heat and cook food. Gas grills are able to get very hot, but are very bad at controlling temperature. Your typical gas grill only has Hi, Medium, and Low settings. Pellet grills offer much control and versatility than a traditional gas grill.
Anything! Not only can you grill food like hotdogs, hamburgers, and steaks, you can also cook traditional bbq using low temperatures and more smoke. You can smoke ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. You can also use a pellet grill like an oven to braise and roast other meat and vegetables. I also like to put a pizza stone on the grates and cook pizza and sourdough bread.
Yes, a pellet grill uses a small amount of electricity to power the digital controls and auger motor. A pellet grill comes equipped with a normal three pronged plug that will plug into any standard electrical outlet.
Pellet grills are the most versatile outdoor cooker you can buy. There is no question grills are expensive, but traditional gas and charcoal grills can only do one thing…grill. But a pellet grill can grill, smoke, roast, braise, and bake. They are convenient, produce food with a rich delicious flavor, and are better for the environment than using propane. Its a no brainer, pellet grills are definitely worth the money.