Last Updated on December 18, 2022
We will keep this pretty simple. Wood pellet grills are incredibly versatile and simple to use. Besides, nothing beats them if you are time-bound and want things done faster.
The fact that they are less messy, easy to clean up, and food safe also makes them stand out over their competitors. They use an electronic thermostat and a unique feeding system to feed in pellets into the smoker.
So, you’d expect them to deliver even, reliable, and predictable heating patterns. But that’s not all about these precious smokers. They make excellent barbeques. That makes investing in a suitable wood pellet grill very tempting.
So, if you are looking for a functional wood pellet grill, this is the right place for you. We’ll feature some of the best wood pellet grills in this guide. Furthermore, we’ll provide you with a detailed buyer’s guide with sufficient information before you put your money on any product.
Let’s begin!
Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill
Z GRILLS ZPG-7002E
Masterbuilt MB20070210 MES 35B Electric Smoker
Our Recommended Best Wood Pellet Grills Reviews in 2020
With countless brands selling different kinds of grills, getting to know which one is the best pellet smoker can be a perplexing decision to make. So, we’ve made a small list for you to check out.
1. Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill
Grills like this one that has an automatic pellet auger dispenser can save you a lot of time. You do not have to worry about transferring the pellets yourself to the auger to get this thing started.
This leads to easy on and off of the machine. Factors like this also make controlling the temperature smoother and easier. We all know how tough getting the grill at the right temperature can be. But this grill allows you to be fully in charge of the heat level.
The clean-out ash features which store the ash in a separate compartment is probably what makes this device the best pellet grill. No need to clean the entire interior of the grill in search of ash. You now get all the ash that is produced in one single compartment.
Camp Chef is a well-known brand that provides high-quality grills. No need to worry about the quality and longevity of the product. You might not even need to think about any upgrades.
If you don’t like to fill up your grill with pellets often, you’re going to love this one. This one has a large capacity when it comes to holding pellets. So, when pellets are filled up once, you can wait quite a while before filling another batch.
With a grilling area of 19.5 x 22 inches, you can grill large portions of meat or vegetables at once. Besides that, the smoking or warming rack is 6 x 24 inches. So you get a lot of space to work with.
To help you move this thing around if needed to change the location or for when you’re moving to a new place, the grill comes with a set of wheels on one side of the stand.
2. Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett WiFi Controlled Portable Wood Pellet Grill
Designed with high tech features and ease of use, this one is easily the grill of the future. The GMG smart control allows you to keep an eye on the grill and monitor the temperature from wherever you are. No need to worry about your food burning when you step inside for a bit.
This app shows you information about the thermostat and the time it has been running for on your phone. This can be a great feature to help prevent accidents if you leave your grill on by mistake.
Medium-sized grills like this are great for small families to cook up a few steaks and hamburgers at once. If you have a limited amount of space for your grill set up, then this one will be one of the best pellet smokers to get.
We must mention that although small in size, the Green mountain grill is not portable. There are no wheels attached to any sides of the grill, and the device itself is quite heavy. You will need to physically lift the grill to change position and carry the set up somewhere else.
But the whole thing does fold into a smaller device that is easy to store. A power supply of 110V or 12V with adapters is needed for three of the power options to run this thing.
Something that works for your benefit is a rack that is provided right beside the grill. So you can keep your cooked food to the side instantly after you’re done cooking. No extra plates needed for this tiny little step. This also helps cool off large pieces of meat like rib racks.
3. Z GRILLS ZPG-7002E | Best Wood Pellet Grill For The Money
We would highly recommend this to anyone who does a lot of outdoor cooking. The Z Grillz ZPG 7002E model features an eight-in-one grill. On this thing, you can grill, bake, smoke, roast, sear, braise, barbeque, and chargrill as well. No need to cook your side dishes separately at home.
Now, you can cook up the whole meal on your grill, a very helpful feature that increases the utility of the device significantly.
New upgrades from the brand now allow you to control the temperature from up to 180 degrees to 450 degrees. This is a wide range that allows you to cook food at any temperature you need. You can also control the pellet feeding system now.
The automatic feed system can now take over the grill for you. Once you have set a temperature that you want to work with, the grill itself controls how much more or fewer pellets are needed.
No need to babysit your grill anymore, you can now enjoy the company of your friends and family without having to check up on the grill every minute.
Besides that, this grill has an auto-start ignition, so there’s less work involved while getting this thing started. The brand has tried to make this grill as stoke as possible while still keeping a few of the fun factors of grilling in.
You also get digital temperature control and the ability to monitor everything on an LCD screen set beside the grill.
A grilling dimension of 19.2 x 26 inches allows you to cook large meals at once. You also get a cooling and smoking rack with similar dimensions. 700 square inches of the total area takes up just the right amount of space for a medium-sized grill.
4. Masterbuilt MB20070210 MES 35B Electric Smoker
Smokers are great for making cured or smoked meat and vegetables. This is a great way to get more flavors into your food without doing much work. You can just put whatever food you want to cure or smoke into the smoker and forget about it. Just check up every two or three hours until your food is ready.
If you want to add some moisture to your meat, you can use the given removable water bowl. This water bowl can also be used to add more flavor and depth to your food. Chrome coated racks, of which you get three, fit right into the shelf and are spaced enough to contain large-sized meat.
There is a built-in temperature gauge. An analog dial lets you control the temperature in the old fashioned way. Also, an adjustable air damper allows you to control the amount of smoke you allow inside so you can get just the right amount of flavor you want.
Being compact and taking up less space is one of the things that make this smoker so great. Perfect for people who don’t have a lot of property area to give out. This can even be placed in any large balcony.
Cleaning out the ash after you’re done cooking is very easy as well. There is a separate tray that holds the wood chips and all the ash that was created for you to slide out and throw away.
Along with this, a grease tray that holds any food drippings is placed on the front side of the smoker. To conclude, the whole machine is easy to clean and not high maintenance at all.
5. PIT BOSS 700FB Pellet Grill
People who love to grill large quantities of food and use up all the space that they can get will love this. This is one of the largest grills that also has the flexibility to be moved if needed. A large grilling space allows you to grill food of any size. Powerful grills like this can take on anything that you throw at it too cook.
Like many other high-performance grills, you can do a lot of activities with just this one tool. Grilling, smoking, searing, baking, all can be done on this. We would describe this as a grill for the whole family. It is large in size and can be used for several hours straight.
Fueled by 100% natural wood, this is the best for curing and smoking food. There are no restrictions on which kind of pellets you can use. Any combinations can be chosen. As these wood chips are quite easily available in any shop, the system is better than gas-operated grills.
Innovative flame broiler makes sure that your food is cooked evenly and quickly. The automated system of this grill does all the work for you. Pellets are released automatically according to the set temperature. So you can chill and stay calm while cooking, and you don’t have to check up on the food so often.
Porcelain-coated grill counter allows you to cook with less oil. As the surface becomes quite non-stick through this feature, you don’t have to load up on the grease while using this one. Wheels set on one side of the grill allow you to move this anywhere you want.
6. Traeger Grills Tailgater 20 Portable Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
This six-in-one grill machine can work for both high-heat fast cooking and low-heat slow cooking. Running on wood chips, this is one of the best tools anyone who loves curing and smoking food could have.
The grill is safe enough to be left on for several hours when needed for slow cooking without the fear of your surroundings catching fire.
Integrated digital elite controller outs you in charge of the temperature. Once you set the grill to a certain degree, the grill itself continues to cook the food at the given temperature. No need for you to add and decrease pellets to control the temperature. Just set the initial temperature you want with the easy-to-use dial provided.
An automated start button also lets you get this grill started with just one push. There is no need for fire starters or charcoal burners. Marketed as a grill on the go, you can easily disassemble this one to fit into your garage or car. There are wheels to assist you with this if the distance you’re moving to is short.
And this does not mean that the grill is small. You get enough space to cook up a meal for about 6 to 8 people at once. 300 square inches of space is more than enough for this. It is great to take to camps and picnics.
Porcelain grills and stray are easy to clean with some water and a wipe. The ashes produced while grilling is also collected in a separate area for you to clean easily. A grill with such benefits will only bring happiness to your home. There’s not much upgrading you need to do, and you get a great deal for the price as well.
7. REC TEC Grills | RT-700
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Grills that can be controlled through your phone are what’s trending nowadays. This is a great feature that lets you keep an eye on your grill when you need to be somewhere else. Thus, it prevents your food from burning, and it lets you know when you’ve accidentally left your grill on.
REC TEC gives you two nonstick mesh mats that you can use if you’re cooking for a small batch or if you don’t plan on using any oil or grease in your meal. This mat can be bought separately for any kind of grill, but this brand gives it to you for free.
An LCD screen shows the running time of the grill and also the temperature controls. Temperature is automatically stabilized by the grill once you have manually set your desired temperature using the knob. So you can say that this smoker is quite easy to use.
A tray at the bottom collects all the wood chips and also ashes that are produced while cooking. Catching grease is also something that this tray can be used for, making your job of cleaning the grill easy. The parts are made with stainless steel so that there is no rust, and hence, the product lasts you a long time.
A steel storage area on the side lets you keep all your seasonings, sauces, and cutleries close to you while cooking.
If portability is something that has great importance to you, we would suggest that you choose this grill with your eyes closed. Besides having great features and being a high-performance grill that is big enough to feed a small crowd, this one is the easiest one to move from one place to another.
Wheels on both sides of the legs of the grill allow you to push this around wherever you want. Did it get too sunny for you to stand outside? Just move the grill to a shade. The grill also does not weigh that much, so if you do decide to move the tool, you can push it around on your own.
8. Country Smokers CSPEL015010497
Although this grill might look small and compact, it can handle any size of meat, fish, and vegetable. Do not let the small and cute size fool you.
If you travel a lot with grills, this will be the smartest option for you. Because although this is a small and easy grill to carry around, there is no compromise in flavor and performance. Besides, you have 191.4 square inches to work with, which is enough for a group of three to four people.
The fuel resource for this grill is a 100% wood chip. You can choose any combination or flavor you want. We would recommend that you get low-moisture or moisture-free wood chips that have a high heat output so that you can get your grill started quickly.
This will also reduce the pressure on your grill and help cook the food better. These kinds of chips are the most compatible with this smoker.
A dial controller is what you’ll be controlling the temperature with. You can go as low as 18- degrees F to 500 degrees F, quite a wide range for such a small grill. Basic and easy-to-use grills like this one are great to have while traveling for quick-cook ups.
Moreover, the black-sand exterior makes the outside of this grill sturdy as well. As this grill was catered towards people who travel a lot, the exterior was made to be okay with any weather conditions. Rust-free material keeps your grill looking brand new for years.
Separate compartment to collect extra wood chip, ash and grease make this grill easy to clean on the go.
What to Look for Before Buying Wood Pellet Grills?
There are some key points and features that differentiate a good grill from a bad one. So, to buy the best wood pellet grills, look out for these functions.
1. Low Ash Content
This is the measurement of heat your grill is giving out. Measured in BTU’s, high-quality pellets will have a reading of 8000 to 8,500 BTUs.
Therefore, your grill will heat faster with less pressure. Besides giving you a hot grill to start cooking on pellets that are moisture-free and have high BTUs, also help keep your grill running for years as the product takes the load off of your machine.
2. Price Factor
Never go for off-brand alternatives when buying a grill by looking at the price. These can be harmful to you and might cause severe accidents as they are not made of high-quality materials.
You can get the best cheap pellet grill in reputed stores that build their grills with good materials. And you don’t want to spend too much on a grill. Remember that, sometimes, you are paying for better quality and safety.
3. Temperature Range
Although cooking on a grill means cooking on high heat, sometimes you will need a steady low temperature. This can come in handy while smoking meat or roasting meat overnight. So, get a grill with a wide temperature range. That way, you have the freedom to cook anything you want at any temperature you want.
4. Position Controller
This factor comes in handy when you want to keep your temperature steady at one particular degree.
5. PID Controllers
As we all know, grills produce a lot of smoke. This is bad for the environment. So PID controllers are mechanisms that make adjustments to the temperature and quality of the smoke to make the smoke a little bit better for the environment.
6. The Quality of Construction
Well-constructed grills will last longer. No one has the time or patience to spend money on daily repairs and maintenance of their grill.
You don’t usually use a grill daily, so it is better to get something that you know was made in the right way. This not only keeps the grill running for a long time but also helps prevent any accidents and mishaps.
7. Cooking Area, Size and Portability
Something that you want to make sure before you make your purchase is whether or not you have enough space for the grill you’re buying.
If you have a smaller area to work with, don’t buy large grills that produce a lot of smoke. Also, try and get grills that can be moved and are portable so you can move the machine around when needed.
8. Thermostat
A thermostat is vital for having control over heat distribution. You’ll be able to adjust the temperature and heat easily on a grill that has a well working thermostat.
9. Don’t Forget about the Pellets
One of the main things that affect the quality of your grill is the kind of pebbles you use. Get low moisture and high-heat output pellets that produce lower amounts of ash for greater heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buying the best pellet smoker is a confusing and tough task given that you have so many options to choose from. Here are the answers to a few of the questions that you might have while making your purchase.
1. Should You Upgrade Or Change Your Wood Pellet Grills?
Answer: You can try upgrading your grill first. Don’t get your mindset on buying another one until you have given your current grill a fair shot. There are many upgrades that you can make to your grill to make the product and performance better.
2. Will Upgrading Solve My Problem?
Answer: Unless you have any external problems, such as buying bad pellets and not having a grill-friendly environment or if you don’t like the current model you have, buying a new grill or upgrading your grill will solve your problem.
3. Do I Know How to Perform This Upgrade?
Answer: A lot of products are available in stores for you to upgrade any part of your grill. These can be bought easily and installed at home as well. You won’t need professional help unless you’re hacking the insides of your grill.
4. When is it the Right Time to Change it Completely and Look for a Better One?
Answer: If you have successfully bought a good quality wood pellet grill, you don’t need to think about making any replacements before five years of usage. After that, if you see any malfunction or disturbance, you might think about purchasing another one.
5. How do Wood Pellet Grills Work?
Answer: Pellets are dispensed to the auger to burn and create heat. The more heat you want, the more pellets you’ll have to burn. This way, a hot surface is created for you to cook on.
6. How to Use a Wood Pellet Grill?
Answer: These grills run on wood pellets. So, buy the type of smoke you want from the pellets, place them inside the storage, and set the grill up with your power system to start the product.
7. Are Pellet Grills Suitable For Smoking?
Answer: Yes. These grills run on pellets so you can easily smoke any type of meat or vegetable you want. The ability to control temperature and position further helps this process.
8. Are Pellet Grills Better Than Gas?
Answer: Wood pellet grills are not good for the environment as they produce a lot of smoke. Even if you have PSI control systems, there will be a bit of damage done. Gas grills are better in this sector.
But when it comes to flavor, nothing beats wood pellet grills. You can add a smoky vibe to your meat, and the food always tastes better. There’s no fun on grilling if a wood pellet grill isn’t used.
9. Can You use Wood Chips in a Pellet Smoker?
Answer: Yes, you can combine wood chips with your pellets to create better smoky heat in your grill. This will add depth and better flavor to your meat and is always recommended.
10. Are Wood Pellet Grills Bad for Your Health?
Answer: The smoke that wood chips create is not good for you or the environment. When you breathe in this smoke, you’re causing harm to your body.
11. What size Cooking Area do You Need?
Answer: Always buy your grill according to the space you have. Grills are available in many sizes, so you’ll find something that fits your space nicely. Buy a grill that is comparatively smaller than the area you have. It is to ensure that you have enough space to move around when you have company.
12. What Is A Good Temperature Range?
Answer: To stay safe, a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F and a maximum of 350 degrees F is recommended. Anything more than that needs to be handled with extreme precaution and care.
13. What to Know About Temperature Control?
Answer: Always make sure that you have full access to temperature control. Never work with too much heat unless needed. Temperatures can be adjusted easily on a good quality grill with a knob.
14. What to Consider about Wood Pellet Grills?
Answer: The material and technique with which the grill is made, compatibility with wood chips, easy temperature control, PSI control, and safety measures are a few of the things that you need to consider when buying wood pellet grills.
Final Words
We have already delved much into wood pellet grills. The cookers we discussed feature a set-it-and-leave-it design that makes using them pretty convenient.Wood pellet grills guarantee barbeques with a rich and exceptionally smoky flavor. They are pretty convenient and easier to use than their charcoal counterparts. These are the reasons why they are currently popular and don’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.Some of the best wood pellet grills that we have in this article include Treager Grills, Pit Boss, Memphis Grills, Camp Chef, and Z Grills ZPG, among other exciting inclusions. Hopefully in this article, you’ll find the ideal one that resonates with your requirements.
- Automatic pellet auger dispenses when needed and shuts down when done
- Upper Rack Area: 141 sq. in. | Lower Rack Area: 429 sq. in. | Total Rack Surface Area: 570 sq. in. |…
- Hopper Capacity: 18 lbs. of pellets
Last update on 2024-11-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API