This definitive guide to the best pellet smokers and grills of 2021 explores everything you need to know to find a pellet grill best suited to your needs, including features to look for, materials and price.
Pellet grills are no longer just for nerds. Invented in the ’80s by the folks who would eventually found Traeger, which remains one of the most popular brands in the category, they work by pushing tiny pieces of compressed would from a hopper and into a firebox under a tray, which is fixed under the grates. Most have onboard computers and fans that regulate temperature, even feeding cooking and temperature data to smartphone apps. It is the only category in grilling to wholeheartedly embrace such technology into even its entry-level products, technology that has made the category as a whole the easiest, most relaxed path to properly smoked meat there is. But as pellet grilling has become more popular, so have the grills that make it happen. From great value to just plain great, these are the best pellet grills and smokers you can buy.
The Short List
Best Overall Pellet Smoker
It’s uncommon that a category’s most popular product is genuinely the best choice for most folks. It’s easy-to-assemble, made of heavy-gauge steel, rarely encounters technical difficulties and operates with more precision than any pellet grill below $2,000. Plus, it’s more pellet fuel-efficient than its competitors and comes in comfortably under the $1,000 mark and is regularly on sale. Traeger’s 575 grill is the benchmark for the pellet grill category.
The 575 features 572 square inches of cooking space, which is enough for small groups and families. If you’re planning to entertain, we recommend buying up to the Traeger 780 which boasts 200 square inches more of grill real estate, which is enough to accommodate larger groups without much issue.
Best Cheap Pellet Smoker
Straight up, shopping for a “cheap” pellet grill isn’t wise. All the grill’s features are flaws when executed poorly or cheaply. Technology, moving parts and Wi-Fi connectivity create more avenues for problems to occur than any other kind of grill. That said, Green Mountain Grill’s Daniel Boone line — specifically the “Choice” line — offers a lifeline. For $500 retail, you get a sturdy grill good guts, but no Wi-Fi, which, in this case, is a good thing. The more flashy features, the more potential problems. It’s still run by an onboard computer and it still holds steady temperatures, you just have less to worry about breaking down mid-smoke. As with most pellet grills, the temperature range is 150 to 500, which is plenty of juice for a long smoke but not quite hot enough to sear a steak properly.
Best Portable Pellet Smoker
Small enough to fold up and throw in the backseat and powerful enough for a 12-hour brisket smoke. Traeger’s Ranger impressed when we reviewed it at launch in 2018, and it remains the standard bearer for portable pellet grilling. The drip tray and porcelain-coated grates are easy to clean, too. One thing to note: it’s small and portable, but not so small and portable to take much further than a car camping trip. It’s still 60 pounds of metal.
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What is a pellet smoker (or grill)?
A pellet smoker is a grill-smoker that is fueled by tiny pellets of compressed wood. Generally, most pellet smokers operate between 150 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and as such are better used for low-and-slow barbecuing and grilled foods that aren’t as reliant on developing a fast sear (e.g. they grill chicken effectively, but are not as proficient grilling steak). Pellet smokers are powered by electricity and much be placed near an outlet (or a generator, if off-grid).
They’re known as both pellet grills and pellet smokers; for the most part, the words are interchangeable, the only exception being pellet-fueled cabinet smokers and whatnot.
How does a pellet smoker work?
Load a pellet grill’s hopper with pellets (most brands claim you need to use their brand-specific pellets, but this is usually not true), calibrate the onboard computer to your desired temperature and walk away for 15 or so minutes. The grill’s computer ignites the firepot at the center of the grill, and begins turning an auger which feeds pellets into it to generate heat and smoke. This process is typically helped along and regulated by a series of interior fans and temperature monitors. For the most part, fire pots are not directly exposed to the grill grates; they’re usually separated by an angled steel plate, which catches dripping grease and feeds it away from the fire pot and into a catch. This means the majority of pellet grills cook with indirect heat, which is why temperatures are lower than their gas and charcoal counterparts.
Are pellet smokers worth it?
In truth, pellet smoker-grills are flawed but still valuable, depending on what kind of cook you are. If you want to grill the perfect steak, pork chop or carne asada, consider a charcoal or gas grill. If you’re interested in smoky ribs, pulled pork, burnt ends, chicken, turkey and really any other meat (or hardier veggies), pellet grills are worth the money, as they effectively eliminate the learning barbequing learning curve associated with manual smokers and smoking on a charcoal grill. The convenience of Wi-Fi controls, which is present in many mid-market pellet grills, accentuates this.
Pit Boss Sportsman 820
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Likely the most popular budget-minded pellet grill maker, Pit Boss consistently offers grills with the space and looks of more premium pellet grills for a couple hundred dollars less. So if this medium-sized back porch pellet grill doesn’t suit your needs it’s wise to browse the company’s many other options in the pellet space.
We recommend the Sportsman 820 because it fulfills its base functions — grilling and smoking — extremely well for the price and size, and comes with a 5-year parts warranty that covers electrical components, ceramic parts, steel parts, wood parts and even the caster rollerblade-style wheels (which we liked). This level of warranty is usually reserved for more expensive grills, or differs from part-to-part. Electrical issues are fairly common in the pellet grilling world, so 5 years of coverage on issues related to the motor or onboard computer is a strong selling point. This specific Pit Boss model does not come with Wi-Fi control, though, so if you’re set on managing your pellet grill from your phone or another controller, consider Pit Boss’s Pro line, sold exclusively at Lowe’s.
Lastly, the number of additional accessories and add-ons available to the Pit Boss customer is a plus, albeit a smaller one. Accessories like a stainless steel wing-smoking rack, sausage hooks and other odds and ends more easily fit the grill to the griller.
ZGrills 1000E
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A pellet grill that does most things well. ZGrills’ 1000E runs in the typical pellet grill range ( 150 to 450 or so) and manages to fit a lot of cooking space into a relatively small grill. Its primary cooking area is only 431 square inches, but there’s also two more racks above it that see the grill’s total cooking area nearly triple that figure (1060 square inches). The short of it: it’s a rib-smoking machine. The space between each rack may not accommodate larger cuts of meat unless you remove one of them, but it can feasibly handle 7 to 8 racks of ribs. It’s also got an extra-deep hopper that holds 20 pound of pellets, which means you spend less time checking on fuel level and more time perfecting your barbeque sauce.
Green Mountain Grills Daniel Boone Prime Plus
The upgraded version of our “Best Cheap Pellet Grill” pick comes with Wi-Fi controls, which takes the pellet grill from a slightly hands-off grilling experience to a completely hands-off grilling experience. The Prime Plus also comes with handy quality of life improvements like a built-in rotisserie, collapsible front shelf and the perhaps the best sleeper grill feature there is: an under-hood light. Its motor and pellet-efficiency is better, too. If you’re struggling to decide between the two, consider how often you might expect to use the grill. If the answer is less than once every other week, the more affordable option should do the trick. More than that, though, the convenience and options presented by the Prime Plus make the few hundred dollar price hike worth it.
Camp Chef SmokePro DLX
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A healthy balance of technology, quality materials and clever design. In line with most quality pellet grills, Camp Chef’s SmokePro operates between 160 and 500 degrees — hot enough to smoke and grill anything other than (maybe) steak. Three quality of life improvements that come standard with the grill: a computer control screen you can actually read, a pellet hopper with a window built-in to see how much fuel is in the grill and a stupid-simple ash cleaning system, which amounts to pulling a small cup away from a trapdoor on the underside of the grill. Unlike other grills in the price range, Camp Chef pellet grills go on sale fairly regularly, too.
Rectec 590
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If you want value in build quality, this is it. Rectec is a direct-to-consumer pellet company that makes its grills for the long haul. Where many companies might throw some chintzy plastic wheels to save a few bucks, Recteq’s are literally for rollerblading. All of the component parts — from the vents to the handles — are stainless steel. It also boasts an absolutely massive (for the grill’s size, at least) 30-pound pellet hopper, which supports more 30 hours of consecutive smoking. Perhaps the biggest selling point, though, is its 4-year warranty, which covers every component in the grill. This is especially uncommon in the pellet grilling space, where the reliance moving parts and electronics makes the grills less reliable over time.
Weber SmokeFire
In 2020, the king of American grilling got into pellet grills for the first time, and after a somewhat unstable launch, it’s begun to come into its own. Along with plenty of Weber standards — sturdy materials, simple assembly, solid warranties, etc. — it also has a superpower almost no other pellet grill has: searing power. Unlike those pellet grills that place a drip tray under the grates that blocks direct heat, the SmokeFire employs the same upside-down, V-shaped heat diffusers its gas grills do, which allows for the heat source to interact more directly with the meat. In practice, it gets about 150 to 200 degrees hotter than 95 percent of other pellet grills.
MAK 1-Star General Pellet Smoker
Only serious pellet grillers need apply. The MAK 1-Star may not look like much, but if you’re ready to invest in this way of grilling, it’s hard to beat. It’s grill is made of alumizined steel, which retains heat far more effectively than regular stainless (it’s what the interior of your oven is made of). Thanks to what the brand calls a “Flame Zone” system, it’s capable of genuine grilling temperatures, unlike the vast majority of pellet grills. It even has a pellet dump chute that allows you to completely empty the 20-pound pellet hopper for cleaning or maintenance.