As a dedicated carnivore, I’ve spent years testing pellet grills and smokers from the leading brands in the industry, searching for those models that will bring versatility and reliability to my BBQ sessions.
I wanted to make an ultimate list of those that ticked all the important boxes, like cooking capacity, build quality, and ease of use, so I finally rounded up the following nine.
Here’s my selection of the best pellet grills and smokers you can get today.
The Best Pellet Grills and Smokers
- Best Overall Pellet Grill and Smoker: Traeger Ironwood 885
- Cheapest Pellet Grill and Smoker: Traeger Tailgater
- Pellet Grill and Smoker for Best-Tasting Meat: Weber SmokeFire EX4 (2nd Gen)
- Most Durable Pellet Grill and Smoker: Recteq RT-700 Wood Pellet Grill
- Best Pellet Grill and Smoker With Storage Cabinet: Z Grills 700D
- Best Portable Pellet Grill and Smoker: Green Mountain Trek Prime
- Best Wireless Pellet Grill and Smoker: Traeger Ironwood 885
- Easiest-to-Maintain Pellet Grill and Smoker: Traeger Tailgater
Top 8 Pellet Grills and Smokers
1 - Traeger Ironwood 885 (Best Overall & Wireless)
Traeger Ironwood 885 produces juicy meat with a rich smoky flavor. This wood pellet grill has a massive cooking area of 885 square inches, so you can fit 45 burgers. This is enough to feed a large party.
The Ironwood 885 has a double-wall construction that ensures excellent heat retention and consistent cooking results. It can grill, bake, and sear.
I liked that the pellet hopper has the Traeger Pellet Sensor that monitors the level of wood pellets. I didn’t have to worry I’d run out of fuel in the middle of cooking.
The pellet grill comes with instructions, and I didn’t have any issues setting it up. The control panel is user-friendly, making it great for grilling newbies.
Finally, this pellet grill has wireless connectivity, so you can set it and forget it and check on your food from the app.
- Wireless connectivity
- Pellet sensors and meat probes
- The trapdoor design makes cleaning easy
- Meat probes for monitoring the temperature
- The Super Smoke setting doesn’t produce a lot of smoke
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 53 x 27 x 47 in
- Weight : 175 lbs
- Grilling area : 885 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 20 lbs
- Temperature range : 165 to 500 degrees
2 - Camp Chef Woodwind 36 (Easiest-to-Maintain)
Camp Chef Woodwind 36 is a Wi-Fi-equipped wood pellet grill, which means you can control it from your smart device.
My favorite part of this pellet grill and smoker is the hopper design. It has a capacity of 226 lbs and a quick empty pellet purge function. I pull on a small knob, and the pellets fall down a chute and out of the hopper.
This made it easy to switch between wood pellets without having to wait for them to burn completely.
I also liked the window at the top of the smoker, which made it easy to check on the pellets without lifting the lid.
Woodwind 36 has ten smoke settings, which is great for smoking different foods. The porcelain-coated cooking grates are easy to clean, and the sidekick burner attachment means you essentially have a smaller second grill.
The sidekick can be heated up to 1,100 degrees, which is great for searing.
- Color LCD screen
- PID for stable temperature
- Ash cleanout system ensures easy cleaning
- No place to hang tools
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 30 x 63 x 49 in
- Weight : 177 lbs
- Grilling area : 1236 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 22 lbs
- Temperature range : 160 to 550 degrees, and 1,100 degrees on the sidekick
3 - Weber SmokeFire EX4 (2nd Gen) (For Best-Tasting Meat)
Weber SmokeFire EX4 delivers consistent results every time. It can heat up to 600 degrees which provides great searing results.
I used it to smoke meat for over 10 hours, and it maintained a consistent temperature during the entire time. The porcelain enamel finish provides excellent heat retention.
This pellet grill has a capacity of 672 square inches, which fits three briskets or thirteen burgers. It’s equipped with wireless connectivity so that you can monitor and adjust the temperature from your phone. The app also alerts you when it’s time to turn the meat.
The pellet hopper spans the back of the grill and can hold 22 lbs of wood pellets, which means you can go long without refilling.
- Stainless steel flavorizer bars for tasty meat
- The pellet hopper has a release door for easy pellet switching
- Side handles and locking wheels make it a portable pellet grill
- Too much ash can accumulate during smoking
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 47 x 43 x 33 in
- Weight : 178 lbs
- Grilling area : 672 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 22 lbs
- Temperature range : 200 to 600 degrees
4 - Z Grills 700D (With Best Storage Cabinet)
Z Grills 700D is a great pellet smoker if the Traeger and Weber are outside your budget. 700D pellet smoker has PID temperature control, which means you’ll have stable temperature during grilling and smoking [1].
This pellet smoker has an auger system with a variable-speed fan, which adjusts the pellet feed rate and the oxygen supply.
The result is a steady temperature. The hopper’s capacity is 20 lbs, which is enough for 33 hours of smoking and 10 hours of grilling at high heat.
The cooking chamber is a Venturi-style design. It creates a burn pot of airflow that ensures the complete combustion of wood pellets. The grill has excellent heat distribution and minimal pellet waste.
Finally, it has a storage cabinet for grilling accessories, which some more expensive wood pellet grills lack.
- More affordable than other pellet grills
- Easy to change pellets
- Huge storage cabinet
- No wireless connectivity
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 48 × 22 × 51 in
- Weight : 144 lbs
- Grilling area : 697 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 20 lbs
- Temperature range : 180 to 450 degrees
"Pellet grills are the fastest-growing segment of the outdoor cooking world. They've become the new backyard go-to because they produce better flavor than charcoal and are more convenient than gas." - Z Grills Official Website
5 - Pit Boss 5-Series Vertical Pellet Smoker
Pit Boss vertical pellet smoker has four cooking decks stacked on top of each other. It has an impressive 1,659 square inches of cooking capacity, so you don’t have to worry about cooking space.
This vertical pellet grill has double-walled insulation, so you can smoke from 150 to 450 degrees. The heat deflector ensures all racks get the same amount of heat for even cooking.
I found the large front window very useful. I could check on the food without opening the pellet smoker and letting out the heat.
The pellet hopper capacity is larger compared to most other pellet grills — 40 lbs. You can cook for up to 24 hours without refueling, which means you can leave the pellet grill to cook overnight.
- Auto-start 300-watt lighter
- Massive pellet hopper
- The vertical design makes the pellet grill fit anywhere
- No high heat option for searing
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 26 x 22 x 53 in
- Weight : 97 lbs
- Grilling area : 901 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 40 lbs
- Temperature range : 150 to 450 degrees
6 - Traeger Tailgater
As the name says, Tailgater is a portable grill. It has easy-to-fold legs and smooth-rolling wheels, so you won’t have any issues with its portability.
Tailgater is a versatile pellet grill. It can grill and smoke, and you can even use it for longer smoking sessions.
The cooking space is smaller than many other pellet grills on this list at 300 square inches. However, this is enough to cook a few racks of ribs at once, 12 burgers, and several pizzas.
It’s more affordable than other pellet smokers, and you get digital controls and app connectivity, so you can control it without having to be close to the grill.
The only thing I wish Traeger would improve is the maximum temperature because 450 degrees just isn’t high enough for searing.
- Portable pellet smoker
- Has temperature probes and app connectivity
- Doesn’t produce much ash, so it’s easy to clean
- 8 lbs pellet hopper requires frequent refilling
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 36 x 37 x 18 in
- Weight : 62 lbs
- Grilling area : 300 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 8 lbs
- Temperature range : 185 to 450 degrees
7 - Pit Boss Sportsman 820 Wood Pellet Grill
Pit Boss Sportsman 820 gives excellent value for money. It’s well-built and is one of the rare pellet grills with extra shelves, a spice rack, and even a bottle opener.
This pellet grill has 8-in-1 cooking versatility. You can smoke, braise, grill, bake, roast, char-grill, barbecue, all in one pellet grill.
The smoker has a dial-in digital control board that works with meat probes. You can check the meat’s doneness and fuel level and adjust cooking temperatures without opening the lid. Just set the temperature, and the pellet grill will do all the work.
892 square inches of the cooking area provide good capacity. You can even choose between indirect and direct flame grilling thanks to the slide plate flame broiler, which is great for searing or direct grilling at 1,000 degrees.
- 8-in-1 cooking versatility
- Removable shelves provide more prep space
- Grease management system for easy cleanup
- Wi-Fi connectivity is only available if you upgrade
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 8.2 x 32.2 x 52.2 in
- Weight : 157 lbs
- Grilling area : 849 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 21 lbs
- Temperature range : 180 to 500 degrees
8 - Recteq RT-700 Wood Pellet Grill (Most Durable)
Recteq RT-700 pellet grill is made of high-quality stainless steel. It has more stainless steel than other pellet grills in its range, with almost all parts, including grill grates, made of steel.
This means this pellet smoker is extremely durable. It can withstand high heat and different weather conditions.
The cooking area is 702 square inches, which is enough to cook large meals in one setting.
The pellet smoker is Wi-Fi enabled, so you can control it from your phone while away. It allows you to adjust the temperature and monitor the food remotely.
You can smoke, bake, sear, grill, and even dehydrate on this pellet grill for 40 hours, thanks to the large-capacity pellet hopper.
- Can smoke for 40 hours
- Reaches 700 degrees for searing food
- Extremely well-built
- No seal or latch on the hopper lid
Quick Facts:
- Dimensions : 56 x 32 x 50 in
- Weight : 40 lbs
- Grilling area : 702 square inches
- Hopper capacity : 40 lbs
- Temperature range : 180 to 700 degrees
Pellet Grills and Smokers Buyer’s Guide
Here’s a list of things to keep in mind while you navigate your way through the best pellet grills and smokers.
1. Cooking Capacity
Before deciding on the best pellet smoker for you, think about how many people you will cook for. Do you often entertain, or will you use it for cooking for a small family? Do you plan to cook large cuts or a few burgers?
If you plan to cook for a few people or have limited space, go for pellet smokers with a smaller cooking area.
Tip: Pay attention to the secondary cooking area. This is usually another rack above the main cooking area. It gives you more cooking space, but these raised grates aren’t exposed to heat the same as the main space, so they aren’t ideal for high-heat cooking. Make sure the grill is able to distribute the heat evenly across the main and secondary areas for consistent results.
2. Wi-Fi Connectivity
Most pellet smokers on this list have Wi-Fi connectivity. This means pellet grills have a computer in them. The Wi-Fi technology monitors and controls the pellet grill temperature from anywhere, as long as there’s an Internet connection.
Some companies have an app you download and control the pellet grills from there. Some apps, such as Traeger, have recipes with included temperatures, which is great for grilling newbies.
Overall, Wi-Fi connectivity means you don’t need to check on the food. You can relax or entertain and get alerts on your phone when the meat is cooked or the hopper needs pellets.
Read More: Best WiFi Pellet Grills & Smokers
3. Pellet Hopper Capacity
The pellet hopper on pellet grills is the container that holds woold pellets so the auger can take them to the fire pot. The size of the pellet hopper on pellet grills determines how long you can cook without having to refill.
Some pellet grills have a capacity of 40 lbs which gives you 40 hours of cooking time at standard cooking temperature. Most pellet grills have a capacity of 20 lbs which is enough for about 20 hours of cooking.
Note: If you live in a cold climate, pellet grills will use more pellets to maintain the desired temperature, which means more refilling. A larger hopper capacity is a good idea in this case.
4. Build Material
You should check the build material inside and outside the pellet grills. Best pellet grills will have stainless steel components, such as the fire pot, cooking grates, and drip pan.
This ensures they can withstand and maintain high temperatures, are rustproof, and will last a long time.
Powder-coated steel is a good alternative, but keep in mind it’s not the best material in high-moisture areas and will rust.
Cast-iron porcelain-coated grill grates are also a good investment, as they can spread the heat evenly, have good heat control, and are easy to clean.
5. Temperature Range
Pellet grills work similarly to ovens: You set the desired cooking temperature, and the grill maintains it by feeding pellets to the firepot. This is why you should check the temperature range.
If you plan to do low and slow smoking, you need a pellet grill and smoker than can go down to at least 180 degrees. But, if you plan to sear meat, you need a grill with a maximum temperature of at least 500 degrees.
Tip: Check the temperature increments the grill has. This gives you great control over the pellet grill.
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Which Pellet Grills/Smokers Offer the Best Warranty?
When it comes to pellet grills and smoker warranties, we will cover the companies that really stand out.
All of these companies offer solid warranties on their pellet grills that cover a wide range of parts for an extended period of time. They also all have good customer service ratings.
However, they do have some differences in their warranties.
1. Traeger Grills
Traeger offers a 3-year warranty on all pellet grill parts against defects and workmanship errors under regular use. It is important to note that this is for personal use only. Under commercial use, the warranty is only for one year.
Traeger also expects you to use only pellets that are compatible with their smokers. That may mean Traeger branded wood pellets only since other brands may clog the augurs in their pellet grills.
Traeger does not cover shipping or labor costs associated with the repair. Shipping can add up to nearly the complete pellet grills worth for their full-sized pellet grills. And labor can do the same for a portable grill.
Read More: Best Traeger Grills Reviewed in Detail
2. Camp Chef Grills
Camp Chef offers a 3-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship on its pellet grills. This includes parts and labor. Camp Chef calls it a 'no-hassle' warranty, but paint and exterior coatings are not covered.
3. Weber Grills
Weber provides a 3-year warranty on cooking grates, the heat baffle, the burn pot, the pellet slide, and the electrical controller components of its pellet grills.
The rest of the wood pellet grill has an even more impressive 5-year warranty, including parts like the firebox, lid, etc. This is more than the budget pellet grill brands and more than most pellet smokers overall.
4. Pit Boss Grills
Pit Boss pellet grills have a 5-year warranty on the grill structure, meaning the firepot, burn grate, sear box, and augur.
Pit Boss does not guarantee the cosmetics of their pellet grills - meaning that the powder coat and paint are not covered.
Additionally, corrosion and rust are not covered unless they lead to structural failure.
Simple oxidation due to weathering is not covered for portable grills or a high-end pellet smoker with stainless steel construction.
5. Z Grills
The Z Grill company provides a 3-year warranty that is pretty standard for most pellet grills.
It covers defects in materials and workmanship on pellet cookers but not corrosion, rusting, or normal wear and tear.
FAQs
What Is the Best Brand of Pellet Grills?
The best brand of pellet grills is Traeger. The pellet grill market is very competitive, but Traeger pellet grills are high-quality, built with stainless steel, and provide Wi-Fi connectivity for easy control.
Is It Worth Buying a Pellet Grill?
Yes, it’s worth buying a pellet grill. They are more expensive than a gas or charcoal grill but have precise temperature control and can bake, smoke, sear, braise, and more. Moreover, pellet and smoker grill combos provide delicious smoke flavor.
Is a Bigger Pellet Grill Better?
Yes, a bigger pellet grill is better if you have a large family to cook for or if you entertain a lot. Keep in mind bigger pellet grills need more pellets to heat them, which means a higher expense.
How Long Do Pellet Smokers Last?
Pellet smokers last from 6-10 years before needing to be replaced. However, with proper maintenance, some pellet smokers can last even longer. The key to prolonging the life of your pellet smoker is to make sure that it's always clean and well-maintained.
What Does a Pellet Grill Warranty Not Cover?
A pellet grill warranty will often not cover:
- normal wear and tear
- labor to install a replacement part
- paint defects
- accessories like shelves or covers
- modifications or non-standard parts
- corrosion or oxidation
- shipping a returned product
What’s the Best Pellet Grill for You?
Pellet grills and smokers are more expensive than a gas grill or a charcoal grill, so you need to be careful when choosing the best pellet smokers for you.
After reviewing some of the top models out there, I’ve decided to give my vote to Traeger Ironwood 885. It produces a delicious smoke flavor and has a large cooking area of 885 square inches, so you can cook for many people at once.
The construction on this pellet grill is high-quality. It is made of stainless steel and has a double-wall construction.
The grill can retain the internal temperature, so you always have consistent cooking results. Finally, it has Wi-Fi technology and a meat probe, which make use super easy.
Traeger Ironwood 885 (Best Overall & Wireless)
Our #1 Recommendation
- Wireless connectivity
- Pellet sensors and meat probes
- The trapdoor design makes cleaning easy
- Meat probes for monitoring the temperature
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