Choose a pellet grill by its controller, which decides how steadily it holds the heat, its build, which decides how well it holds that heat in wind and cold, and a grate and hopper big enough for your cooks. Then read the warranty: pellet grills score lower to last than most grills we test, and on our scores paying more does not change that.
Step 1: the controller
The controller is the brain of a pellet grill. It reads a temperature probe inside the grill and decides how fast to feed pellets and run the fan. It is the single part that most decides how a pellet grill cooks.
A basic controller feeds pellets on a fixed cycle, so the heat drifts above and below what you set. A PID controller makes many small corrections and holds within a few degrees. Many newer grills use one; look for "PID" in the specs.
Basic controllerPID controller
Wi-Fi or an app is a convenience, not a cooking upgrade: it lets you watch the temperature and change it from indoors. Worth having for overnight cooks; skip it if you would rather save the money and the extra part.
Step 2: the build
- Thick steel, or double walls. Thin walls lose heat in wind and cold, and the grill burns more pellets fighting it. Insulated or double walled grills hold steadier through winter.
- A lid that seals. Smoke and heat leaking from the lid and hopper mean uneven heat and wasted pellets.
- A way to sear. Pellet grills cook with indirect heat, so most top out around 450 to 500 F with a mild crust. A slide plate that opens to the flame, or a separate sear zone, fixes that.
- Easy cleanout. Ash collects in the firepot and must be cleared every few cooks. A trap door or ash cup saves using a shop vacuum.
Step 3: grate and hopper
The pellet grills we have scored offer 176 to 630 square inches of main grate, and the typical one 540: room for a whole brisket or three or four racks of ribs. Small portables suit two people and tailgates; go large if you smoke for crowds.
A typical hopper holds 20 lb of pellets. A pellet grill burns roughly 1 to 2 lb an hour when smoking and more when it runs hot, so a full hopper covers a long cook. If you smoke overnight, check the hopper is at least that size, or plan to top it up.
Are pellet grills worth it?
For easy smoking, yes. Pellet grills score 8.7 for Ease of Use, among the easiest cookers we test. The catch is how long they last. They average 7.0 for Long-term Reliability, against 7.4 for every grill we score. That puts them fourth of the 6 kinds in our guide to how long grills last, ahead of only gas griddles and electric grills, and their typical warranty runs 5 years. An auger motor, a fan, an igniter and a control board are four parts that can fail.
Does paying more buy a pellet grill that lasts? Here is the average reliability score of the 18 pellet grills we have priced, by price band, with every grill we score for comparison.
Every price band stays below the all grills average, and the overall score moves by only 0.11 from band to band. So buy a pellet grill for how it cooks and the warranty it carries, not its price: the parts that fail are much the same on a cheap one and a dear one, and all of them can be replaced.
Our picks
See every pick in our best pellet grills.
Questions people ask
- Is Wi-Fi worth it on a pellet grill?
- For long or overnight cooks, it is handy: you can check and change the temperature from the house. It does not make the food better, and it is one more thing that can stop working.
- Can a pellet grill sear a steak?
- Not as well as gas or charcoal, unless it has a direct flame plate or a sear zone. Many owners smoke the steak first, then sear it hard in a cast iron pan or on a hot grill.
- How many pellets does a pellet grill use?
- Roughly 1 to 2 lb an hour at smoking temperatures, and more at high heat, in cold weather or in wind. A 20 lb bag covers about a day of smoking.
- Can you leave a pellet grill out in the rain?
- Not uncovered. Wet pellets swell and can jam the auger, and water harms the controller. Use a fitted cover and keep the hopper dry, or empty it before storms.
- How does a pellet grill work?
- An auger feeds pellets from the hopper into a small firepot, and the controller runs the auger and a fan to hold your setting. Our guide to how a pellet grill works has a cutaway.