Let's learn a bit about these grills before finding out the best pellet grill. Pellet grills use wood pellets to burn, as their name suggests. Pellets burn hotly, ignite fast, and produce smoke. The majority of pellet grills have a convection fan that distributes smoke evenly throughout the interior of the cook chamber and most come with an electric igniter of some kind. As a result, they heat up quickly, retain their heat well, and quickly return to their original temperature when food is added or the lid is opened. As you can see, they have a few practical advantages over charcoal, wood, and gas, despite the fact that nothing is wrong with any of them.
%product count% pellet grills were put through a variety of regular cooking situations by our testers, who evaluated them on factors including setup simplicity and heat recovery time. After testing, the Weber SmokeFire EX4 excelled over the competition in a number of areas, including value, functionality, and user-friendliness. Continue reading for our complete ranking of the top pellet grills as determined by our tests.
Top picks
Here is the list of the five best pellet grills in 2024, as selected by Nick Peterson.
Best Overall: Weber Smokefire EX4 Wood Fired Pellet Grill
Best Value: PIT BOSS PB440D2 Mahogany Wood Pellet Grill
Best Large Capacity: Traeger Grills Pro Series 780 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
Best Portable: Traeger Tailgater 20 Pellet Grill
Most Durable: Rec Tec RT 700 Wood Pellet Grill
In-depth reviews
Now let’s jump into our in-depth reviews of the five best pellet grills of 2024.
1. Weber Smokefire EX4 Wood Fired Pellet Grill - Best Overall
PRODUCT FEATURES:
Cooking Area: 672 square inches
Dimensions: 33 x 43 x 47 inches
Additional Features: LCD control panel, ash and grease collection system, app-controlled, smoke boost.
Listed price: $1,099
TODAY’S BEST DEALS:
PROS:
Sizeable capacity
Superior thermal retention and control
Simple setup
CONS:
Managing the ash bin can be challenging
Searing can become difficult.
The second iteration of the EX4 grill is the EX4's second generation and it impressed our testers greatly. With excellent ratings for setup, value, and capacity, the Weber easily won the title of the Overall Best. With a temperature range of 200 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, the EX4 shines as both a grill and a smoker. The porcelain enamel surface allows it to have great heat control and, more crucially, retention.
With proper planning, it can fit three briskets for smoking or 13 hamburgers for high-heat cooking in its big 672 square inch capacity. The app connectivity is flexible, enabling you to manage and modify the heat while sending cues for when the meat should be turned. Additionally, it can support multiple things of various thicknesses and weights thanks to independent probes that keep an eye on each item.
2. Best Value: PIT BOSS PB440D2 Mahogany Wood Pellet Grill
PRODUCT FEATURES:
Cooking Area: 518 square inches
Dimensions: 50.2 x 24.02 x 39.8 inches
Additional Features: Bluetooth connectivity
Listed price: $337
TODAY’S BEST DEALS:
PROS:
Superior thermal retention and control that outperform many more pricey models.
CONS:
The cooking area should be slightly expanded
Dome thermometer is incompatible with the control panel.
The Pit Boss is a straightforward, no-frills smoker grill. But that isn't a drawback, though. According to our tests, this grill performs better than more pricey versions in terms of heating retention, time, and temperature recovery. Even though assembly is simple, additional tools are needed. It is a medium-capacity grill with a five-pound pellet hopper and 518 square inches of cooking area.
The 440 can easily handle high heat searing, low temperature smoking, and baking thanks to a temperature range between 180 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Since searing happens by design right next to the firebox, there's a hot area to keep in mind for baking and smoking. Although it lacks built-in connectivity, you can add it if you like by purchasing an add-on device.
3. Best Large Capacity: Traeger Grills Pro Series 780 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
PRODUCT FEATURES:
Cooking Area: 780 square inches
Dimensions: 48.7 x 26.7 x 54.4 inches
Additional Features: a comprehensive yet intuitive control panel, meat probe connectors, and wheels, WiFIRE technology.
Listed price: $849
TODAY’S BEST DEALS:
PROS:
Sizable cooking capacity
Well-rounded serviceable smoker grill
CONS:
Thermal retention and recovery could be improved to enhance overall performance
Some users might prefer Bluetooth connectivity to WiFi.
The Traeger Pro 780 can tackle a great amount of food at an affordable price. It can store up to 34 hamburgers and six chickens. One of its more impressive qualities is the amount of smoke flavor that the 780 imparts onto foods while keeping a modest amount of smoke from leaving the grill. Its control panel and app connectivity provide extremely precise cooking times and temperatures. It works well for grilling, smoking, and baking.
When testers lifted the top to put food inside the appliance at higher temperatures, the temperature plummeted by as much as 90 degrees. It receives high marks for setup and cleanup, and it offers good value for the money.
4. Best Portable: Traeger Tailgater 20 Pellet Grill
PRODUCT FEATURES:
Cooking Area: 300 square inches
Dimensions: 37 x 18 x 36 inches
Additional Features: digital control panel, app connectivity, folding legs, temperature probes.
Listed price: $529
TODAY’S BEST DEALS:
PROS:
Nice portable grill for tailgating, as the name implies.
Digital controls allow for ease of use and minimize errors.
CONS:
Slightly small pellet hopper
Limited capacity (over 450 degrees Fahrenheit is better)
This sturdy grill combines most of the features of bigger models into a portable form. With app connectivity and digital controls, it swiftly achieves set points and holds heat reasonably well. Its highest temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit makes searing challenging, but its eight-pound hopper serves the grill rather well. The grill can accommodate three racks of ribs or two chickens, but because the hopper has a smaller, more portable capacity, it will need to be refilled during prolonged smokes.
The size is misleading, though, as it can accommodate several pizzas or up to twelve hamburgers. The difference between cool and hot temperature zones is marginal, but not big enough to be excluded from our list. We're delighted to say that it is simple to disassemble and clean because it is portable and has to be cleaned before packing.
5. Most Durable: Rec Tec RT 700 Wood Pellet Grill
PRODUCT FEATURES:
Cooking Area: 702 square inches
Dimensions: 41 x 30 x 26 inches
Additional Features: Interior light, 40 lb. hopper capacity, two meat probes, all tools required for assembly, and manuals for digital owner and assembly.
Listed price: $1,199
TODAY’S BEST DEALS:
PROS:
One of the biggest hoppers compared to other listings.
CONS:
Pricey
While the interior accessories of this Rec Tec Grill, such as the fire pot and grill grates, are made of 304 stainless steel, which has a high level of corrosion resistance and is therefore even more durable, its exterior and accessories are composed of stainless steel. Additionally, the warranty period is an amazing six years. In addition to using premium materials, it can produce sear marks by heating up to500ºF , which is unique in the pellet grill classification because most of them only reach a maximum temperature of 400ºF.
The Rec Tec RT 700 is provided with two probes and has app connectivity, which allows you to check the internal temperatures of two different dishes. Additionally, there's no need to be concerned about the lack of pellets in the middle of the cooking process since it has the largest hopper on our list, at 40 pounds.
FAQs
Below are some of the most common questions among best pellet grill buyers.
1. Who is a pellet grill best suited to?
Thanks to its ease of use, a pellet grill can be a great starting point for individuals who are new to the craft of barbecuing or for grillers who desire the flavor of real smoke.
2. Is it okay to use a pellet grill as a regular grill?
The suggested way for a pellet grill is to smoke your ingredients and blend the pellets' flavor into your meat gradually over time.
3. Does a pellet grill heat up rapidly?
One fantastic feature of pellet grills is that they can be used as daily cooking appliances. And some of them have the ability to heat up just as quickly as an oven.
Final verdict
We hope that after reading our reviews above, you’ve had some idea of which one is the best pellet grill that suits your requirements.
There were no subpar pellet grills in this list, but the Weber Smokefire wins out over the Traeger Ironwood due to its precise control over low temperatures, ability to sear food at high heat, and a long list of intelligent design options.
