Best Pellet Grills

The Z Grills 7002C3E is the value pick of the popular 700 series - 697 sq in of two-rack cooking space, a 28 lb hopper, and an upgraded PID 3.0 controller with dual meat probes, at a price hundreds below the name-brand pellet grills it competes with.

The Smoque is Weber's 2025 answer to the entry-level Traeger, and it deliberately does less than the Searwood to cost $300 less: no direct-flame searing, no 600F mode, just a smoker-first pellet grill that nails the fundamentals. Reviewers and early owners consistently rate its smoke flavor ahead of equivalently priced Traegers - the SmokeBoost setting and SmoqueVent circulation produce visibly better smoke rings and bark - and the Rapid React PID recovers temp fast after lid opens. The porcelain-enameled barrel (the same coating Weber kettles wear for decades) and 5-year warranty make the hardware feel more durable than the sheet-metal norm at this price, and the enclosed grease-plus-ash drawer is genuinely tidy. Trade-offs are real: 500F max with no sear zone means steaks finish better on a separate grill, 594 sq in is one-brisket territory, the single-position upper rack limits tall cooks, and Weber Connect - though improved - still draws occasional app-pairing complaints carried over from the SmokeFire era. Against the $799 Traeger Woodridge you're choosing more smoke flavor and simpler controls over Traeger's bigger 860 sq in and accessory ecosystem.

The Traeger Ironwood 885 is a WiFi-connected wood-pellet grill and smoker from Traeger, the company that popularized pellet grills. It uses the D2 direct-drive controller and WiFIRE app for hands-off cooks. Traeger has moved it to its Legacy Grills line — still sold new on traeger.com, but the current equivalent is the Ironwood XL.

The Traeger Pro 575 is Traeger's best-selling entry-level WiFi pellet grill, using the D2 controller and WiFIRE app. It's the model most people picture when they think 'Traeger.' Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Traeger Woodridge.

The Weber Searwood 600 is Weber's 2024 pellet grill that finally fixed the SmokeFire's sins - a 180-600°F range, DirectFlame searing, manual offline mode, and a Rapid React PID controller at a sharper price. owner discussions's pellet crowd calls it the redemption arc.

The Traeger Woodridge Pro is the 2025 replacement for the aging Pro series - 970 sq in, a 24 lb hopper with pellet sensor, Super Smoke mode, and a 10-year warranty at $1,000. Reviewers call it the biggest upgrade to Traeger's entry lineup in years.

The Westwood is the model Traeger built to replace the Pro 575 at the bottom of the line, and it is now the cheapest WiFIRE grill the company sells. It gives up the Woodridge's 500°F ceiling, 24 lb hopper and Super Smoke mode, capping out at 450°F with an 18 lb hopper and a plain digital controller. What it keeps is the part buyers actually came for: app control, a wired probe, the P.A.L. accessory rail and a two-tier 653 sq in chamber.

The AS350 is the smallest real pellet grill in this catalog: 256 sq in, 49 lbs and a 4 lb hopper, aimed at apartment balconies, campsites and boats. ASMOKE's pitch is its ASCA system, which injects steam into the chamber to keep food from drying out at the low pellet volumes a small burn pot produces. A DC variant, the AS350DC, runs off a rechargeable battery for about $50 more — the only way to run a pellet grill away from an outlet.

The current-generation Ironwood replaced the discontinued Ironwood 885 in Traeger's lineup, trading raw cooking area for a dual-wall insulated barrel, a color touchscreen, and Smart Combustion tech that owners consistently say holds temps within a few degrees even in wind and cold. The EZ-Clean ash keg is the sleeper feature — cleanup drops from a shop-vac session to emptying a bucket. The honest knocks: at $1,800 you're paying a steep premium over a Woodridge Pro that cooks nearly as well with more space, the 500F ceiling still won't sear like a gas grill or a Weber Searwood's 600F, and Traeger's smoke profile stays on the mild side unless you lean on Super Smoke and 225F cooks. Some owners report WiFIRE connectivity drops and occasional startup temp overshoot, and the induction fan is audible. But as a set-and-forget smoker with genuinely modern controls and a 10-year warranty, it's the best-sorted mid-size Traeger yet — just know you're paying for polish, not capacity.

The Woodridge is the grill that finally retired Traeger's ancient Pro Series platform — it's the true successor to the Pro 575/780, and at $799 it undercuts them while fixing their two biggest complaints: cleanup and hopper size. You get 860 sq in (more than the old Pro 780), a 24 lb hopper with a clean-out chute, WiFIRE, a wired probe, and the same EZ-Clean ash keg as the $1,800 Ironwood, all under a 10-year warranty. owners call it the best value Traeger has ever shipped, with steady temps from the new digital controller. The honest trade-offs: no Super Smoke mode (that's the $1,149 Woodridge Pro), no pellet sensor or side shelf, and like every Traeger it tops out at 500F with a mild smoke profile — Camp Chef's Woodwind and the Weber Smoque both produce noticeably more smoke flavor. Early-batch owners reported some app-pairing friction and thin-ish lid steel. If you want the Traeger ecosystem without flagship pricing, this is the one to buy; if you mostly chase heavy smoke, look at the Pro trim or a competitor.

The top of the Woodridge family and the only one with a gas side burner. Chamber, hopper and controller are identical to the Woodridge Pro Plus — 970 sq in across two racks, 24 lb hopper, 500°F ceiling — so the entire $400 step up buys the burner plus the enclosed cabinet. It sits at the same $1,800 as the Ironwood, which trades the burner for a touchscreen, pellet sensor and a sealed chamber.

The Traeger Timberline XL is Traeger's top-of-the-line flagship pellet grill, with a fully insulated double-wall body, induction side burner, and a touchscreen controller. It's aimed at serious enthusiasts.

Traeger's tabletop pellet grill — a legless box meant to sit on a truck gate or picnic table rather than stand on its own. It runs the same Digital Arc controller and 8 lb hopper as the Tailgater but only 176 sq in of grate, and it ships with a cast iron griddle insert that the Tailgater does not include. Its 60 lbs is heavy for a tabletop, which is the one thing buyers consistently do not expect.

Traeger's folding-leg portable, and the larger of its two. It runs the Digital Arc controller rather than a WiFIRE board, so there is no app and no Super Smoke — you set a temperature on the dial and the grill holds it. The 300 sq in grate takes two chickens or three rib racks, which is more than most portables and enough that people buy it as a small patio grill rather than only for tailgates.

The smaller of Traeger's two flagships: 880 sq in across three racks in a stainless cabinet, with an electric induction cooktop built into the left side and a soft-close lid. It ships with two wired probes and two Traeger x MEATER wireless thermometers. The only difference from the $4,000 Timberline XL is chamber size — 880 sq in against 1,320.

The Ironwood XL is the standard Ironwood stretched from 616 to 924 sq in; controller, touchscreen, sealed chamber, pellet sensor and grease keg are all identical. Against the Timberline above it, it gives up the third rack, the induction side cooktop and the stainless build for $1,500. Against the Woodridge Elite at the same money, it trades the gas burner for the touchscreen controller and the better-sealed chamber.

The redesigned Woodwind — black lid over a stainless body — is the only pellet grill Camp Chef currently lists on its own store. Its distinguishing feature is Slide and Grill: pull a knob and the heat diffuser slides aside, exposing the fire for direct-flame grilling at 650°F while the chamber itself runs 160–500°F. It ships with four meat probes, a full-color WiFi PID controller and a pull-knob ash cleanout into a removable cup.

The Green Mountain Grills Ledge Prime 2.0 is the successor to the popular Daniel Boone, a mid-size WiFi pellet grill that runs on 12V direct power and spans a wider temperature range than most rivals - from a 150°F cold-smoke setting up to a 550°F sear.

The Pit Boss Pro Series 1150 is a value-focused WiFi pellet grill sold through Lowe's, featuring a sliding Flame Broiler plate for direct-flame searing and a digital PID controller. Pit Boss is owned by Dansons. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Pit Boss Pro Series V3 1150. (Original Pro Series 1150 replaced by V2 (10576) then V3 (10980/PB1150PS3) at Lowe's; V3 sells ~$699)

The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is a WiFi pellet grill with a reinvented Smoke Box that lets you burn wood chunks, chips, or charcoal alongside pellets for real-wood smoke flavor. It's a favorite of smoke-flavor purists.

The Weber SmokeFire EX6 is Weber's WiFi pellet grill, notable for reaching 600°F to sear and using a steep-walled firebox for direct grilling. The 2nd-gen revision fixed many early reliability issues. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Weber Searwood XL 600.

The Yoder YS640s is a 315 lb pellet smoker welded from 10-gauge American steel in Yoder, Kansas, with the FireBoard-based ACS controller and true direct-flame grilling. On BBQ forums it's the buy-once-cry-once pellet grill.

The Recteq Backyard Beast 1000 is the successor to the beloved RT-700 'Bull', pairing 1,014 sq in of stainless cooking space with a dual-band WiFi PID controller and a class-leading 180-700°F temperature range that lets it sear as well as it smokes. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Recteq Backyard Beast 1200 (RT-1200BB). (RT-1000 discontinued; Backyard Beast 1200 replaces it (and the Flagship 1100) at $1,199.99, frequently on sale at $1,049.99. No verified non-Amazon rating for the discontinued RT-1000)

The Recteq Deck Boss 590 is the mid-size workhorse of Recteq's lineup, bringing the same 180-700°F WiFi PID controller and stainless build as its bigger siblings in a family-friendly 590 sq in footprint that fits comfortably on a standard deck or patio. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Recteq Deck Boss 900 (RT-900DB). (RT-590 lineage: Deck Boss 590 -> Deck Boss 800 -> Deck Boss 900 (introduced 2026) at $999.99. No verified non-Amazon rating with sufficient count for the discontinued 590)

The Bullseye is the odd one in the Recteq line: a 22-inch kettle-shaped pellet grill that runs the fire directly under the grate instead of over a heat deflector. That is how it reaches 749°F when every cabinet pellet grill stops at 500–700°F. The trade is that it smokes less well than a Deck Boss, and the base RT-B380 is the non-WiFi version — the $949 Bullseye Deluxe RT-B380X adds WiFi and an 18 lb hopper.

The Deck Boss 900 is what Recteq put in place of the Deck Boss 590, and it is a bigger grill than that name swap suggests — 956 sq in against the 590's 592. It keeps the 304 stainless firepot and drip pan, cast iron heat deflector and the PID controller, and the HotFlash ceramic igniter rated past 100,000 cycles. It sits below the Backyard Beast 1200 mainly on hopper size, 18 lb against 30.

The Backyard Beast 1200 replaced the Backyard Beast 1000 and gained both grate and hopper: 1,220 sq in with the sliding second rack in, fed by a 30 lb hopper good for about 30 hours. Stainless runs from the cooking chamber through the firepot, drip pan and the bull-horn handles, with a cast iron heat deflector underneath. Against the Deck Boss 900 below it, the step up is capacity, hopper and two more years of warranty.

The Flagship 1600 is the current top of Recteq's main cabinet line, replacing the RT-700 and RT-1250 generation that our catalog's era of Recteq grills came from. It holds 1,667 sq in with the second shelf, a 40 lb hopper — a whole bag of pellets, about 40 hours — and 304 stainless grates. Everything below it in the line uses the same PID controller and 180–700°F range; the Flagship buys capacity, grate material and the bull-horn stainless build.

The DualFire 1200 is a two-chamber pellet grill: about 900 sq in of indirect smoking space on one side and roughly 300 sq in of direct-flame grilling on the other, each with its own fire and its own set point. That is the feature no other mainstream pellet grill has — you can hold 225°F on a brisket and sear at 700°F at the same time without moving anything. It carries a 70 lb hopper, the largest in Recteq's line.

The FB2 line is the no-WiFi tier Pit Boss built when it retired the Pro Series, and the 700 is its middle size. The chamber runs 180–500°F on a digital board with 5°F steps, but the feature that defines every Pit Boss is the Flame Broiler lever — slide it and the heat deflector opens, exposing the firepot for direct-flame searing the company rates to 1,000°F. Two porcelain racks, 21 lb hopper, one probe included and a second port.

Sportsman is the hunting-and-outdoors trim of the Pit Boss line, and the 850 is its core size — 849 sq in, 21 lb hopper, WiFi and Bluetooth, one probe included. It adds connectivity and a hammertone finish over the FB2 700 below it while keeping the same 180–500°F range and the Flame Broiler lever for direct-flame searing. Against the Navigator 850 at $50 more, the difference is styling and prep space rather than capability.

Navigator is the premium end of the current Pit Boss line — tapered legs, a fold-down prep shelf, a gravity hopper cleanout and a removable undermount burn pot for ash removal. The 1300 carries 1,329 sq in on a 30 lb hopper with two probes included. Everything mechanical below it in the line is the same: 180–500°F, 5°F increments, Flame Broiler lever for direct-flame searing.

The largest grill Pit Boss currently sells and the direct replacement for the Pro Series 1600. It is the Navigator 1300 stretched to 1,593 sq in on the same 30 lb hopper, same controller, same 180–500°F range and same Flame Broiler lever. The hopper not growing with the chamber is the one spec worth noticing — more grate on the same fuel supply means shorter unattended runs when the grill is full.

The Trek is GMG's portable, and it runs off a 12V car battery as well as household power — that is the whole point of it. It carries 219 sq in on the main grate plus an upper rack, a 9 lb hopper, and the same 150–550°F range and PRIME app as the full-size Ledge and Peak. At $399 it is also the cheapest WiFi pellet grill from a known brand.

The Peak is the top of GMG's three-grill line, above the Ledge our catalog already carries. It brings 658 sq in on the main grate plus an upper rack and a 20 lb hopper, on the same 12V direct system, PRIME app and 150–550°F range as the Trek and Ledge. GMG sells a rotisserie kit and a SideBurn propane burner that fit it, both as separate accessories.

Z Grills' entry model, refreshed for 2026. It keeps the thing that makes the brand worth listing at all — a genuine PID 3.1 controller — at a price where Traeger and Pit Boss both ship simpler boards. 459 sq in, an 18 lb hopper with a cleanout door for swapping pellet species, two meat probes and a grease bucket. There is no WiFi at this tier; that starts at the 700-series.

The Multitasker is Z Grills' answer to cold-weather cooking: a fully insulated dual-wall chamber with a full-length lid gasket, which the company says cuts pellet consumption by up to 40% in winter. It runs the Z-Ultra PID 3.1 controller over WiFi, holds 1,068 sq in and a 28 lb hopper, and ships by truck freight. The 7052B is the same grill at 709 sq in for the same $1,399.

The XL 600 is the 36-inch version of the Searwood 600 already in the catalog: the same DirectFlame sear system, Weber Connect controller and 600°F ceiling, in a chamber that holds 972 sq in across two racks instead of 600. The extra width is the point — the top rack lifts out to leave 11.5 inches of headroom for a turkey or a pair of pork butts. Hopper capacity stays at 20 lb and the burn pot is unchanged, so cook times and pellet consumption scale with load rather than with chamber size.

The Silverbac is Grilla's barrel-style workhorse and the model owners put up against the Recteq Deck Boss and Camp Chef Woodwind. The 2.0 revision, which replaced the Silverbac Alpha Connect, reshapes the body to take less deck space, adds probe ports and raises the hopper from 20 lb to 33 lb — among the largest on any pellet grill under $1,500. Double-wall insulated construction is standard rather than an upcharge, which is the specification that separates it from most barrel grills at this price.

The Chimp is Grilla's folding-leg tailgate pellet grill, replacing the original Chimp with the same Alpha Connect 2.0 WiFi controller the full-size Silverbac runs. Where the Traeger Ranger and Tailgater give up app control and insulation to hit their price, the Chimp keeps both: double-wall construction, a 15 lb hopper and 460 sq in over two racks, in a 90 lb package on folding legs. That makes it the rare portable that can hold 225°F outdoors in cold weather.

A vertical pellet cabinet, not a pellet grill with a lid — five racks stacked in an insulated cabinet with an auger-fed burn pot at the base and a chimney above, so heat and smoke rise past every rack in sequence. That is the opposite of a horizontal pellet grill, where a diffuser plate spreads heat sideways. This is Pit Boss's replacement for the Copperhead 3-Series name and carries a 50 lb hopper and WiFi.

The largest vertical pellet cabinet Pit Boss sells direct: six adjustable racks totalling 2,015 sq in over a 60 lb hopper, in the Sportsman trim that replaced the Copperhead 5-Series. The cooking mechanism is identical to the Navigator 3-Series — auger-fed burn pot at the base, convection chimney above — but the extra rack and 900 more square inches move it into the range where it competes with a whole-hog cooker on volume alone.

Louisiana Grills is Dansons' upmarket pellet brand, built alongside Pit Boss but in heavier steel. The Black Label 1000 is the middle of three cart models (800/1000/1200) and gives 1,028 sq in in a 14-gauge body, where Pit Boss uses thinner stock at the same price. Its slide-plate flame broiler pulls the diffuser aside for direct flame over the burn pot, so it sears without an add-on grate. Sold new through Tractor Supply, Walmart and Home Depot; the maker's own web store currently lists every SKU, pellets and bucket lids included, as sold out.

The Founders Legacy 800 is the top of Louisiana Grills' range and the only pellet grill in this catalog built in 304 stainless with a 29 lb hopper. Its Pressurized Cooking System uses an adjustable rear exhaust to hold pressure in a double-lined barrel, and SearTech opens direct flame that the maker rates to 1,000°F — roughly 400°F past what a Traeger or Weber pellet grill will do. A griddle insert and grill light are included rather than sold as accessories. The base 800 is described here; a 1200 sits above it.

Brisk It is the first brand to build generative AI into a pellet controller: its Vera software takes a plain description of what you are cooking and writes the temperature-and-time program itself, then runs it. The Zelos-450 is the entry model at 450 sq in, and the only one of the three currently in stock on Brisk It's own store. Hardware-wise it is a conventional adaptive-PID pellet grill with a 12 lb hopper and a 180-500°F range; the controller, not the cooker, is what you are paying for.

Cookshack builds in Ponca City, Oklahoma and sells direct; the PG500 is its competition pellet grill, designed with pitmaster Fast Eddy Maurin. Its distinguishing feature is a charbroiler section — a direct-fire zone over the fire pot with a stainless rod grate — alongside separate indirect racks and a warming drawer, giving four genuinely different cooking zones in one cabinet. At 330 lbs of stainless it is built like commercial equipment rather than backyard hardware, and priced accordingly.

Halo is in this catalog for its griddles only; the Prime300 is its countertop pellet grill and the one genuinely unusual thing in Halo's range. It runs from the included AC adapter or an optional 12V 5Ah lithium battery, making it one of very few pellet grills that works with no outlet at all. A 10 lb hopper gives 15-20 hours of runtime in a 49 lb countertop body, and a slide-control damper opens a direct sear over the fire pot.

The Origin 580 is Brisk It's full-size cart pellet grill and the model its AI pitch is really built around: 580 sq in across two racks, a 22 lb hopper and a predictive PID controller driven by the same Vera generative-AI software as the Zelos. Where the Zelos is a tabletop-scale starter, the Origin is sized against a Traeger Pro or Weber Searwood. It is sold out on Brisk It's own store but stocked at Costco, Lowe's and Walmart.

The 300 Black Label is Louisiana Grills' tabletop pellet grill and the only portable in this catalog that ships with both WiFi and Bluetooth — the Traeger Ranger and Tailgater have neither. 333 sq in across a main grate and an upper rack, fed by a 10 lb hopper, in a 56 lb body with a cover and a meat probe included. It sits directly against the Traeger Tailgater at $500 and the Green Mountain Trek Prime at $399.

A vertical pellet smoker rather than a pellet grill: the auger feeds a burn pot at the base of a tall cabinet, heat and smoke rise through seven racks, and there is no grilling surface at all. Camp Chef's differentiator was the Smoke Box - a separate chamber that smoulders wood chunks alongside the pellet fire, which is what pellet smokers are usually criticised for lacking. 2,408 sq in, a 30 lb hopper, a WiFi PID controller with Camp Chef's 1-10 Smoke Number, and a 150-350°F range. Camp Chef have since pulled it: their vertical-pellet-smoker collection page still exists but lists nothing, and retailers from BBQGuys to CampSaver mark it discontinued.