Upgrade to a Pellet Grill For Easy Outdoor Cooking

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In the world of outdoor cooking, there's a new(ish) type of grill that's capturing the hearts and taste buds of backyard chefs everywhere—the pellet grill. These sleek, modern outdoor cookers seamlessly combine the convenience of a gas grill with the rich, smoky flavor of traditional wood-fired smoking. From smoked pork shoulders to sheet pans of nachos, these versatile machines are a convenient gateway into the world of barbecue.

Pellet grills come in a wide range of designs, from compact tabletop models to large backyard behemoths. Some boast cutting-edge digital controls and smart connectivity, while others embrace the simplicity of a classic wood-fired design. Whether you’re toe-dipping into grilling technology or ready for a splashy backyard barbecue upgrade, the best pellet grills will set you up for your best summer yet.

The Best Pellet Grills

• Best Overall: Yoder YS640s Pellet Grill

• Best Built-In Features: Coyote C1P36-FS 36-Inch Pellet Grill

• Best For Beginners: Camp Chef XT 24 Pellet Grill

• Best Vertical Pellet Grill: Camp Chef XXL Pro Vertical Pellet Smoker

• Best Portable: GMG Trek Prime 2.0 Portable Pellet Grill

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What to Consider in a Pellet Grill

Pellet grills vary greatly in size, features and price, but they all share one critical feature: a thermostatically controlled fan system to regulate heat. Wood pellets are transported from the holding chamber, or hopper, through a spinning tube (auger) at a controlled rate to smolder in the fire pot. The pellets ignite, generating smoke and heat that wafts upwards into the cooking chamber, creating an ideal environment for smoking, roasting, and even grilling various food. Understanding the various features, differences in quality, and temperature consistency are some of the factors that will help narrow down your options.

Types of Pellet Grills

Horizontal Pellet Grill

The most common pellet grill shape resembles the classic offset smoker, with a large, often cylindrical cooking chamber. The interior often features various shelves, increasing the real estate for off-heat cooking and smoking. The hopper is typically located on the side of the cooking chamber, just like the firebox on a traditional smoker. Heat comes from the fire pot, which is at the bottom of the cooking chamber.

Most designs put a diffuser plate between the fire pot and the grill grates, deflecting the heat source to flow throughout the chamber. Grease ducts direct the liquid wastes toward a foil pan or drip bucket underneath, allowing for easy cleanup. Most of the internal parts are fairly light and can be removed for cleaning.

Horizontal grills are generally very large, so they are far less portable and than your standard Weber charcoal grill. They also tend to require more fuel than vertical smokers, due to the large chamber size.

Vertical Pellet Grills

Standing tall, vertical pellet grills feature large smoking cabinets with racks and hooks. Like a vertical smoker, a heat source at the bottom generates smoke and heat that rises to cook the food. Many designs allow the racks to be removed and have hooks in place to smoke foods such as sausages, bacon, fish, and more.

Vertical pellet grills tend to be smaller and more affordable than their larger, horizontal counterparts. The smaller heating chamber also requires less fuel. Since they're smaller, they usually take less time to heat up to your target temperature, but will lose the heat quickly when opened. As long as you keep the door closed, though, you can maintain a very consistent temperature inside.

Most modern models come with sturdy legs and wheels, making it easy to move or store them in the off-season. You can even get one in the trunk of an SUV, given their lighter weight construction and smaller size, making it a solid choice for tailgaters.

Indoor Pellet Grill

Yes, smoking meat inside the house! It’s a new thing, and the technology works pretty well. There are a few brands aimed towards homeowners who don’t have a backyard or patio (that’s you, apartment-dwellers) that want to create delicious smoky meats.

These pellet smokers are designed to fit on the kitchen counter and are larger than your average microwave. If you’re dedicated to the craft, don’t let that stop you. While you might not able to pull out an Aaron Franklin-quality brisket, these smokers are more than capable of satisfying your cravings.

Control System

The realm of pellet grill technology spans from basic operation—simply turning on your pellet grill and setting the temperature—to more sophisticated systems with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-enabled notifications, temperature probe alarms, advanced smoke settings, and an array of additional functions.

Temperature control and variance are the most important features to keep in mind. Some pellet grills excel at smoking at remarkably low temperatures (170°F and below), but can also swiftly ascend to high temperatures higher than 500°F for tasks such as searing or baking pizzas.

Incremental temperature settings vary from brand to brand and model to model. A basic, budget-friendly grill might offer temperature settings in 25°F intervals, while more expensive ones offer finer control with increments as precise as 5°F to ensure optimal temperature management.

More and more pellet grills feature smart connectivity, allowing you to monitor and adjust the temperature inside remotely over Wi-Fi. Are you heading home and need it to be preheated? Not an issue for most of the apps. More often than not, you'll control the grill using a mobile app: More often than not, the apps go far beyond basic controls, though, offering alarms for the overnight brisket, recipe libraries, and even custom cook cycles.

Fuel Pellets

Wood pellets serve as the primary fuel for these grills, and you can find wide range of options out there. Smoking pellets are predominantly derived from hardwoods like oak, maple, hickory, and mesquite. Many brands offer pellet blends tailored to pair with specific foods or create certain flavors. There are, for example, pellets made from bourbon barrels and black charcoal.

Pellets aren't hard to find. You'll see them in hardware, barbecue stores, and online retailers like Amazon. I’ve even seen them in some grocery stores, located next to the charcoal. Prices vary and you may find that you prefer one specific type of pellet or another, so I highly suggest that you experiment and find a pellet type that works for you.

How We Selected The Best Pellet Grills

All of the pellet grills I've recommended in this guide have undergone thorough research, testing, and evaluation by my team. Each model was meticulously assessed for usability, heat and smoke control, ease of maintenance and cleanup, and, of course, the quality of the cooked food. Consistency in temperature and smoke production are critical considerations, as most buyers of pellet grills prioritize ease of use and exceptional smoky flavors. Believe me when I tell you that indulging in all the different smoked and seared foods is the highlight of the testing process. It’s hard work, but I’m here for it!

Our Pellet Grill Reviews

The Yoder YS640s has received many awards over the years for quality, and once you experience it firsthand, you’ll understand why. I’ve made some of my best beef ribs, briskets, and burgers on this smoker.

Resembling a classic offset grill, the YS640s boasts a robust steel construction and matte black exterior. It's manufactured in the U.S. and features a reliable control module by Fireboard, enabling seamless connectivity via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Equipped with a user-friendly dial for fan control and grill temperature adjustment, it also offers two ports for the included temperature probes.

Achieving precise temperatures is crucial for smoking meat, and the YS640s effortlessly maintains accuracy, even in challenging conditions like cold weather, strong winds, and heavy rain. It's as reliable as an indoor oven, only fluctuating when the lid is open for an extended period. I’ve noticed that it’s still consistent regardless of which brand or quality of pellets are used.

Lifting the heavy lid is simple, given that there’s a Stay-Cool spiral handle and a counterweight. Inside the chamber is a large sliding shelf which almost doubles the cooking capacity. There are many upgrades available, including additional cooking shelves and even a pizza oven.

Coyote's large pellet grill is really sleek, and looks more like a high-end gas grill than a hardwood grill and smoker. Refueling is effortless thanks to a front-loaded hopper and a discreet sliding shelf that remains hidden during cooking. Its dual auger system and dual fan controls guarantee uniform temperatures throughout its cavernous smoking chamber.

Additionally, it comes equipped with three temperature probes, enabling simultaneous monitoring of multiple cooks. It does not have mobile connectivity, though, so you will need to stick around and babysit the fire for longer cooks.

You might wonder how a stainless steel pellet grill holds up to temperature retention? The spring-assisted heavy hood is double-walled and lined with a seal to keep the smoke in. Don’t worry about wind or rain— the unique design is meant to stop the weather from messing with your brisket.

Its grilling grates are laser cut and easy to clean, providing excellent heat retention while looking sharp. Coyote's modular "Versa-Rack" system gives you numerous shelving configurations to easily accommodate large cuts of meat, baking sheets, foil pans, and other essentials.

All of these features add up to a higher price point than the average pellet grill. Coyote is known for high-end outdoor installations, and offers lots of matching accessories, cabinets, and other equipment to help you build out your ultimate backyard kitchen cooking station. This model comes on a cart, which is convenient for everyone, but its modular design allows you to remove the grill from the cart to install it in a permanent cooking island.

The Camp Chef XT 24 provides excellent smoke flavor with a consistent temperature at a reasonable price. Its simple, uncomplicated setup allows you to start cooking without having to spend time navigating through piles of manuals.

Inside the cooking chamber, there's a small upper shelf that lets you rotate food off heat. While the shelf isn't large enough for a foil pan or brisket, it's a great place to adding some wings inside while you’re smoking a pork shoulder.

Once the smoker has completed the first burn-in, it’s ready to go. I loaded it up with chicken drumsticks to test for unexpected hotspots, which I was unable to find. Want more smoke? No problem. It has a fun Smoke Control setting that allows you to pump it up for whole chickens, baking sheets of nachos, smoked cookies, and much more.

Cleaning the inside is pretty simple, and this Camp Chef comes with their Ash-Cleanout system. The ash from the pellets gather in a metal cup and should be discarded after a long cook.

With a straightforward design and relatively low price point, the Camp Chef XT 24 is an easy recommendation for first-time smokers. What it lacks in bells and whistles, it more than makes up for with reliable temperatures that uncertain novice pitmasters can trust, and simple, intuitive controls.

Vertical pellet smokers are made for smoking large amounts of food at low temperatures. Think jerky, sausages, fish, bacon, cheese, and much more. If you're cooking for a crowd, the Camp Chef XXL Pro has the room to cook a barbecue feast.

This tall smoker features a side-mounted hopper capable of holding 30 pounds of pellets, so you have plenty of fuel for extra-long cooks. Plus, with seven racks and 12 meat hooks, it has ample space to smoke as much food as you'll need for your next backyard bash.

Unlike most of our picks, which can grill over direct heat and cook low and slow off-heat, the XXL Pro is a pure smoker. None of the racks sit directly over the fire, so don't expect to sear steaks or burgers. The construction of the unit has thinner steel, but it’s not as critical here since you'll be sticking to the lower temperatures.

A notable feature of this Camp Chef model is the additional smoke box, which allows you to smolder hardwood chunks, chips, or charcoal for extra flavor. Traditional barbecue enthusiasts often claim that pellet smokers don't generate the same amount of smoke flavor as a classic offset smoker, so this augments the pellet smoke with additional hardwood smoke. Whether you agree with that assertion or not, the XXL Pro delivers tremendous smokey flavor.

Green Mountain Grills recently released its latest portable model, the Trek Prime 2.0, which effectively tackles several of my reservations regarding portable pellet grills. While slightly larger than your typical portable model, its superior performance and features are worth the extra heft.

Unlike most portable pellet grills, which are known for fluctuating temperatures, the Trek Prime features a horizontal cooking chamber like you'd find in a backyard model. That makes it heavier, but also leads to more consistent temperatures that hold when you open the lid.

The inside chamber is surprisingly large for a portable pellet grill, and can easily fit any full-size pork shoulder. The grilling cavity is around 13 x 17 x 7 inches, ideal for most meats you’d likely be smoking on the go.

Another standout feature is the movable deflector plate, which offers precise control over heat distribution for optimal searing. Capable of reaching temperatures up to 550°F, it's more than hot enough to get some good char on steaks and burgers. It's also easy to clean, thanks to the standard drip tray that can be easily removed, directing grease down to the bucket for convenient disposal. If you need a pellet grill you can carry around, the GMG Trek Prime 2.0 comes highly recommended.

Yes, you can smoke food in your kitchen. Setting this up, I was skeptical that an "indoor smoker" could make enough smoke to work properly, or properly contain whatever smoke it made. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised on all fronts.

It’s quite large, and GE recommends about 4 inches of clearance between the top of your unit and the bottom of the cabinets, so be aware. Once everything is set up, it’s important to read the manual to review the software. There’s certainly a learning curve, but after the first cook, it’s pretty simple.

My first smoke was a whole chicken, which I felt would be a common choice for someone smoking indoors. Pellets are added into the top hopper and are extinguished in a water pan just below the fire pot. You can have full control over the level of smoke, which does not waft into the house. Thanks to GE's Active Smoke Filtration system, which efficiently absorbs the smoke, the process is remarkably efficient. Crank up that smoke flavor!

The shelves are on the smaller side. When I tried to smoke a whole brisket, I ended up cutting it in half to make it fit. That said, I was able to create a very crusty, smoky, brisket and hold it for an extended period after using the built-in temperature probe and setting a target temperature. Once the cook reaches the desired temperature or time, the smoker automatically transitions to a holding temperature slightly above 140°F, a feature I particularly appreciate and something that often goes unnoticed in traditional barbecue methods.

It’s important to know that the heat source is electric, not from combustion and smoldering pellets, which means that meat will not have a smoke ring or the deep smokiness you get from a traditional offset smoker or pellet grill.

Still, the ability to create smoky, mouthwatering food indoors is pretty amazing. The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker offers unprecedented flexibility, which I hope can serve as a gateway to barbecue for cooks who don't have room for a full-size backyard barbecue.

Q&A With Smoking Expert Brad Prose

Are all pellets the same, or are there differences worth considering?

The type of wood pellets you use affects the smoke flavor when you're grilling. Certain smoke flavors will pair with specific meats, so it's worth trying out different kinds of pellets to find what matches your cooking style.

How do you clean a pellet grill? How often should you do it?

Most pellet grills are similar, with grates and deflector plates that can be removed and cleaned out. The best tool is a shop vac, which can suck up any grime and sawdust from the smoldered pellets. Each grill is constructed differently, but I would recommend a mild clean every three to four cooks, and a deeper clean after any cook that would take more than eight hours. Doing so will minimize the risk of flare-ups. You don’t want your barbecue blooper to go viral on TikTok!

Any tips or tricks to make the most of using a pellet smoker?

You don’t need to smoke a brisket to get the most out of a pellet smoker. Try smoking peppercorns and salt, chocolate chips, organic cream, or even ice cubes to make smoked water. Pellet grills allow for low temps with minimal effort to ignite, making it an ideal device for experimenting with smoke flavors.

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