Best Pellet Smokers & Grills for 2024

One of the best methods for consistently cooking any meat to perfection is to use a pellet smoker or grill. With the most recent advancement in grill technology, one can have all of that smokey flavor with a single turn of a dial. The fastest and easiest way to smoke food is on a pellet smoker. You don’t have to move the coals or constantly adjust vents. Instead, the pellets are put into the grill as needed after the temperature has been set.

Your preferred meats, seafood, or cheeses may cook and take on that excellent, smoky taste while you work on the remainder of the dinner, host friends, or unwind with a cold beverage. The food you prepare on your pellet grill has excellent flavor, and your visitors will gush over it. Professional barbecue cooks prefer using pellet smokers over gas grills because they make cooking on wood much simpler.

You deserve a satisfying meal that is trouble-free for you and your family—because of this, investing in a pellet grill smoker is unquestionably the best choice for anyone who enjoys wood-fired flavor. Have a look at this brief guide before buying your next pellet smoker!

Why buy a pellet smoker?

A pellet smoker is a terrific choice for people who enjoy smoked cuisine but detest spending all day standing over a charcoal or wood smoker. The fastest and easiest way to smoke food is on a pellet grill. Have a look at the features below that explain why people purchase pellet smokers:

The food’s flavor and quality

The food you prepare on your pellet smoker has excellent flavor, and your visitors will gush over it. Professional barbecue cooks prefer using pellet grills to gas ones because they make cooking on wood much simpler.

Pellet grills can provide you with a broader range of tastes than gas and charcoal grills. You can effortlessly combine your favorite wood pellet tastes to create fantastic new flavors in addition to getting that mouthwatering smoky flavor.

Pellet smokers provide easy ignition

One drawback is the time and expertise required to start the briquettes on a charcoal barbecue. Thankfully, pellet smokers make it much quicker and simpler. With the push of a button, they ignite just as rapidly while providing the taste of a charcoal barbecue. The finest of both worlds, indeed!

Pellet smokers produce even-heat

Because pellet grill smokers operate more like ovens, your food is cooked evenly because the temperature is generally consistent throughout the chamber. As a result, there will be no more annoying “burnt on one end, raw on the other” situations.

Pellet smokers offer improved temperature regulation

To be safe to consume, meat must be cooked precisely. However, overcooking beef can result in it becoming flavorless and harsh. To enjoy meat that is safe to eat yet still soft and juicy, you must find that sweet spot.

It isn’t easy to control the temperature on traditional barbecues. Fortunately, pellet smokers can heat up in 10 to 15 minutes and include a thermostat-controlled temperature control system, giving you complete control over the heat. In addition, food is cooked uniformly across the grate because pellet smokers operate like a convection oven.

Pellet smokers use less fuel and cost less to operate

Barbecues made of pellets use less fuel than grills made of gas or charcoal. It is so that fewer pellets are needed to maintain a hot grill thanks to the convection fan in pellet grills, which more evenly distributes heat.

Depending on the temperature, a 20-pound bag of pellets may cook for anywhere between 6 and 20 hours and typically cost approximately $20.

Fewer flare-ups occur in pellet smokers

Pellet smokers, as opposed to gas and charcoal grills, have full-coverage panels that keep your food away from the open flame. So never again will you need to be concerned about flare-ups and charred edges.

Using a pellet smoker for cooking is safe

When preparing food over an open flame, there are always hazards. Unsafe usage of gas grills has a reputation for causing explosions. Days after cooking, charcoal and wood logs may flare up or smoke, posing a fire risk to your house.

The food never comes into direct contact with the open flame by using a pellet smoker, so you never have to worry about flare-ups or grease fires.

Caution: Always keep wood pellets out of the reach of anything that produces heat and other food storage. Pellets need a dry environment to be stored.

Best pellet smokers of 2024

If you’re seeking the best pellet smoker for your needs, you must find one that fits within your budget and provides the best taste possible. Whether that’s upscale, portable, or even a set-it-and-forget-it type, continue reading to learn more about the variations between the models so you can pick the finest pellet grill for your needs.

Best Pellet Smoker: Traeger Ironwood 885

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The Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet grill is our top pick for the best pellet smoker. Its outstanding features have made Ironwood the most sought-after pellet smoker in the world. It’s economical, long-lasting, and simple to use.

Features

Maintainable exterior

Steel with a high-grade powder coating makes up Traeger Ironwood 885. It indicates that your grill is robust, powerful, and long-lasting. These components can withstand weather knocks, drops, and attacks and are corrosion-resistant. Here we also see the sawhorse design that is typical of Traeger goods. This design has the benefit of giving you a unit that will stay steady throughout cooking. In addition, the product has insulation in the side walls. Therefore, compared to many other items we can find on the market, it maintains heat more effectively. Even in bad weather, it uses less fuel because it holds more heat. We also noticed that the Traeger Ironwood 885’s cooking chamber handle and side shelf are composed of stainless steel. For general usage and durability, it is fantastic.

Cooking space

This model has two cooking surfaces, like most of Traeger’s power grills. The 570 square inch area comes first, followed by the 315 square inch area. With these two possibilities, you may have a fantastic time, and if you need a grill to cook meals for many guests, this is a perfect choice.

Fuel capacity

The pellet capacity of the Traeger Ironwood 885 is 20 lbs. As a result, you don’t need to constantly reload the hopper during cooking. Also, because of its excellent efficiency, you won’t need to burn many pellets to get the desired heat.

Powerful motor

The motor is a feature many people miss but elevates the Traeger Ironwood 885 to the top of its class. A brushless DC motor powers the direct-drive pellet auger, which is the component of the device that propels the pellets into the fire pot. The brushless DC motor keeps the pellets from clogging and maintains high power.

Protective measures

The WIFI Technology is one of the Traeger Ironwood 885’s key features. This innovation makes the grill simpler and raises the bar for user safety. With the help of this technology, you may leave the grill and go about your business without being concerned about any fire threats. The fact that there is no remote start option is one of the most crucial safety elements of this WiFi-compatible vehicle that we adore. Having a remote start may appear more practical, but it is risky.

Pricing

The Ironwood 885 pellet smoker costs approximately $1,500, which is a very affordable price along with all of those remarkable features.

Warranty

The Traeger Ironwood 885 provided some of the finest warranties in the past. However, because of increased competition, warranties have shrunk even further. Nevertheless, a three-year guarantee is included with this model.

Pros

• The grill heats up quickly as a result of TurboTemp.
• From your phone or Alexa, keep an eye on your smoker.
• Receive real-time updates on your cook’s progress.
• More smoke will have a more admirable taste.
• Ensure that the cooking chamber is evenly heated.
• Get a long-lasting, high-quality item.
• A great warranty will safeguard your investment.
• Side wall insulation helps colder areas retain heat better.
• Without opening the smoker, check the internal temperature of your meat.

Cons

• Indirect grilling is not ideal but better than direct.

Runner Up: Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi 24 Pellet Smoker

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Finding a pellet smoker with the ideal ratio of each feature might be challenging. However, the Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi 24 Pellet Smoker comes close. This Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi 24 Pellet Smoker is a mid-sized smoker that can handle heavy-duty grilling and smoking.

Features

PID Controller

A digital PID Controller is another feature of the Camp Chef woodwind. With this Controller, you can adjust the grill temperature to the appropriate temperature range and, more intriguingly, the degree of smoke using the smoke settings.

WiFi accessibility

The Camp Chef pellet grill also includes local WiFi connectivity, allowing you to manage it directly on your phone via the Camp Chef app (Camp Chef Connect). It will enable you to prepare your barbecue while attending to other tasks.

Exterior

Sturdy and built to last. When we first looked at the Camp Chef pellet smoker, that was our initial impression. The construction quality is equal for both sizes. The firebox, flue topper, and lid are constructed of stainless steel, while most of the body is composed of powder-coated steel. The nickel-plated steel rack is on top of the grill, while the porcelain-coated steel rack is at the bottom. These top and lower grates provide the sear markings you want on a fine piece of steak and are relatively non-stick and rust-resistant.

Pellet capacity

The hopper on the Camp Chef Woodwind pellet smoker holds 20 pounds of pellets, ensuring you won’t run out of fuel often.

Pricing

Camp Chef’s approximate price is $899.99, which is very reasonable for a pellet smoker on the market.

Warranty

Camp Chef woodwinds are hassle-free and come with a three-year guarantee.

Pros

• Robust construction
• Adaptable upper rack system providing plenty of cooking area.
• Higher than the typical pellet smokers out there, with the ability to sear at high temps!
• By changing the smoke setting, beginners can enjoy smoking.
• It is simple to go from cooking over indirect to direct flame.
• A large-capacity pellet hopper can be quickly emptied and changed out for different pellets using the slider rod.
• Generally simple to clean

Cons

• While cooking, it vibrates and makes a little more noise than other pellet grills.

Best High End: Traeger Grills Timberline XL

The Traeger Grills Timberline XL is our best high-end pick after the Ironwood 885. The Timberline XL also has some fantastic features, which makes it the second-best option. However, the Timberline XL is an expensive choice for pellet smoker lovers when compared to Traeger Ironwood 885. With that being said, it’s definitely worth every penny!

Features

Exterior

In addition to providing lots of storage, Timberline’s new cabinet frame design offers a sturdy base for such a big grill. It is made of stain-resistant steel, making it incredibly durable. Full stainless steel insulation is provided in the cooking chamber for optimal heat retention, enabling more fuel-efficient cooking. On the system for catching ash and grease, Traeger uses a new clamp. Since the rail system completely encircles the grill, you may position hooks, extras, and equipment wherever you like. Traeger came up with a fantastic design with this one.

Electronic controls

The newly redesigned digital Controller is one of the most significant changes—and also the most impressive. The new Controller raises the bar for accurate temperature control significantly. Some of the D2 Controller features in earlier Traeger models are carried over to the brand-new Timberline. It enhances auger control, variable fan speeds, and grilling area temperature monitoring to control flare-ups. This smoker is, in a word, brilliant.

Wi-Fi enabled controller

A brand-new Wi-Fi-capable Controller is included with the XL. Using the Traeger app on your iPhone or Android device, this Controller enables you to control your grill from anywhere in the world.

Hopper capacity

The fuel capacity of the Traeger Timberline XL is about 22 pounds.

Warranty

A 10-year warranty is included with Timberline XL.

Pricing

The Traeger Timberline XL pellet smoker is more expensive than the Ironwood 885, with a suggested retail price of $3799.99.

Best Budget Pick: Z Grills 700D4E Wood Pellet Smoker

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If the Traeger Ironwood 885 and Camp Chef are out of your price range, our choice for the best affordable pellet smoker is the 700D4E from Z Grills.

Features

Exterior

The 700D4E hopper lid and cooking chamber are made of premium steel, making it the perfect combination of sturdy and reasonably priced. The addition of double-wall insulation to the cooking chamber in the updated 700D4E is, in our opinion, its most remarkable feature. In a smoker of this cost, insulation is nearly unheard of. Therefore, it’s a great plus if you’re on a tight budget and reside somewhere chilly. The cooking grates have a reasonably typical porcelain coating. They work well because they are rust-resistant, non-stick, and simple to clean.

PID Controller

The PID Temperature Controller included in the Z Grills 700D4E makes it simple to change the grill’s temperature.

Pellet capacity

Up to 20 pounds of wood pellets can be stored in the 700D4E, providing hours upon hours of usage without refilling.

Pricing

The 700D4E from Z Grills is the minimum budget pick on our list of best pellet smokers as it costs approximately $649.00.

Warranty

You’re looking at a full 3-year warranty with the 700D4E. But this brand’s 30-day money-back promise is what makes it stand out.

Pros

• PID controller for precise temperature control
• Sturdy construction and stainless steel components
• Improves heat retention with new double-wall insulation
• Most people can get by with moderate capability.
• contains a waterproof cover as well
• The hopper is big enough to accommodate an entire bag of pellets.
• It is simple to remove unneeded pellets thanks to the hopper clean-out mechanism.
• Built-in convenience storage, a three-year warranty, a 30-day money-back promise

Cons

Still no WiFi? If you want to be able to check the inside meat temperature without walking outdoors, you may purchase a wireless meat thermometer.

Notable mentions

Pit Boss 700 FB Pellet Grill

It is a fantastic beginner pellet grill considering its price, construction, and features. It is effortless to use with a dial temperature control and an easy-to-read display. You can grill over direct flames, thanks to the slide-to-expose flame broiler. This single appliance can bake, braise, roast, and sear meals.

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Green Mountain Davy Crockett Pellet Smoker

The Green Mountain Davy Crockett model is our preferred portable pellet grill if you want a mobile choice. With a nine-pound hopper capacity and foldable legs, it’s great for a day of camping or tailgating and will take up less room in your trunk on game day. Additionally, WiFi capabilities let you use your phone to check on the status of your food.

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Wrapping up

Pellet grills and smokers are ideal for a backyard griller who prioritizes ease and flavor.

Hopefully, this article has given you a better understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of cooking with a pellet grill and assisted you in choosing the best model for your requirements and budget. Based on our research and experience, Traeger Ironwood 885 is the best choice out of all the pellet grills. We have also picked the best high-end and best budget pellet grills for you so that you don’t take the trouble and enjoy your life with good food.