7 Best Pellet Grills, According to Our Tests
We reverse-seared steak, "baked" chicken thighs and slow-cooked ribs to find the best of the best.
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Experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab test a lot of grills, from gas grills to indoor grills. But pellet grills come out on top as our favorite.
Not only do pellet grills cook delicious BBQ side dishes, but they do so to perfection with minimal effort on your end. Just add pellets to the hopper, plug in your grill, select a cooking temperature and press "start." From there, the pellet grill will maintain the chosen temp and gently cook your food as the heat source is covered. While operating a pellet grill may be easy, finding the right model for your needs can be tricky. That's why we tested more than 40 outdoor grills, including eight pellet grills.
To evaluate performance, we cooked steak, chicken and ribs and assessed how evenly the grill cooked, how juicy and tender the food turned out, how smoky it tasted and whether it developed a smoke ring (a key factor pros look for to see how well the smoke penetrated the food).
Read more about our testing process at the end of this article, and check out our guides to best grilling accessories — including grill baskets, grill tongs and grill brushes — after you find the right pellet grill for your needs.
Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
Pros
- Updated control panel with extra features like Super Smoke and Keep Warm
- Oversize top grate provides extra cooking space
- Can switch out pellets easily with hopper door
- Connect to Traeger app to monitor at a distance
Cons
- Expensive
Traeger's Ironwood 885 is one of the brand's most popular models. The cook surface is on the larger side, at 885 square inches, with an oversize top grate. The grates are porcelain coated (like those on the brand's Pro 575 model, which also performed well) for easier cleanup and maintenance. Aside from more cooking space, the Ironwood 885 is loaded with updated features like a control panel that's easier to read, Super Smoke and Keep Warm settings, a sensor that lets you know when the pellets are low, a door on the hopper to remove the pellets if you want to try another flavor before they finish and a strong side shelf with tool holders.
The grill comes with a meat probe (and built-in storage for it) and also connects to the Traeger app so you can keep an eye on your cook from afar. It has a 20-pound hopper capacity.
In our tests, chicken came out super juicy and tender with crispy skin reminiscent of well-cooked duck skin; it was light and airy. Steak also turned out tender and was able to achieve grill marks. Both had a light, smoky flavor that you really want when cooking on a pellet grill. The grill has a downward exhaust system located on the back instead of a traditional smokestack. It's a good option for those new to pellet grills because it's simple and easy to use, and pros will appreciate the solid build and features. But all of those features do come at a higher price — this is the second most expensive grill on our list.
Dimensions: 53" x 27" x 47" | Grilling area: 885 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 20 lbs
Pros
- Can grill over direct flame
- Easy-to-read display
- Ample cooking surface
- Porcelain-coated grates allow easy cleanup
Cons
- Pit Boss pellets recommended to avoid clogs
A great pellet grill for beginners considering its price, build and capabilities, it’s super easy to use with a dial temperature control and easy-to-read display. Thanks to the flame broiler that you slide to expose, you can grill over direct flame in addition to the standard pellet grill smoking, grilling and barbecuing — plus, you can bake, braise, roast and sear your food with this all-in-one appliance.
With a 21-pound hopper capacity and 700 square inches of space to cook on — including the second tier rack — the manufacturer claims you can make over 30 burgers at once! It also has a meat probe with a readout so you can monitor the internal temperature of whatever you're cooking. This grill has porcelain-coated grates, which can make for easier cleanup. However, the brand recommends customers use Pit Boss pellets to avoid potential clogs.
Dimensions: 24.8" x 22" x 43" | Grilling area: 700 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 21 lbs
Pros
- 304 stainless steel interior adds durability
- The largest hopper capacity in our test
- Can reach 500ºF for searing
Cons
- Front shelf sold separately
The exterior of this pellet grill and many of its accessories are made of stainless steel, while its interior accessories, including the grill grates and fire pot, are made of 304 stainless steel, which has a high corrosion resistance for even more durability. Plus, it's all backed by an impressive six-year warranty. In addition to top-of-the line materials, it can reach up to 500ºF to achieve sear marks — this is noteworthy in the pellet grill category, which usually maxes out around 400ºF.
The Recteq Flagship 1100 connects to an app and comes with two probes so you can monitor the internal temperature of two different foods. No need to worry about running out of pellets mid-cook either: It has a 40-pound hopper capacity — the largest on our list. While online shoppers love this grill as much as we do, they wish that there was a front shelf included.
Dimensions: 56" x 50" x 32" | Grilling area: 702 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 40 lbs
Traeger Grills Ranger Portable Wood Pellet Grill
Pros
- Includes meat probe for checking internal temperature
- Has a Keep Warm mode
- Delivered the same results as full-sized grills
Cons
- Heavy for one person
The Traeger Grills Ranger is a great pick if you want a small pellet grill that you can use at home or when you're on the go. While it is heavy for one person, it is durable and easy enough to carry between two people. In our testing, it delivered the same quality results as the brand's full-sized pellet grills, and one of our experts continues to use it to smoke often in a small backyard. While the cooking area is small (186 square inches), it was still able to fit a rack of ribs that came out soft, tender and smoky in our tests. We also did not have to refill the 8-pound hopper during our tests.
The Ranger has porcelain-coated grates, which cleaned up nicely in our tests, an integrated meat probe so you check the internal temperature of your food and a Keep Warm mode to hold your food at temperature until you're ready to eat. Plus, the control panel is easy to use and navigate.
Dimensions: 20" x 21" x 13" | Grilling area: 176 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 8 lbs
Pros
- Flame can be exposed to allow direct heat searing and grill marks
- Hopper has a viewing window
- Ash-removal system means easier cleanup
Cons
- Sear box replaces side shelf when attached
One of the chief complaints with pellet grills is that you can’t sear a steak as well as you could on a charcoal or gas grill. However, the Woodwind model from Camp Chef can do both! It works like a typical pellet grill that can reach up to 500ºF, but it also offers a feature that exposes the fire pot so you can get sear marks on your food.
When we tested the Woodwing, we were impressed with how juicy the food came out, and we were extra pleased when we were able to finish off our reverse-seared steak over the direct flame. We also loved this pick's ash-removal system, which made it easier than most to clean since the ash is deposited into an easy-to-remove cup under the smoke box.
The 24-pound hopper capacity is a good size for most slow-cooking jobs, and it features a viewing window so you can see how many pellets are left without opening the lid. One thing to note, though, is that the sear box replaces the side shelf when in use, so you'll lose out on some storage space.
Dimensions: 30" x 42" x 49" | Grilling area: 800 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 22 lbs
Pros
- Easy-to-use control panel
- Polished design
- Weber Connect lets you control grilling via the app
- Two racks amounts to over 1,000 sq. in. of cooking surface
Cons
- Seems to cook faster than other models we tested
Weber is one of our top-tested grill brands. The Smokefire EX4 (2nd Gen) features the high-quality polished build the brand is known for as well as the same "flavorizer" bars designed to vaporize drippings during cooking for more moist results. It ranges in temperature from 200ºF to 600ºF, which allowed for char marks on our steak during testing (which is unusual when it comes to pellet grills). Foods seemed to cook a little more quickly with this grill than other brands we tested, but this model yielded the style of ribs most people are used to: slightly caramelized, fall-off-the bone and delicious.
One of the Smokefire's nicest features is its built-in Weber Connect technology, which you can control and monitor right from the grill or from the app. It allows you to keep an eye on the grill's ambient temperature as well as the internal temperature of foods; one probe is included with the grill but up to three can be bought separately and used at the same time, which is ideal for keeping track of various items.
The Smokefire has two racks — the upper is 360 square inches and the lower is 648 square inches — giving this pellet grill a total cooking surface area of 1,008 square inches. Weber released a new Smokefire this year as well, which can be used with the brand's lines of Crafted accessories so you can turn your pellet grill into a griddle, pizza oven and more.
Dimensions: 47” x 43” x 33” | Grilling area: 672 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 20 lbs
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Pros
- Top of the line pellet grill
- Has an induction side burner
- Features multiple storage shelves and extra accessories
- Can pair Meater thermometers to app
Cons
- Most expensive pick on our list
The Traeger Timberline is loaded with many new and innovative features we haven't seen on most grills, like multiple storage shelves and a powerful induction side burner — perfect for getting a final sear on steaks or for frying smoked wings outdoors. We also love that the induction burner can be used as a shelf when covered with the lid; the hopper also converts to a shelf when topped with the included cutting board that's secured with a strong magnet. Additional accessories can be purchased to use with the new Traeger Timberline, too, like a butcher paper roll rack or pellet storage bin.
During testing, we found that it cooked juicy chicken breasts with a slightly smoky taste and made great, tender wings. So far, we've used the side burner to fry eggs, and we can't wait to cook up more delicious food. Other unique features include a contained two-in-one ash and grease collection system and two Meater thermometers, which, when paired with the app, allow you to easily monitor the internal temperature of your food from anywhere in range. It has 880 square inches of cooking space, including two additional cooking tiers. It's also available in a bigger, 1,320-square-inch cooking size and can even be designed to be built into your outdoor kitchen.
Dimensions: 59" x 25" x 51" | Grilling area: 880 sq. in. | Hopper capacity: 22 lbs
How we test the best pellet grills
When we test pellet grills at the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab, we use many of the same rigorous testing methods as we do when evaluating other types of grills like charcoal grills or charcoal and gas combo grills. However, we also test three types of meat with cooking methods that bring out the best in pellet grills.
- Strip steak: We reverse sear a piece of strip steak by slow-cooking it for an hour, monitoring its temperature and then evaluating how well it can sear once the timer dings.
- Bone-in chicken thighs: We grill four chicken thighs per grill to see how golden brown they can get during a 30-minute window. This helps our pros evaluate the grill's baking capabilities.
- Baby back ribs: When it comes to those baby back ribs, we use the tried-and-true 3-2-1 method to see how the grill fairs with a longer smoke session. This involves smoking the ribs uncovered for 3 hours at a low temp, then for 2 hours while covered and finally for 1 hour uncovered but with BBQ sauce this time.
Our Lab experts monitor how long it takes the meat to come to the right temperature and assess each piece of meat for doneness, juiciness and tenderness. We also compare the smoke rings on the food (how much the smoke penetrated the food) and the level of smokey flavor.
In addition to performance, we score each grill for ease of use by testing how sturdy it is, how easy it is to move around, how clear the control panel is to read, how intuitive the grill is to use, and whether it has storage space, probes or smart features. We then take all of this into account and tabulate hundreds of data points to give each pellet grill a final score. It's also worth noting that we continue to road-test these models in our own homes and with consumer testers to gather feedback on longevity.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen all testing and related content since 2019. She has tested more than 40 grills since she started working at the Good Housekeeping Institute, and she loves using her pellet grill to make wings, brisket and pulled pork.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
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