7 Best Pellet Smokers to Up Your Grill Game

The Traeger Texas Elite TFB65LZBC is a high standard pellet grill in a sleek encasing. You can get away with grilling anything your appetite calls for swiftly and efficiently—but with an old-fashioned taste.

With this new pellet smoker, you’ll never have to use gas or charcoal ever again. Not only does it boast a traditional, high-quality taste, you can also benefit from its versatility. Whether you choose to cook with high or low heat, or need to choose between fast or slow timing, the Traeger Texas Elite offers all those options – and more, being a 6-in-1 grill. You can smoke, bake, roast, braise, and barbecue food to juicy perfection.

With the Texas Elite you also don’t have to worry about keeping track of the temperature. With its Integrated Digital Elite Controller feature, the smoker keeps temperatures within 20 degrees Fahrenheit of the ideal temperature.

You also don’t have to worry about the time. You can set it and forget about it.

Whether you have company coming over or it’s just a family barbecue, the Traeger Texas Elite TFB65LZBC is the perfect size, with 646 sq. in. of grilling space. You can cook up to 24 burgers, 6 chickens and 9 racks of ribs.

This pellet smoker is designed with a powerful steel construction and has a durable powder coat finish, meaning it will last years, for fun family events and backyard barbecues.

What makes it stand out?

• 6-in-1 versatility for any grilling need
• Has the options of slow or fast cook and within 20 degrees of ideal temperature
• 646 sq. inches of grilling space

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?

• It might be too big for just a two- or three-person family

The Camp Chef PG24DLX boasts one of the most advanced digital control pellet smokers on the market. With its smart digital temperature control, it can easily adjust to the task at hand—no matter what you’re grilling, in a matter of minutes.

With such technology, you can get the traditional grilling experience and outcome, but with a much better standard of control. The Camp Chef also has an automatic auger, which consistently feeds pellets into the grill so that the heat is maintained. With this sort of technology, you’ll get the optimal amount of smoke every time.

Don’t let your best grill become just another nuisance for you. With the Camp Chef, you can just set it and let it work—no more babysitting involved! Just at the push of a button, you can toggle the grill temperature and choose whatever setting you need.

This pellet smoker has got your back, no matter what you throw at it. With its endless versatility, you can grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and barbecue, all on a single grill. It also boasts optimum digital control, with a temperature range from 160° F up to 500° F. This pellet smoker comes with multiple accessories, like the meat probe, to check the internal temperature.

As we mentioned before, the technology of this pellet smoker is what sets it apart—during and post-cooking. The Camp Chef patented ash cleanout makes cleaning between cooking sessions extremely easy. All you have to do is pull a lever. Since there is a cleaning system in place, you don’t have to worry about cleaning it yourself with a vacuum, or replacing it once it gets too dirty to use.

Upon purchase, the assembly is simple, as is the startup. The product comes with a walk-through assembly video to help you get your pellet smoker running.

Why are we impressed?

• Has a total rack surface area of 570 square inches
• Most technologically advanced with temperature control

What negatives must you be aware of?

• Too advanced for a basic grilling task

The Pit Boss 700FB boasts over 700 sq. in. total cooking surface, making it one of the largest cooking surfaces on the market for pellet smokers. It’s a perfect grill to be able to cook a large amount of meat, fish, vegetables or whatever you may choose – all at once.

The design of the pellet smoker features porcelain-coated cast iron grids with a digitally controlled burn system.

It has also has an innovative flame broiler to help you tackle those meat projects that you would otherwise be hesitant to try, in fear of drying out the meat. With a simple slide-plate, you can maintain complete control for cast iron cooking.

You will also have an additional upper cooking rack space, so that you can fill your entire grill all at once, without compromising the heat distribution. The Pit Boss 700FB comes with a proprietary dome heat shield and exhaust system that lets you cook up to 600° Fahrenheit, which makes it perfect for taking on any grilling job.

Since it uses only all-natural cooking-grade wood pellets for fuel, you don’t have to worry about fiddling with dangerous and smelly gas, propane or charcoal. It is also a perfect grill for beginners, since the Digital Control Center dial is easy to operate. You can indulge in “direct” and “indirect” cooking without all the extra grease.

As do most high-quality grills on the market, the pellet smoker has an auger, which feeds pellets to the burn pot, so you don’t need additional fire accelerants.

What stands out?

• Boasts a total of 700 square inches of space, plus an additional upper cooking rack
• Has a simple slide-plate for cast iron cooking

What cons did we manage to find?

• Uses only all-natural cooking-grade wood pellets, so lacks versatility

From A-Z, the Z Grills ZPG-7002 has the options of being an 8-in-1 barbecue smoker. It’s perfect for grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, searing, braising, barbecuing or char-grilling any type of food you throw on it.

The Z Grills ZPG-7002 works with fan-forced convection cooking, which takes care of the need of having to use a rotisserie for the meat. The fan-forced convection cooking also increases its versatility.

With one of the most modern control systems on the market, the upgraded digital control board allows you to automatically ignite the grill at the push of a button, and set the desired temperature from 180°F to 475°F.

While the temperature is maintained, you can use the Automated Electric Feed System. This helps you keep up the optimal amount of smoke without having to constantly watch the grill.

This pellet smoker also boasts a rather large size, fit for a lot of cooking, with grilling area dimensions of 19.2 x 26 inches, smoking/warming rack dimensions of 6.9 x 27.5 inches, and a total rack surface area of 700 square inches.

The Z Grills ZPG-7002 is also backed with a 3-year warranty. To help you keep the grill in great condition for years to come, the waste oil collector keeps the grill clean with easy-to-use cleaning modes.

You can also move the stainless steel grill around easily, since the cart has locking caster wheels.

What are our favorite features?

• Stainless steel build
• 3-year warranty and 30-day refund
• Large grilling area of 700 square inches
• 8-in-1 functionality

What could be better?

• The temperature only goes to 475°F

The Bull (RT-700) Grill is a pellet smoker that offers craftsmanship and precision when it comes to the perfect barbeque. This grill offers all the features often included in top-of-the-range pellet smokers, and even has some upgraded innovations.

Designed with a stainless steel cooking chamber, you don’t have to worry about weather taking a chip or two off the cover of your grill. With a nod to modern technology, the RT-700 also has Wi-Pellet WiFi Technology that connects with an app, to allow you to control your grilling remotely.

You can also benefit from the dual meat-probes that come plugged directly into the grill’s controller, so you can monitor twice the amount of meat. This completely eliminates the need for an after-market thermometer.

With the RT-700, you can also enjoy automatic lighting and shutdown features. This helps you achieve and maintain ultimate control of the grilling temperature, from 200ºF to 500ºF.

With a cooking area of 702 sq. in., the RT-700 isn’t small in size, either. You can fit a full turkey or six large racks of ribs. If using the second shelf, you can actually benefit from the full 1,054 sq. in.

Cleanup and maintenance is also a breeze, with a removable dishwasher-safe glass lens. The stainless steel design of the grill, fire plot, heat deflector, and drip pan also guarantee you a few years of loyal service, that won’t corrode or rust.

What are its best features?

• 6-year warranty and stainless steel build on most of the components
• 1,054 sq. in. of cooking space

What could be improved?

• Too large and hard to move around the backyard or cooking area

The Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett is one of the most lightweight and convenient options of pellet smokers out there. Since it weighs in at only 68 lbs, it is highly portable and you will be able to move it around the backyard with ease.

Although it is a smaller size, it still is highly functional. Unlike other pellet smokers in its category, it has a hopper that only holds 9 lbs worth of pellets. This grill reaches a maximum range of 150-550ºF. This is extremely impressive, considering its more compact dimensions, and means that it’s capable of grilling all that you could ever want.

Through its sloped design, the hopper can slide the pellets through to the mouth of the auger so that it functions without much effort from your side.

The one thing that definitely sets this grill apart is its portability – its weight and foldable legs make it a great option of camping and boating trips. Apart from that, it also comes with a digital WiFi controller that allows you to monitor and operate the grill through an app on your phone.

The Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett comes with a variety of different features that make grilling not only easier, but also a more enjoyable experience. This grill comes included with a meat probe, a peaked lid for stand-up chicken, large fowl, and rib racks, and a convenience tray with utensil hooks.

You also don’t have to worry about controlling temperature for the optimum cooking heat, since the Davy Crockett has a thermal sensor that can run on a battery.

What are its best features?

• Weighs only 68 lbs for extreme portability—along with foldable legs
• Comes with WiFi Controller and temperature control

What could be improved?

• It is not big enough for large family gatherings or parties

The Cookshack Fast Eddy’s Pellet Grill PG500 is designed with stainless steel, so you can be certain that it is made to last with its extremely sturdy build.

If you’re looking for the largest pellet smoker option out there, the Cookshack Fast Eddy’s Pellet Grill PG500 is a giant when it comes to other smokers on the market. With a 23 lb. hopper and a total weight of 330 lbs, you can definitely rest assured that this pellet smoker is here to stay.

Not only is it massive for any and all grilling tasks, it also is highly-functional, with a pellet dump door at the bottom so you are able to switch out the pellets while in use.

The Cookshack Fast Eddy’s Pellet Grill PG500 is designed with four different cooking areas so you can choose one depending on the meat or food you’re working with. You can use the main grilling area, located directly above the fire pot. This area reaches temperatures up to 600°F. You can also station yourself in the indirect heat zone for roasting.

With the amount of grilling you‘ll be doing, you might be worried about cleanup. However, with the Cookshack Fast Eddy’s smoker, cleanup is easy thanks to the front ash drawer that collects the ash, which can then easily be thrown away.

This pellet smoker also runs on a digital control system, which has a broad range of extra features. You can choose the settings perfect for the type of food that you’re cooking.

What are our favorite features?

• Has a 23 lb. hopper for pellets
• Can reach temperatures up to 600°F
• Comes with four different zones for cooking

What could be better?

• Is extremely heavy—once you place it, you can’t move it around much