An Overview on Pellet Grills

What is a Pellet Grill?

Also called pellet smokers, pellet grills are electric outdoor cookers that combine features of charcoal smokers, gas grills, and kitchen ovens. This gives them the ability to smoke, grill, and bake at the same time. Pellet grills are fueled by food grade hardwood pellets that are fed from a box called a hopper into a burning element using an auger. An electronic control panel is used to turn the auger and regulate the grill’s airflow in order to maintain consistent cooking temperatures essentially working like a convection oven. This makes flipping your food optional because the heat is evenly distributed.

Why Choose a Pellet Grill?

Since Joe Traeger developed the first pellet grill in 1986, pellet grills have grown to become an extremely popular option for outdoor cooking. This is mainly due to their versatility and ease of use. Whether you are a novice or a pitmaster, a pellet grill gives you the freedom to enjoy other activities while you’re grilling without the stress of monitoring temperature or watching for flames. As a novice, you can find guides giving you approximate times and temperatures for essentially any food that you decide to grill. This will enable you to start cooking consistently impressive meals right away and it won’t take long to develop your own grilling style and techniques as well as a reputation for being a grill master. An added bonus of cooking with pellet grills is the variety of hardwood pellet flavors to choose from.

How To Choose a Pellet Grill?

Once you’ve decided to go with a pellet grill, you will have several brands to choose from. With each brand, you will have your choice at a number of different models. You will want to consider the following options when choosing which model to go with:

• Cooking surface area. Each model will have a specific cooking surface area, usually measured in square inches, along with the number of hamburgers that will fit on the racks. Consider the number of people that you want to be able to cook for on any given occasion when deciding how much cooking surface area you will need.
• Hopper capacity. Each model will have a specific hopper capacity, usually measured in pounds of pellets that it will hold. If you want to be able to go for long periods without adding pellets, look for a model with a large hopper.
• Temperature range. Each model has a specific temperature range. If you would like to be able to sear your food, look for a model with a high temperature range.
• Storage. The amount of available storage will vary depending on the model. Some brands offer better storage options than others so you will want to keep that in mind when making your decision. 
• Wi-Fi enabled. The ability to pair your grill with your phone has become a popular option that allows even more freedom to be away from the grill while being able to control and monitor the temperature of both the grill and your food. 
• Accessories. Most accessories offered by each brand will apply to each model that they offer. There are some accessories however that are made for specific models so it’s a good idea to establish which accessories you will want so you can pick a model that they will work with.

Pros

• Convenient
• Versatile
• Durable
• Safe
• Control
• Consistent

Cons

• Temperature