Index

The shortlists

Every grill here is judged by the same tests, whether or not I earn a commission on it.

Every best-of list on the internet ranks the same way: whoever pays the highest commission goes first. I cannot prove that from the outside. I can point at the order.

These lists work differently. They use the same tests as the checklist, the same tests I apply to every grill I read about. A grill that passes wins. A grill that pays well and wobbles 20 degrees on a windy day does not.

Five grills survive those tests at the moment. Four of them are on this page. The fifth is the one I am saving for, and it is in the notes rather than the lists.

Start with the list that matches your budget. If you do not know your budget yet, read what the $300, $500 and $800 tiers buy before you read a single recommendation.

01
Best pellet smokers under $500
The four grills I would consider with $500 in my hand, and what each one gives up.
02
Best entry level smoker
What entry level means when the industry calls $1,200 entry level.
03
Budget friendly pellet grills
The cheapest tier that still holds temperature. Three models and one caveat.
04
Best grill thermometer
The cheapest insurance in the whole purchase, and the one number that justifies it.
05
Reddit's favorite pellet smoker
One name showed up in 12 of the 14 threads I counted.
06
What the owners say past year one
The same threads, read for a different question: what breaks at month thirteen.

One rule holds all of this together: I would buy any grill on these lists with my own money. That is the strongest thing I can say about a product I do not own.