Reddit's Favorite Pellet Smoker Under $500

I spent a week mining Reddit for the best pellet smoker under $500.

I tracked every single brand recommendation across 14 budget threads on r/pelletgrills, r/smoking, and r/BBQ. I tallied positive mentions, negative warnings, and repeat recommendations across 63 owner comments.

My Method

I started with a simple question: when someone asks “what is the best budget pellet smoker” on Reddit, what do the replies say?

I set three rules for the data:

1. Only threads about smokers under $500
2. Only comments from verified owners (not people recommending what they read elsewhere)
3. I tracked brand mentions, not upvotes. A brand with 12 mentions across 12 threads tells me more than a brand with 50 upvotes in one thread

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The Winner: Pit Boss 850

It appeared in 12 out of 14 threads. When someone asked about a first smoker under $500, at least one comment said “Pit Boss 850.” Often it was the top comment.

The Pit Boss 850 dominated the data. It appeared more than the next two brands combined.

The reason is not a secret. It offers the most cooking space at this price point. It includes a flame broiler lever for searing, which almost no competitor provides under $500. And it has been around long enough that owners trust the design.

The biggest complaint across threads was temperature swings. Multiple owners confirmed 15-20 degree fluctuations on windy days. But almost every comment treated this as an acceptable trade-off for the price.

One owner said it best: “My Pit Boss has never let me down. It’s not perfect but I would buy it again.”

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Runner Up: Camp Chef PG24

The Camp Chef PG24 appeared in 8 of 14 threads. It did not win on features or price. It won on one thing: customer service.

The Camp Chef fans were the loudest in every thread. When something went wrong, Camp Chef fixed it. That loyalty outweighed every spec sheet comparison.

Multiple owners told the same story: a controller died, a hopper rusted, a probe stopped working. They called support. A replacement arrived in two days. No questions asked.

That peace of mind is worth $120 more than the cheapest option on this list. But the trade-off is real. At 570 sq in, the PG24 has the smallest cooking area of any grill I researched.

If you cook for two people or one large brisket at a time, this is fine. If you plan to feed a crowd, you will feel the space constraint.

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Best Value: Z Grills 7002B

The Z Grills 7002B appeared in 6 of 14 threads. It did not have the most mentions, but it had the most passionate defenders. Owners loved this grill.

The Z Grills 7002B is the value king. A PID controller at $379 is rare. Adding WiFi at that price is almost unheard of.

Owners mentioned one consistent benefit: temperature stability. The PID controller keeps the grill within 10 degrees of your target. That precision matters for overnight cooks. You sleep better knowing your brisket is not swinging 20 degrees.

The downside is max temperature. At 450 degrees F, you cannot sear steaks. If you want one grill that smokes and grills, the Pit Boss 850 is the better choice. If you want the most precise temperature control for your dollar, the Z Grills wins.

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Honorable Mentions

Traeger Tailgater 20 ($500): Appeared in 5 threads. Owners praised the app and recipe ecosystem. But multiple comments warned about the small cooking area (300 sq in) and the lack of a PID controller.

ASMOKE Portable ($399): Appeared in 3 threads. Praised for portability. Knocked for temperature swings.

Pit Boss PB440FB1 ($299): Appeared in 4 threads but mostly as a warning. Too many owners reported the controller dying after 14-18 months.

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What Reddit Taught Me

If you want cooking space and searing ability, buy the Pit Boss 850. It won the data by a wide margin. It is the default answer for a reason.

If you want customer service peace of mind, buy the Camp Chef PG24. You pay more for less cooking space. You get a support team that ships replacements overnight.

If you want the best temperature control for the lowest price, buy the Z Grills 7002B. The PID controller at $379 is the best value on this list.

I am still deciding between the Pit Boss 850 and the Z Grills 7002B. The Pit Boss has more cooking space and the sear option. The Z Grills has better temp control and WiFi. Both cost under $500.

The spreadsheet is not closed yet.

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Dreamer’s note: I do not own any of these grills. I spent 40 hours researching and another week mining Reddit data to write this post. The data came from 14 threads and 63 unique owner comments. If you own one of these brands and I got something wrong, tell me. I update my posts when I learn more.