Pellet grills are one of the hottest trends when it comes to grilling American style! They are fast becoming one of the most popular types of grills that can smoke and grill food with a wood-fired taste. If this sounds like something you’re interested in then read on to learn more about pellet grills and which are the best to buy!
Before you invest in a pellet grill give our buying guide a read and let us break down everything you’ll need to know before getting your hands on one.
Table of Contents
What is a Pellet Grill?
How Much Does a Pellet Grill Cost?
Pros and Cons of Pellet Grills
Which are the Best Pellet Grills to Buy?
How Does a Pellet Grill Work?
What is a Pellet Grill?
In the grilling market, everyone talks about how pellet grills are the latest type of next-generation outdoor barbecue. Pellet grills are becoming increasingly popular in the UK as they are easy to use and function as both a grill and a smoker. They are best described as outdoor ovens that can also smoke your food whilst cooking it evenly to accurate temperatures.
The grills get their name from the pellets that are used as the fuel source, the pellets are made from compressed wood shavings and are carbon neutral. An electronically-controlled temperature sensor feeds pellets into the fire pot under the grill grates, this brings the grill to the temperature you’ve set and can maintain it accurately. The burning pellets produce the wood-fired flavour so many people love.
How Much Does a Pellet Grill Cost?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the unique features of a pellet grill mean that they can be a little pricey especially when compared to standard charcoal or gas grills. Prices for entry-level pellet grills start at around the £600 mark but the top-rated models soon shoot up in price. Be prepared to pay over £2000 for the best models with all the features you could want.
If you’re hunting for a pellet grill on a budget we’ve included our entry-level options below that might be of interest to you.
Pros and Cons of Pellet Grills
Pellet grills offer a whole heap of advantages over other types of grills but there can also be a few drawbacks. Have a read of our pellet grills pros and cons list to see if you still want to buy a pellet grill!
- Better temperature control - Pellet grills have an electronic temperature gauge that operates like the one in your oven. You choose the cooking temperature, give the grill 15 minutes or so to heat up, and then start cooking. No need to open or close air vents like with a charcoal grill.
- Lots of flavours - Food grilled on a pellet grill has the flavourful wood smoke taste you can’t get with gas grills. Pellets made from different woods hickory, apple, cherry and mesquite, to name a few add a variety of flavours to your food. Pellet grills can also cook at low temperatures for long periods of time. Long, slow cooks like brisket and pork shoulder work well on a pellet grill. Many pellet grills offer built-in temperature probes that let you monitor whatever you’re cooking. Pellet grills perform well in cold weather conditions. It may take them a little longer to reach the desired temperature on chilly days.
- User-friendly - Pellet grills are electronically powered, can be ignited by a power switch, and have variable temperature settings. There's also no need for natural gas or propane as they plug into a standard electrical outlet.
Whilst we’d love to say that pellet grills are the perfect barbecuing appliance we feel there are a couple of disadvantages that you should consider taking into account before making a purchase. We don’t think any of these points are deal breakers but more things you should be aware of before buying.
- Electricity required - A pellet grill requires electricity so you need access to an outside plug socket or use an extension lead from indoors.
- Less choice - Pellet grills are less available than other (more common) grills like gas & charcoal barbecues so the options on the market are not plentiful. We are lucky enough to work with two of the most popular pellet grill brands in the market Traeger and Pit Boss both have a great range of pellet grills.
- More costly - Because of their unique features, pellet grills can be pricey especially when compared to charcoal grills. Prices for pellet grills start at the £500 mark and you can pay much more for the top models with all the bells and whistles!
Which are the Best Pellet Grills to Buy?
Here you’ll find the best and top-rated pellet grills we are able to supply. If you’re in the market for a wood pellet grill with all the bells and whistles then we would highly recommend you consider one of the popular models below. To view our full range of pellet grills you can click through to our online shop here.
How Does a Pellet Grill Work?
Once a pellet grill is plugged in and the controller is activated, the rotating auger (like a large screw) starts to move the pellets into the fire pot where they ignite and start to heat the cooking area/zone.
The combustion of the pellets produces heat and smoke in the cooking area, the heat is circulated by an induction fan which is how the pellet grill offers such controllable heat. With a pellet grill, you can smoke and cook larger quantities of food for huge numbers of guests; they are ideal for parties and gatherings as you don’t need to tend to them as often as you would a conventional grill. Externally, a pellet grill smoker looks like a conventional smoker, with the hopper (pellet feeder) positioned to the side of the cooking part of the grill.
Is it Easy to Clean a Pellet Grill?
Pellet grills are really easy to clean out, pellets are made of wood, so they create ash but once it cools down it's really easy to remove from the ashtray. Each pellet grill manufacturer offers specific methods on how to clean their grills and they’ll often give you this advice in the user manual.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend you thoroughly scrub the grates after each use. For general maintenance, you’ll want to clean the burn pot and grease the drip tray every three to five grilling sessions.
Thanks for reading our pellet grills ultimate buying guide, we really hope the information has been useful. Of course, if we’ve failed to answer any questions you have please don’t hesitate to get in touch or if there is a specific question on one of our pellet grills visit our contact page.
