The Best Pellet Grills and Smokers of 2023

After testing the Z Grills 7002BPRO, we found out it was discontinued. The company recommends the 7002F2. This new, 2021 model is the same as the 7002B but it comes with a PID controller (a device that helps regulate the temperature). We didn’t test the 7002F2, but we can say that we were extremely happy with the 7002B’s performance. And considering its affordable price, if you're shopping for a best value recommendation, this would be a great choice.

For starters, we must comment that this grill didn’t have any of the bells and whistles we found on most of the other pellet grills we tested. Instead of a digital control panel, it had a turn dial that allowed us to set the temperature in 25-degree increments. It also didn’t have a built-in thermometer (although we used an external ZGrills EasyBBQ Wireless Thermometer to great success). This pellet grill is also lacking the popular sear plate we found on most pellet grills, but we actually thought that was a benefit when it came to performance.

Although there’s nothing fancy about the ZGrills pellet grill, it created delicious-tasting food. The grill heated quickly and reached 485°F within 15 minutes. Since there was no sear plate that exposed the food to the fire pot’s flame, the chicken wings cooked evenly and resulted in a perfectly crispy exterior. When it came to low-and-slow cooking, the grill had no problem hovering around 225°F, and we only noticed a +/-10°F swing during the 10-hour smoke time. The brisket turned out smokier than most of the briskets we cooked, too.

Where this grill lost points was entirely design and aesthetic. There’s no way to drain the pellets if you want to change wood flavors, so you’d have to scoop them out by hand. We also found the grill hard to move around since the wheels are only on one side. It also lacks any work tables or shelves, and it only has one rack and a small warming rack inside. That said, it was the least expensive grill we tested but performed as well as our winning grill, so all these aesthetic complaints come at a price we were willing to live with.

We’ve tested many Weber grills over the years, but they’ve never sold a pellet grill until the Weber SmokeFire. We tested both the first- and second-generation Weber SmokeFire grills (the former now being discontinued). Our favorite feature of this pellet grill was its connection to theWeber Connect app, which allows you to control the grill’s temperature and access the built-in probe thermometer information without being right next to the grill.

When it came to performance, the SmokeFire produced the best brisket in the group. The grill did experience wild temperature swings, though (about 50°F at low temperatures and as much as 80°F when set to higher temperatures). Activating the SmokeBoost function helped the grill maintain low smoking temperatures, but it did require constant attention and monitoring. This SmokeBoost setting also filled the barrel with a robust amount of smoke, creating the best smoke ring in the group.

在更高的温度,SmokeFire b是独一无二的ecause of its open grill design. Most pellet grills contain a deflector plate that runs under the grill racks. Some contain a sliding sear plate that creates a section of the grill that has access to the flames in the fire pot. The SmokeFire looks like any other Weber grill, though, with an open design and a heat deflector plate that only covers an eight-inch area over the fire pot. That means it was able to function more like a traditional grill when cooking at higher temperatures. We were pleased with the results, and our chicken wings cooked evenly over the entire grill grate.

We did have some gripes with this pellet grill. Most notably, the open design is ripe to start grease fires after smoking fatty meats like brisket or pulled pork one day and cranking it up to 500°F to sear the next. While we were happy to see that Weber improved the pellet delivery system in the second generation model (something that was a big issue for consumers the first time around), we wish they had also updated the control panel. It doesn’t display an accurate grill temperature, instead displaying the same number as the grill’s set temperature most of the time. That meant we had to rely on our ambient probe to trust the actual temp.

Read our full SmokeFire EX4 review.

If you’re looking for a grill that performs well and looks good doing it, the Cuisinart Clermont Pellet Grill is the way to go. The initial building process is time-consuming (it took over 90 minutes, compared to the 45 minutes we experienced with most of the other grills), but it’s worth it in the end. The Cuisinart looks impressive right off the bat, with its large wrap-around table, built-in hooks for hanging cooking tools, and double doors with viewing windows that open up at the front. Inside, it features three customizable racks for a total of 1400 square inches of cooking space. It also holds 40 pounds of pellets at once, twice the amount of most of the pellet grills we tested.

This pellet grill did a fantastic job of holding temperatures at higher temps. Our chicken wings cooked evenly throughout the grill and resulted in a perfectly crispy exterior when set to 500°F. Unfortunately, the Cuisinart struggled a little with holding low temperatures, and we had to set the grill to 210°F to maintain an even 225°F for the brisket. It didn’t produce as much smoke as some of the other grills, either, but it did result in a juicy and flavorful brisket.

If we had complaints, they were small. The double doors started to stick after a few sessions, and they let out a lot of heat when they opened, so it took longer for the grill to recover to the set temperature after opening the doors. We also didn’t love the touch-sensitive buttons on the digital control panel. They were difficult to push, so we used the Bluetooth-enabled app to adjust the grill whenever possible. Finally, the pellets ran down the auger unevenly, causing us to get a low-pellet alert when the hopper was more than half full. It’s easy enough to resolve by pushing a mound of pellets towards the auger to relieve the sensor, but it also means you’ll need to keep a close eye on the grill for longer smoking sessions.

We got off to a shaky start with the Pit Boss Sportsman 820. After unboxing the pieces, we found a welded-on nut had broken off of one of the legs. Fortunately, Pit Boss’ customer service was quick to respond with a workaround and get a replacement part shipped out so we could start enjoying the grill right away.

For the price, we were impressed with this pellet grill. It didn’t feature the precise temperature control we found with more expensive grills, but the knob on the digital control panel sets the temperature in 20°F increments. It does have a Bluetooth and WiFi-enabled app to view the grill and two built-in probe temperatures, but it’s not a very robust app. We also liked how the folding front table and removable side table provided plenty of room to store items on their way in or out of the grill, and all four legs contained wheels to make the grill easy to move around.

When it came to performance, the Pit Boss tended to range in temperature between 20°F to 25°F from the set temp. That made it difficult to maintain low smoking temperatures without constant adjustment. While cooking at high temperatures, the range widened. When set to 475°F, the grill ranged from 490°F to 580°F. That might be good for opening up the sear plate and grilling a steak, but it wasn’t ideal for indirect-heat baking. The wings burned on the right side of the grill while cooking perfectly on the left.

For the price, we were fine with these discrepancies, but it’s an indicator that you get what you pay for. The build materials also feel and look cheaper than other grills we tested, so we’re not convinced this grill will last as long as some of the others in the test group.

While there was a lot to like about the Camp Chef Woodwind 24 with Sear Box, we found it lacking in performance—especially given its high price tag. The grill itself has ample surface area for all your grilling needs. It’s more compact than some of the other grills we tested, but it contains dual racks inside, each boasting roughly 400 square inches of grilling surface area. There’s plenty of room to grill several briskets, pork shoulders, or racks of ribs in this grill.

We also liked that the digital control panel used temperature increments of five degrees, allowing us to create more precise temperatures. The grill also allows for an extra smoke mode, with settings that range from 1 to 10. The WiFi- and Bluetooth-connected app was great for changing and monitoring both grill temperature and the four thermometer ports, too.

When smoking the brisket, the grill did a good job at staying within 5 to 10°F of the set temperature, so the grill created a perfectly cooked brisket in the end. That said, it lacked a smoke ring or robust smoky flavor (despite our using the smoke setting set at 10). We weren’t as impressed when using the grill at higher temperatures, though. When set to 450°F, the right side of the grill was significantly hotter than the left side, burning the wings on part of the grill before the other side cooked.

All in all, this is a fine pellet grill, but we preferred other grills at the same price point.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fully test the Louisiana Grills LG 1000 Black Label Series Grill. After building the pellet grill, we proceeded with the initial burn-off process without any issues. The next day, we fired up the grill to smoke a brisket, and that’s where the trouble started. The auger continuously fed pellets into the fire pot, but they never caught fire. The ignitor was active and glowing red-hot, but the smoldering pellets were continuously covered with new pellets. We attempted to remove the excess pellets and help the ignition along with a handheld bellow but to no avail. After some time, the grill shut itself off and would not turn back on.

We followed the troubleshooting advice in the owner's manual, removing the pellet access panel and inspecting the electric components, but could not identify an issue. At the time of this publication, we have reached out to Louisiana customer support with no reply.

As a result, we cannot recommend this pellet grill. It broke after a single use, and customer support did not assist us with a resolution.