Barbecue nights (or days!) are a subtle excuse to flex some chef-like skills. Meanwhile, in some cultures, the men in the house are in charge, and everyone’s competitive about delivering a “very good barbecue” all the time. Regardless, doing barbecue at home is fun and brings the family together, which could use some good equipment to elevate the experience (and the taste).
But often, some households are torn between getting charcoal or the gas type.
The former is essential to get that authentic smoky taste it uniquely delivers. However, it is more tedious to set up and clean, more so, cook with. And if you happen to have limited backyard space, cooking in a charcoal grill will be challenging.
Meanwhile, the gas type is more convenient to set up, clean, and use. It also cooks faster but lacks the unique taste coming from the burning coals.
So, if you want the convenience of a gas grill and the smoky taste from charcoal, then an outdoor pellet grill is for you.
An outdoor pellet grill combines the functions of a gas grill, a charcoal grill, and an oven. But what’s unique about it is that it is powered by electricity and driven by an electronic mechanism that feeds wood pellets to the burner, regulates the airflow inside, as well as achieves and maintains the temperature you set it.
Because of its electronic component, a more advanced outdoor pellet grill can be controlled remotely with the help of technologies like Alexa and Google Assistant.
Here at Top Ten Best Reviews, we looked for wood chip grill options that are easily available online. Aside from checking other user reviews, we judged each option with the following key performance indicators of an outstanding wood pellet grill:
- Ease of use
- Evenness of heat distribution
- Cooking performance
- Fuel efficiency
- Cooking capacity
Outdoor Pellet Grill and Smoker Options for Your Next Bbq Session – (Comparison)
| Name | Key Feature | |
| Traeger, TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 Grill and Smoker – (Editor’s Choice) | Wi-Fire technology that connects your grill to your smart home system | Check Price |
| BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pellet Grill & Smoker | Bi-level grilling space allows you to cook more food on a more compact grill | Check Price |
| Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker | Huge hopper capacity at 15 pounds | Check Price |
Traeger, TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 Grill and Smoker – Editor’s Choice
If you find the concept behind an outdoor pellet grill awesome, you might want to get your first one from the inventor itself. Traeger pioneered the outdoor pellet grill and still continues to innovate its features to adapt to the evolving needs of its users.
Over the years, Traeger has been improving its features based on its experience and its customers’ feedback. The Traeger, TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 is one of the favorites because of how precise its temperature control is. This allows you to achieve juicy, flavorful, and properly cooked meats every time you use them.
Another highlight is its so-called “WiFire” technology. The addition of a smart feature allows you to hook up your wood smoker grills to your intelligent home system. With the use of a Wi-Fi connection, a separate controller, and the Traeger app, you can now control a lot of settings in your Traeger pellet smoker remotely. This includes on/off, temperature settings, timer settings, and cooking monitoring.
The WiFire technology lessens the hassle and time spent cooking so you can work on something else while it does the job. Being able to control your outdoor pellet grill remotely also adds a safety feature. No more burnt barbecue while your toddler asks for more cuddle time in bed. Alexa, turn off the grill!
Now you might be asking, how worthy it is to spend hundreds of dollars on an outdoor pellet grill when you’ll get sick if you eat barbecue all the time? Well, you don’t have to because aside from grilling, you can also smoke, bake, and braise with your Traeger, TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 Grill, and Smoker. From the mains to the dessert, you can whip up your most favorite dishes more conveniently using the same cooker.
Traeger wood pellets can be purchased separately or bundled with your grill. The pellets are made from high-quality and 100% natural hardwood that provides the most tasteful and authentic smoky flavor to your dishes. Alternatively, you can also use other types of wood pellets and experiment with different kinds of flavor profiles.
Pros
- Improved temperature regulation
- Can connect to your smart home system
- Expansive cooking surface – cooks up to 24 regular sized burger patties, 5 full-rack ribs, and 4 whole chickens
- 6-in-1 functions: grill, smoke, roast, bake, broil, barbecue
- Wi-Fire technology that connects your grill to your smart home system
Cons
- Expensive
Conclusion
The Traeger, TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 Grill, and Smoker is a good investment for barbecue enthusiasts who wanted to have an authentic barbecue at home often but can do so more conveniently.
The addition of a smart feature to this outdoor pellet grill makes it fitting to the times, giving more versatility to your kitchen and dish preparation while saving you more time that can be spent on other equally important tasks at home.
BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pellet Grill & Smoker
If you are looking for something more compact yet has enough rough to feed a party in your backyard, then by no means get the BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pellet Grill & Smoker.
With this outdoor pellet grill, you get a total of 700 square inches of cooking space with its 2-level grill. If you fancy pellet bbq, you can easily share your dishes with your family and friends by multiplying your recipe and cook for everyone in one go.
Using bbq smoker pellet is a great way of expanding your methods in cooking, allowing you to practice your grilling and smoking skills with more efficiency. It saves you time from setting up the grill and fanning it to maintain the temperature, but without sacrificing the quality and flavor of your food.
For beginners, firing up wood grills can be intimidating with all the work involved – starting the grill, firing it up, and maintaining the temperature until the food is cooked. Using an outdoor pellet grill instead eases them to cook their food this way. This is because it uses digital temperature control that can precisely deliver the right amount of heat to cook your food thoroughly. And all of these while retaining the natural flavors and infusing a unique taste from the wood pellets.
Meanwhile, using different wood pellets, say, hickory pellets can elevate your dish, making a beginner seem like a pro. Talk about adding confidence to you in the kitchen.
The BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pellet Grill & Smoker is also multi-functional as it allows you to do more than just smoking and grilling ribs, sausages, and meats. You can also bake, roast, and braise on it. You can serve a complete meal of meats, sides, and dessert using the same cooking equipment. That’s value to your investment right there.
Pros
- Bi-level grilling space allows you to cook more food on a more compact grill
- 6-in-1 cooking – bake, roast, grill, smoke, braise, barbecue
- Digital temperature control
- Porcelain grill that’s easier to clean
- Comes with a foldable service table
- Wheeled for portability
Cons
- No smart feature
Conclusion
The BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pellet Grill & Smoker is for people who wanted a more compact outdoor pellet grill but do not want to sacrifice grill space. And the bi-level grill satisfies this requirement. It has digital temperature control that allows you to set a precise temperature that cooks your food evenly and faster.
Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker
You can only derive the maximum taste profile of food cooked in an outdoor pellet grill if it is cooked slow and used high-quality pellets. Thus, getting an energy-efficient grill is not only economical but also brings the most out of your food.
The Z grill smoker offers the biggest hopper capacity among the outdoor pellet grills on this list. It can load up a total of 15 pounds of wood pellets, sparing you of constant refills and more smoking time for your meats. It also utilizes advanced wood fire technology that feeds wood pellets efficiently to the hopper. In the same way, this sustains its temperature effectively to provide more heat per pound of wood pellets.
This outdoor pellet grill can provide precise temperatures from 180 to 450 degrees, which you can vary using a digital control. And to ensure even cooking and consistent temperature, it uses convection to allow efficient heat distribution.
The Z grill pellet grill also deploys some convenient functions like a foldable working table that eases your preparation, a bi-level grill for more cooking space, and all-terrain wheels for transport.
This Z grills wood pellet grill is engineered to withstand both time and outdoor conditions. The grills are porcelain coated and made of cast iron so they are easy to clean but holds heat well. The body is made of mostly stainless steel and other durable materials.
Pros
- Huge hopper capacity at 15 pounds
- More cost-effective than using gas or propane
- Comes with a foldable working and preparation table
- Multi-functional cooking
- Digital temperature control
Cons
- Some users complain about the temperature fluctuating
Conclusion
The Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker is for people who are looking for a cost-efficient way of cooking barbecue and a host of dishes that have that distinct smoky taste. For us, this is the best wood chip smoker considering its expansive hopper capacity.
Final Verdict
It’s 2021 and we couldn’t deny that the Alexa function did the compelling verdict. When it comes to performance, all three are almost at the same level and are best wood pellet grills, but the Traeger TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 Grill, and Smoker did stand out because it is more fitting to the modern times.
The Traeger TFB57GZEO, Pro Series 575 Grill and Smoker is the best pellet smoker grill because it provides you with more functions other than grilling and smoking meats. And it is also consistent in delivering constant temperature to your food. It also has the right capacity to grill for the entire family or a party even.
And most of all, you can hook it to your smart home system to allow remote control and increase your productivity at home.