Master the art of grilling with our pellet grill guide for beginners.
Get step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make your first cookout a breeze.
Those looking to dip their toe — or their tongs — into the world of pellet grilling likely have questions about this relatively new type of outdoor cooking. Gaining popularity over the last 20 years, quality pellet grills can provide consistency, versatility and ease of use that’s nearly unmatched in outdoor cooking. At the same time, they use the basic elements of smoke and fire that have been used for centuries worldwide to cook delicious food.
With extensive outdoor cooking experience, we’ve become your friendly neighborhood pellet grill experts as we’ve cooked thousands of dishes on them for our friends and families. Here’s a handy Pellet Grilling 101 that provides helpful shopping tips about the best pellet grills for beginners, guidance on how to use a pellet grill, and a few of our favorite easy recipes for pellet grills
What is a Pellet Grill
Pellet grills are outdoor cookers that use compressed wood pellets as a fuel source. Like other products, not all pellets are created equal. But quality pellets from manufacturers like BBQers Delight burn hot and efficiently, adding a clean smoke flavor that enhances the taste of your food.
When using a pellet grill, you’ll first load the pellets into a hopper. An auger will then move them from the hopper to the fire pot or burn pot, where an ignition rod will heat the pellets while a fan forces air across the fire pot to set them ablaze.
Once the pellets have created a small fire, the ignition rod will shut off, and the pellets will continue to burn, making the heat necessary to grill, smoke, and bake foods. The grill’s fan system helps the pellets continue to burn by providing a constant oxygen source and circulating heat and smoke throughout the cooking chamber.
Benefits of using a Pellet Grill
What people tend to love most about pellet grills is the convenience. The current generation of pellet grills comes complete with digital controllers that monitor the grill's temperature and adjust the fans and auger accordingly to help maintain a consistent cooking temperature over long periods.
And as pellet grill quality has improved over the last two decades, they’ve become a far more versatile cooking tool. Once limited to smoking and roasting foods, some pellet smokers have added the ability for baking, searing, and over‐the‐fire grilling. A full‐featured pellet grill really can do it all, and the best of the best can accommodate multiple cooking techniques at the same time through multi‐zone cooking.
Choosing Your First Pellet Grill
When shopping for a pellet grill, finding local retailers with different models on display is a good idea. Hands‐on shopping will allow you to evaluate build quality, ask questions about specific features, and ensure you have accurate expectations for what you are buying.
But regardless of whether you purchase your grill from a physical store or an online retailer, here’s what you should look for in a beginner‐friendly pellet grill.
Key Features for a Beginner‐Friendly PG
- Precise Temperature Control - A control panel with a wide temperature range that can be incrementally adjusted between 180°F and at least 600°F will provide the ability for precise and versatile cooking. However, just make sure you look deeper into capabilities at the higher end of that range. Many pellet grills advertise high heat points without offering the setup options to grill food over a direct flame, limiting your ability to sear or get a nice char on food.
- Quality Materials - As the material and build quality of a pellet grill increase, so will its temperature control and durability. Welded construction‐grade steel tops the quality hierarchy. But you can still find solid options that are made from thick‐cast aluminum and plated steel. This is really where some hands‐on shopping can come in helpful, as you will have the chance to feel for yourself how solid each grill is and how well it is put together.
- Cooking Surface Size and Versatility - Don’t skrimp on cooking surface size; you can cook an entire meal on a single pellet grill with multi‐zone cooking capabilities. A brand that is confident in its grill’s versatility will have seamless accessories like cast iron griddles and pizza ovens available. Any accessory you plan to buy should slide perfectly into place, efficiently use the grill’s heat source, and work seamlessly with just slight modification to the grill’s primary setup.
Best Budget Pellet Grill
We are pickier than most when it comes to budget pellet grills. Sure, it’s possible to find pellet grills in the $300-$700 range online or at a big box hardware store, but those grills will wear out quickly and frustrate users with their lack of necessary features. At a slightly higher price point, you can start to find options that will provide a positive and consistent experience as you learn the ins and outs of pellet grilling.
Weber Searwood 600 Pellet BBQ Grill - A Solid Option Under $1000
The Searwood 600 heats up in under 15 minutes and can handle cooks at temperatures between 180°F and 600°F. Weber’s DirectFlame™ cooking allows for searing, crisping, and browning over a full grate sear zone. Cleanup is a breeze, and a grease and ash management system is conveniently positioned at the front of the grill.
Top Brands for Reliable Pellet Grills
In addition to Weber, Camp Chef provides a reliable pellet grilling experience. Both brands have a long track record of producing quality outdoor cooking equipment, providing solid warranties, and outfitting their grills with an array of well‐engineered accessories.
However, in our experience, Yoder Smokers provides the best and most reliable pellet cooking experience, specifically with their Yoder Smokers YS640s model. And we aren’t alone. In the past year, it was named Field & Stream’s Best Smoker of 2024, Food & Wine’s Best Professional Grade Grill of 2024, Wall Street Journal’s Best Luxury Grill of 2024, and Popular Mechanic’s Best Overall Pellet Grill of 2024.
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From its construction‐grade steel cooking chamber to its welded joints to its ability to easily accommodate accessories like the Yoder Smokers Wood Fired Oven and cast iron griddle, the YS640s checks all the boxes for what to look for when buying a pellet grill. The company stands solidly behind its work with warranty coverage of 10 years for the cooking chamber and 3 years for the ACS controller and ceramic igniter. It’s truly a lifetime purchase that will provide you and your family with many years of versatile cooking potential.
Setting up Your Pellet Grill
Every pellet grill setup is slightly different, so read any instructions or manuals before fully unpacking your new pellet grill. Taking a moment to look through those documents will allow you to organize a workspace, gather necessary tools, and understand how long the setup process will take. Other steps in the setup process include:
- Determine Where The Grill Will Be Stationed - Pellet grills require electricity, so scope out a spot you can use that is in range of an outlet.
- Find Unboxing and Setup Videos - Whenever on YouTube or the manufacturer’s website, setup videos should be available that will walk you through the process of getting your new pellet grill operational. Seeing someone else work through the process is easier than reading a manual for many people.
- Download Apps - If your pellet grill has an app that allows for remote operation, download it and register an account before you start the unboxing and assembly process so you’re fully prepared when you power it up for the first time.
- Season The Grill - Run the grill at 400°F for about an hour to burn away any leftover grease and oil from the manufacturing process. To season the surface of your grates before the first cook, apply a light coat of cooking oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable or canola oil, to the surfaces of the grates.
Getting Started with Pellet Grilling
Cooking items rich in fat or grease, like bacon, brisket or pork shoulder, will help accelerate the cook chamber’s seasoning process by forming a protective barrier to the grill’s interior. You’ll want to monitor your pellet smoker closely during those first cooks, as you may experience temperature fluctuations until the grill is properly seasoned and broken in.
This comfort food classic takes things to the next level by incorporating ground beef, zesty country sausage, caramelized onions, savory garlic, and complementary spices, all tucked away in a delicious layer of bacon. It’s all topped off with a sweet and savory barbecue sauce glaze that gives every bite some added kick.
While Chef Tom uses the Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita Offset Smoker in this recipe, you can achieve the same results on a pellet grill by following his process and temperature recommendations. These low‐prep Texas Turkey Breasts always come out juicy and are ready to eat less than three hours after putting them on the grill.
Pork butts (also called a pork shoulder) are very forgiving thanks to their high fat content and are an excellent cut for helping season a new grill. Chef Tom’s No‐Wrap Pork Butt is a straightforward recipe that delivers classic BBQ flavor and a gorgeous bark.
While smoking a whole brisket is a more time‐consuming investment than the above recipes, Chef Tom demonstrates how easy each step is and how to combine those elements to achieve competition‐quality results.
Maintaining Your Pellet Grill
Proper cleanup and storage are essential to maintaining a pellet grill. While neither is anyone’s favorite aspect of outdoor cooking, they are both critical for protecting your investment and ensuring your pellet grill functions to its highest potential. After each cook, remember to:
- Wipe Down Grates While They’re Warm - One of the reasons we so highly recommend Yoder Smokers is because their construction‐grade steel walls provide a powerful tool in the cleanup process — heat retention. It’s much easier to wipe down cooking grates and interior grill walls when the grease is still warm because it will wipe off easily. Grease that’s been allowed to cool and harden requires significantly more scraping.
- Finish Cleanup And Prepare For Your Next Cook - Start by unplugging and storing your cord. Wipe any dust from the control system and the outside of the cooking body. Once your grill has cooled, remove any grease or food you missed while the grill was still warm. Clean out any ash from the firebox, make sure the igniter tip is clean, and
- Cover The Grill - If you store your Yoder Smokers pellet grill outdoors, we highly recommend covering it to protect it from the elements. ATBBQ offers water-resistant covers tailored for different models, complete with buckles that tighten to hold the cover in place and vents to prevent moisture buildup.
If you live in an environment where pellets can be stored in the hopper, you can refill the pellets at this time.
Once you’ve broken in your grill with a couple of these options, you will be ready to explore our comprehensive library of recipes and other grill setup options.
