17 Benefits Of Pellet Grills

Learn about the many benefits of pellet grills and why you should add one to your outdoor kitchen. Read on to learn about the pellet grill advantage.​

Pellet grills are starting to gain popularity among grillers, especially those who enjoy smoking their food. Even though they haven’t been around as long as gas and charcoal grills, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t some significant advantages of pellet grills.

If you’re not familiar with a pellet grill, or you’re not sure if it’s for you, keep reading to learn the 17 benefits of pellet grills and smokers.

What is a Pellet Grill?

A pellet grill is fueled by wood pellets made from compressed hardwood sawdust. You can choose specific woods to help you achieve the flavor you desire in your food.

Unlike charcoal smokers, pellet grills work on an automatic fueling system to keep your grill at the desired temperature. An electric auger feeds pellets into the grill’s fire as needed.

Check out our Complete Pellet Grill Guide to learn more about the ins and outs of pellet grilling.

Why Buy a Pellet Grill?

If you love smoked food but hate hovering over a charcoal smoker all day, a pellet grill is a great option.

Pellet grills are the absolute quickest and easiest way to smoke food. They don’t require you to adjust your vents and reposition coals constantly. Once the temperature is set, the pellets are fed into the grill as needed.

You can work on the rest of the meal, entertain friends, or just enjoy a cold drink and relax while your favorite meats, seafood, or cheeses cook and absorb that savory, smokey flavor.

Let’s get right to the many benefits of a pellet grill?, shall we?

The Quality & Flavor of the Food

Your guests will rave about the quality and flavor of the food you cook on your pellet grill, and rightly so. It’s no wonder that professional barbeque chefs prefer cooking on wood to gas, and pellet grills make it so much easier to do so.

Gas and charcoal grills can’t give you the variety of flavors that pellet grills will. Not only will you get that delicious smokey flavor, but you can easily mix and match your favorite flavors of wood pellets for unique and delicious results.

Pellet Grills Offer Effortless Ignition

One downside of a charcoal grill is the time and skill it takes to get the briquettes started. Thankfully it’s a lot quicker and easier with pellet grills. They start up just as quickly as a gas grill with the touch of a button but with the flavors that a charcoal grill offers. Talk about the best of both worlds!

Pellet Grills Produce more Even Heat

Because pellet grill smokers work more like an oven, the temperature is mostly even throughout the chamber, and your food is cooked evenly. No more frustrating “burnt on one end raw on the other” scenarios.

Pellet Grills Provide Better Temperature Control

Meat must be cooked to a specific temperature for it to be safe to eat. However, overcooking meat can make it tough and flavorless. Finding that sweet spot is essential to enjoying meat that is safe to eat yet still tender and juicy.

Traditional grills make managing the temperature a tedious task. Thankfully pellet grills can preheat in 10 to 15 minutes and have a temperature regulation system with a thermostat so you can have optimal control of the heat.

Because pellet smokers work like a convection oven, food is cooked evenly across the grate.

Pellet Grills are Fuel Efficient & Cheaper to Cook on

Pellet grills require less fuel than gas or charcoal grills. That’s because the convection fan in pellet grills distributes heat more evenly, requiring fewer pellets to keep the grill hot.

A 20-pound bag of pellets usually costs around $20 and can last anywhere from 6 to 20 hours of cooking, depending on the temperature use.

Many Pellet Grills Offer Wireless Connectivity

Grilling is far from primitive these days. You can now connect your phone to many pellet grills using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The application lets you control the grill from your phone without ever having to leave your lawn chair.

Pellet Grills Provide Amazing Smoke Flavor Without all the Hassel

Pellet grills are preferred by many backyard chefs because of their ease of use and because they take on the unique flavor of the wood chosen for the pellets.

You can find pellets in hickory, pecan, cherry, apple, alder, maple, and many more flavors. Many grill masters combine two or more wood pellet types for distinct results.

You can enjoy the fantastic smoke flavor in meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and even cheeses. There’s no other cooking method that compares to the outcome you’ll get with hardwood pellets.

Pellet Grills are Easy to Use – Just Set it & Forget it

Pellet grills are easy to use and don’t require a minimal learning period. They’re quick and painless to start up with just a push of a button, and most models have controls you can preset and forget.

Some pellet smokers allow you to pre-program them for an entire smoking cycle. Once you fill the hopper with the pellets, start the grill, and add your food to the grates, all you need to do is remove it when it’s finished. You’ll never have to adjust the temperature or open the lid to check in again.

You Get Fewer Flare-Ups

Unlike gas and charcoal grills, pellet smokers have full-coverage panels that separate your food from the open flame. You’ll never have to worry about flare-ups and blackened edges again

They Provide Unbelievable Consistency

Because pellet grills are fueled automatically and are based on the temperature you set on the thermostat, the heat stays relatively consistent. It is usually within 5 to 10 degrees of the set temperature at all times.

You Get a Wide Temperature Range

While a pellet grill smoker is famous for its low-and-slow cooking, it doesn’t mean it can’t handle high-heat searing.

Modern pellet grills are capable of delivering the high heat needed to add that beautiful grill-iconic sear mark to your steaks in addition to its claim to fame slow cooking options.

Pellet Grills are a Versatile Outdoor Cooking Machine

Because of the variety of temperatures and pellet grill can handle, the possibilities are endless for what and how you cook. There’s no more need to buy a separate grill and smoker when a pellet grill is your all-in-one solution. Additionally, you can cook anything you can in an oven or on the stove in a pellet grill.

Temperatures have never been more precise or easy to regulate on a grill. With temperatures ranging from 180 degrees Fahrenheit up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit on some models, you can bake, sear, smoke, and roast all on the same piece of equipment.

You can Bake with Pellet Grills

Pellet grills work much like an indoor convection oven in your kitchen. Dry, indirect heat is circulated by a fan and can stay within 5 degrees of your desired temperature.

Many grill enthusiasts have successfully baked bread, pastries, biscuits, and desserts on their pellet grills. Thanks to the wood pellets’ ability to fully combust, desserts never taste too smokey at baking temperatures.

You can Smoke Foods with Pellet Grills

Smoking food is usually the deciding factor in buying a pellet grill. It makes sense as pellet cookers were initially designed as smokers.

Pellet grills are especially great for beginners because they don’t require much experience to operate, unlike cabinet smokers.

Smoking on pellet grills often gives you a cleaner flavor than electric or charcoal grills because the pellets completely combust. This unique feature of wood pellets also means that the thin smoke is free of creosote, a cancer-causing carcinogen resulting from incomplete combustion.

You can Grill with Pellet Grills

No pellet grill is complete without the ability to cook on high heat in true grilling fashion. Pellet grills now reach temperatures comparable to many gas grills and can cook steaks and side dishes in just minutes while infusing them with a clean, smoking flavor.

You can Cold Smoke with Pellet Grills

Cold smoking is a great feature offered on many pellet grills. Cold smoking is ideal for smoking salmon, bacon, and cheese and often stays between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can Direct Sear with Many Pellet Grills

Many pellet grills have special attachments that allow you to adjust the heat panels so you can expose your food directly to the flames for searing meat and vegetables. Other grills offer a designated sear zone side burner.

There are Pellet Grills with Gas Features

Some pellet grills include a side-mounted gas power burner so you can sear without interrupting the smoking process. The gas-powered burner can also be used as a griddle or pizza oven. Now you can smoke your brisket on one side while grilling up fresh summer vegetables on the other.  How could multitasking get any better?

There are a Wide Variety of Pellet Grill Options & Configurations

There are a wide variety of options when it comes to pellet grills. Depending on the amount of space you have in your outdoor kitchen, the size of crowds you’ll be serving, and what you plan on using your pellet grill and a smoker for, you’ll find one that will meet all your needs and preferences.

Pellet grills are versatile and cook all kinds of food while using different temperatures and techniques. It is truly a “do-it-all” piece of equipment.

Pellet Grills Provide Overall Great Value

Pellet smokers tend to cost more upfront than your average charcoal or gas grill, but when you consider what you’re getting for the price, it’s well worth the investment.

Not only are you getting a grill, smoker, and convection oven in one, but pellet grills are built to last.

Most brands offer solid warranties with your purchase, so they stand behind the quality and durability of their pellet grills.

Pellet grills also tend to use less fuel in the long run, saving you money on gas and charcoal, making them the more economical option overall.

Pellet Grills are a Safe Cooking Option

There are always risks when cooking over an open flame. Gas grills have the reputation of exploding when not use correctly. Charcoal and wood logs can flare up or smoke for days after grilling, becoming a fire hazard to your home.

Because, for the most part, pellet grills cook indirectly, food never comes into direct contact with the open flame, so you never have to worry about flareup or grease fires.

Pellets are also released in small quantities as needed into the fire pot, so there is never a build-up of partially burnt fuel that is messy to clean out and can continue to smolder days later.

Pellet grills really are the safest option for outdoor cooking.

Here is an article that explains all the safety and health benefits of a pellet grill: Are Pellet Grills Healthy? What You Need To Know Before You Buy

Pellet Grills are Better for your Health & the Environment

Achieve delicious results in your pellet grill without having to add fat or oil to your food. Unlike cooking over direct heat, fat dripping won’t burn up and cause carcinogens to enter your food. Instead, the fat converts to gas that adds more flavor to your meats.

Pellets also release less smoke than charcoal, which is Better For Your Health and the environment.

Not only are pellets cleaner for burning, but they are a sustainable biofuel that reduces landfill disposal of sawdust by re-purposing the byproduct as fuel.

Pellet Grills are Easier to Clean & Maintain

Unlike charcoal, pellets burn up almost entirely and produce little leftover ash in the firepot. When you’re all done cooking, there is little mess to clean up, and they only require a quick wipe down and occasional emptying of the firepot. A shop vac works great for that. No more shoveling out half-burnt charcoal and ash.

Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Pellet Grills

Pellet grills and Smokers offer various options when it comes to smoking, grilling, and even baking. It’s truly an all-in-one appliance that requires little maintenance, experience, clean-up time, or overall effort to achieve drool-worthy results.

From the technique to the type of wood pellets you choose, every meal is bound to be a safe and unique culinary experience.

Next Steps:

I want to hear from you:

Do you already have an outdoor kitchen? Share Pics!

Do you have design tips to share?

What features and utilities would you like to include in an outdoor kitchen?

Are you going to be purchasing a smoker in the future?  Or do you plan on looking at a pellet grill, built-in or standalone gas grill, or charcoal model?

Let me know by leaving a quick comment below.

If you still have questions, please feel free to send me a message.

Cheers,

Patrick

Disclosure

At The Grilling Life, I am committed to researching and writing thoughtful, informative and editorially independent reviews of the best products for your outdoor cooking needs.  If you like what I do, you can support me through my chosen links, which earn me a commission.  This allows me to continue sharing with you my love for all things barbecue.  Your support is truly appreciated.