Best Pellet Grill of 2025
While most modern pellet grills have digital temperature readouts and do a good job of maintaining temperature, this isn’t always the case.
To determine the best pellet grills and see how these products perform in a variety of cooking scenarios, we conducted three tests. These tests show us how efficiently and evenly the grill cooks (or doesn’t cook) based on different meats, methods, and heat settings.
Smoking ribs low and slow is the perfect test for a pellet grill.
rib cage
We install sensitive thermocouple thermometers at the grate of each grill. The sensor is also connected to a laptop running data logging software.
Well-smoked ribs should be juicy, tender, and full of smoky flavor.
Next, we fired up the grill and set the temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and started recording. We then remove the coating from the pork chop carcass and season it with our all-purpose rub for chops and chicken. Once the grill’s thermometer reports that it’s reached our desired temperature, we leave it on the grate for at least three hours, keeping the lid closed.
Beer can chicken is a great way to add flavor and moisture to chicken when cooking on a pellet grill.
chicken
To test the medium cooking time on the medium heat setting, we roasted a whole chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After trimming and seasoning the chicken, we inserted a temperature probe into each chicken breast, for a total of two probes per chicken. To make our results as fair as possible, all chickens weighed as close to 5.5 pounds as possible.
To mix it up, we also tested beer can chicken to provide another measure of cooking poultry. By holding the chicken upright while cooking, it gives the grill another level of cooking precision since not all meat is relatively the same distance from the heat. Using the same method of tracking temperature throughout the cooking process, the chicken becomes juicy and flavorful at the smoky heat of 350 degrees.
Cooking burgers at high temperatures can help us understand how a pellet grill cooks meat.
Hamburger
The burger is the final test of our barbecue review. We measured out 5.3 ounces of 80/20 ground beef and pressed them into an even patty. The patties were placed in the grill basket and we inserted a temperature probe into the center of each patty at a 45-degree angle.
Preheat the grill on the highest heat setting for 10 minutes and place the basket on the grill. After six minutes of cooking, we flipped the basket and monitored the internal temperature. Once the last burger in the basket reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the batch is done. In this test, a good burger was one with nice exterior sear and a slightly pink center.
If one burger consistently reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit before the others in each round, the burger test will pinpoint any hot spots on the grill’s cooking surface.
Pork Chops
Buying a whole pork loin and cutting the ribs yourself is a great way to not only save money but also get pork chops to cook with.
For the ribs, I bought a whole pork tenderloin and cut the ribs about 1 inch thick from the top. Not only is this more economical, but it also ensures that the ribs are of equal thickness, allowing for more even cooking. After some seasoning, place the center-cut pork chops on the grill.
Use the same method as for burgers, monitoring the temperature throughout cooking on a 350-degree grill. Since there are no bones, the ribs cook evenly and relatively quickly.
Boston Pork Butt
Boston pork butt is an excellent meat for a pellet grill because it absorbs a lot of smoke and provides flavorful meat for pulling.
For a longer cooking test, I used about six pounds of Boston pork butt or pork shoulder, with a mixture of sweet and savory dry rubs and yellow and Dijon mustard as a binding agent. Set the pellet grill to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and have two meat probes for each piece of meat to monitor the temperature.
After cooking to 165F internally, I wrap the meat in butcher paper and return it to the grill until it reaches 195F. Then, it’s time to let the meat rest for an hour or so. Once it’s done, I place the meat in a tray and pull it apart and shred it, resulting in juicy, smoky, tender pork that can be used in sandwiches, mac and cheese, and many other dishes.
Chest
Brisket can be tricky to cook because it requires long periods of time at low temperatures to properly break down the fat and meat fibers.
The final test was with brisket cooked for 13 hours, which was longer. The meat is trimmed and treated with kosher salt, yellow mustard and smoked beef rub, then three meat probes are used to track the temperature of the chunks of meat. Once all of this is done, place the brisket in the center of the grill at 225 degrees.
After about six hours, when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, I wrap the brisket in butcher paper and return it to the grill. Once the temperature reaches 195 degrees, I wrap it in aluminum foil to help retain moisture and finish cooking at 225 degrees.
The grill produced juicy meat with nice smoke rings and was well cut. For foods like brisket that take a long time to cook, being able to maintain even, consistent heat is critical to properly breaking down the fat and protein fibers for a delicious meal.
