Pellet grills make smoking food easy: Simply plug them in and let the auger automatically feed the firebox to maintain a specific temperature throughout the entire cook. They’re especially great for roasts like pork, brisket, and ribs. This one from Weber stands out for being able to cook across the entire surface with a direct flame. (Most pellet grills just smoke and aren’t the best at browning, no matter how hot they get.)
In our tests, this grill was easy to move and set up for cooking. It was also easy to program via the digital control panel on the hopper, and it did a good job of tracking the grill and food temperatures, thanks to the included temperature probe. The handle and lid were sturdy, and the cooking surface offered plenty of space for a meal’s worth of food. It has an enclosed grease and ash collector.
I used it to cook a Tomahawk steak (for the first time ever!). While I was nervous about messing up an expensive cut of meat, this smoker made it almost impossible to do so. The probe kept track of the internal temperature, even as I seared it to my desired doneness. The steak had a subtle smoke ring and was juicy, with good texture and flavor.
One note: I recommend connecting to the smartphone app when using this (all other smokers, when possible). While the machine lets you know when the pellets are running low, it might be hard to hear if you’re not outside, and that could ruin your dinner plans (as it embarrassingly did mine once). I also struggled a little with properly shutting down the pellet grill right from the control panel, but was able to figure it out after a couple of tries.
Dining and Cooking