When I starting looking a pellet grill smokers, I was like, that seems a lot of money, quite expensive for a smoker. I was comparing it to charcoal kettle grills and electric/gas smokers.
This post will breakdown the bits and pieces both in terms of the basic components and more so the, sum of the parts that I used to make a decision and draw a conclusion.
It actually has turned me into a fan from a charcoal/wood stick burning traditionalist – to a pellet burner with a ton more time when I smoke and cook something.
And that’s one of the big factors about the pellet grill, you get ‘time’ and a bit of freedom. And for me, I couldn’t put a price on that.
Don’t get me wrong, I still use a charcoal smoker, but being able to walk away and do other things for a few hours or longer is just awesome.
When I did my research into pellet grill smokers, I did end up getting a kettle grill and 5 burner gas grill the first time around when I looked. But the time came again to look at smoker options, and I wish I got a pellet grill to start with.
I learned a lot and actually really got into what a pellet grill can do, especially since life got busy and I didn’t have a precious 6-13+ hours to be nurturing my smoked meat over charcoal.
So here is my quick answer, then I will breakdown a bit more.
Why Are Pellet Grills so Expensive? Pellet Grill Smokers have more technology than other smokers, they are a thermostat controlled oven that provides cooking and smoking. Some of the true benefits of pellet grills are derived from the low time investment and convenience that is gained.
Pellet Grills – an Investment
Kitchen ovens aren’t cheap, especially ones with temperature probes, and can your oven do a bit of grilling too?
It’s probably fairer in my mind than a charcoal smoker since an oven has the thermostat control – but even ovens generally regulate heat through electricity or gas, not wood pellet feeders with fans, augers, and feedback loops.
I have read that the technology pellet grill use is based on the biomass pellet heaters that are quite common now for heating homes around the world.
Brands of Smokers & Different Prices
Here is where it does get interesting since you can find a huge price variation from around $400 for a decent entry-level, to well over $1,000 for backyard pellet grills.
Then the price point gets up there with commercial & competition pellet grills (and they do win their fair share of competition BBQ’s although some States and agencies have banned them from competing…)
So why the price difference?
Here are some factors.
Insulation / Metal Build Factors
I learned this many years ago using an incredibly budget kettle grill, it was thin aluminum (it was so light). There was practically no insulation, therefore the temperature went up and down like a yo-yo.
Compare this to heavy 14-gauge steel construction, and you have a chalk & cheese comparison.
Certain parts like igniters and firepots (where the pellets are burned) are used many times other. If these components are cheap, it isn’t going to last many summers and winters.
The build and structure of the any BBQ, including pellet grills is a major factor when it comes down to the cost.
My 5 burner BBQ grill has an unlimited lifetime warranty – 8 years old and going strong – marine grade steel.
Technology (Wifi etc)
Thermostat control from feeding an auger in a pipe like a corkscrew, in relation to monitoring the temperature inside the pellet grill is the main aspect of the technology. On this circular system take a few different forms between the brands, but essentially it’s the same.
Also, there are 2 fans operating normally, one which is blowing threw the auger and a second which is from the firepot area. So the circuit board is controlling the feed in relation to the temperature.
The efficiency of burning the wood is generally very high, because of this system. So the outcomes are consistent ‘whisper-thin blue smoke‘, quite often with pellet grill smokers you can only just see the smoke.
This is clean smoke, personally, I prefer this for flavor and health aspects so I have read.
Adjusting Temperature of Oven or Probe On the Go
This isn’t a standard feature, but worth mentioning since the price range will affect it, how about you are out about and want to check and tweak the pit? No probs.
You have a look on you pellet grill app and the temp, he presto, on the go control, so you tweak it whilst you are in the shop – you can’t even do that with a kitchen oven roast!
Feedback Loops to Control Temperature & Smoke
PID controllers are something I looked into in great detail, some manufacturers tout this technology as superior between pellet grills.
It comes down to more accurately controlling the temperature inside the pellet grill using predictive feedback loops.
Whether this is better, I don’t really know, low & slow is definitely not about precise accuracy and more about a length of time and a low temperature.
It’s a craft, but nobody measures the rub that’s sprinkled that’s for sure.
There was also some online forum talk about whether the PID controller, being in a tighter controlled temperature range produces less smoke. Again, nobody has put out any proof that this is the case. When I have tasted meat from a PID controlled pellet grill, it has been fantastic, a lot of meat can only take on meat for a certain amount of hours anyway.
I wrote a whole post on PIDs if you’re interested, check it out here.
Comparison to Charcoal, Gas, Electric Smokers
Comparison – the Root of All Unhappiness (or so they say). It’s just natural we do it in many walks of life (our biological short cut to make thing easier I guess).
Here are my quick thoughts, since I prefer to compare a pellet grill to a temperature probe controlled oven.
Charcoal
Buy a charcoal smoker if you are more interested in traditional direct heat grilling for steaks and burgers – I think charcoal gives an ‘authentic’ taste.
For indirect and low & slow, if it’s got a heavy build like offset smokers do, this can help retain and get more consistent heat.
Airflow is key, that’s why weber has been going strong as well.
Gas/Electric
Kind of like ovens also with smoke, but generally they need more input and I never feel like I can leave the house when the gas smoker is going.
A basic technology that can definitely do the job for smoking low & slow, but a gas or electric smoker can’t do any grilling.
If you want to do slow brisket, ribs and pork butt – you might want to go for something more convenient – gas, electric or pellet grill (if you want the pure thermostat convenience). There is one thermostat controlled gas smoker I know of, the Masterbuilt Thermotemp – here is a link to Amazon.
Outdoor Oven Comparison with a Cooktop
This is the fairest comparison to a pellet grill in my opinion, but for someone who wants to cook outdoors and loves a BBQ or grilling session.
So if you want convenience in a nutshell, a decent pellet grill is the way to go.
Technology to Make Smoking Life Easier
Its the sum of the parts that equal the convenience factor and this is where I thought long and hard about it in relation to the expensive tag it gets.
On one end its does cost more, on the other end – can I put a price on more time/flexibility? So that’s how I looked at it.
If the prices were all the same, would you prefer a pellet grill?
If you answer No to this, you may be better checking out a thermostat controlled gas smoker or electric smoker for smoking.
For grilling, charcoal kettle BBQ is the way to go.
OK, after writing this I think I will go apply for a job selling pellet grills!
Alternatively, if you answer Yes I wrote a buyers tick box guide for different brands of pellet grills, I put this together when I was choosing my own, check my guide out here.
