The 5 Best Pellet Grill Under $1000 Of 2023 (Pros & Cons)
Choosing the right pellet grill is vitally important. The wrong choice could leave you unsatisfied and, even worse, unable to enjoy your food. The best pellet grill that meets your needs and expectations can help you make the perfect meal in no time. To make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, I’ve put together a list of my top 6 picks for the best wood pellet grills under $1,000 on the market.
What are the best pellet grills under $1,000?
Here’s a list of my top picks for the five pellet grills and smokers on the market:
1. Best Overall: Camp Chef DLX 24 Pellet Grill
2. Runner Up: Camp Chef 24 in. Wi-Fi Woodwind Pellet Grill
3. Best With voice Command: Traeger TFB57GZEO Pro Series 575 Pellet Grill
4. Best With Sleek And Functional Design: Louisianna Grills Black Label 800 Pellet Smoker Grill
5. Best Stainless Steel: Recteq RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill Smoker
1. Camp Chef DLX 24 Pellet Grill
Best Overall
Overview
Camp Chef is among the best names in the BBQ world, and they’re no stranger to making great smokers for both price and quality. The Camp Chef DLX features a middle-size cooking chamber and an easy-to-use, user-friendly, yet advanced digital controller that is easy to set up and maintain.
One of the most stand-out features of this smoker that its competitors can hardly match is the build quality; it’s built like a tank with ceramic-coated cast iron grill grates, which is one of the best grilling grate materials that will last for years.
The cooking chamber has a total cooking space of 573 square inches (warming racks included), and it can be easily modified by adding compatible attachments like a sear box or a flat top griddle on the side, which you can use to cook sauces and other side dishes while you’re smoking your main course.
Besides providing you with the best possible flavor, this smoker also offers easy cleaning and maintenance.
You can easily empty the 18-inch pellet hopper on the side with the ash cleanout system to change the wood pellet’s flavor without manually scooping the pellet out little by little.
If you are an avid griller, you know how game-changing this feature can be.
Every time you cook, it’s important to clean out the fire pot. Camp Chef makes this easy by providing a little canister underneath for all of the ashes; just pull the lever on the side, remove the canister, and dump the ashes out.
The Camp Chef DLX also has several features that make it stand out from other smokers in its price range, like a side shelf, a hop-back design body, and a temperature probe.
These features, plus the ease of cleaning it offers, make this smoker my first choice for those on a budget under $1000.
Specs And Top Features
- Cooking Space: 573 square inches
- Hopper Capacity: 18 pounds
- Dimensions: 45 x 21 x 51 inches
- Weight: 140 pounds
- Temperature Range: 160 °F to 500 °F
- Warranty: 1 full-year warranty + 2-year extended (optional)
- It has a PID controller that controls the heat on the grill, even if it’s in the sun.
- It’s easy to adjust the smoke settings from 1 to 10.
- Have a high-visibility, low-glare digital display.
- They have pellet hopper and ash cleanout systems, making cleaning easier and faster.
- It includes two meat probes that let you monitor food temperature simultaneously.
- Cook your favorite foods in multiple ways on one sturdy grill with the easy-to-use Sidekick System.
You can check the latest price of the DLX 24 Pellet Grill here:
2. Camp Chef 24 in. WIFI Woodwind Pellet Grill & Smoker
runner Up
Overview
Here again, is another unit from Camp Chef; I have added this to the list because it has a lot to offer with a large cooking capacity and innovative cooking features while it only takes up a little space in your outdoor kitchen.
The Camp Chef Woodwind 24 measures 30 inches in width by 42 inches in depth by 49 inches in height, and it weighs 132 pounds. This size allows you to feed many people while maintaining a small footprint.
The unit features a large cooking area with 811 square inches of cooking space, enough to grill almost anything you can think of, like fish, chicken, steaks, and burgers.
On the pellet hopper body, there’s a digital thermometer and a cooking center covered by a lid.
The Camp Chef’s cooking center is well-designed, with a bright and pleasant screen that helps deal with the glare of sunlight or harsh conditions when cooking.
Four meat probes on the side of the LCD screen let you monitor your meat’s internal cooking, providing you with more accurate readings than just using the built-in gauge thermometer.
Underneath the cooking center is a bottle opener that comes in handy when you need a cold drink while grilling.
And obviously, I can’t talk about pellet grills without mentioning their pellet hoppers.
The hopper of this grill’s camp stove can hold up to 22 pounds of wood pellets, leaving plenty of room to add a 20-pound bag without worry.
Besides the large capacity, the hopper’s design is also worth applause. It features a see-through window to keep an eye on your fuel and know when it’s time to refill.
The hopper also has an oversize lid that can be opened and closed with one hand.
During cooking, if you love to change the flavor of the pellets for different tastes, this grill makes it easy with the clean-out system; just by pulling the lever on the back, you can remove all the pellets from the grill.
And here is the best feature that I found to be amazing: The grill has a sear bar that can be activated by pulling out the lever on one side, which allows your meat to cook directly over the flame, creating a high-heat cooking environment for searing steaks.
Although it can’t be compared to the results provided by a compatible sear box, this feature does its job.
Also, the smoke stack is placed on the back to avoid interference with the side shelf.
Specs And Top Features
- Cooking Space: 811 square inches
- Hopper Capacity: 22 pounds
- Dimensions: 30 x 42 x 49 inches
- Weight: 132 pounds
- Temperature Range:
- Warranty: 3 years
- A control panel with a bright and pleasant screen help prevent the glare of sunlight.
- Four meat probes
- See-through hopper window
- Clean-out system for quick hopper cleaning
- The grill and sear bar feature lets you grill your food over direct flame.
You can check the latest price of the DLX 24 Pellet Grill here:
3. Traeger Pro Series 575 Pellet Grill
Best with voice control technology
Overview
Traeger has a great brand name, as are the company’s excellent customer service and technological advances.
And again, Traeger has created another fantastic product to add to their line.
The Traeger Pro Series 575 pellet grill is a perfect addition to your backyard or patio with its sleek design and powerful performance.
It is sleek, stylish, and versatile; you can smoke, bake, or roast on it and even use it for baking pizza.
With its easy assembly and clear instructions in the manual and on the app, this grill was a winner right from first sight.
The assembling process for most grills is exhausting to newcomers, but this unit can be assembled in about an hour.
This grill has a 575-square-inch cooking area and porcelain-coated grill grates. With this cooking capacity, you can cook for as many as six people at a time.
But if you want the extra cooking space, it may be worth springing for a couple of hundred dollars to upgrade to the Pro 780 model.
Another thing this smoker is worth praising for is how easy it is to control the temperature. It lets you adjust the temperature in five-degree increments.
Before the update, Traeger 575 pellet grills only reached 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Now they’ve increased that number to 500°F—great news for fans of seared meats and perfectly cooked burgers!
Next is the pellet hopper capacity—you’ll get 18 pounds of that. That’s enough to hold pellets for most big cooks; if you’re grilling steaks and burgers, you’ll never have to worry about running out of them!
On the hopper body, there’s an analog interface that will let you read the internal temperature. This kind of interface might not be as intuitive as a digital one, especially for new users, but once you get used to it, it will become second nature.
But the big thing I like about this grill is that it has a variable-speed fan, which is extremely important because most fans on other pellet grills are either on or off. They either create heat or don’t, with no middle ground.
However, there are some drawbacks to this pellet grill:
There’s a meat probe that allows you to check the internal temperature, but only one probe is available. You can only monitor one meat at a time if you do not have a wireless thermometer.
Another con is about the app. It’s a great app, but it takes you nearly 4 hours to download the latest software update before it can connect to your wifi, so if you want to use it, you have to wait.
It is not a huge deal, but if you’re in a hurry or trying to test your new smoker by cooking something quickly, this could be an issue.
Specs And Top Features
- Cooking Space: 575 square inches
- Hopper Capacity: 18 pounds
- Dimensions: 27 x 41 x 53 inches
- Weight: 124 pounds
- Temperature Range:
- Warranty:
- The Traeger app allows the user to control the grill from anywhere.
- Alexa-enabled devices can turn the grill on and off using voice commands.
- It offers 6-in-1 versatility to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ all on the same grill.
- It has porcelain grill grates so that you can clean up with ease.
- Easy to assemble with precise construction in manual and the compatible app
You can check the latest price of the Traeger Pro 575 here:
4. Louisianna Grills Black Label 800 Pellet Smoker Grill
Best With Sleek And Functional Design
Overview
Louisianna Grills is known for producing high-quality products, and the Black Label 800 is no exception. This grill is made from premium materials and has many useful and advanced features that make it easy to use and clean.
From far away, you can quickly see how beautiful this grill is. This pellet grill’s black and sharp-looking design will add style to your patio while also catching attention—and appreciation!
This grill is built to last. It’s made of heavy-duty 14-gauge steel and has a high-temperature black sand powder coat finish to prevent rust.
It does come in four different sizes, so depending on how big your household is and how much grilling you do, you can choose the one that fits your needs best.
The Black Label 800 is a medium-sized barbecue pellet grill and smoker with 809 square inches of cooking space, which is more than enough for a family of four or five.
The hopper holds 18 pounds of pellets; although this is more than adequate for most meals and will last a long time, many pellet grills in this price range have larger hopper capacities.
There is a see-through window at the front of the pellet hopper, so you don’t need to open it to see if you’re getting low on pellets. You can look through that window and know when to add more pellets.
Underneath the window, there’s a control panel, which you can use to turn the grill on and off. Besides this, you can control the temperature range from 180 degrees Fahrenheit to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
It heats to 600 degrees, holds its heat well, and lets you choose between a direct or indirect flame for searing—an essential virtue in any pellet grill. And that high temperature is also a plus if you prefer your steak cooked over an open flame.
There’s also a prime button on the control panel, which allows you to speed up the preheating process. All you need to do is press and hold that prime button, and it will release extra pellets to produce more heat.
Along with the control panel, you can control it from far away by downloading a compatible app and letting it connect with your pellet grill through WIFI and Bluetooth.
This pellet grill comes with two meat probes. You plug it in and insert the probe into your meat, and you can see the internal temperature of your cooking food on the control panel screen.
It also features a front folding shelf for holding plates and cutting board while you’re cooking; you lift it right back up, and a nice shelf underneath where you can store your accessories like grill tools, utensils, etc.
This smoker’s most notable design feature is that it has no big chimney. All the smoke vents out of the back, so all you have to do is stay away from there while it’s in use.
Specs And Top Features
- Cooking Space: 809 square inches
- Hopper Capacity: 18 pounds
- Dimensions: ‎42 x 26 x 23 inches
- Weight: 177 Pounds
- Temperature Range:
- Warranty:
- Two meat probes for checking the internal temperature.
- The prime button on the control panel helps speed up the preheating time.
- A see-through window at the front of the pellet hopper makes it easy to check how many pellets are left.
- Sleek and sharp design
- Front folding shelf
You can check the latest price of the Louisianna Grills Black Label 800 here:
5. Recteq RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill Smoker
Best stainless steel
Overview
If you are looking for a pellet grill that gives you lots of space to cook and lasts for years, you have to read this review.
You can instantly identify this grill by its big logo stamped on the lid and Bullhorn-style handles, which are not easily found on other grills.
With the RT-590 pellet grill, Recteq wants to provide you with a pellet grill made of high-quality material that has top performance and fits into every household.
The quality of the construction is the first thing I want to mention.
Recteq makes this grill stand out of the crowd with its complete high-quality 304 stainless steel construction (which will not warp, rust, or corrode).
The components of this grill, from the barrel, stainless steel, fire pot, deflector shield, and drip pan to the grill grates, are all made of stainless steel!
Under the heat deflector shield, there’s a ceramic ignition system rated at over 100,000 lighting cycles, so you will never have to worry about the grill going out or being hard to light.
Other ignition systems on other pellet grills are made of metal, which will deteriorate and break down over time. So, big applause for Recteq!
This grill’s cooking chamber measures 30 inches wide and 19.5 inches deep, with 592 square inches of space that can easily accommodate 7 whole chickens or 75 chicken wings —or any other large family meal!
Another feature that makes the RT-590 pellet grill stand apart from other grills in this price range is the hopper’s large capacity and design.
It’s a big meta box and can hold up to 30 pounds of pellets; the pellet hopper in this grill holds more pellets than any other model on the list.
On the left is a newer controller design with an antenna built on it, so there’s no risk of breaking it off compared to older models.
A pound of pellets will typically last an hour at 300 degrees, allowing you to cook for at least 30 hours with a full hopper.
On the front, a folding shelf with a big logo stamped on it allows you to store your grilling tools, like spatulas and tongs.
There’s also a solid bottom shelf for storing things like wood pellets or grill grates.
The WiFi connection allows you to monitor and control the grill from anywhere using the app on your smartphone. The company’s newer app, which comes pre-loaded with hundreds of revamped BBQ recipes, gets you through the cooking process with just a few clicks.
Regarding cons, this grill’s vents are flat on the back of the smoke box, so if it is raining, you can get water dripping into the smoking chamber. But luckily, vent covers are available for purchase on their website as an easy fix.
Specs And Top Features
- Cooking Space: 592 square inches
- Hopper Capacity: 30 pounds
- Dimensions: 44 x 24 x 43.5 inches
- Weight: 141 pounds
- Temperature Range: 180°F-700°F
- Warranty: 4 years
- Featured a PID algorithm for precision temperature control.
- Complete stainless steel construction.
- Ceramic ignition system.
- Free shipping to your door.
You can check the latest price of the Recteq RT-590 Wood Pellet Grill Smoker here:
Are pellet grills worth it?
Pellet smokers are definitely worth it if you’re a beginner, smoke meat as a hobby, and are busy with work or other obligations (or just don’t like spending too much time tending to your smoker). Pellet grills and smokers don’t require much maintenance yet still perform well and are easy to find.
There are a lot of reasons why you should consider buying a pellet smoker.
Pellet grills are great for beginners because they require little maintenance and can be set to run by themselves.
After buying them, all you have to do is connect the pellet smoker grill with your phone and load up on meat – and that’s pretty much all there is to it. They’re easy to use and don’t require special skills or training.
Unlike offset smokers, pellet smoker grills are easy to find since they’re available in most retail stores. In addition, wood pellets are readily available across the country and come in many different flavors.
Finally, most wood pellet smoker grill models include WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to monitor your grill from anywhere. This is especially helpful if you are short on time and cannot constantly monitor your grill.
You can set up an alarm on your phone, and when your meat reaches a certain temperature, you’ll get an alert telling you to check on it. This will help ensure that your food is cooked properly and safely.
Wrap up
My top pick for the best pellet grill under $1000 is the Camp Chef DLX 24. It combines style, usability, and quality materials to take the first spot on this list.
However, every model on our list has unique features and functions, as well as pros and cons, that you have to consider before making a final purchase decision.
In closing, I recommend you consider your needs before taking the plunge into buying an advanced smoker with many bells and whistles.