The components of your pellet grill that matter the most are the fire pot, flame deflector, drip pan, and grates. If these components are made of high grade stainless steel, you have a cooker that will last you a lifetime. The controller lets you adjust the temperature in 5°F increments which is a level of control you don’t see on some of the cheaper pellet grills out there. You can choose the Pro with either 575 or 780 square inches of cooking space, and both sizes come in either black or bronze (#team black). The Austin XL can hold temperatures ranging from 180 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and comes equipped with two meat-probe ports for monitoring food temperature. It also has side and bottom shelves for prep and storage space as well as four wheels on the base for maneuvering around a patio or deck.
Most pellet grills struggle to hit high enough temperatures for proper searing. Companies like Camp Chef get around this with the slide and sear system, which only adds a small hot zone, or the SideKick which works well but gets pricey. Whether pit boss electric smoker your outdoor area is on the small side or you tailgate frequently, this space-efficient charcoal grill is a great solution. The Cuisinart Portable Charcoal Grill still delivers 150 square inches of cooking space yet only weighs 5 pounds.
Of all the grills we tested, only the Yoder model yielded dark grill marks. The Yoder produced a good amount of smoke in all of our tests, though this almost understates its exceptional performance in our long smoke test. The smokiness it gave shoulder was just right, without any of the astringency that typically indicates over-smoking. There’s a lot to love about this cute flat-top grill from Cuisinart. For starters, its two burners put out a combined 30,000 BTUs of heat and there’s a 22-inch diameter cooking surface, plus there’s an oversized grease pan that siphons grease into an easy-to-remove bin.
With the rack space and features offered at a price well under $500, this pellet smoker from Z Grills is an excellent buy. In addition to its 560 square inches of cooking surface, it also comes equipped with a 10-pound hopper that can keep the grill burning for up to 10 hours on a single load. This flat-top grill offers 760 square inches of cooking space on a cold-rolled steel cooking surface, with two removable front grease traps for easy cleanup. It also puts out a total of 60,000 BTUs—15,000 for each of the four burners, which can be individually controlled to cook food simultaneously at different temperatures. This solid Traeger grill brings most of the functionality of larger models to a mobile form. With digital controls and app connectivity, it reaches set points quickly (hitting its maximum temperature of 450°F less than 14 minutes) and retains heat moderately well.
Plus, gas grills can be used with more cooking accessories to amp up flavors. Multiple individually controlled cooking zones also contribute to the flat top’s unbeatable versatility. You can sear steaks on one side… While using the other side of the griddle surface to cook veggies at a lower temperature. Things like stir fry, hash browns, smash burgers, and fried rice come to mind. While these would fall through the grates on a gas grill, they sit soundly on a flat griddle surface.
There’s something to be said for an open flame flavor… And many grillers can’t go without it. If you do opt for an electric griddle, just know that you shouldn’t leave it outside when not in use. The outdoor elements could damage the electric components… Which would be nothing short of a disaster. There are a number of mounts and stands for the Magma Crossover. We tested the Quad Pod Stand with adjustable levelling feet, which lets you set up the grill virtually anywhere.
You can use a metal scraper to clean the grease and let the hole catch the dirt. However, I would still choose the grease trap on the Pit Boss over the rear grease trap of the Blackstone griddle. Ultimately, the grease trap placement and design is a matter of personal preference.
Also, since it doesn’t require any sort of seasoning process, you save oil there as well. And when your favorite cooking oil is avocado oil like mine, that stuff is not cheap, so using less is a good thing. One of the typical containers used for brining a large bird like a turkey is a five-gallon bucket thoroughly cleaned beforehand. While a whole chicken is nowhere near as large as a Thanksgiving turkey, you can still use that same bucket.
But like any griddle or flat top grill that you buy, there are some pros and cons to consider. Steven Raichlen has an excellent breakdown of the various pros and cons of pellet grills that you may want to check out. The controller is one of the most important parts of a pellet smoker. It’s the computer that regulates the temperature in your pellet cooker throughout the cook.
The only apparent unique features we saw were the arched drip plate and lack of flame diffuser. Pit Boss sent us their largest, top of the line 820 Deluxe model to test. Deluxe models have an attractive copper colored lid, neat stainless steel removable serving tray that also functions like a side shelf and built-in bottle opener. Standard models use a typical flame diffuser over the firepot and a flat drip pan right beneath the grates that is angled to divert drippings into a grease bucket hanging from the right side. That way, you’ll get the best of both worlds, and won’t have to sacrifice those beloved grill marks… Nor the versatility of a flat cooking space. We will say that a gas grill with a griddle accessory is a fair compromise if you’re at a crossroads.