With the right cooker, you can churn out perfectly grilled meats at any time of the year, even during the winter months. Having tested out lots of smokers and cookers throughout the years, I’ve concluded that nothing is better at getting consistent results than pellet grills. But which brands are the most recommended today? If you want the pellet grills for searing steaks, read up on the eight cookers showcased below.
One of them has top recommendations and is shown in the summary. If you’re ready to try a cooker that can turn your steaks into a gourmet meal, let’s begin!
Best Pellet Grills for Searing
1. Z GRILLS ZPG-550B Wood Pellet Grill Holiday 8-in-1 BBQ Smoker
Last but not least is the Z GRILLS Wood Pellet Grill. If you’ve checked with other pellet barbecue grill reviews, then you should know that cookers that claim to have this feature don’t always perform well. Fortunately, this isn’t a problem here. Your food will cook evenly and quickly, along with searing.
Baste your ribs while it’s cooking, watching as the oil falls into the pan placed to the side of the cooker. This makes cleanup easier for you to do when everything is done.
Nothing seeps from the inside when you cook, so frozen foods of all kinds can go in and come out as if they were never hard in the first place.
It would have been nice to see better clearance on the top grill rack, but it’s nothing that’ll frustrate you when there’s food on it. Try out the Z GRILLS Wood Pellet Grill for its consistency in getting various types of meat done in a short time frame.
Pros
- Has a thick and durable wheel at the bottom for easier transport
- No hot air seeps from the lid, preventing temps from changing too fast
- Heats up quickly
Cons
- Clearance is too low on the upper rack
2. Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill
The Camp Chef SmokePro grill is great for any barbecue and easy to use during all four seasons. Of course, you might see a bit more smoke during wintertime coming from the grill but don’t take this as a sign that it’s seeping out too much hot air.
Your food will stay at the temperature that you set up for it, and never become too difficult for you to cook. Ashes drop into a cup that is housed along the grill’s bottom, keeping the grill from getting too dirty during the cooking process.
It has a probe that’s useful for getting temps to stay on point, or from becoming too volatile. This will allow your steaks to cook thoroughly without becoming too burnt. Searing is also easy to do, having ample space to scratch the exterior of any meat in a short amount of time.
Overall, this is the pellet grill with sear box functions; you’ll love the way your food looks and tastes when it’s done.
Pros
- Ashes fall into a cup at the grill’s bottom, lowering the amount of time spent scraping the cooker clean
- Comes with a probe for checking the inside temperature of meats
- The propane regulator and hose are included with the set
- Lowers the amount of smoke emitted when compared to a normal cooker
Cons
- Dents easily
3. Green Mountain Davy Crockett WiFi Control Portable Wood Pellet Grill
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The Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett has an outstanding build quality that’s great for people who are worried about rust. It’s something that’ll never occur here. The entire unit will fit neatly into the trunk of most vehicles; it’s very easy to transport. Assembling is also quick.
More than likely, you won’t even need to flip through the user manual to get it done (particularly if you’ve put together cookers of a similar build in the past). It smokes on time and will unthaw completely frozen meat almost immediately.
You might have to do a bit of tinkering with your food, more so when cooking large pieces such as ribs. The temps can change depending on the side you’re using, whereby one side could reach 50-plus degrees cooler than the other.
Try to keep the lid properly sealed this won’t happen very often. In the end, the Green Mountain is the quality pellet grill for anyone who wants a cooker that’s easy to move around a backyard. It’s also equipped with WiFi controls, so you can keep the food cooking from the comfort of your smartphone!
Pros
- Folds neatly into the trunk of most vehicles (the legs)
- A digital WiFi controller allows the temperature to be regulated through a smartphone app
- Smokes fast, even when the meat is completely frozen
Cons
- The interior temperature may vary greatly on the left and right sides
4. Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker
The Z Grills ZPG-450A is a pellet smoker and the grill compared to others can sear your steaks to perfection. For starters, it’s very easy to move around. Just take the handle and use the wheels to place it in the perfect spot in your front/backyard.
Assemblage is also a breeze, though it’s suggested that you take a moment and look at the guide to ensure the placement of the pellet feeder is accurate.
After you’ve put it together and are ready to test some food, you’ll find that it accurately sears and smokes anything you throw at it. Temperatures are gauged through the LED display, which is easy to see and shows the numbers in a large font.
Be careful when handling the grill for long periods. Its handle might become a little hot to the touch. Regardless, there’s little bad to say about the ZPG-450A.
Pros
- Easy to move around, even though the grill weight approximately 100 pounds
- Accurate and consistent cooking temps
- Temperature displays on an LED display
Cons
- The grill handle can get hot when cooking for a long time
5. PIT BOSS 71820FB PB820FB BBQ Pellet Grill and Smoker
The Pit Boss 71820FB PB820FB is a grill for people who like to sear. You can finish off a large volume of meat in record time with this product. But that’s not all. More space is provided, enough room to tackle several portions of meat at the same time.
It’s partially made from cast iron and doesn’t get too messy from cooking. When you’re done, just clean it with a wire brush and everything should look new again.
Extra space is also given at the bottom rack for the temporary storage of important cooking supplies. Be careful with how you handle the grill, taking steps to not hit it against anything hard.
If you do, it could easily dent. If that doesn’t sound too hard, then the 71820FB PB820FB is a cooker that you’ll have around for a long time.
Pros
- Searing large volumes of meat is easy due to the amount of space provided for such activities
- Cast iron shell that holds in temperature well
- Space on the bottom rack for cooking utensils, cleaning supplies, etc
Cons
- The wheels can dent easily, making it difficult to push the cooker around
6. Z GRILLS ZPG-7002C Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker
The next pellet grill is the Z Grills ZPG-7002C, built to take on long-term cooking that stretches for most of the day. It’s sold in different color combinations, so pick the one that you like the most.
While this might not seem like a huge plus, it’s something that isn’t often provided as a choice to consumers and is nice to see. In any case, the cooker itself performs as expected on most fronts.
You can move the racks around to accommodate different-sized meat. For example, cooking a large turkey or chicken is easy to do if you take off the topmost rack. Even some 20-pounders might get inside by using this method.
Monitor your inside temperatures as best you can to prevent them from getting volatile. Your meats will come out looking great and shorten the amount of time you spend in front of the cooker.
Pros
- Sold in different color combinations
- Automatic pellet increases with the digital temperature control
- If the upper rack is moved, large turkeys and chickens can fit inside the smoker
- Comes with a grill cover to prevent rust from developing
Cons
- Inside temperatures can change quickly
7. BIG HORN OUTDOORS Pellet Grill and Smoker
The Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill and Smoker is a great product for anything who wants a smoker who can perform well in tight spaces. If you live in a condo or other area and don’t have a lot of room for cooking, this makes it easy to carry out outdoor smoking.
The dimensions are perfect, not too big but not too small for average-sized meats. One could think that the size could potentially lead to an unsteady frame that wobbles when placed on an even surface, but this isn’t the case here. Nothing of the sort will occur.
Be sure to watch the grill as you cook, however. If not, you might get temperature variations that extend your cooking well past the time that you thought the food would be finished.
This is exasperated by the fact that hot air will escape from the lid during the cooking session. But overall, the Big Horn Outdoors grill remains a solid product, ideal for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of room to cook around.
Pros
- The size is good for cooking in confined spaces
- Doesn’t produce a lot of smoke
- No wobbling or movement during cooking; stays flat on the ground
Cons
- Lots of hot air can escape the lid area, which could result in fluctuating temperature
8. Country Smokers CSPEL015010497 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
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The Country Smokers CSPEL015010497 is the tabletop pellet grill for searing. What this means is that you can set it on a flat surface outside instead of hauling it around a large cooker.
It’s very lightweight and will easily fit in any storage area in your car or truck. This model is designed for outdoor use, preferably when tailgating or camping.
If you have an RV, this cooker will quickly become your new best friend. The pellets don’t turn into ashes too fast, either. Your food will cook evenly, although you might not find the thermometer as reliable as that with other pellet cookers of the same type.
Still, it doesn’t affect the overall performance of the cooking itself. It’s a highly recommended product that’ll come in handy for any outdoor lover who wants to cook.
Pros
- Stays at the desired temperature; heat level is consistent
- Highly portable and completely has no reliance on propane
- Pellets don’t burn out too quickly
Cons
- Has an inaccurate thermometer
Education
Before you decide on one of the grills shown above, be sure that you know how to cook on them. For anyone who’s never used a cooker before, it would be wise to read up on some material related to the subject, or even check out videos on YouTube.
If you describe yourself as such, you don’t want to go into this not knowing anything.
Pellet cookers are sometimes built to accommodate both propane cooking and wood smoking.
Find out how you plan to use them. You’ll likely need adequate space for searing when cooking steaks.
As such, check with the searing portion of the grill that has your interest, getting the dimensions if you can.
For large meals, you’ll want one that’s about half the size of the primary smoker. But for the smoker, you should try to get as much space from it as you can.
Factors to Consider
People that are planning on traveling are recommended to use a grill that’s smaller than average. Some of them are built without legs, making it easier for you to place them into the trunk of your car (or RV, if you have one).
Remember, space is everything when traveling with pellet cookers.
You don’t want to feel as if you’re hauling around something that becomes more of a burden than a fast way to get the meat cooked.
So limit your size when you choose a grill for the outdoors. If you’re having trouble deciding on this, check the overall dimensions of the pellet grill.
Compare it to the size of the vehicle you intend to ride with it in, especially the trunk.
People with large trucks should be found with large pellet grills, considering that they have ample room in the back. The high-end pellet smoker for transport is lightweight and won’t make you break a sweat when moving it from one place to another.
FAQ
Can You Sear a Steak on A Pellet Grill?Yes. If very easy to do, too. Most pellet grills have a specially designed area just for you to do this. Of course, you'll probably need to learn by trial and error if it's something that has never been attempted before. But you'll eventually get the hang of it.
What kind of Wood can it use for a Pellet Grill?Wood pellets are sold at various stores. Most grocery stores sell them as well, although some people do get creative and make their own from wood gathered from the outside. However, if you choose to do this, ensure that the wood is dry and contains no moisture.
How hard is it to Assemble and Pellet Grill?Not hard at all. When it arrives at your door, simply open the box and take out the pieces. Most brands come with detailed instructions that'll show you exactly how to set up the pellet grill from scratch. If you're having trouble reading something. Be sure to contact the brand and ask for help. Alternatively, you could view online videos to help you finish setting everything up. It's very easy to do.
Making The Decision
The number one pellet grill on the list is the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX. It has everything that one looks for in outdoor cooking. Your steaks will never look better. The others are good as well so don’t count them out if one piques your interest instead.
There’s no wrong pellet grill that you can pick; your food will taste great from the time it arrives at your door, to an indefinite period after. Make your choice today!
