Best Pellet Grills Under $1000

Family-sized cooking is what the Traeger Pro 780 is for, and the value holds up. iMore called it 'the best backyard grill you could ever want,' citing the 780 square-inch cooking space and how easy it is to run, and GrillGuru scored it 9.6/10 overall. Wi-Fi connectivity and the companion app get the most attention, letting you control temperature and receive cooking notifications from anywhere. That same reliance on electricity and Wi-Fi will put off anyone who wants traditional, unconnected grilling. Serious home cooks who want professional-grade results without constant monitoring are the fit.

Backyard cooks who would rather not fiddle with an app are the Traeger Pro 22's audience. Reviewers noted the Digital Elite dial controller keeps operation simple, with no pairing or complex setup to work through. Smoke flavor comes out consistent and mild, which suits traditional BBQ, though it runs into the temperature fluctuations typical of older pellet grills. Small to medium families and beginners will get along with it; precision-focused pitmasters and anyone who wants WiFi should look elsewhere. Build quality is solid, with powder-coated steel construction and porcelain grates, minus the modern conveniences newer models include.

Portability meets a large 518 sq. in. cooking surface in the Pit Boss PB440D2, built from porcelain-coated steel with digital temperature control. Reviewers praised the convection cooking method, which opens up several cooking styles without a rotisserie, and the attractive two-tone copper and black finish. The 5 lb. hopper capacity and the need for careful handling are the drawbacks. Some reviewers focused on how portable and easy to use it is; others kept coming back to that small hopper. It appeals to home cooks who want a premium, multi-functional pellet grill with real wood-fired flavor and enough room for entertaining a group.

Mid-size family grilling is the Pit Boss PB440FB1's territory, with 518 sq in of cooking space and the signature Flame Broiler Lever that switches between indirect smoking and direct flame searing up to 1,000°F. Reviewers pointed to the digital temperature control system and porcelain-coated grids as the reasons it holds a consistent temperature. The 5-pound hopper caps unattended cooking at roughly 4-6 hours at moderate temps, which is short for long smoking sessions. Families of 4-6 who want a grill that handles several cooking styles are the fit; anyone needing large batch capacity or all-day unattended smoking should look at Pit Boss's larger models like the Navigator 850 or the vertical smokers.