Pellet grills have become increasingly popular as more home cooks look to smoke their own meat.
The biggest selling point of a pellet grill is being able to smoke a brisket over 12 hours without having to constantly check on the fire and wood chips to make sure it’s smoking at the right temperatures.
Simply set the pellet grill to the desired temperature, fill it up with pellets, and come back when the food is ready. It’s really that simple.
However, there are some disadvantages to pellet grills that are worth mentioning before splurging on a new pellet grill or smoker. After all, these machines range in price from $500 to $2,000 so it’s worth knowing the drawbacks before making a purchase.
The main disadvantages of a pellet grill are:
- pellet grills require electricity to work
- may not create enough smoke
- temperature not high enough for searing
- wood pellets can go bad
- heavy and harder to transport to other locations
- need to be cleaned every 50 hours of cooking
1. Pellet Grills Require Electricity To Work
Unlike charcoal or propane grills that can work almost anywhere, pellet grills need electricity in order to work. This means that tailgating or camping with a pellet grill is challenging if you do not have a separate power source for the grill.
Keep in mind that since pellet grills need electricity – tailgating or camping with a pellet grill is even more challenging if its raining or wet.
Although pellet grills can be used in the rain, the electrical connections need to be insulated or shielded away from water.
So the fact that pellet grills need electricity to work can be a drawback depending on what you plan to do with it.
2. May Not Create Enough Smoke
One common complaint or disadvantage of a pellet grill is that it may not produce enough smoke.
Charcoal and propane grills can produce thick clouds of smoke depending on the amount of wood chips, placement of the chips, and cooking temperature.
Pellet grills on the other hand burn wood pellets which create heat and smoke. Typically the lower temperature setting on a pellet grill will create more smoke while higher temperature settings produce less smoke.
The benefit of a pellet grill is that it will produce a balanced amount of smoke when cooking. A beginner’s mistake is thinking that it takes thick plums of smoke in order to create smoked meat.
Too much smoke will create a bitter taste which is not what we want when smoking food. So the fact that pellet grills do not create too much smoke can be beneficial if you’re not familiar with regulating the amount of smoke.
However, if you want to create more smoke then check out these 5 tips for producing more smoke on a pellet grill.
3. Temperatures Not High Enough For Searing
Temperatures on most pellet grills will not rise above 450°F unless the grill has a dedicated sear box. A direct flame or dedicated sear box will have an open flame that allows for high-temperature searing.
However, a sear box needs propane in order to create a flame so it’s effectively a small propane grill.
So searing meat on a pellet grill is not possible in the traditional sense of placing a steak on the grill for 1 minute and developing nice sear marks in a short amount of time.
However, it is possible to sear on a pellet grill without a sear box or direct flame.
Reverse Sear Method
A common method for searing on a pellet grill is the reverse sear method. After the steak is smoked for an hour, the pellet grill’s temperature is set to high and the steak is seared for 4 minutes.
So searing on a pellet grill is possible as long as the temperature is set to high and the meat is allowed to sear for a longer period of time.
4. Wood Pellets Can Go Bad
Wood pellets are exactly what the name implies – pellets made out of wood.
This means that wood pellets can go bad if they are exposed to moisture or get wet. Below is an image of wood pellets that have expanded after soaking in water:
Wood pellets that have expanded will be unusable since they can get stuck in the auger of the pellet grill. This can cause issues such as clogging the auger to more serious issues such as a fire climbing into the hopper.
Once again, pellet grills are more challenging to use in the rain compared to charcoal and propane grills. Wood pellets add to that complexity since wood pellets cannot be exposed to water or too much moisture.
5. Heavy and Harder to Transport to Other Locations
Pellets grills are typically heavier than charcoal and propane grills when it comes to portable sizes. Propane grills can get just as heavy as pellet grills when they include cabinets, drawers, and extra burners.
However, most portable charcoal and propane grills are much lighter than a pellet grill of similar cooking surface area.
Here are some average weights of Traeger pellet grills compared to propane grills:
| Cooking Surface Area | Traeger Pellet Grill Weight | Propane Grill Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 176 sq in (1136 sq cm) | 45 pounds (20.5 kilos) | 20 pounds (9.1 kilos) |
| 572 sq in (3691 sq cm) | 103 pounds (46.8 kilos) | 103 pounds (46.8 kilos) |
| 850 sq inc (5484 sq cm) | 213 pounds (96.8 kilos) | 176 pounds (79.8 kilos) |
So if you plan on using a pellet grill around the home or in a stationary location then the weight and portability is similar to a propane grill.
However, if you plan on taking the pellet grill to a tailgating event or by the river then it is harder to move around. Not to mention the portable pellet grills are heavier than the charcoal or propane options.
6. Need to be Cleaned Every 50 Hours of Cooking
Pellet grills burn wood pellets which turn into ash inside of the firepot. After roughly 50 hours of cooking, the pellet grill’s firepot will fill up of ash to the point where the grill may not turn on or shut off mid smoke.
The firepot needs to be vacuumed out in order to prevent the pellet grill from shutting off mid smoke or not turning on.
Unlike propane grills that never need to be cleaned besides scrubbing the grill grates, pellet grills require more maintenance. Similar to how a charcoal grill should be dumped or cleaned of ash every so often, pellet grills require the same occasional maintenance.
Truthfully, periodically cleaning my pellet grill is a small price to pay for smoked brisket, ribs, or pork shoulder. Especially since the pellet grill is the easiest way to smoke meats without having to babysit a fire or wood chips to ensure the right temperature and smoke is being created.
Final Thoughts
Pellet grills are incredible cooking machines that can transform big hunks of meat into delicious smoked delicacies.
Although there are a lot of great reasons to buy pellet grills, there are cons or disadvantages that are worth knowing ahead of time.
The main disadvantages of a pellet grill are:
- pellet grills require electricity to work
- may not create enough smoke
- temperature not high enough for searing
- wood pellets can go bad
- heavy and harder to transport to other locations
- need to be cleaned every 50 hours of cooking
As long as you are comfortable with these drawbacks then a pellet grill will be perfect for you. After all, there isn’t an easier way to smoke ribs or brisket at home without a pellet grill.
