How we test pellet grills
Rankings you can argue with are worthless, so ours come with a protocol you can replicate in your own backyard.
The bench protocol
Every grill gets the same three temperature runs before anyone forms an opinion:
| Run | What we record |
|---|---|
| 225°F, 2 hours | Grate temp every 5 minutes: average, max, min, variance. Startup time to set point. Pellet weight consumed. |
| 350°F, 2 hours | Same log. Mid-range is where controllers hide their swings. |
| Maximum setting | True peak grate temp, time to reach it, and whether it can hold it. |
Then the standard cook set: pork shoulder, ribs, chicken, burgers, and a steak sear. Same rubs, same pellets, same thermometer. The cooks tell us what the temp logs cannot, like how a grill behaves when you open the lid twelve times basting ribs.
The score
Ten weighted parts, out of 10. The weights favor what changes your food over what demos well in a store.
| Test | Weight |
|---|---|
| Temperature accuracy | 15% |
| Temperature stability | 15% |
| Smoke production | 15% |
| Build quality | 10% |
| Searing ability | 10% |
| Ease of use | 10% |
| Cleaning | 10% |
| App / controller | 5% |
| Pellet efficiency | 5% |
| Value | 5% |
Why is the top pick not always the top score?
Because the score is a measure and the pick is a judgment. The weighted score above is computed from verified data, and we print it unedited even when it embarrasses our favorites: as of this writing the recteq Flagship 1600 scores 8.6 to the Weber Searwood XL's 7.9. The Searwood XL keeps the #1 slot anyway, and the reasoning is on the record: it sears in a way the Flagship cannot, starts faster, and is the grill we reach for most between formal tests. When rank and score disagree, both numbers stay visible and the review explains the gap. A site that quietly reorders its scores to match its picks is selling you something.
Tested by us versus Researched
Two labels, never blurred. Tested by us means the grill went through the protocol above on our bench. Researched recommendation means we have not benched it yet, and its write-up is built from verified owner reports, community measurements, and the maker's published specs, cross-checked before anything prints. When a number cannot be verified, we print "n/a", not a guess.
Where the money comes from
Some links are affiliate links, including Amazon links. Commissions never touch scores: the weights above are fixed before a grill arrives, and several grills we cover carry no affiliate link at all. Details on the disclosure page.