6 Best Pellet Grills Under $500

This portable grill by Green Mountains Grills is a bit on the small side, which makes it ideal for tailgating as it is easy to transport.

Construction: This grill weighs 57 pounds and has a cooking area of 216 square inches. It features legs that can fold upwards to transform into handles. The grill is equipped with a peaked lid, a meat probe, a convenience tray with hooks for utensils, a WiFi controller, and a thermal controller called Sense-Mate which monitors the temperature very closely. It also has a 12V adapter and can be connected to 3 types of power sources. Additionally, the grill is also equipped with a grease bucket and a side rack.

Function: If looking for the best pellet grill under $500, look no further. The Green Mountain pellet grill is not very large, but that is what gives it some next-level portability. Its relatively smaller size allows you to take it with you anywhere as it can fit easily in the trunk of any car. The legs of the grill give it supreme stability and when you fold them up they become ergonomic handles that allow you to carry the grill quite easily which adds all the more to its portability. Since you can attach it to a car battery to make it function, you can have a great woodsy meal anywhere you want to.

The peaked lid of the grill means you can cook big things like chicken and turkey etc. without getting cramped for room, or ending up with a lid that won’t close properly and lets out all the smoke.

You can control the temperature of the grill (owing to the WiFi controller) from an app that you’ll need to install on your phone which will allow you to raise the temperature in 5-degree increments.

Cleaning & maintenance: Cleaning is not particularly difficult as the grill is provided with a grease bucket, so you can simply discard the contents that collect into it and you’re good to go.

This grill is ideal if you cook on a large scale e.g. hosting large outdoor parties and the like. It has a large surface area and a capacious hopper as well.

Construction: The pellet grill by Z Grills is made of stainless steel and has a strong, sturdy build, as befits a grill of this size. It has a total grill area of a whopping 700 square inches, cooking area of 504 square inches, and its pellet hopper can hold up to 20 pounds of wood pellets at a time. You can heat the grill up to 450 F. It has two wheels and two feet. It comes with a digital auto temperature control, a waterproof grill cover, an auto-start ignition, and an LED temperature readout.

Function: You can use this grill, as claimed by the manufacturer, to sear, roast, char-grill, bake, braise, smoke, barbecue, grill… you name it. Its large size makes it ideal when cooking for large groups. The 20-pound capacity of the pellet hopper allows you to cook for about 20 hours on one load of pellets. The wheels on the grill give it great portability but the grill cover that comes with it is a great bonus as this is a rather large grill and as such, it is neither easy nor desirable to keep on moving it. With the help of the grill cover, you can keep your grill safe from the elements without having to involve much physical labor.

Cleaning & maintenance: The grill’s oil collecting system for any extra oil makes clean-up really easy as you don’t have any scrubbing to do. In terms of maintenance, the stainless steel is good enough that it will survive on its own. Even so, the waterproof bag accompanying the grill will help you keep your grill tip-top in the years to come. This best-rated pellet smoker grill under 500 has a lot to offer!

This grill by Z Grills is not only large but also comes with a storing cabinet that allows you to store all your BBQ equipment safely and out of harm’s way.

Construction: This rather large grill has a cooking area of around 513 square inches and a smoking/warming area of 187 square inches. The pellet hopper is likewise very capacious and can hold up to 20 pounds of hardwood pellets. The automated electric feed system has the capacity to heat the grill anywhere between 180 F to 450 F at just a turn of the knob. The grill stands on four wheels, a rather unique feature as compared to its competition in the market as you usually find just two wheels. The manufacturer has effectively utilized the space under the grill by adding a storage cupboard underneath this great pellet grill under 500 dollars.

Function: The huge cooking area of this grill allows you to cook up to 5 chickens, or 5 racks of ribs, or 20 burgers at a time. This makes this grill really great for parties as you can cook a lot at the same time and hence avoid a lot of impatience from your guests. The grill is easy to move around owing to its four-wheeled portability. It’s a good thing that the grill has four wheels and you can roll it about keeping it level as the storage cupboard won’t allow you to tilt the grill and then move it (at the risk of jostling the tools and stuff inside it). Speaking of the cupboard, this is a great feature as you can keep all your stuff like grilling tools, pellets, etc. right under your grill and won’t have to look around to gather all your stuff before starting the grill. This might make it slightly difficult to transport if your trunk isn’t big enough, or if you have other stuff in there.

Cleaning & maintenance: The grill has a grease bucket. It is essentially a wire container that can hold a paper cup quite comfortably, so at the end of your grilling, you can simply toss the cup away without having to clean the grease bucket itself. Also, the grill comes with a waterproof cover so it will be protected from the elements when not in use.

This grill has a size that gives it an ideal placement between large and small grills, making it great for regular-sized families.

Construction: The 450-A by Z Grills has a cooking area of 342 square inches and a total grill area of around 450 square inches. It has a pellet hopper capacity of 15 pounds and can heat up to 475 F with the help of the digital controller that regulates the temperature. It has large wheels with a locking mechanism, a digital temperature read-out, and an electronic auto-start ignition. This grill is a beautiful bronze and black model, with a polished surface and a high resistance to corrosion, according to the manufacturer.

Function: The 450-square inch cooking area of this grill gives it a great medium size and you can use it to full efficiency for a fun family gathering. It’s quite easy to use as all you have to do is turn the grill on, program the temperature, and leave the grill alone to work its magic. The wheels of the grill are equipped with a locking mechanism so you can rest assured that the grill won’t roll off and cause any unwanted accidents.

Cleaning & maintenance: The grill comes with a drip tray that slopes down, internally, towards the grease bucket located outside the grill. The bucket is a wire container and you can simply put in a disposable cup to catch the grease. Also, the grill comes with a waterproof cover so it is well-protected when not in use.

Since Traeger was the first one to introduce pellet grills, you can be sure that you’ll be happy with this model. And it is great value for money as well… a great pellet grill under $500.

Construction: This pellet grill by Traeger has a cooking surface of 300 square inches and can heat up as high as 500 F. It has an Integrated Digital Elite Controller that regulates the temperature quite effectively. It has 2 wheels for easy portability and has EZ-fold legs, a useful feature for tailgating. The pellet hopper capacity is 8 pounds.

Function: This grill is relatively small as compared to some of the other models that I have covered, as it has a 300-square feet cooking area, and is ideal for tailgating and for an intimate family gathering. Likewise, the hopper capacity is just 8 pounds which is marginally smaller than that of big grills that can have up to 20-pound pellet hopper capacity. Even so, that doesn’t make the grill less effective; if anything, it is better suited for tailgating (accompanied by its easily foldable legs).

This grill can accommodate up to 2 chickens or 3 racks of ribs or 20 burgers. What more can you want for an intimate family dinner?

Cleaning & maintenance: The grill features a drip tray and a grease bucket. The grease bucket is an actual bucket and not just a holder for a paper cup. Of course, this means that you’ll have to scrub out the bucket after dumping its contents.

This pellet grill by PIT BOSS is a large grill that can accommodate an entire meal for up to six people quite comfortably.

Construction: The PIT BOSS pellet grill has a cooking area of around 450 square inches and, adding the smoking rack, a total grill area of 700 square inches. The grills are porcelain-coated, a nice feature that sets it apart from a lot of the competition. It has two wheels that allow it to be moved about quite comfortably. It is equipped with a digitally controlled burn system and its pellet hopper can hold 5 pounds of pellets.

Function: The grill is quite large and can cook, bake, sear, braise, grill, barbecue, smoke, roast, or char-grill a lot of food at a time, but it may not be large enough if you want to, say, host a party. In any case, it cooks really well and the flavors of the meat turn out perfectly woodsy. Also, you can adjust the level of smoke according to your taste.

Cleaning & maintenance: The grill is supplied with a proper grease bucket, so the grease collects in it and you can simply discard it. However, unlike grease buckets that you can line with paper cups, you will have to clean the bucket out ao any oily remains don’t go rancid.