Pellet Grill/Smoker Brands A to Z: Budget to Mid-Range to High-End

December 22, 2021 / By / Cooking Equipment, Smoker Grills

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Pellet grills have exploded in popularity over the past few years – the secret is out that these cookers are incredibly easy to use, versatile, and most importantly, cook tasty BBQ.

Before 2006 there was only one pellet grill brand, Traeger, who held a patent on the technology system required to run a pellet grill.  Back then if you wanted a pellet grill, Traeger was the only way to go!

But since their patent expired in 2006, a flood of companies have entered the pellet grill market.  And overall, we think that’s been a great thing for consumers!  The new competition brought along innovation and a wide spectrum of offerings, from budget all the way to high end.

You may be on the lookout for a new pellet grill, or you may simply be doing research on which pellet grill brands are out there.  Either way we’ve got you covered – here is a list of the most popular pellet grill brands on the market.

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A Note On Our Pellet Grill Brand Categories

For organization’s sake, we’ve chosen to break down all of the brands on the market into 3 price categories: budget, mid-tier, and high-end.

Budget brands are those where you can find a decent quality pellet grill for around the $500 price point are less.

Mid-tier brands are those where most of their cookers are in the $500 to $1,200 range.

And last but not least, the high-end pellet grill group is comprised of brands who mostly offer products $1,200 or so and above.

Quick Look At The 4 Most Popular Pellet Grill Brands

Here’s a fast look at 4 of the household name brands in the world of pellet grills – you’ve likely come across these names before if you’ve spent any time around BBQ!

Later in the article, we’ll circle back to these brands and link to other content on our site where we have done detailed pellet grill brand comparisons of each side by side to one another.

Traeger

Traeger was the first and original pellet grill brand – back in the mid 1980’s, Traeger designed, patented, and produced the very first pellet smokers.

Aesthetically, the first Traeger grills looked quite similar to a traditional offset smoker. The new technology developed by Traeger revolutionized outdoor cooking and changed the trajectory of the grilling industry.

Traeger remains one of the top brands on the market today, despite the stiff increase in competition.  They specialize in creating high performance pellet grills that are reasonably priced and affordable for most.

Are Traeger Grills Made in the USA? No.

Camp Chef

Camp Chef was founded in 1990 and was an outdoor cooking manufacturer that initially aimed to create products for outdoorsmen who loved to camp and be outdoors – and make delicious food while they did it.

At first, that meant things like camping stoves, flat top grills, and portable grills. They excelled at just about every design they tried, which over the years has included pizza ovens, dutch ovens, outdoor stoves, and much more.

Shortly after Traeger’s patent expired, Camp Chef tried their hand at pellet grills. They brought their same signature workmanship and attention to detail to pellet grills, and the result has been some of the best pellet grills on the market.  Personally, I have owned a Woodwind 24 Sidekick for about 3 years and I love it.

Are Camp Chef Grills Made in the USA? No.

Pit Boss

Pit Boss was founded in the late 1990’s and has always offered a line of grilling products that mix affordability and quality. 

Pit Boss began making pellet grills in the late 2000’s (this is when Traeger’s patent on pellet grill technology expired), so they over a decade into the pellet smoker manufacturing business.

Pellet grills are now probably the most popular type of grill that Pit Boss sells, but they also have a pretty extensive offering of flat top grills, kamado grills, and vertical smokers too.

No matter which Pit Boss products you’re looking at, odds are that they’re well made and capable of grilling some incredibly tasty meals.  You can also find Pit Boss Grills at some large department/home improvement stores.

Are Pit Boss Grills Made in the USA? No.

Z Grills

Z Grills was founded in 2017 by a group of former employees who managed a factory that produced pellet grills for a different, very popular brand (we think it’s probably Traeger). And after a while, they realized that they knew the ins and outs of the business – and more importantly they felt confident that they could deliver an excellent product to the market at a much better price than the competition.

So with that in mind, they launched a crowdfunding campaign that would go on to raise about half of a million dollars – which is one of the more successful campaigns the crowdfunding platform has ever seen. The momentum didn’t stop after the campaign ended either – almost 5 years later, Z Grills is the most popular budget pellet grill brand on the market and they continue to improve their product line.  They recently released their first ever WiFi controlled pellet smoker.

Are Z Grills Grills Made in the USA? No.

Pellet Grill Brands A to Z

Asmoke

  • Available On: Amazon
  • Price Range: Budget
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Asmoke AS300 Tabletop Pellet Grill

When it comes to pellet smoker cooking, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be able to take it on the go.  There’s a lot going on with electronic components, electricity, and the pellet hopper to make it all work.

But ASmoke has found a way to make it work, as the’ve created a line of portable tabletop pellet grills that can easily be taken with you to a tailgate or a camping trip.  They continue to develop their products and look for ways to make on-the-go pellet grilling as easy as possible.

Are Asmoke Grills Made in the USA? No.

Broil King

  • Available On: BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Broil King Regal 500

Broil King is probably best known for their extensive and popular line of gas and charcoal grills, but in recent years they’ve developed their own pellet grill to cover pretty much all of the types of grills out there in their catalog.  All of Broil King’s pellet grills are equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities, along with some additional features (such as included temperature probes, rotisserie kit, and an advanced control panel) that make all aspects of your cook as easy as possible.  Additionally, they place a focus on durability with only high quality 14-gauge stainless steel used to construct most parts of their grills.

Are Broil King Grills Made in the USA? No.

Camp Chef

  • Available On: Camp Chef, BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi

More Camp Chef Pellet Grill Resources:

Char-Griller

  • Available On: Amazon
  • Price Range: Budget
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Char-Griller 9040

When it comes to pellet grill brands we’ll be honest with you – Char-Griller isn’t our favorite.  They’re positioned as a budget brand but they aren’t quite at the lowest end of the spectrum, and the other budget brands on the market frankly make better products.  Char-Griller pellet grills are bare bones and at times struggle to maintain consistent temperatures due to inferior build materials.

With all of that being said, we do think that Char-Griller makes solid gas grills, charcoal grills, and charcoal smokers – their offset smoker is one of the best budget offset smokers on the entire market in our opinion.  They are just behind in the pellet grill department.

Are Char-Griller Grills Made in the USA? No.

Cookshack

  • Available On: BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Cookshack Fast Eddys

Cookshack started their operation over 50 years ago – still to this day they are a family owned business that makes their products in the USA and is dedicated to creating commercial grade cookers.  Specifically, they excel in manufacturing restaurant quality electric smokers and pellet smokers – but their products are also extremely popular with residential customers.  With Cookshack you know that you’re going to get a quality smoker that will crank out elite BBQ for decades to come.

Are Cookshack Grills Made in the USA? Yes.

Coyote

  • Available On: BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Coyote 36-Inch Built-In Pellet Grill

The Coyote Outdoor Living brand sells just about everything you need to create your dream outdoor kitchen. Their brand includes grills of all kinds but they also have a lot of other products as well. They have warming drawers, side burners, refrigeration, sinks, storage, islands, and plenty more where those come from! You can also find a multitude of accessories and additions specifically designed for your grills. Here you might find things like rotisserie kits, charcoal trays, griddles, ceramic briquettes, and more.

So if you’re looking for a high-end pellet grill brand to create or finish your outdoor kitchen, Coyote Grills would be at the top of our list.

Are Coyote Grills Made in the USA? No.

Green Mountain Grills

Green Mountain Grills was founded by a team who was simply passionate about grilling, and specifically were believers in pellet grill technology.  They felt, at the time, that there weren’t any high quality offerings at a price point that everybody could afford.  That led them to start a company devoted to developing a pellet grill that wouldn’t break the bank.  Nowadays they create some of the top portable pellet grill options on the market, but they also have a nice line of traditional freestanding grills.

  • Available On: Amazon, Green Mountain
  • Price Range: Budget
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): GMG Davy Crockett

Are Green Mountain Grills Made in the USA? No.

Grilla Grills

  • Available On: Amazon, Grilla Grills
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Silverbac

The Grilla story began with two friends around 2015 who were on a fishing trip, eating a plate of ribs cooked on a generic looking pellet grill.  The two wondered why all pellet smokers looked the exact same – and as designers, they felt a desire to design something that was better.

Grilla grills was born, with their initial product being a very unique looking vertical pellet smoker called the Grilla.  Since their initial success, they’ve expanded their product line to more traditional looking pellet grills as well.

Are Grilla Grills Made in the USA? No.

Kamado Joe

You’ll know a Kamado Joe by the impossible to miss vibrant red color of their ceramic egg shaped cookers. They are really a kamado grill company, but recently they rolled out an egg shaped cooker that’s fueled by wood pellets.  It’s a rather new development, and we’ll see in coming years whether or not pellet kamado grills become a popular choice.

  • Available On: BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Pellet Joe Kamado Pellet Grill

Are Kamado Joe Grills Made in the USA? No.

Louisiana Grills

Louisiana Grills Vertical Smoke

Owned by the world-beating and all-conquering pellet company, Dansons, Louisiana Grills are a fairly new name on the smoking and grilling scene.  Dansons also owns Pit Boss, and Louisiana is a company which focuses on more niche products.  Namely, they produce an excellent vertical pellet smoker along with some high-end and built-in pellet grills.

  • Available On: Louisiana Grills, BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier & High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Louisiana Vertical Pellet Smoker (read our review here)

Are Louisiana Grills Made in the USA? No.

Memphis Grills

  • Available On: BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Beale Street WiFi Pellet Grill

Memphis Grills is a relatively new company that opened it’s doors in 2016, with the aim of creating high-end freestanding and drop in pellet grills for outdoor kitchens.  They have placed a continuing focus on high performance, and all of their grills to this day burn extremely clean and efficient.  They also place an emphasis on ease of use, as all of their grills can be controlled with your phone via WiFi technology.

Are Memphis Grills Made in the USA? No.

Monument Grills

  • Available On: Amazon
  • Price Range: Budget
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Monument 530 pellet grill

When it comes to budget pellet grill brands, sometimes you need to be careful because below a certain price point it’s almost certain that a grill is made with inferior materials and workmanship.  Monument seems to have found a way around this, as they offer a perfectly reasonable pellet grill at the $350 price range – which is lower than just about any other competitor on the market.  You won’t find any bells and whistles or premium features on their cookers like you would with a mid-tier or high-end brand, but you can certainly cook great food on them.

Are Monument Grills Made in the USA? No.

Oklahoma Joe’s

Oklahoma Joe’s began in the 1980’s when Joe Davidson, an Oklahoman, saved up some cash to design and manufacture a dozen traditional offset smokers.  He took them to the 1987 Oklahoma State fair and sold all of them – plus took orders for 100 more.  Ever since then his company has hit the ground running and has expanded into quite the BBQ operation.  Nowadays they have a few other product verticals, including smoker grill combos, charcoal grills, drum smokers, and pellet grills.

Are Oklahoma Joe’s Grills Made in the USA? No.

Ozark

  • Available On: Amazon
  • Price Range: Budget
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Ozark Razorback

Ozark Pellet Grills are similar to Monument in the sense that it’s one of the best choices if you’re looking for true bargain bin pricing.  For around $350, you can get a pellet smoker that works just fine and will cook consistently – especially if you live in an area with moderate temperatures. Once again, you aren’t going to find premium features or WiFi connectivity, but if pure cooking is the only thing you’re worried about this is a great option.

Are Ozark Grills Made in the USA? No.

Pit Boss

  • Available On: Pit Boss, Amazon
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Pit Boss Navigator

More Pit Boss Pellet Grill Resources:

Pitts & Spitts

  • Available On: Pitts & Spitts
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Maverick 850

Pitts & Spitts is located in the BBQ rich state of Texas, and has been around for over 35 years. Their grills are made in the USA.  You can expect to find fully welded construction, high quality PID controllers, and outstanding consistency on all of their pellet smokers – which are ideal for both residential and commercial use.

Are Pitts & Spitts Grills Made in the USA? Yes.

ReqTeq

Back in 2009, avid pit masters and friends Ray Carnes and Ron Cundy absolutely loved cooking on pellet grills but had a little bit of a problem. They felt like the equipment on the market could be a lot better.

Since inception, Recteq has consistently strived to be at the forefront of technology and coming out with new ideas for their pellet grills (they were one of the first to develop an app which allowed you to control all aspects of your grill from a phone). They started out with only one pellet grill on their assembly line, but have since expanded their operation to about a dozen pellet grills of various sizes.

  • Available On: ReqTeq
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): ReqTeq RT-700 (check out our review here)

Are ReqTeq Grills Made in the USA? No.

More ReqTeq Pellet Grill Resources:

Smokin Brothers

  • Available On: Smokin’ Brothers
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): 30″ Premier Plus

Smokin Brothers began in 2005 with two brothers who entered into a BBQ contest without significant prior experience.  They got hooked on the competition, and eventually started a business to sell the BBQ rubs they used while they competed.  From there, the business evolved as they began to sell wood pellets and eventually pellet grills.

Their products are all made in the USA and are competition level smokers.  Most of their cookers feature an incredibly handy front shelf surface to help you manage your cook.

Are Smokin Brothers Grills Made in the USA? Yes.

Traeger

  • Available On: Traeger, BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Traeger Ironwood

More Traeger Pellet Grill Resources:

Twin Eagles

  • Available On: BBQGuys
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): 36″ WiFi Pellet Grill with Rotisserie

Twin Eagles offers outdoor cooking equipment and appliances in the luxury category.  While expensive, their products are built for lasting performance and aesthetically look incredible.  Most of their pellet grills come with a rotisserie kit included and boast a temperature range of 140-725ºF – which is one of the widest ranges in the industry.

At the end of the day, Twin Eagles are for people who are looking to invest in a full on outdoor kitchen – otherwise the price point of their products probably doesn’t work for most consumers.

Are Twin Eagles Grills Made in the USA? Yes.

Victory

  • Available On: BBQGuys, Amazon
  • Price Range: Mid-Tier
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Victory 35″ with Front Shelf

The Victory pellet grill brand was actually started by BBQGuys, a leading online retailer for specialty grills and outdoor kitchen products.  They sought to create a pellet grill that was priced at the lower end of the mid-tier yet still performed like a high-end pellet smoker.

They ended up designing a grill that’s practical, functional, and all around a great value.  The body is a sleek looking powder coated steel, and the grill comes with side and front shelves standard.  The cart is designed with a nice amount of storage area and accessory hooks also make it easy to keep track of your BBQ tools while you cook.

Are Victory Grills Made in the USA? No.

Weber

One of the best brands in the world of grilling, Weber, ventured into the world of pellet grills early in 2020 with two grills under their SmokeFire series.  The first launch didn’t go so well.  Many customers were complaining that the grills ran WAY too hot or were wildly inconsistent in temperature.

Weber seems to have remedied the issue as the second generation of SmokeFire pellet grills have much better reviews and appear to be performing quite well.  With Weber, you’re getting all around quality, excellent customer service, and a name that has been trusted in the grilling industry for decades.

Are Weber Grills Made in the USA? No.

Yoder

  • Available On: Yoder
  • Price Range: High-End
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): YS480S

Yoder pellet smokers are typically geared towards competition pit masters or folks at home who are true fanatics about BBQ.  Their cookers are definitely on the higher end of the price spectrum, but they are built with an incredible amount of craftsmanship and are made in the USA.

One thing that is unique about Yoder smokers is that you can easily switch the grill to a setting where you can grill over direct heat.  Almost all of the other pellet grills on the market utilize an indirect heating method, so you can’t ever quite get a true and perfect sear on your burgers or steaks.  That’s not the case with Yoder!  You can simply change the setting and have direct over flame heat to cook your food.

Are Yoder Grills Made in the USA? Yes.

Z Grills

  • Available On: Z Grills, Amazon
  • Price Range: Budget
  • Flagship Product (pictured above): Z Grills 700 E

Pellet Grill Brands That Are Made In The USA

With some products being “designed” or “assembled” in the USA, it can be hard to tell which brands truly achieve that “Made in the USA” label.  Here’s a quick list of pellet grill brands that are made in the USA:

  • Cookshack
  • Pitts & Spitts
  • Smokin Brothers
  • Twin Eagles
  • Yoder

Final Thoughts

We hope this rundown of pellet smoker brands has been helpful to you, whether you’re on the search for your perfect pellet grill or you’re simply doing research on the different products that are out there.

Either way, we think we’ve got you covered between this list and the resources we’ve referenced in this post.  We are pellet grill obsessed at Own the Grill, and we’ll continue to update our content as new pellet grill brands pop up and as existing ones innovate.

Did we miss a brand or two?  Let us know in the comments section if we left off your favorite pellet grill brand! And head on over to our resource on how pellet smokers work next for more on these amazing cookers.

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