Pellet Grill Vs Gas Grill: Which Is Better? [Find Out Here]

Pellet grills and gas grills are great outdoor cookers. Although they are all grills, they have huge differences that explain their abilities to cook outside. Let’s see, Pellet Grill vs Gas grill, which is better?

A gas grill is easy to use as they simple for one to control the temperature range and preheat very fast. Gas grills are readily available in almost every big box store. They are easy to fuel and cheap to buy. Pellet grills, on the other hand, are expensive and hard to preheat, but they can cook at a slow and low temperature. 

Each of the two has its benefits and limitations. Consequently, before deciding which one to smoke with, it is essential to understand every detail about pellet and gas grills.                                                                      

Wood Pellet Grill vs Gas Grill

Although wood pellet and gas grills have many similarities, they vary in various ways. So, what are some of the essential things you need to keep in mind when deciding which one to buy?

Also Read: How to Smoke a Chuck Roast on a Pellet Grill [EXPLAINED]

Here is the wood pellet grill vs gas grill comparisons and contrasts

Flavor

You burn wood pellets made from pure compressed sawdust when you cook your food on a pellet grill. This means that you are smoking your food with pure wood. Hence, you can expect to have your food infused with many smoky flavors based on the type of wood pellets you use. The best part is that many different wood pellets offer excellent flavors.

On the other hand, food cooked on a gas grill barely gets any contact with added smoky flavors. In most cases, the meat tastes just like typically cooked meat. The flavor you might get on the food smoked using gas grills comes typically from the seasoning and marinating.

Buying Cost

Gas grills are always cheap, and you can find them in almost every big box store worldwide. Moreover, even the gas grills with the highest ratings never go beyond a thousand dollars. If you love used things, it is not hard to find one or several from your neighbors at a giveaway price. So generally, gas grills are very cheap and easy to find.

In contrast, pellet grills are more expensive than their counterparts. It is rare to find a pellet grill that goes for less than five hundred dollars. Even the ones termed as cheap in the local big box store are always over five hundred dollars. To your surprise, these tend to be less reliable and smaller.

Easy to use

Like any other equipment, wood pellet and gas grills have their startup and fire control techniques. For instance, wood pellet grills use a switch button, while gas grills start by lighting propane first. When it comes to controlling the temperatures of a gas grill, you change the settings, while for a gas grill, you only turn the burner up and down.

Cleaning the grills is another thing. A pellet grill is designed with a barrier between the cooking grates and the fire pot. You would want to avoid this mess, so you can quickly achieve this by wrapping these barriers in aluminum foil.

Remember to replace this foil after some time of cooking. A gas grill is designed with almost the same deflectors known as flavorizer bars that catch falling foods and fats that can be quickly scrapped away when they become carbon.

Whether a wood pellet grill or a gas grill, remember that your grills need to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year. Remove the grates and deflectors, and then use hot soapy water to clean them. If there are stubborn dried carbon pieces, suck them up using a shop vac before reassembling the units.

Smoking on wood pellet grills is more straightforward than on gas grills. This is because gas grills were not designed to retain heat. However, by carrying out some DIY skills, you can attain heat retention on gas grills. A smoker attachment can help you with this, but you will not get an intense smoky flavor like the one achieved on a pellet grill.    

Temperature

Gas grills can quickly achieve a temperature of 500 degrees F without much struggle. For instance, in about 15 minutes, gas grills can attain a temperature of 700 degrees F. 

The big issue is that the gas grills cannot maintain a lower temperature. Maintaining 50 degrees F for gas grills is tough, and when they do, you must have done a lot of work then. Therefore, not best for low and slow cooking. On the other hand, pellet grills are the best option for low temperatures of 200 to 300 degrees F.  These are the perfect temperature for smoking some meat and baking some foods such as pizza. Pellet grills rarely reach over 400 degrees F.

Pellet vs Gas Grill

Here are the essential things you should understand about pellet vs gas grills:

Pellet Grill

When you might want to choose pellet grills:

• If you love the real wood smoky flavor on your smoked food
• Where you love cooking with fire but do not like managing real fire
• Where you love smoking your meat or food using a low and slow technique

Benefits of pellet grills

• Easy and quick to fire up, you only push the button
• Easy to maintain low or high steady temperatures through simple programming
• You can use various wood pellets with different flavors

Limitation of pellet grills

• Require regular cleanups
• Once you load your charcoal chunks, they must burn all before you change the wood flavors

Who is suited best for a pellet grill?

• Low and slow meat smokers
• Lovers of various wood flavors
• If you love turning up the temperatures so you can sear meat on direct heat.

Gas Grill

When you might want to choose pellet grills:

• When you want to cook your meal quickly
• Where you love searing your meat at higher temperatures
• If you love controlling the temperature just by turning a knob

Benefits of gas grills

• They reach your desired cooking temperature easily and faster
• Easy to clean. You only need to scrape your grates after cooking
• Easy to adjust temperatures

Limitations of gas grills

• Difficult to attain lower temperature for slow smoking
• If gas gets depleted half cooking, then be sure you are in trouble
• Propane gas is not safe

Who is suited best for gas grills?

• Do not love food with a Smokey flavor
• Hate having a regular cleanup of the equipment
• Like quick and easy cooking

Pellet grill vs propane grill

The main difference between pellet grills and propane grills is the type of fuel they use; wood pellets and propane gas. Further, a propane grill is cheaper and can hit the highest temperatures fast and efficiently but won’t give you the best smoky flavor from various kinds of wood. On the other hand, pellet grills are slow and can maintain low temperatures. 

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Final Thoughts

While wood pellets and gas grills are excellent equipment for smoking various types of food, they have their differences, pros, and cons. However, the wood pellet grill remains to be the best due to the many advantages associated with it.