Best Pellet Smokers Under 500 Dollars On The Market
Last updated:
Great pellet smokers can take you far in the cooking journey. It can smoke, grill, or cook delicious dishes that you just can’t deny. When you think about buying a good pellet smoker for your own, you’re going to a no-ending tunnel.
Many pellet smokers confuse you to ask yourself should you buy a smoker or a grill or an oven instead of just a smoker. You can stop there and focus on what I will share with you below.
You only need to buy a pellet smoker, the best one at an affordable price. Don’t know how to do it, follow my guide to find 4 best pellet smokers under 500 dollars.
Z Grills ZPG-450AEditor’s Choice
Pros
- Create an amazing wood-smoked flavor
- Consistent and precise temperature
- Huge hopper capacity
- Versatile 6-in-1 pellet smoker
- No grease build-up
- No flare-ups
Cons
- Don’t come with accessories
- The temperature may not hot enough to sear
No one can resist the magic of delicious wood-smoked dishes. Now it can be more exciting when you can cook it at home by yourself with a Z Grills ZPG-450A smoker. If you want to spend your budget straight into the best pellet smoker in town, I recommend this one.
I called it the Editor’s choice for many reasons. First, you can own a multipurpose 6-in-1 smoker that allows for bake, roast, braise, smoke, sear, and grill. It has a large cooking place of up to 324 square inches while hosting another cooking rack above to keep the food warm.
The porcelain cast iron grates are easy to clean, durable and retain heat well, leaving bold sear marks for meat lovers. The auto pellet feed system reduces your babysitting-your-smoker job by automatically feeding the pellets with an auger.
The next reason to buy this product is it brings the natural wood-smoked flavor from its advanced technology that you couldn’t find in any charcoal grills. It lets you adjust a wide range of temperatures, from 180 to 450°F. It may look complex but it’s easy to use. So you don’t have to worry if you’re a beginner.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Main Cooking Area (sq.in) | 324 |
| Warming Rack Area (sq.in) | 128 |
| Hopper Capacity (lbs) | 15 |
| Weight (lbs) | 106 |
| Dimensions (in) | 45 x 28 x 49 |
| Highlight Features | Sleek and compact design, 6-in-1 smoker, Auto pellet feed system, Front shelf, Porcelain coated cast iron racks |
This Z Grills ZPG-450A is a dream for all the pellet smoker lovers because it’s affordable while allowing you to cook various dishes with no limit.
Z Grills ZPG-7002BMost Versatile
Pros
- 8 versatile ways to cook
- Cook juicy and flavorful meat
- Large cooking and warming areas
- Automatic ignition and temperature control
- Easy to assemble, use, clean and move
- A good-looking grill
Cons
- The temp can vary 20-25 degrees of where you set it
- A bit more expensive than Z Grills ZPG-450A
- No pellet shoot so you can’t change pellet types
Are you finding a bigger and more versatile pellet smoker to cook for a huge party in the backyard? You should consider this Z Grill. It’s like an upgraded version of the Z Grills ZPG-450A smoker.
What it could offer you? It will let you cook BBQ, bake, roast, braise, smoke, sear, grill, and Char-grill. You can show your skills and serve your family and friends tasty dishes like a pro. During the parties, no one has to babysit this smoker thanks to the automatic feed system that can maintain the heat from 180 to 450°F. The large hopper and digital temperature control are easy to use for long and continuous cooking processes.
One great thing about Z Grill products is it comes with a rusted-proof cover to protect your smoker better. If you’re a woman, you can move this device by yourself without asking for a man’s help thanks to its wheels.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Main Cooking Area (sq.in) | 513 |
| Warming Rack Area (sq.in) | 187 |
| Hopper Capacity (lbs) | 20 |
| Weight (lbs) | 127 |
| Dimensions (in) | 48.5 x 22.5 x 51.2 |
| Highlight Features | 8-in-1 smoker, Bigger cooking and warming areas, User-friendly features, Newest update |
Despite some trivial drawbacks, Z Grills ZPG-7002B is still an ideal smoker to leverage your cooking skills to serve delicious dishes to your beloved ones.
Green Mountain Grills DCWFBest WiFi Smoker
Pros
- WiFi smart control
- Compact and portable to carry on vehicle’s trunks
- Pellet view window
- Good grease management
- Smoke fast even the frozen food
Cons
- Uneven heat
- Legs are hard to set up and take down
- Sit a bit low to some
If you’re an adventurous person, the Green Mountain Grills DCWF smoker is the best match for your hobby because it fits most of the vehicle’s trunks. It has a medium size and is compact enough to carry on the go to cook mouthwatering dishes.
Besides, this smoker is easy to use that even novices or amateurs can assemble and operate to cook with no hassles. One best thing about the Green Mountain smoker is its Venturi-style design allows you to reach the maximum heat from 150°F to 550°F so your food can be cooked in less time.
You don’t want to stay close to the hot smoker in the muggy summer air? You will feel thankful for relaxing and sipping beer while adjusting and monitoring the cooking process through the GMG app on your smartphone from afar!
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Main Cooking Area (sq.in) | 219 |
| Warming Rack Area (sq.in) | No warming rack |
| Hopper Capacity (lbs) | 9 |
| Weight (lbs) | 57 |
| Dimensions (in) | 29.5 x 20 x 14.5 |
| Highlight Features | Compact and portable, Wifi smart control, Pellet view window, High heat distribution, Foldable legs |
With Green Mountain Grills DCWF, now you can control your grill with a phone while you are sipping a beer on your sofa. Worth to try!
Country Smokers CSPEL015010497Best For Outdoor Enthusiasts
Pros
- Small and compact for outdoor enthusiasts and tailgating fanatics
- Stylish-suitcase design
- Easy to assemble and clean
- Hot enough for searing steaks
- Maintain the temp pretty well
- Affordable
Cons
- No hopper cleanout feature
- The cooking surface is not as large as the others
Many people assume all pellet smokers are heavy and giant machines. This tabletop Country Smokers CSPEL015010497 will prove they’re wrong. You can’t find any smoker that is sleek with a suitcase design and compact like this one. With four legs and a handle, it allows travel lovers to bring anywhere to join their adventures.
It may seem small but it has a large cooking surface and an additional warm rack to cook a lot of food. You can show your skills to smoke, grill, or sear to serve appetizing dishes for people around you. The smoker is also designed for easy cleaning. You only need to remove every part and wash them all.
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Main Cooking Area (sq.in) | 194.1 |
| Warming Rack Area (sq.in) | 64.6 |
| Hopper Capacity (lbs) | 3.5 |
| Weight (lbs) | 42.6 |
| Dimensions (in) | 24.4 x 17.5 x 13.6 |
| Highlight Features | Small and compact for the travelers, Sleek & stylish design, Digital control |
Are you looking for a delicate but well-performed smoker to bring on the go? Pick this Country Smokers CSPEL015010497 right now!
How To Choose The Best Pellet Smoker Under 500 Dollars (Buying Guide)
There are a few simple tricks that may help you to not waste hours to hours choosing the best pellet smoker. Keep reading my suggestions below to know what it is.Who are you?
This is important. Ask yourself if you’re a traveler or not. Adventurous people might prefer to compact smokers instead of smokers with huge cooking areas and additional warming racks. If you aim to bring the smoker on your trips later, ensure your product can downsize to fit the vehicle’s trunks.
Gadget experts?
If you like to monitor the cooking process through your phone, you can consider buying a smoker with Wifi control. This kind of smoker won’t suit low-tech people or those who prefer traditional control.
Versatility demand?
Professionals or cooking lovers may require a little more versatility than the amateurs. They may want a device that allows them to cook, bake, grill, sear, or any other things with no limit. If you’re that kind of person, thinking about the 8-in-1 or 7-in-1 versatile smokers.
FAQs
This question is difficult to answer. It depends on each pellet smoker. When I read user reviews, some of them say it gives them the best smoky flavor while others think it’s mild and far from a smoked dish.
But even what kind of your product is, I have a tip for you to maximize the smoky flavor. Cook your food at 180-190 degrees in the first several hours. Then apply the highest-quality wood pellet that you can afford. The quality of wood pellets can make a bigger difference than you think.
Here is a guide of types of pellets and their flavors:
Yes, you can cook a bunch of mouthwatering steaks with a pellet grill. What you need to prepare is a thermometer and fresh, high-quality meat. Prevent the meat from any moisture before grilling to ensure the best result.
You don’t need a water pan when grilling with pellet smokers. But in case you want, you can add a small pan off to the side of the main cooking rack to keep the juicy taste of your meat.
It’s difficult to cook a perfect steak, but I can show you some tips to cook a nearly perfect one.
- Make sure there’s no moisture in the meat after you take it out from the fridge.
- Leave them rest for 20 mins to 1 hour.
- Adjust the temperature to 180 degrees and put the steak into the grill. You will have to grill it for 15 – 30 mins depends on how thick it is.
- Flip the steak after 15 mins.
- When the temperature reaches 100-110 degrees, take the meat out and increase the heat to 500 degrees.
- Then you can put the steak back to sear for 1 min then flip and let it stay for 1 more minute. Repeat a few times.
Conclusion
With this detailed buying guide, we showed you pellet smokers can be compact, portable, and affordable devices. By a one-time investment, you can have a versatile grill that allows showing your cooking skills both at home or on the trips.
We hope you’ll find this article helpful to choose the best pellet smoker while keeping the budget under 500 dollars. Thanks for reading and see you in the next post!