Pellet Grill Vs Gas Grill – Which Is Best for You?

ByDelores Time to Read: 14 minutes

The pellet grill has become popular because of its latest technology and unique features—many pitmasters like this technique over gas grills. With phrases like “kicking gas in the ass,” it is straightforward to see that the manufacturers have also noticed it.

Therefore, the pellet grill vs gas grill has become the most famous debate among bbq enthusiasts. Today, I have explored the similarities and dissimilarities of each grill type and looked at the pros and cons of each. In the end, you will know which is suitable for both of them.

Pellet Grill Vs Gas Grill

Pellet Grill Vs Gas Grill Overview

Let us read the differences between both grill types before deciding. Despite having the word grill in their names, both grills are pretty different. Pellet grills have the best feature of “set and forget.”

If you want low and slow cooking, then the pellet grill is the best option, and if you want to do seating at high temperatures, gas grills are the best. Both the gas and pellet grills are convenient and user-friendly. 

They will also work like an oven. They will simmer your food and add a smoky flavor to your meat by burning wood pellets. You may hear people saying they are different things to refer to the only thing.

The pellet smokers might be much better than the grills as they can do better smoking. Pellet smokers are more expensive than grills, but the pellets are not readily available, unlike gas grills. 

However, go for a gas grill if you like excellent sear marks on the steak, speed, and cost-effectiveness. Gas grills are perfect for cooking at mid-high-range temperatures. 

Pellet-Grill-in-backyard

A gas grill is a budget-friendly grill that uses gas as fuel and lights up very quickly. The insulation on the gas grill is not well, so it does not smoke well. Gas grills do not work well at low temperatures, unlike pellet grills. 

Pellet Grill Overview

Pellet grills are manufactured to cook your meat at low temperatures. Unlike a grill, it works more like a smoker. It can also perform traditional grilling, but its primary function is to perform cooking slowly with the wood pellets.

The pellet woods are used as fuel in the pellet grills that are compressed sawdust from lumber mills. Moreover, they are pretty different from household wood pellets. As they are similar to wood chips, you cannot soak them as they will turn into mushy sawdust.

 In contrast with smoking wood pellets, the heating pellets are made from hardwood, so they are full of chemicals, and you cannot use them for grilling. You can choose different types of pellets and woods to customize your taste.

How Does A Pellet Grill Work?

The pellet grill works the same as the pellet stove. You must connect your grill to the convection fan so the pellet grill runs. After that, the pellet is ready:

  • Put your pellets into the hopper, which is most likely located behind or on the side of the grill’s central part. It will look like a funnel.
  • The pellets will move through a hopper, which looks like a screw, and will take pellets to the firepot. 
  • The pellets will catch up with the fire when they come into contact with the hot rod in the firepot. The fire then creates heat and smoke to cook your food.
  • The convection fans control the heat and allow your meat to cook indirectly. Therefore, it works like a smoker and an oven.
anatomy of pellet grill

Pros And Cons Of The Pellet Grill

Pros

  • Cleanliness: There is not a lot of mess with the pellet grill. In this grill, you need to clean the surfaces of the grill like any other grill. The pellets will burn and not create a mess.
  • Efficiency: In addition to the pellets, convection fans greatly aid in the efficiency of the cooking process. The grill will take a little time to get up hot, and you will only have to spend a little energy and fuel. 
  • Control: Unlike other grills, it is effortless to adjust and maintain the pellet grill’s temperature. The grill takes less than 15 minutes to reach your desired temperature.
  • Versatility: You have more cooking options with the pellet grill as it is double that of the smoker. You will get beautiful results eventually. However, you can only get sear marks with a high temperature. 
  • Convenience: There is no need to move your food back and forth or flip it to check it. Set it at a low temperature and leave it for a few hours. 
  • Flavor: Gas is an odorless fuel, so it cannot add flavor to the food. Pellets will give you a lot of customization and flavor options. 

Cons

  • Speed: Due to low temperatures, pellet grills are much slower. Gas and pellet grills differ significantly in this regard, so understand this.
  • Temperature: Pellet grills are known for their low temperature. It means it cannot give a finger-licking taste. Besides, many brands are working to provide the searing ability to pellet stoves. 
  • Fuel Supply: Smoking pellets are more difficult to find than propane. After deciding which type of smoker you will use, you must start creating a stock of its fuel to avoid unexpected situations. You may not find pellets more regularly. 
  • Power: You need to plug in the pellet grills. It means that they are easy to transport due to lackness of a propane tank, but you will always have a power source. 
  • Price: Pellet grills are undoubtedly more costly than gas grills. The price increase is marginal instead of exceptional. The market also offers affordable pellet grills of standard quality. Many people like to save time rather than money. 

Gas Grill Overview

Gas grills have come in an extensive range of styles because they are produced in a wide range. A gas grill is the most commonly available type of grill. Such grills are efficient for cooking and easy to use and find. 

It has a variety of cooking features. You can also see them as magnificent outdoor kitchen displays or rolling carts on decks. As the name clarifies, they use gas as fuel. You can even use grills that utilize liquid propane or natural gas.

Many gas grills use propane rather than natural gas. A big white tank at a hardware store might look similar to this. Various options are available, and they can be carried around easily. On the other hand, natural gas is available at every house, and you do not need to do additional to access natural gas.

gas grill for smoking and grilling

Both of them have their pros and cons, and you have to choose which type of fuel you will use. Natural gas grills can be converted to LP grills with a conversion kit. Having a natural gas connection in your house is ideal.

Natural gas has many benefits over LP, such as it burns cleaner, requires no refilling, and is cheaper than LP. If you have a gas line and want to avoid moving to another type of grill in the future, it will save you a lot of money and time. 

Then think of other options if there is no gas line available. With LP, you can go anywhere quickly. You need to fill your tank before BBQ to avoid trouble during cooking. 

How Does A Gas Grill Work?

First, you must connect your grill to the LP/natural gas. After that:

  • Open your gas source so that it moves freely in the grill
  • The gas then enters the valves you will use to control temperature and gas. 
  • You can also use the briquettes over the flames to distribute the smoke more evenly. As in the pellet grill, you cannot cook your food directly. 
  • Most grills contain at least two burners surrounded by holes. After igniting the starter, a spark will ignite the gas, and thus the flames will be from the pits. The valves can be used to control these flames. 
  • The grill hood is lowered to move the air inside and bring the grill to the desired temperature. You can cook them with and without the grill hood.
anatomy of gas grill

Pros And Cons Of Gas Grill

Pros

  • Accessorizing: Because of its popularity, you can find all types of accessories and features to customize a grill. You might add a griddle pan, a smoke box, a sear burner, and so on.
  • Cleanliness: It is pretty straightforward to clean a gas grill. You must clean the cooking surface and not worry about burned wood or charcoal. 
  • Speed: Grilling on the gas grill rather than the pellet grill saves a lot of your time. The reason is that they use different cooking styles that are very hard to find in any other grill. Because of its high temperature, your food will cook faster on the gas grill. 
  • Temperatures: It is easy for anyone to achieve high temperatures in a gas grill. Grill marks on a steak are essential if you want to get the coveted ones. 
  • Price: They are generally less costly than pellet grills. You can find a very high-quality gas grill at a meager price and can make it a high-tech grill with some extra work. 

Cons

  • Temperature Control: Maintaining high temperatures on the gas grill takes work. Tuning the valves will take most of your time. You should have a grill hang, but it’s a process that you will repeat on each grill. 
  • Heat Retention: The required ventilation of the gas grills makes them unable to maintain the temperature. Even if you have all the necessary smoking accessories, you should not use them as a smoker.
  • Safety: It is always dangerous to cook with gas. Especially when you are connected to the gas line, in certain areas, you need to read the rules and regulations for cooking because there is a chance of spreading gas or explosion in such a process. 
  • Flavor: Gas will impart no taste to your meat because gas is odorless. It does mean that it makes food unpleasant, but you can not get the classic smoky flavor. 

Pellet Grill Vs Gas Grill – Features Comparison

When choosing a gas grill or a pellet grill, there are several things to consider necessary. Their similarities and differences are evident.

Initial Cost

You can get a good quality gas grill that will significantly help you. It is straightforward to find such a grill. Gas grills are manufactured worldwide on a large scale, so they are cheap. Pellet grills are more affordable than gas grills and many other types.

The cheap grills in the market are indeed more than 500 dollars. A standard pellet grill costs about 999.99 dollars. So, the winner of the pellet grill vs. gas grill cost is the gas grill. 

Fuel Cost

You need gas connected to a gas line or a propane tank to run gas grills. Most people use propane tanks to run their gas grills. How much fuel your grill will take depends upon the temperature and the size of the grill. If you are cooking long-term, the gas tank will become expensive. 

Pellet grills will only require electricity and wood pellets to work. How many pellets you need depends upon the size of the grill. For example, a 20-pound bag of pellets will last up to 40 hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Flavor

Using wood pellets as fuel, pellet grills give the meat a smoky flavor. When adding flavor to the meat, the wood pellets are more versatile. There are more than 20 different flavors like hickory and apple.

While smoking on a gas grill, you will face many issues. Gas grills can net off the flavor that comes from your way of cooking and eating food. The winner of the pellet grill vs gas grill taste is the pellet grill. Others impart flavor to your food or make it wrong. 

Temperature Control And Range

Pellet grills are great for low and slow types of cooking. These grills have proved exceptional for temperature control. The best temperature range for slow smoking is 200-350 degrees Fahrenheit, but it can reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

You do not need to struggle with temperature control, just set and forget it. Gas grills are ideal for reaching higher temperature levels. A standard gas grill can quickly achieve a temperature between 500 and 700 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cooking Options

You can use the accessories like extra grates, griddles, rotisserie, side burners, and the smoker box in the gas grill. At the same time, the pellet grill can use a grill rolled, a smoker, and an oven. It is a versatile grill that can grill anything as it is an electrical device, so you can also add WiFi technology and a temperature controller. 

Are Pellet Grills Healthier Than Gas Grills?

When you cook mussel meat at a high temperature, there is a probability of releasing carcinogenic compounds. Such carcinogenic compounds are also being identified in the smoke from wood and charcoal. Pellet grills have been argued to be a safer alternative to charcoal grills. 

They have argued that pellet smokers are designed so that the carcinogenic smoke does not come into contact with the food. Unlike toxic compounds, pellet grills cannot reach high temperatures.  To make whether these claims are valid, complete research is required, which does not happen till day.

Are Pellet Grills Healthier Than Gas Grills

Frequently Asked Questions

On the pellet grill, place the steaks on the warmer part. When the steaks reach your desired temperature, sear them for about 3-4 minutes. While searing, everyone wants to hear the sizzle when the steak comes into contact with heat.

Both smokers offer convenience and the latest technology and are user-friendly. The gas grill will be best if you want to hear at high temperatures. But for low and slow smoking, the pellet grill is good. 

The pellet grills will be the best option if you care about something other than searing and smoking. It is easy to cook fish, chops, brisket, pulled1 pork, and ribs in these grills. If you are cooking brats and burgers, spending a lot of money on a pellet grill is worthless. 

The pellet grills are not famous for creating a strong smoke flavor, no matter what type of pellets you use. However, some brands may be more pronounced than others. The overall burning time of the hardwood pellets is longer than the fruit wood pellets. 

Pellet grills are usually safer than gas grills because, in gas grills, there is a chance of gas leakage. Pellets are much more consistent than propane or gas as a fuel, and for all these reasons, pellet grills are safer than gas grills.

Final Words

The Pellet grill vs. gas grill debate is always ongoing. I think the best way to decide which one you should buy is by looking at your personal needs like cooking space, style preference, and budget. Both of them will help you to make a delicious barbecue, but I have to say that pellet grills have lots of advantages over gas grills. It is up to you which one you will opt for.

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