Comparisons
Pellet Grill vs Charcoal Grill
Charcoal gets hotter and costs less. Pellets hold temperature for twelve hours without you. The flavor question is less one-sided than either camp admits.
By Mike M. · Last updated November 6, 2026 · How we pick
Pellet vs Charcoal
Pit Boss 850 Navigator Series
Pit Boss · score 9.6/10 · Most backyards — the default pick
The most cooking space per dollar of any WiFi pellet grill we track, and the one we point most buyers at first.
Also direct from Pit Boss — $799.99 (list price as of 2026-11-07)
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Quick picks
Ranked by our value-weighted score. Prices are live from Amazon as of November 7, 2026 — tap a price to check it now, or tap a row to jump to the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pit Boss 850 Navigator SeriesThe most cooking space per dollar of any WiFi pellet grill we track, and the one we point most buyers at first. | Most backyards — the default pick | 9.69.6 out of 10 | $799.99Amazon |
| 2 |  Z Grills 7002C697 sq in, a 28 lb hopper, two probes, a grease bucket and a cover — all in the box for under $500. | Most kit included for the money | 9.89.8 out of 10 | Check price |
| 3 |  Pit Boss 500 FB2 SeriesThe cheapest full-size pellet grill we would actually recommend — 518 sq in, direct-flame searing, five-year warranty. | First pellet grill on a tight budget | 9.19.1 out of 10 | $357.30Amazon |
#ad We earn a commission on Amazon purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking — here is the method.
Side by side
| Pellet grill | Charcoal grill | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Searing heat | 450-500°F (1,000°F with a sear slider) | 600-900°F over a chimney load | Charcoal |
| Temperature stability | Controller holds a set point | Manual — vents, fuel, practice | Pellet |
| Unattended long cooks | 12+ hours, no intervention | Needs refuelling and vent management | Pellet |
| Fuel cost | Pellets at $0.50-1.00/lb | Briquettes or lump, generally cheaper | Charcoal |
| Needs electricity | Yes | No | Charcoal |
| Start-up time | 10-15 min, automatic | 20-30 min with a chimney | Pellet |
| Flavor character | Clean hardwood smoke | Aggressive char plus smoke | Preference |
| Learning curve | Minimal | Real — fire management is a skill | Pellet |
| Cleanup | Grease tray plus ash vacuum | Ash pan | About even |
| Up-front cost | $330 and up | Can be under $100 | Charcoal |
The flavor question, honestly
Charcoal partisans say pellet grills taste of nothing. Pellet owners say charcoal tastes of lighter fluid. Both are overstating.
What is actually true: charcoal produces a char — Maillard browning plus fat dripping onto hot coals and flashing back as smoke — that a convection pellet grill cannot replicate at 450°F. That is the flavor charcoal people are defending, and it is real.
Equally true: a pellet grill burning hickory at 225°F for eight hours puts more actual wood smoke into meat than a charcoal grill does in a 20-minute cook. That is the flavor pellet people are defending, and it is also real.
They are different flavors from different mechanisms. Anyone telling you one is objectively better is telling you their preference.
Where pellets win outright
Unattended long cooks
This is the whole case. A pellet grill holds 225°F for twelve hours while you sleep. On charcoal that means a water pan, vent management, refuelling every few hours and a thermometer you check. Plenty of people enjoy that; plenty of people have a job.
Precision
Set 225°F and you get 225°F. On charcoal, hitting and holding 225°F is a learned skill that takes a season to get right.
Where charcoal wins outright
Heat
A chimney of lump charcoal in a kettle reaches 600-900°F at the grate. Nothing in the pellet world comes close except a Pit Boss with the Flame Broiler open, and even then not for as long. For steak, charcoal is simply the better tool.
Cost
A decent charcoal kettle costs a fraction of the cheapest pellet grill we recommend, and the fuel is cheaper per cook. If budget is the binding constraint and you are willing to learn fire management, charcoal is the better value.
Simplicity
No auger to jam, no fan to fail, no igniter to burn out, no controller to replace, no power cable. The parts that break on a pellet grill do not exist on a charcoal grill.
The honest middle
If you want charcoal’s char and pellets’ convenience, two cheap routes exist:
- Charcoal-blend pellets. Royal Oak sells a blend of hardwood and actual charcoal pellets. It burns with more ash than pure hardwood, but it is the closest a pellet grill gets to a charcoal character. See pellet rankings.
- A pellet grill plus a cheap kettle. Together they cost less than one premium pellet grill and cover both jobs properly.
We have not run blind flavor tests between fuels and will not pretend to have. The mechanisms described above — convection smoke versus fat flashing on coals — are well understood; the preference between them is yours.
The picks in full
#1 · Most backyards — the default pick
Pit Boss 850 Navigator Series
Pit Boss · score 9.6/10
The most cooking space per dollar of any WiFi pellet grill we track, and the one we point most buyers at first.
Also direct from Pit Boss — $799.99 (list price as of 2026-11-07)
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Published specifications
- Cooking area
- 932 sq in across two tiers
- Hopper
- 30 lb, with a viewing window
- Temperature range
- 180-500°F in 5°F steps
- Controller
- LCD digital, two meat probes included
- Connectivity
- WiFi + Bluetooth, Pit Boss Grills app
- Warranty
- 5 years
How it scores
Weighted rubric score: 8.4/10. Value carries the most weight on this site by design. On our published scale that is 9.6/10.
What it does well
- 932 sq in for well under four figures — roughly 20% more grate per dollar than the closest Traeger
- 30 lb hopper is double what most sub-$500 grills carry, so overnight cooks do not need a refill
- Flame Broiler slider gives you direct-flame searing, which most pellet grills in this range cannot do
- Two probes in the box rather than one
Where it falls short
- LCD controller is a step below the touchscreen PID on the 1300/1600 and the Advantage 850SL
- Pit Boss app has a long history of connection complaints in owner threads
- Assembly is a genuine two-person, ninety-minute job
#2 · Most kit included for the money
Z Grills 7002C
Z Grills · score 9.8/10
697 sq in, a 28 lb hopper, two probes, a grease bucket and a cover — all in the box for under $500.
Published specifications
- Cooking area
- 697 sq in
- Hopper
- 28 lb, tool-free cleanout
- Temperature range
- 180-450°F
- Controller
- PID 3.0, LCD, two meat probes
- Connectivity
- None
- Warranty
- 3 years
How it scores
Weighted rubric score: 8.6/10. Value carries the most weight on this site by design. On our published scale that is 9.8/10.
What it does well
- 28 lb hopper is close to Pit Boss territory and nearly double Traeger's 18 lb
- Rain cover, two probes, grease bucket and gloves included
- Two locking casters plus two wheels
- Pellet viewing window
Where it falls short
- No WiFi, so the app crowd should look elsewhere
- 450°F ceiling
- Z Grills calls it an 'electric' pellet grill in the listing, which confuses buyers — it burns wood pellets and needs a wall outlet, like every pellet grill here
#3 · First pellet grill on a tight budget
Pit Boss 500 FB2 Series
Pit Boss · score 9.1/10
The cheapest full-size pellet grill we would actually recommend — 518 sq in, direct-flame searing, five-year warranty.
$399.9911% off
Also direct from Pit Boss — $399.99 (list price as of 2026-11-07)
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Published specifications
- Cooking area
- 518 sq in across two tiers
- Hopper
- 5 lb
- Temperature range
- 180-500°F in 5°F steps
- Controller
- LCD digital, one probe included, two ports
- Connectivity
- None
- Warranty
- 5 years
How it scores
Weighted rubric score: 7.9/10. Value carries the most weight on this site by design. On our published scale that is 9.1/10.
What it does well
- Full-size 518 sq in chamber for close to what a portable costs
- Flame Broiler lever opens direct flame for searing up to 1,000°F — rare at this price
- Five-year warranty is unusually long for a budget grill
Where it falls short
- 5 lb hopper is the real compromise: expect to refill on any long smoke
- No connectivity at all
- Thin-gauge body loses heat in cold weather, so winter cooks run longer
Our recommendation
Top pick
Pit Boss 850 Navigator Series
Most backyards — the default pick.
Also direct from Pit Boss — $799.99 (list price as of 2026-11-07)
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Runner-up
Z Grills 7002C
Most kit included for the money.
Questions people actually ask
Do pellet grills taste as good as charcoal?
Different, not worse. Charcoal gives a char that convection heat cannot replicate; pellets put more genuine wood smoke into a long cook than charcoal does in a short one. Which you prefer is a preference, not a fact.
Is a pellet grill or charcoal grill cheaper to run?
Charcoal, generally — both up front and per cook. Pellet grills cost more to buy and pellets cost more per pound than briquettes, though a pellet grill at 225°F uses very little fuel.
Can a pellet grill get as hot as charcoal?
No. Pellet grills reach 450-500°F indirect; a chimney of lump charcoal reaches 600-900°F at the grate. A Pit Boss Flame Broiler narrows the gap but does not close it.
Which is easier for a beginner?
A pellet grill, clearly. You set a temperature and the controller holds it. Charcoal fire management is a genuine skill that takes a season to learn.
Sources
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