Pellet Grills
The Best Pellet Grills for Searing
Searing is the one thing pellet grills are genuinely weak at. Two brands solve it in hardware, and a cheap accessory solves it on everything else.
By Mike M. · Last updated November 6, 2026 · How we pick
Best for Searing
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 |  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 |
| 3 |  Cuisinart 8-in-1 Portable Pellet GrillReaches 500°F in a 40 lb portable with a sear zone — hotter than any Traeger portable, for less money. | Portable searing and camping | 8.78.7 out of 10 | $319.00Amazon |
| 4 |  Traeger Woodridge860 sq in, 500°F and the EZ-Clean ash keg. The current Traeger mid-range, and the one that replaced the old Pro 575 in most buyers' shortlists. | Traeger buyers who want capacity and modern cleanup | 9.49.4 out of 10 | $899.99Amazon |
| 5 |  Pit Boss 1300 Navigator Series1,329 sq in and a touchscreen PID board for about what a mid-size Traeger costs — the value pick for big cooks. | Big families and anyone cooking for a crowd | 9.79.7 out of 10 | $999.99Amazon |
#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.
Why most pellet grills sear badly
A pellet grill is a convection oven. Heat comes off a burn pot, hits a solid deflector plate and circulates — so the grate never sees direct flame. Even at 500°F, convection heat browns slowly. That is why a 500°F pellet grill makes a worse crust than a 450°F charcoal grill.
There are only two real fixes: open a path to the flame, or put something between the fire and the meat that stores enough heat to brand it.
Fix one: a direct-flame slider
Pit Boss’s Flame Broiler is a sliding plate in the heat deflector. Pull the lever and part of the grate is exposed to open flame, which Pit Boss rates at up to 1,000°F. That is a genuine searing station on a pellet grill, and it appears across their range from the cheapest 500 FB2 to the Navigator 1600.
It is the single clearest functional advantage Pit Boss has over Traeger, and it is available at every price point they sell. If steak is a weekly event rather than an occasional one, it should weigh heavily in the decision.
Fix two: sear grates or cast iron
On any grill without a slider, the answer is thermal mass. Two accessories do it:
- GrillGrate panels. Interlocking anodized aluminum rails that absorb heat and conduct it into the meat. They turn a 450°F convection grill into something that genuinely brands a steak, and they cost a small fraction of the price step to a 500°F grill.
- A cast iron griddle. Heavier, slower to heat, and better for smash burgers and anything you want edge-to-edge contact on. The two-sided Pit Boss plate does both flat and ribbed.
This is the honest recommendation: if searing is your only complaint about an otherwise cheaper grill, buy the cheaper grill and the grates. You will get a better crust than the expensive grill gives you, and keep the change.
| Grill | Max temp | Direct flame? | Needs accessories to sear well? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pit Boss Navigator 850 / 1300 | 500°F | Yes — Flame Broiler | No |
| Pit Boss 500 FB2 | 500°F (slider to 1,000°F) | Yes — Flame Broiler | No |
| Cuisinart portable | 500°F | Integrated sear zone | No |
| Traeger Woodridge | 500°F | No | Yes — sear grates recommended |
| Z Grills (all models) | 450°F | No | Yes — sear grates or cast iron |
Technique matters as much as hardware
Whichever grill you own, the reverse sear is the method that works best on a pellet cooker and it costs nothing. Smoke the steak at 225°F until it is about 15°F below your target internal temperature, pull it, bring the grill to maximum heat, then put it back on for the crust. You get the smoke a pellet grill is good at and the crust it is bad at, in that order.
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 · 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
#3 · Portable searing and camping
Cuisinart 8-in-1 Portable Pellet Grill
Cuisinart · score 8.7/10
Reaches 500°F in a 40 lb portable with a sear zone — hotter than any Traeger portable, for less money.
$349.999% off
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Published specifications
- Cooking area
- 256 sq in (188 main + 68 warming rack)
- Hopper
- Automatic pellet feeder; capacity not stated
- Temperature range
- 180-500°F
- Controller
- Digital PID display, auto-start, food probe included
- Connectivity
- None
- Warranty
- Not stated on this listing
How it scores
Weighted rubric score: 7.4/10. Value carries the most weight on this site by design. On our published scale that is 8.7/10.
What it does well
- 500°F in a portable, where the Traeger Tailgater stops at 450°F
- Integrated sear zone for direct cooking
- 24 x 18 x 15 in and 40 lb with a locking lid and carry handle
Where it falls short
- Cuisinart is not a pellet-grill specialist, and the accessory ecosystem is thin
- Hopper capacity is not published
- Needs a wall outlet
#4 · Traeger buyers who want capacity and modern cleanup
Traeger Woodridge
Traeger · score 9.4/10
860 sq in, 500°F and the EZ-Clean ash keg. The current Traeger mid-range, and the one that replaced the old Pro 575 in most buyers' shortlists.
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Published specifications
- Cooking area
- 860 sq in (6 chickens, 8 rib racks or 6 pork butts)
- Hopper
- 18 lb
- Temperature range
- 180-500°F
- Controller
- Digital with WiFIRE app control
- Connectivity
- WiFIRE, Traeger app
- Warranty
- 3 years
How it scores
Weighted rubric score: 8.2/10. Value carries the most weight on this site by design. On our published scale that is 9.4/10.
What it does well
- EZ-Clean Grease & Ash Keg collects both in one place — the best cleanup system on any grill here
- 860 sq in with a genuine 500°F ceiling
- P.A.L. Pop-And-Lock and ModiFIRE compatibility for shelves and cooking surfaces
Where it falls short
- No Super Smoke mode or digital pellet sensor — those are Woodridge Pro features
- 18 lb hopper for 860 sq in is tight on an overnight cook
- Priced where a 1,329 sq in Pit Boss sits
#5 · Big families and anyone cooking for a crowd
Pit Boss 1300 Navigator Series
Pit Boss · score 9.7/10
1,329 sq in and a touchscreen PID board for about what a mid-size Traeger costs — the value pick for big cooks.
Also direct from Pit Boss — $999.99 (list price as of 2026-11-07)
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Published specifications
- Cooking area
- 1,329 sq in across two tiers
- Hopper
- 30 lb, with a viewing window
- Temperature range
- 180-500°F in 5°F steps
- Controller
- Touchscreen, two meat probes included
- Connectivity
- WiFi + Bluetooth, Pit Boss Grills app
- Warranty
- 5 years
How it scores
Weighted rubric score: 8.5/10. Value carries the most weight on this site by design. On our published scale that is 9.7/10.
What it does well
- 1,329 sq in holds four pork butts or eight rib racks without stacking
- Touchscreen controller rather than the LCD board on the 850
- Still cheaper than a Traeger Woodridge with 470 fewer square inches
- Folding front and side shelves plus a bottom pellet shelf
Where it falls short
- A 30 lb hopper feeding a 1,329 sq in chamber burns through pellets faster than the same hopper on the 850
- Big footprint — measure your patio before you order
- App reliability is the same known weak point across the Pit Boss range
The picks in full
#1 · Adding real searing to a 450°F grill
GrillGrate Sear Station
GrillGrate
The honest fix for a pellet grill that will not sear. Interlocking anodized panels that hold serious heat.
- Universal sear grates
- Interlocking panels
- For grills 15 in deep and up
Good
- Turns a 450°F ceiling into usable steak heat
- Far cheaper than buying a grill that sears
Trade-off
- You lift the panels in and out
- Needs a grill at least 15 in deep
#2 · Breakfast and smash burgers on a pellet grill
Pit Boss Cast Iron Griddle (10 x 20 in)
Pit Boss
Two-sided cast iron: flat for eggs and smash burgers, ribbed for grill marks. Fits across most barrel grates.
- 10 x 20 in
- Two-sided, reversible
- Cast iron
Price as of November 7, 2026. #ad how this is funded
Good
- Doubles what a pellet grill can cook
- Cast iron holds heat through a batch of burgers
Trade-off
- Heavy
- Needs seasoning and must be kept dry
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
Pit Boss 500 FB2 Series
First pellet grill on a tight budget.
$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
Questions people actually ask
Can you sear a steak on a pellet grill?
Yes, but not well on an indirect-only grill. A Pit Boss with the Flame Broiler slider sears properly; a Traeger or Z Grills needs sear grates or cast iron to get a real crust. The reverse sear method helps on any of them.
What is the hottest pellet grill?
Among the grills we cover, 500°F is the practical ceiling — Pit Boss Navigator, Pit Boss 500 FB2, Cuisinart and the Traeger Woodridge family all reach it. Pit Boss grills with the Flame Broiler expose direct flame rated to 1,000°F at the grate.
Are GrillGrates worth it?
On a 450°F pellet grill, yes — they are the cheapest route to a real crust and cost far less than upgrading the grill. On a Pit Boss with a working Flame Broiler they are much less necessary.
What is a reverse sear?
Smoke the steak low (around 225°F) until it is roughly 15°F below your target internal temperature, rest it briefly, then sear it hot and fast. It uses the pellet grill for what it is good at and limits the part it is bad at to 90 seconds a side.
Sources
Read next
Guides
Can You Sear on a Pellet Grill?
Yes — with caveats. Plus the free technique that mostly fixes it.
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Sear Grates and Griddles for Pellet Grills
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Comparisons
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