What are The Best Pellet Smokers For Beginners?

If you are a beginner looking for the best pellet smoker for your backyard, patio, garden, sundeck, camping trip, RV, or beachfront, you have come to the right place. We have done all the hard work by curating this delightful assortment of the best pellet smokers for beginners, the top 5 in Australia in 2024.

This comprehensive guide will help a beginner discover the top pellet smokers. With that said, we have included the criteria and features we considered when selecting a pellet smoker to ensure you are not overwhelmed by complex models during your rookie smoker quest.

 

Table of contents 

1. Best Overall Choice: Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 With Sidekick - PG24WWSBAU14
2. Top Performance and Versatile: Asmoke Wood pellet grill silver AS660N-2
3. Best Value: Green Mountain Ledge Black Hood - WIFI
4. Popular Choice: Asmoke Wood pellet grill silver AS500N-2
5. Best Splurge: Traeger Pro 575 Wood Pellet Grill

#1 Best Overall Choice: Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 With Sidekick - PG24WWSBAU14

The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is best for meticulous cooks or rookie chefs. If you want a grill that offers an abundance of smoke and bolder flavors, you will thoroughly enjoy experimenting with the innovative Smoke Box.

Key features

Smoke box+ fan-only mode: The smoke box allows newbies to regulate heat and flavor. You can adjust the heat and flavor with wood pellets /chunks or charcoal. By combining the flavors of an offset smoker with the convenience of a pellet grill, the Smoke Box lets users achieve slow and low smoking. Pertaining to this, the Smoke Box offers the option of cold smoking through the Fan Only Mode.

 

 

Wi-Fi + Camp Chef Connect app: The Woodwind Pro 24 has a Wi-Fi + Camp Chef Connect app to enhance your newbie grilling experience. As a novice, you can cook with a full-color display, weather-resistant cover, menu dial, and temperature probe ports for convenience and accuracy. You can connect to the Camp Chef Connect App to track your recipe from anywhere, set timers, view historical data, and label probes. Also, you can select meat types with the Smart Meat Assistant. 

Ventilation: To ensure optimal performance, the heat diffuser in the grill helps maintain smooth operation by pushing smoke and heating the sides. It then evenly distributes the smoke and heat throughout the chamber, ensuring consistent results.

Custom smoke number: With the PID controller, you can control the smoke and temperature. By adjusting the Smoke Number, you can precisely control the smoke added to your cooking. Increasing the Smoke Number increases the smoke output while decreasing it ensures tighter temperature control.

Stainless steel model: The stainless steel effectively holds heat and resists corrosion and rust. The interior grill is made from 430-grade stainless steel, while the butterfly valve, gasket, and burn cup are 304-grade steel.

Sidekick compatible: The Sidekick Flat Top and Sidekick Sear are excellent additions and are compatible with the Woodwind WIFI line. With the existing Sidekick shelf holes, you can easily mount a Sidekick on your pellet grill and cook with propane. In addition, you can personalize your culinary experience by adding the compatible burner and 14-inch accessories.

Cleanout: It’s easy to clean your pellet grill with the ash cleanout feature. Instead of using a shop vac, pull the ash cleanout button on the side of the grill, and the unwanted ash will flow into the cup, allowing for quick and hassle-free disposal.

 

 

Specifications

Cooking Area: The cooking space has a generous upper rack area of 382 square inches and lower grill grates measuring 429 square inches. Also, the expanded chamber capacity is 4,850 cubic inches, providing ample room for your culinary creations. In total, the cooking area covers approximately 811 square inches.

Hopper Capacity: The wood pellet hopper has a capacity of 22 pounds, allowing for extended cooking sessions without frequent refills.

 

Temperature Range: With a temperature range of 160°F to 500°F, this Camp Chef grill offers versatility in cooking techniques and the ability to achieve an ideal sear on your dishes.

Warranty: The Legs, Hopper Body, Body, Lid, Bottom Shelf, and Grates include a 6-year warranty. The Hot Rod, Auger Motor, Fan Controller, Casters, Wheels, Burners, Thermometer, Heat Deflector, and Drip Tray have a 3-year warranty. Likewise, the probes, gaskets, and all other parts carry a 1-year warranty.

#2 Top Performance and Versatile: Asmoke Wood pellet grill silver AS660N-2

 

Asmoke AS660N-2 Pellet Smoker offers ample cooking space and has the perfect design. Asmoke has gained a reputation for creating irresistible flavors, whether you desire to sear fish, grill turkey, smoke ham, or experiment as a wannabe chef with other culinary delights.

Main Features

All-in-one capabilities: Asmoke AS660N-2 provides a comprehensive cooking experience with 8-in-1 functionality. You can easily be smoking, searing, barbecuing, baking, roasting, braising, broiling, or char-grilling your recipe. A newbie can cook hot and fast or low and slow. Enhance the flavor of your dishes with the all-natural Asmoke Applewood Pellets.

 

 

Durability: Crafted for longevity, this grill boasts a sturdy steel construction and is UL-certified. Pertaining to this, it has porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grids that have obtained FDA and SGS certification, ensuring protection against rust.

Technological advancements and temperature control: This model has an advanced Auto Pellet Feed System and Heating Fans for temperature control. The LCD Controller ensures precise temperature accuracy within +/- 10 degrees and provides real-time temperature updates. Setting your desired temperature is a breeze with the simple knob dial.

Design for safety and even heat distribution: The Asmoke AS660N-2 pellet smoker boasts a unique internal design that eliminates flare-ups. This design includes a patented stainless steel sliding flame broiler plate that provides direct and indirect heating options. This feature ensures your safety as a rookie while grilling and guarantees consistent and even heat distribution for a flawless cooking experience.

Specifications

Temperature: The cutting-edge technology of the Asmoke AS660N-2 ensures precise temperature control ranging from 180°F to 500°F.

Hopper: With a generous capacity of 25.8 pounds, the Asmoke AS660N-2 is well-suited for accommodating larger gatherings of 3-12 members.

Cooking area: Boasting a spacious cooking area of 700 square inches, the Asmoke AS660N-2 offers ample room for preparing delicious meals.

Warranty: To provide added peace of mind, the Asmoke AS660N-2 is backed by a comprehensive 5-year warranty, ensuring long-lasting performance and customer satisfaction.

#3 Best Value: Green Mountain Ledge Prime Black Hood - WIFI

The GMG pellet grills truly shine when compared to their competitors. What sets them apart is their state-of-the-art solid-state electronic control systems, which provide precise temperature regulation and ensure that your grilling is perfect.

Key Features

Digital controller+ dual meat probes+ USB port: The Ledge Prime model has an enhanced digital controller that allows you to manage and monitor your grill using our mobile application for iOS or Android. It also features dual meat probes for precise temperature monitoring and a USB port for convenient connectivity.

Grill and pellet view windows: By utilizing the grill and pellet view windows, you can easily keep an eye on your food without losing any smoke while also monitoring the level of pellets in the grill.

Consistent heat: The 12V direct power design ensures superior temperature control, improved pellet fuel efficiency, and quicker start-ups. With the micro-adjustment capability of the variable-speed fan and auger motor, you can effortlessly maintain a more consistent temperature throughout the grill.

Convenience: The side convenience tray of the grill provides utensil hooks, allowing you to store and access all your grilling tools.

Durable: The Green Mountain Ledge has additional features such as a collapsible front shelf, an interior grill light, rotisserie-enabled mounting, and reinforced grates, making them even more durable and reliable.

Grill Functionality: The Green Mountain Ledge operates by a motor that feeds pellets into the firebox via an auger. An automatic heat rod ignites the pellets, while a variable speed fan ensures continuous combustion. The venturi-style firebox has vertical vents that create a cyclone of airflow for maximum heat and efficient pellet combustion. 

Stemming from this, a heat shield ensures even heat distribution and imparts the rich flavor of pure hardwood smoke throughout the grill chamber.

Specifications

Cooking area: This versatile grill features a 13.5" peaked lid and a generous 458 sq. in. of cooking space, allowing you to prepare a wide range of dishes. The spacious 13.5-inch peaked lid provides ample room for anything from a stand-up chicken to a dozen racks of ribs.

Temperature control: Take control of your grilling experience with the GMG Smart Control. With 5° increment control, you can fine-tune your smoke and grill temperature, ranging from 150°F to 550°F. Furthermore, the GMG App allows you to effortlessly adjust and monitor your food temperature directly from your phone.

Warranty: Green Mountain Grills offers a three (3) year warranty from the date of the first retail purchase, covering any Workmanship defects and materials. Please note that certain conditions may apply to this warranty.

#4 Popular Choice: Asmoke Wood pellet grill silver AS500N-2

Introducing the AS500N-2 Pellet Grill, an exceptional cooking appliance with 8-in-1 functionality, allowing you to BBQ, bake, roast, braise, smoke, sear, broil, and char-grill effortlessly. 

Main Features

8-in-1 functionality: It provides a comprehensive cooking experience with its 8-in-1 functionality. It’s convenient to smoke, sear, BBQ, bake, roast, braise, or char-grill your recipe to perfection. As a newbie, you can cook your meals hot and fast or low and slow. Also, the all-natural Asmoke Applewood Pellets impart a flavorful taste.

Technology: The LCD Controller ensures precise temperature control with an accuracy of within +/- 10 degrees and displays real-time temperatures for your convenience. 

No flare-ups: Asmoke AS500N-2 Pellet Grill guarantees a flare-up-free grilling experience due to its internal design featuring a patented stainless steel sliding flame broiler plate. With that said, it ensures consistent and even heat distribution, resulting in flawless cooking every time.

 

 

Specifications

Cooking area size: The AS500N-2 grill provides ample space for cooking, with a total of 465 square inches, making it perfect for accommodating 3-8 people.

Temperature range: The AS500N-2 grill can maintain temperatures between 180°F and 500°F.

Hopper capacity: With a generous hopper capacity of 10.8 lbs, this grill is ideal for continuous smoking. 

Warranty: This smoker has a heavy-duty steel construction and features porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grids that are FDA and SGS-certified. It also holds a UL certification, guaranteeing durability and resistance to rust. With a 5-year warranty, you can have confidence in its ability to withstand all weather conditions.

#5 Best Splurge:  Traeger Pro 575 Wood Pellet Grill

Prepare yourself for the delectable taste of wood-fired flavor with the Traeger Pro 575 from the Pro Series grills. These exceptional grills ensure that each mouthful is bursting with scrumptiousness. For those new to grilling, the Set-It & Forget-It feature and precise temperature control of the Traeger Pro 575 make it effortless to create a memorable recipe without any difficulties.

Main Features

WIFIRE Technology: The Traeger App provides access to a wide range of recipes, totaling nearly 1600, and allows you to monitor your grill from anywhere using WiFIRE technology. The D2 Controller ensures the grill maintains the perfect temperature for optimal outcomes. 

Track your cooking: Keep an eye on your cooking effortlessly by monitoring the temperature with the help of a meat probe, eliminating the need to lift the lid.

Mobility: Enjoy the convenience of mobility with the sturdy all-terrain wheels from Traeger Pro, making it an excellent choice for those who frequently need to move around.

Turbo Temp: Experience lightning-fast heating with TurboTemp, ensuring rapid heating and quick temperature recovery even after lifting the lid.

Effortless pellet swapping: Swapping pellets is now a breeze with the hopper cleanout convenient trapdoor, allowing for quick and easy emptying of the hopper. 

Versatility: The versatility of the Traeger Pellet Smoker knows no bounds, as it excels in grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, braising, and BBQ. You can cook anything, from yummy kebabs and burgers to delectable baked apple pies and succulent smoked lamb chops.

 

Specifications

Cooking area: The Traeger Pro 575 offers a substantial 575 square inches of cooking space. 

Temperature: The Traeger Pro series can maintain temperatures of up to an impressive 500°F, allowing you to enhance your grilling experience. 

Hopper capacity: This model boasts an outstanding capacity of approximately 18 lbs, ensuring that even beginners never have to worry about running out of pellets while cooking. This generous feature provides a smoking time of around six to 15 hours. 

Warranty: Furthermore, the Traeger Pro has a three-year warranty, giving you peace of mind. 

Factors to Choose a Pellet Smoker for a Beginner

Begin with a modest approach and select the option that best suits your requirements. One of our favorite choices is the sophisticated Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 With Sidekick. Pellets are available in many flavors and can cook delectable meals.

Temperature: Your pellet grill should offer a suitable temperature range, ranging from 175oF to 500oF. Taking this into account, it should preheat quickly, taking no longer than 15 minutes – which is enough time to listen to about three Tom Macdonald songs in pure amazement. 

Hopper Capacity: Opting for a larger hopper saves you the hassle of frequent refills and allows your pellet grill to operate for extended periods while in use.

Flavor: As an Aussie, the primary reason for selecting a pellet smoker is its consistent flavor. Choose a grill that offers temperature control ranging from low to high. Typically, they provide a variety of wood flavors such as Apple, Hickory, Pecan, Cherry, Maple, etc. Our personal favorite is the Asmoke Applewood Pellets.

Technology: As a beginner, you may find it beneficial to connect to your grill via an app or smart device. This feature allows you to adjust the temperature, set a timer, and monitor the temperature without constantly running back and forth.

Budget: Select a pellet smoker that caters to your beginner needs and fits within your affordable budget.

Cooking surface: If you have a small patio or it's just you and a partner, a pellet grill with a cooking size of a few hundred inches should suffice for preparing chicken and burgers. However, if you frequently entertain guests or have a large family, you'll require a larger cooking surface (500+ inches).

The Verdict: Choose The Best Pellet Smoker For Beginner's Luck

Are you looking for the perfect pellet smoker grill to suit your needs? Well, look no further! While choosing the best one, it's necessary to consider the essential features that align with your beginner's cooking style and budget.

One brand that truly stands out in the highly competitive pellet grill market is the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24. This grill will impress a novice with its exceptional temperature control, searing options, and mouthwatering smoke flavor. 

Another fantastic option is the Asmoke Wood pellet grill silver AS660N-2. This grill offers outstanding performance and versatility with its 8-in-1 functionality. It's like having multiple grills in one!

We hope this guide has given beginners a better understanding of the ideal model for your budget and requirements. Now, it's time to fire up that grill and enjoy an extraordinary grilling adventure!