If you are looking for some of the best quality/most durable pellet grills/smokers on the market today, you should really be paying attention to how much stainless steel is used in their construction. Also, you need to know that different grades of stainless steel provide different levels of corrosion resistance. With this article, I want to highlight which pellet grill/smoker brands are using stainless steel in the construction of their pellet grills/smokers, how much, and which grades of stainless steel. Stainless steel is more expensive than standard carbon steel, but its still found on some mid-range products too.
Disclaimer: Hey! By the way… any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon or other sites are affiliate links, and I earn a commission if you make a purchase.
Introduction To Stainless Steel Pellet Grills/Smokers
On pellet grills/smokers below $500, you’re not going to find much stainless steel, if any. You may find the odd model with a stainless steel lid or stainless steel towel rail.
However, there are several pellet grill/smoker options in the below $1,000 category which feature stainless steel components/construction, such as stainless steel burn pots.
At just under $2,000, you can actually get a full stainless steel pellet grill, and above this price bracket, pretty much all pellet grills are made almost exclusively from stainless steel.
However, as I’ve stated above, not all grades of stainless steel are created equally, so I’ll discuss that more below. Right, let’s get into this!
The Benefits Of Stainless Steel Components/Construction
Now, I know some people who choose a stainless steel grill ‘because its shiny!‘ Granted, many people find stainless steel grills more appealing to look at, and they look (and are) more expensive.
However, there are several practical reasons why you should want to try and get a pellet grill/smoker with stainless steel components/construction if you can afford to do so.
As its name implies, stainless steel does not stain easily and its more resistant to corrosion. Hence, if a pellet grill/smoker features stainless steel outer body panels, they typically won’t be painted, as there is no need to paint them.
Furthermore, not having to deal with flaking/peeling paint after several years of ownership is one of the most appealing features of pellet grills with stainless steel body panels. Hence, stainless steel pellet grills will typically look a lot better over the years.
The other important point with stainless steel internal components is they stand up a lot better to the combustion process. For instance, carbon steel burn pots, heat deflectors and grease trays etc, will all need to be replaced at some point.
Whereas if those components are made from stainless steel, its likely you would never need to replace them. Stainless steel components are also much easier to keep clean.
So when it comes to cleaning a pellet grill, stainless steel components definitely have an advantage. Right, let’s now discuss the different types of stainless steel.
The Different Stainless Steel Grades
As I stated above, not all types (grades) of stainless steel are created equally. Some grades of stainless steel are more corrosion-resistant than others.
However, certain grades of stainless steel are also typically more expensive to produce. As a result, various different grades of stainless steel are found in/on pellet grills.
For instance, a full stainless steel pellet grill will often use a higher grade of stainless on the exterior compared to the internal components to keep the cost down.
I’ve included the video below from the BBQGuys, which does a good job of explaining the different grades of stainless steel found on grills today.
Pellet Grills/Smokers Under $500 Featuring Stainless Steel
When it comes to pellet grills at this price point as I’ve stated above, you generally shouldn’t expect much use of stainless steel, apart from the odd stainless steel lid on a cooking chamber.
However, there is one little pellet grill that does offer a meaningful amount of stainless steel, the REC TEC Bullseye. While its only very small, it can meet the needs of a couple/small family.
REC TEC Bullseye
- Stainless Steel = Lid & cooking chamber
- Total Cooking Area = 380 sq.in
- Pellet Hopper Capacity = 15 lbs
- Temperature Range = 225 to 749 degrees
- Typical Price = $399
- Availability = Amazon.com
Pellet Grills/Smokers Under $1,000 Featuring Stainless Steel
If you have a budget of under $1,000 to spend on a pellet grill/smoker and you are looking for stainless steel components, two brands to consider are Grilla Grills and REC TEC.
With the Grilla Grills range, specifically the Chimp, Silverbac and Grilla, they all feature stainless steel internal components, namely the fire pot, heat deflector, grease tray and cooking racks.
There are a few other stainless steel components as well. While the Grilla Grills range of pellet grills/smokers do not currently feature stainless steel cooking chambers, they are priced to be as affordable as possible.
While the Grilla Grills Silverbac may look similar to the Z Grills 700 Series shown above, as I discuss in my Grilla Grills vs Z Grills article, they are actually very different.
Grills Grills Silvebac
- Stainless Steel = Lids, racks, heat deflector & firepot
- Total Cooking Area = 692 sq.in (507 sq.in at the main grate)
- Pellet Hopper Capacity = 20 lbs
- Temperature Range = 180 to 500 degrees
- Direct-Flame Access? = No
- PID Temperature Control? = Yes
- WiFi/App Control? = Yes
- Typical Price = $899
- Availability = GrillaGrills.com
REC TECs products, on the other hand, are a bit more expensive than Grilla Grills offerings when you compare them on cooking areas, for instance. However, REC TEC pellet grills feature stainless steel cooking chambers as well as stainless steel internals.
However, as with the Grilla Grills range, for the price point of the REC TEC grills, its impressive that they feature as much stainless steel as they do.
RECTEC RT-590
Stainless Steel = Cooking chamber, racks, heat deflector & firepot
Total Cooking Area = 592 sq.in
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 30 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 700 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $899
Availability = Amazon.com
Pellet Grills/Smokers Under $2,000 Featuring Stainless Steel
If your budget can stretch up to $2,000, there are a few more options you can consider. First are a wider selection of REC TEC pellet grills with much larger cooking areas.
Another option you could consider is a Traeger Timberline Gen 1. While the Timberline range does not feature a full stainless steel cooking chamber, the interior skin of the Traeger Timberline is stainless steel, with stainless steel internals (cooking racks, grease tray etc).
The Timberline is what’s referred to as a twin-wall pellet grill, which is well suited to grilling in cold weather. The twin-wall construction helps to keep heat in, which also reduces pellet consumption when smoking/grilling in the colder/windier months of the year.
Traeger Timberline Gen 1 850
Stainless Steel = Cooking chamber lining & racks
Total Cooking Area = 850 sq.in (366 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 24 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 500 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $1,999
Availability = Traeger.com
A new type of pellet grill which has recently come onto the market is the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro which is a new type of hybrid grill, featuring the convenience of a pellet grill with additional smoke production from a Smoke Box.
The Smoke Box on the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro sits above the pellet burn pot and can be loaded with wood chips, chunks or charcoal briquettes. Importantly for this article, the cooking chamber and internals including the Smoke Box are made from stainless steel.
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36″ With SideKick
Stainless Steel = Cooking chamber, smoke box, burn pot and SideKick
Total Cooking Area = 1,236 sq.in (663 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 22 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 500 degrees (650+ SideKick)
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $1,799
Availability = CampChef.com
Pellet Grills/Smokers Under $3,000 Featuring Stainless Steel
For under $3,000 it is possible to get a full stainless steel pellet grill in the form of the Memphis Beale Street below. While the Beale Street is indeed s full stainless steel unit, it needs to be noted the exterior grade of stainless steel is 430-grade.
As long as you don’t live in a coastal area, 430-grade stainless steel is perfectly durable. However, in coastal locations with humid salty sea air 430-grade stainless steel can tarnish/pit. Therefore, in such locations pellet grills made from the higher 304-grade are recommended.
Memphis Beale Street
Stainless Steel = Full construction 430-grade
Total Cooking Area = 817 sq.in (558 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 12 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 550 degrees (650+ Direct Flame)
Direct-Flame Access? = Yes
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $2,299
Availability = BBQGuys.com
Well, pellet grills have their benefits, they also have their disadvantages. Therefore, a growing number of manufacturers are offering pellet/gas combo grill to offer the best of both worlds.
Arguably the best pellet/gas combo grill to date is the Camp Chef Apex, which is a pellet grill/smoker with a full-width row of gas burners, along with an additional gas burner on the side.
While the Apex is not a full-stainless steel grill, quite a lot of stainless steel is used in its construction around the lid, internal cooking chamber, racks and gas burners.
Camp Chef Apex 36″
Stainless Steel = Lid & cooking chamber internals
Total Cooking Area = 1,236 sq.in (663 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 22 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 500 degrees (650+ Gas)
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $2,449
Availability = CampChef.com
Luxury Full Stainless Steel Pellet Grills (Over $3,000)
If you want (and can afford) the absolute best when it comes to pellet grills as stainless steel is a premium material it should not be too surprising you will find most of your options over this price point.
When spending over at least $3K there are larger Memphis pellet grills you can get which use 304-grade stainless steel not just internally but also on their exterior panels.
Memphis actually recommend that if you live in a coastal area that its best to choose one of their grills with 304-grade stainless steel to cope with the salty sea air.
Many stainless steel pellet grills are also made in the USA. That includes MAK Grills which is a very patriotic pellet grill brand with their Generals range.
MAK GRILLS Two Star General
Stainless Steel = Full 304-grade construction
Total Cooking Area = 429 sq.in
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 20 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 600 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = Yes
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $4,499
Availability = BigPoppaSmokers.com
If you want a stand-alone or built-in pellet grill/smoker for your outside kitchen the other two options you could consider are a Coyote or Twin Eagles.
A Twin Eagles with its $6K and $8k price tag for the built-in and freestanding grills are the most expensive full-stainless steel pellet grills/smokers currently on the market.
Coyote pellet grills are not comparable on features/capabilities to the Twin Eagles as I discuss in my articles linked above. Then again, they cost several thousand dollars less, though it should be as Coyote products are not made in the USA, therefore Coyote will have lower manufacturing costs.
Coyote 36″ Freestanding
Stainless Steel = Full 304-grade construction
Total Cooking Area = 808 sq.in
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 15 lbs
Temperature Range = 175 to 700 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = Yes
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $4,399
Availability = BBQGuys.com
Conclusions On The Best Stainless Steel Pellet Grills/Smokers
It should not be surprising to hear that the higher the budget the more stainless steel (and higher grade) you will find on a pellet grill/smoker.
However, even at the budget end of the market, you can find products that feature at least some stainless steel for the grill/hopper lids, cooking racks, grease tray, fire pot and heat deflector.
Just as I discuss in my best WiFi pellet grill article, I would hardly ever recommend choosing a pellet specifically on one feature, whether WiFi or stainless steel.
I always recommend writing a list of your priorities for the grill and then arriving at a choice that meets your primary needs first and foremost. Though the more stainless steel a grill features the longer its likely to last and the easier it will be to clean, its that simple really.
That’s it! Thanks for the reading, I hope you found this article summarising the various pellet grills/smoker that feature at least some stainless steel components interesting/informative.
You may also be interested in my article on a stainless steel outdoor kitchen island and the best built-in pellet grills/smokers for outdoor kitchens.
As always, if you want to learn as much as you can before making a purchase please check out my Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker Guide. 🙂
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