It’s teeth-shattering cold weather and your taste buds want a sizzling hot, perfectly cooked BBQ seasoned with hot chili powder sprinkled over it!
Don’t let the cold weather slow you down – and choose the best pellet grills that work in cold weather!
| Pellets are also easy to burn and last longer than charcoal as they burn slowly. Moreover, pellet grills are best as they don’t get easily wet or damp in cold weather. Easy to clean, quick temperature control, and other features make pellet grills the first choice in cold weather. |
In A Hurry? Check Out Our Top Pick
For those of you who are short on time and want to know our top pick for the best pellet grill for cold weather, we recommend Traeger Timberline 575. In light of its best value for money.
This grill has special insulation that protects this grill from the external temperature and keeps it so it can heat up quickly even in cold weather. The Wildfire technology is another perk that allows you to automate the cooking process
Features You Must Consider Before Buying:
Whenever you plan to buy a grill, there are a few things you must consider before buying the grill, especially for the winter season.
Size of Grill
Grill size is always the most important feature you have to consider before buying a grill. If you have a huge family and you people often party in the winter and Christmas, then you prefer grills having more than 800 sq inches of area.
Additionally, don’t consider grills with only one cooking grate, as they will take longer to cook than grills with two grates. Always go for the extra free space. Also, when you are selecting the grill grates, don’t select grills with greater than ¼ inch of space.
WiFi or Bluetooth Support
All the latest grills are WiFi or Bluetooth-supported. Always look for such a grill. To get the best response rate and to control the grill through an app, we recommend you search for Wi-Fi-enabled grills instead of Bluetooth.
WiFi or Bluetooth-supported grills enable you to control the temperature from anywhere in the house, and you don’t need to go to the grill, again and again, to adjust it manually. They also enable you to set a timer according to your cooking recipe.
Stainless or Nonstick Grates
For best results, buy grills with stainless or nonstick grates to prevent food from sticking and extra burning. Most grill manufacturers, like Traeger, offer stainless steel grates which are best for winter cooking. These grates don’t get rusty and are easy to clean. It makes your food amazingly tasty.
Moreover, if you have a nonstick grates option available, you can select that too. However, nonstick must be of good quality; otherwise, you will face problems similar to those faced by iron grates.
Affordable
Affordable good quality grills are hard to find but do complete research before selecting any grill. Compare prices on different platforms of the same product. Visit the official website of the product or contact customer service and confirm which legit platforms are selling their products, like Amazon.
If a product is affordable and has good quality, then it might be a hot-selling product, don’t miss the opportunity of buying such a product.
Portable
If you love camping and outdoor cooking, then the portability of the grill is a must-consider feature. Look for a compact and portable grill. These grills are easy to assemble and have wheels for transportation.
Lightweight grills are also available in the market, which are best for outdoor gatherings and portability.
Product Warranty
Select the grill that has a longer product warranty, as it will save you extra expenses in the future. Most of the good quality grills have a one-year or more warrant on their products. Don’t compromise on this feature at all, as it can cost you a lot in features if your grill gets damaged and needs repairing or replacement. Always read the manufacturer’s warranty policy before buying.
Additional Features
Some of the additional features that you might consider are the thermometer, grease management system, warming rack, sidekick, and double-layered walls. These features must be considered if you are selecting the grill for your cold winter seasons.
8 Best Pellet Grill For Cold Weather
| Image | Product | Feature | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
TOP PICK |
Traeger Timberline 575
| WiFi temperature control is stunning, Easy to assemble and disassemble. |
Check Price |
RUNNER-UP |
Z Grills 700D4E
| PID controller to automatically adjust the temperature. , Double insulation to contain heat even in the cold. |
Check Price |
 |
Camp Chef Woodwind 24
| The sidekick attachment works as a separate burner providing you with some extra cooking space. |
Check Price |
 |
Traeger Grills Ironwood 650 Wood Pellet Grill
| WiFire technology supported., PID Control. |
Check Price |
 |
Weber SmokeFire EX6 (2nd Gen) Wood Fired Pellet Grill
| Weber connects the app to control temperature and timer. |
Check Price |
BUDGET PICK |
Cuisinart CPG-465 Portable Wood Pellet Grill
| It is portable as it has wheels., Automatic pellet addition to the burner. |
Check Price |
 |
Pit Boss 820D3 Wood Pellet Grill
| Direct flames to food from flame broiler., Rectified heat of up to 1000 °F. |
Check Price |
 |
Grilla Grills Silverbac Wood Pellet Grill
| Trapdoor for pellet disposal, WiFi connectivity. |
Check Price |
1. Traeger Timberline 575 – Best for Cold Weather
Have you ever heard of a Wi-Fi-enabled grill? If not, then you might be interested in hearing about it. The Traeger Timberline 575 supports WiFi, which they call WiFire technology. You can connect your mobile phone or laptop device to your grill.
The Grill app gives you hundreds of recipes to select and download. It will automatically program the pellet system to regulate the temperature according to the chosen recipe. Another great feature is Alexa support. You can control the temperature with your voice now. The temperature ranges from 165° to 450° F.
This grill will let you forget about the worries of charcoal and gas. The hopper capacity of the Traeger Timberline 575 is 18 lbs, which is more than enough. The total weight while assembled is 128 lb, which is also a decent weight. Assembling and disassembling this grill is easy, making it more convenient to grill outside.
2. Z Grills 700D4E – All Season Grill
Are you tired of setting the temperature manually again and again? Then bring this PID-controlled grill home. A PID controller is an automatic system that helps to maintain the temperature according to the requirements. The temperature control ranges from 180° to 450° F. It keeps it in the +- 20° F range, so you can set the temperature quickly.
The second best thing about Z Grills 700D4E is the double wall insulation. This insulation helps to increase the temperature quickly and hold the constant temperature. This feature is best to help maintain the temperature in cold weather. Moreover, a vast 700 sq inch area provides enough space to grill 30 burgers, 5 chickens, and 6-7 ribs without any issue.
To get the best taste, we recommend using hardwood pellets to infuse the excellent wood flavor. You can store up to 20 lbs in the pellet hopper. The pellet hopper has a protected lid, so you can even enjoy grilling in the rain.
3. Camp Chef Woodwind 24
If you are looking for a grill that is user-friendly and offers a wide array of features, then try the Camp Chef Woodwind 24. It is versatile in many aspects, like size and temperature.
This is a massive grill with a 24-inch grill size to cook family-sized food in no time. A 30-inch Camp Chef Woodwind model is also available. Two upper and lower grills double the cooking capacity of the grill.
The use of wooden pellets makes it a more appealing grill for use at cold winter parties. We recommend you use hardwood pellets instead of softwood, as they last much longer in cold or rainy weather. It has a 24-pound pellet capacity in its pellet box.
It has WiFi, and Bluetooth PID controls to maintain the cooking temperature automatically. You can also set up a timer that will automatically turn off the fire. You can also monitor the temperature of your meat with four meat probes. The temperature can be adjusted automatically between 160° and 500° F. This temperature range is best for cooking medium-rare steaks to high-temperature grills.
The Sidekick attachment allows you to control the temperature instantly and also gives you some extra space for cooking more food. This small 14-inch cooking iron means you can cook potatoes and buns or use it as an oven as it has a single burner underneath.
4. Traeger Grills Ironwood 650 Wood Pellet Grill
This WiFi-supported gill is circular with two grills inside for cooking. You can install the Traeger app and access the controls on your smartphone.
WiFi PID control also enables the automatic temperature according to your recipe. It takes no time at all to season the pellet grill according to the set temperature. There is a sensor in the pellet box that sends you a notification before you run out of the pellets. So you may refill the storage on time.
To retain the temperature, like other Traeger grills, it also has a double insulation layer inside. Pellets are fed into the bottom of the grills automatically based on how hot the temperature is set. The maximum temperature supported by the Traeger Grills Ironwood 650 is 500° F.
5. Weber SmokeFire EX6 (2nd Gen) Wood Fired Pellet Grill
There is a distinction to be made between pellet grills and charcoal grills. This difference is in the cooking grids. In pellet grills, these grates are about 5 to 6 mm, but in charcoal grills, the grates may be much more beaver. The Weber SmokeFire Ex6 has 6mm grates, perfect for a pellet grill.
There is an ash-catching and greasing drawer underneath the grills, which is its best feature. Unlike in generation one, there are no fire-catching issues in this grease drawer. The porcelainized enameled grill cover is rust-proof and keeps the heat inside the grill.
The Weber Connect app on the 2nd generation SmokeFire EX6 makes it WiFi and Bluetooth enabled. It, like other WiFi-enabled cooking devices, allows you to adjust the temperature from anywhere. The two cooking temperature probes are also attached to the app settings to monitor the food temperature.
In addition, the bottom grilling surface has direct flames, making it a great feature for most grilling recipes. The pellet hopper has 20 pounds of capacity, which is more than enough for your family gatherings.
6. Cuisinart CPG-465 Portable Wood Pellet Grill
This portable Cuisinart CPG-465 wood pellet grill will make it possible for you. It has all-train wheels that allow you to move this grill conveniently.
The pellet hopper has a capacity of 13 lbs. Woodfire technology adds the pellets automatically according to the requirements of temperature. The temperature range is from 180 °F to 500 °F, which is perfect for most grilling recipes.
In the Cuisinart CPG-465, we have a huge 465 sq. in. of total cooking area, which is enough for your roasts, barbeques, and smoking. You also get a 13-inch prep space with a bottle opener. You don’t need to start it as it has an automatic electronic control system to turn it on and adjust the temperature range manually.
7. Pit Boss 820D3 Wood Pellet Grill
Pit Boss 820D3 Wood Pellet Grill provides the best-smoked taste for your hardwood pellets. This grill can cook your food at a low temperature of 180 °F and up to a high temperature of 500 °F. You can also cook your food at the rectified heat of 1000 °F after opening the slide plate of the flame broiler.
If we talk about its pellet capacity, it holds up to 24 lbs of wood pellets. Talking about its features, you have a stainless serving tray, tool hangers, and a bottle opener for your drinks. It allows you to char roast and even bake cookies on your grill.
There is an analog temperature dial on the grill’s lid to indicate the temperature inside the grill. This temperature is controlled by the probe attached to the temperature control system. This best cold-weather grill uses hardwood pellets.
It has 820 square inches of cooking area on which you can cook multiple dishes at a time. You will be looking for new recipes after getting this grill at home.
8. Grilla Grills Silverbac Wood Pellet Grill
The Silverbac wood pellet grill is one of the most popular barrel-style pellet grills among traditional grill lovers. Grilla grills have stylish smokestacks on one side of the barrel shape. To avoid the negative impact of cold weather, Gtilla Grills added a stainless steel 12 gauge grill.
The best part is the stainless steel grates. Many grill manufacturers use iron grates which may get rusty over time. Grilla Grills Silverbac has 1/4 inch of grates. A dual wall layer was also used by manufacturers to prevent outside cold from entering the grill.
Unlike other grills, Silverbac used a trapdoor to dispose of the old pellets. Like other latest grills, Silverbac also has an Alpha Connect WiFi controller and app to control the temperature. There are two modes, PID and Pro. PID mode made it easy to deliver smooth smoke with constant temperature, while the Pro mode enables you to produce more smoke with fluctuating heat, mostly required for stakes and barbeque.
Which Product is Best To Use In Cold Weather?
Pellet grills are always best in cold and rainy weather instead of charcoal grills as pellets don’t get moisture fast and can be stored for a long time in dry conditions. Moreover, pellet grills have higher temperature ranges and better temperature control.
During our tests, we found Traeger grills perform better than other grills in features and overall performance. Featuring automatic temperature control and WiFire Technology, they stand out from other grills with the same price range.
If you are looking for an outdoor grill during the cold winter season, then Traeger grills are the best choice. Traeger manufactures stainless parts for their grills with a special paint coating to protect them from harsh cold weather effects and keep them new for years.
The other grills, like Silverbac, are old-style grills that have limited functions. But if you are looking for a cheap but quality grill, then Silverbac may work for you.
How We Tested The Product?
We tested the products by testing their significant features first, like the WiFi controls and PID controls. We also grilled some food, including stakes and barbecues, to test the temperature and cooking duration of each product.
We also compared the size of each grill to determine the best family-sized grill to cook more food at one time. Pit Boss 820D3 secured the first position in this category as it has 820 sq inches of total cooking space.
FAQs
Can a pellet grill stay outside in winter?
Pellet grills are manufactured using 300 to 400-grade stainless steel, and these grills are covered with porcelainized enameled, which is rust-resistant and makes them durable even in the winter season. People often leave their grills outside on the porch or yard, and still, these grills last for years without even rusting.
What smoker works best in cold weather?
Wooden pellet smokers are best used in cold weather as they are made of compact wood don’t capture moisture and remain dry from the inside. These smokers also have various features suitable for cooking in cold weather, like moisture-resistant pellet boxes, temperature control sensors, and portability.
Which Traeger is best for cold weather?
Traeger pellet grills are considered one of the best cold-weather grills. These grills have special paint coating that resists rust and cracking due to extreme cold climates. Traeger Timberline 575 is one of the best Traeger grills, as it has WiFi, temperature control, and an app that allows you to control the cooking even from inside the house in cold and rainy weather.
Can I leave my smoker outside in the winter?
No doubt that you can leave the smoker outside in winter, but we recommend you store them in a shaded place, store room, or garage as these smokers may get moisture if placed for a long time. All the latest grills, like Traeger, have moisture and rust-proof coatings that make them resistant to harsh winter weather.
Conclusion
When buying a grill for cold weather, it is important to consider factors such as materials and quality, portability, warranty, and other important features. Additionally, proper storage of the grill in the winter season is also necessary to ensure its longevity. Ultimately, doing research and investing in a reliable brand will help ensure that our grill can withstand the elements and provide delicious meals for years to come.