Best Pellet Grills for Searing: Three Grills That Do More Than Smoke

Pellet grills are famous for low-and-slow smoking, and a little less famous for searing. The reason is simple: the design that holds a steady temperature for hours is not built to make intense heat. Most pellet grills top out around 450 to 500 degrees. That browns a steak, but it does not give the deep, crusty sear you get from gas or charcoal.

A few grills take on that problem directly. Some use a flame broiler, which is a sliding plate that opens a slot so the fire touches the grate. Others, like the Weber Searwood, are designed from the start to run both low and hot. Prices vary, so the table shows typical ranges. Confirm the current price on Amazon.

What searing needs

Searing needs high, direct heat. At around 500 degrees or more, the surface of the meat browns quickly and builds a crust before the inside overcooks. A pellet grill's normal indirect heat is gentler, so a sear needs one of three things: a flame broiler, a design with a hot zone, or a second step in a pan or burner.

Expect compromises. A pellet grill can give you great smoke flavor and a good crust. It will not match a ripping-hot charcoal grill for pure sear.

Our three picks

Weber Searwood 600: best for searing

Weber built the Searwood to smoke at low temperatures and to sear at high ones in the same grill, with Bluetooth-enabled app control. If you want to cook steaks as often as you smoke ribs, it is the pick.

It carries a premium price, and fewer buyers have rated it than the big sellers.

Buy it if you cook steaks, chops and burgers often. Skip it if low-and-slow barbecue is your only use.

Pit Boss 440 Mahogany: best low-cost searing grill

A 518 square inch grill with a flame broiler, which opens a slot over the fire pot for direct flame. Well over a thousand buyers have rated it, and it is priced low.

The 5 pound hopper means refills on long cooks, and the build is light.

Buy it if you want a low-cost grill with real flame for searing. Skip it if you smoke for many hours at a stretch.

Pit Boss 150: best portable searing grill

A small grill with 256 square inches, a 7 pound hopper and a flame broiler, built to travel. Searing burgers and sausages at a tailgate works well.

The cooking area is small. Our guide to small and portable pellet grills covers more compact options.

Buy it if you want a portable grill with direct flame. Skip it if you cook for a crowd.

How to sear on a pellet grill

Use the flame broiler. On grills that have one, preheat with the plate closed, then open it and place the steak over the flame. Watch for flare-ups, since grease on an open flame ignites.

Try the reverse sear. Cook a thick steak at a low temperature with smoke until it is a little under your target. Then raise the heat or open the broiler for a quick sear. This works on any pellet grill with a decent high setting, and the steak stays evenly cooked.

Finish in a pan. A very hot cast iron pan on a stove or burner gives a better crust than most pellet grills. Many cooks smoke the steak, then sear it in the pan for a minute per side.

Dry the surface. A dry steak sears better than a wet one. Pat it dry and salt it ahead of time.

Keeping a flame broiler safe

Clean the grease tray and the area around the fire pot before you sear. Do not walk away. Keep the lid open only as long as needed, and keep a spray bottle or a clear patch of grate for moving food away from flare-ups. After searing, close the plate and let the grill return to normal temperature.

Is a searing grill worth paying for?

If you cook steaks weekly, yes. A grill that smokes and sears saves you from owning two. If you mostly cook ribs, brisket and chicken, a normal pellet grill does the job, and a cast iron pan handles the occasional steak. For the best all-round pick, see our main guide, and for app features see our WiFi guide.

Common mistakes

Expecting a pellet grill to match a charcoal sear, searing a wet steak, ignoring grease before opening the broiler and overcooking because the grill runs hot. Another common mistake is searing first and then trying to cook through, when the reverse sear gives better results.

How hot is hot enough?

People talk about searing as if it were a single temperature, and it is not. Browning begins around 300 degrees, when sugars and proteins start to react on the surface of the meat. A good crust forms faster at higher temperatures, and a very hot sear, around 500 degrees or more, gives you the deep brown crust that steakhouse cooks chase.

Most pellet grills can reach 450 to 500 degrees on their top setting, which is enough to brown burgers, chicken skin, pork chops and many steaks. It is not enough for the screaming-hot sear of a charcoal chimney or a gas infrared burner. That is the honest limit, and it explains why some grills add a flame broiler or a special sear design.

The reverse sear in practice

The reverse sear is the best technique for pellet grills, and it works on any model. Start with a thick steak, at least an inch and a half. Season it and let it come to near room temperature. Put it on the grill at a low temperature, around 225 degrees, and cook until the center is about 10 to 15 degrees below your target. This gives you even color from edge to edge and a little smoke.

Then raise the grill to its highest setting, or open the flame broiler if you have one, and sear for a minute or two per side. Pull the steak when it reaches your target internal temperature, and let it rest briefly before slicing. The result is more even than a steak seared first, and the smoke flavor goes deeper.

Searing tools beyond the grill

You do not need a special grill to get a great crust. A heavy cast iron pan on a stove burner gets very hot and sears quickly. Many cooks smoke the steak on the pellet grill, then finish it in a pan with a little oil. A separate gas or charcoal burner works too.

Some people use a cast iron grate or a sear plate on the pellet grill, which holds more heat and leaves better marks. Check that the accessory fits your model and that your manual allows it.

Safety around direct flame

Searing with a flame broiler means grease can drip onto an open flame, which causes flare-ups. Clean the grease tray and the area around the fire pot before you sear. Keep the lid within reach, and never leave the grill during a hot sear. Keep a clear area on the grate where you can move food away from a flare-up.

After the sear, close the broiler plate and let the grill settle before you return to low temperatures. If the grease tray is full, empty it. Our guide to cleaning and maintaining a pellet grill covers the routine that keeps flare-ups rare.

Foods that sear well

Steaks are the obvious choice, but many foods benefit from a hot finish. Burgers and sausages get better color. Chicken skin crisps. Pork chops and lamb chops brown nicely. Vegetables such as peppers, onions and corn pick up char. Shrimp and thick fish fillets cook fast at high heat. Whatever you cook, pat the surface dry first, since a dry surface browns faster than a wet one.

Our guide to the best pellet smokers covers grills that excel at low-and-slow cooking, and our main guide compares overall picks.

Bottom line

The Weber Searwood 600 is the best pellet grill for searing, and the Pit Boss 440 Mahogany and Pit Boss 150 are the low-cost alternatives using a flame broiler. Whatever you choose, the reverse sear works on almost any pellet grill. Clean up the grease, dry the steak and sear at the end.