Yes, all pellet grills/smokers burn the pellets (hence there is a flame) they don't just smolder the pellets to produce smoke. All the heat of a pellet grill is generated from the combustion of pellets.

While they use electricity to run their components, they don't use an electrical resistive element to generate the heat as a dedicated electric grill/smoker would.

Can you actually see the flame on a pellet grill? Well, it depends on the specific model. If you own a Traeger, no you won't see the flame, as their models don't have what's called 'direct flame access'. Traegers have a solid grease tray, therefore you never get to see the flame during operation.

However, with models from Camp Chef, Pit Boss and Weber, models that do have a flame broiler (direct-flame access), sure, you'll be able to see the flame.

Through the link to our database below you can research which pellet grills do and do not come with direct-flame access.