If you’re in the market for a new pellet grill/smoker, you may have been told, ‘you need to get one with a PID controller‘. Now, I personally would not say anyone ‘needs’ a pellet grill/smoker with a PID controller. What I would say though is it can make the process of using a pellet grill/smoker even more simple and predictable. Therefore, with this post, I’ll discuss which wood pellet grills/smokers come with PID controllers and which don’t (currently).
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Introduction – PID Controlled Wood Pellet Grills/Smokers
Within this article, I’ll answer another pretty important question, ‘What the heck is a PID controller, and how does it work?‘.
I’ll explain how the alternative time-based pellet grill/smoker controllers work and the pros and cons of the two technologies.
What you should be aware of, is currently, to get a pellet grill/smoker with a PID controller, it will cost you more on average.
However, there is a growing number of PID-controlled pellet grills you can get for under $500, even under $400.
Some pellet grills (particularly older/cheaper models) are fitted with time-based controllers.
Whereas more modern (and generally more expensive) pellet grills/smokers are fitted with PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controllers.
A quick tip, if the pellet grill or vertical pellet smoker features WiFi, then in most cases I can think of, it will also feature a PID controller.
The only exception is the Pit Boss SmokeIT panel upgrade. But what is the difference between a time-based and PID controller? Let me explain.
A time-based controller works, as you may have guessed, on timed gaps of turning the pellet feed auger motor and combustion fan on and off to (try) and achieve/maintain the set temperature.
And a time-based controller works reasonably well.
However, on a time-based controller, you should expect the temperature to swing roughly 25 degrees around the set temperature.
A PID controller, on the other hand, is constantly monitoring the internal grill temperature and comparing it against the set temperature.
A PID controller is then making constant adjustments to the pellet feed auger/fan speed and, in some cases, can maintain a temperature within 5 degrees of the set temperature.
Hence, in short, a PID controller holds a much more accurate temperature. In other words, a PID controller is a much smarter pellet grill control panel.
What PID controllers are also much better at is dealing with external temperature changes, for instance, grilling/smoking in the cold winter months.
As a PID controller is constantly making adjustments in the colder months to feed in more fuel automatically. A time-based controller won’t make adjustments to climate changes on its own.
Hence, on previous-generation Traeger pellet grills, you would typically have to adjust what’s called the P-Setting (pause setting) in colder/winder weather to maintain the set temperature more closely.
Traeger PID Controlled Pellet Grill/Smokers
As I’ve referenced above, Traeger has some pellet grills with PID controllers and some without. Their most popular range, the Pro Series, in its latest generation (Pro 575 and 780), does feature PID control panels.
However, the previous generation using the Pro Controller shown above does not. I discuss this more in my Traeger Pro Series Gen 1 vs Gen 2 article.
Basically, on the Gen 2 Pro Series, Traeger launched a new drive system (D2 Direct Drive) which features variable-speed DC motors perfectly suited to being controlled by a PID algorithm.
However, Traeger still sells a couple of models which currently don’t feature PID controllers, but I believe this will change soon. They are the Traeger Tailgater, and their smaller portable pellet grills the Scout and Ranger.
Traeger also now has a range of pellet grills built to a higher specification compared to the Pro Series, called the Ironwood, Timberline Gen 1 and Timberline Gen 2 .
All of these pellet grill models feature a similar version of the D2 controller fitted to the Gen 2 Pro Series, hence they are PID controlled.
All Traeger D2 PID control panels also come with Traeger WiFire. As I stated above, if you find a pellet grill with WiFi functionality, most examples I can think of they also feature PID functionality.
Cheapest Traeger PID Pellet Grill – Pro 575
- Total Cooking Area = 575 sq.in (418 sq.in at the main grate)
- Pellet Hopper Capacity = 18 lbs
- Temperature Range = 180 to 500 degrees
- Direct-Flame Access? = No
- PID Temperature Control? = Yes
- WiFi/App Control? = Yes
- Typical Price = $899
Pit Boss PID Controlled Pellet Grills/Smokers
Pit Boss previously didn’t have any PID-controlled pellet grills and smokers, all models used time-based controllers. However, that all changed with the introduction of the Platinum Series.
These are currently the best pellet grills that Pit Boss produce. Therefore its only natural they should include a PID controller. The KC Combo is a popular pellet/gas combo grill.
Pit Boss has now also launched their second generation of Pro Series pellet grills, and as I discuss in my Pit Boss Pro Series Gen 1 vs Gen 2 article, they are now fitted with PID control panels.
Well, most of them are, the entry-level Pro Series 600 still features the older time-based control panel for some odd reason, and its not a model I recommend.
Cheapest Pit Boss PID Pellet Grill – Pro 850
Total Cooking Area = 850 sq.in
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 20 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 500 degrees (650+ Direct Flame)
Direct-Flame Access? = Yes
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $899
Camp Chef PID Controlled Pellet Grills/Smokers
Today almost all Camp Chef pellet grills are using PID controllers. The only exception appears to their cheapest unit, the SmokePro SE24, which still appears to be fitted with their older time-based controller.
However, other than that, all other models in the Woodwind and SmokePro range are fitted with PID controllers.
The Woodwind range along with the Woodwind Pro and Apex all feature a PID/WiFi control panel with a full-colour screen.
The SmokePro range features the Gen 2 PID/WiFi control panel, the screen is not full-colour, and it only features two meat probes instead of the four found on the Woodwind control panel.
However, the PID algorithm used in both control panels is the same.
The Gen 2 PID/WiFi control panel can also be retrofitted to older SmokePro models, which is good. So previous customers can upgrade their grill instead of having to purchase a new grill.
The same goes for the Camp Chef Sear Box/Sidekick, a great upgrade option. The Camp Chef XXL Vertical Smoker was upgraded with the Gen 2 controller.
Cheapest Camp Chef PID Pellet Grill – SG 24
Total Cooking Area = 811 sq.in (429 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 22 lbs
Temperature Range = 160 to 500 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $529 to $749
RECTEQ PID Controlled Pellet Grills/Smokers
RECTEQ (formally REC TEC) have been fitting PID control panels to their pellet grills pretty longer than any one else, they were offering the feature many years before Traeger did.
RECTEQ is a brand focused on premium products, for instance that means lots of stainless steel is used in the construction of their pellet grill/smokers.
However, RECTEQ do also offer one of the cheapest PID pellet grills/smokers currently on the market called the Bullseye, an excellent small/compact BBQ.
Cheapest RECTEQ PID Pellet Grill – The Bullseye
Total Cooking Area = 380 sq.in
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 15 lbs
Temperature Range = 25 to 749 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $399
Weber PID Controlled Pellet Grills
Despite being the biggest name in BBQ, Weber came pretty late to the pellet grill game. However, eventually they obviously wanted to add to their range of gas and charcoal grills a pellet option.
Well, the Gen 1 Weber SmokerFire had a bumpy start. It did come out of the gates with a PID control panel, however, its software was not the best and there were a few other issues (grease fires cough cough).
The Gen 2 Weber SmokeFire has several improvements/modifications to address previous issues. And while I still think owners have to be careful when smoking large fatty cuts of meat, as a pellet grill its one of the best for its price point.
Cheapest Weber PID Pellet Grill – SmokeFire EX4
Total Cooking Area = 672 sq.in (432 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 22 lbs
Temperature Range = 200 to 600 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = Yes
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = Yes
Typical Price = $1,099
Z Grills PID Controlled Pellet Grills
Z Grills are a budget focused brand, therefore up until fairly recently features such as PID temperature and WiFi/App functionality were not something you would find on a Z Grill.
However, as the costs of including these technologies continues to drop they are finding their way into certain Z Grills products, and I have a separate article on Z Grill PID pellet grills.
While there are Z Grills products now fitted with PID technology, it is not currently at the level of the leading brands for temperature control as I discuss in the linked article above.
Cheapest Z Grills PID Pellet Grill – 5502H
Total Cooking Area = 553 sq.in (406 sq.in at the main grate)
Pellet Hopper Capacity = 10 lbs
Temperature Range = 180 to 450 degrees
Direct-Flame Access? = No
PID Temperature Control? = Yes
WiFi/App Control? = No
Typical Price = $389 to $499
Other Pellet Grill Brands/Models Fitting PID Controllers
- Grilla Grills
- Green Mountain Grills
- Cookshack
- MAK GRILLS
- Coyote
- Memphis Grill
- Twin Eagles
- Expert Grill
Pellet Grill Brands Not Currently Fitting PID Controllers
But Do PID Controllers Produce Less Smoke?
Now, this is an interesting question, and its partly true (sort of). Though, don’t let that put you off a PID controller, because there are means to enable a PID controller to produce more smoke.
But why would a PID controller produce less smoke? Well, the answer is simple, with more efficient combustion, you get less smoke.
In other words, as a PID controller is more precisely balancing fuel (pellets) through the auger speed and the amount of air with a more accurate combustion process, you get less smoke as a result.
But we need smoke! The whole purpose of a pellet grill is to get that great flavour from cooking with smoking pellets!
Yes, yes, don’t worry, a PID controller can be set up to produce more smoke, but in doing so, it will also lose temperature accuracy.
So when using a PID controller and a higher smoke setting you have to accept wider temperature swings than 5 degrees from the set temperature.
With the Camp Chef PID controllers, you independently set the Smoke Control setting from 1 to 10, either on the grill control panel or via your phone with Camp Chef Connect.
Traeger, on the other hand, has a ‘Super Smoke’ mode on their Ironwood and Timberline grills. Super Smoke doesnt provide the same level of granular control as the Camp Chef Smoke Control setting, but it does effectively the same thing.
Those modes deliberately add a time delay into the PID algorithm. Therefore you lose some temperature accuracy, but you gain more smoke.
Grilla Grills, with its Alpha Control panel, has gone for a slightly different approach.
The Grilla Grills Alpha Control panel has both a time-based ‘Pro Mode’, which will produce more smoke, and a separate PID mode if you are looking for more accurate temperature control.
The Alpha control panel has now been upgraded with WiFi/App functionality. The point is, you don’t need to worry about smoke production with PID control panels.
You can make a PID panel less accurate to produce more smoke, whereas a time-based controller is limited to a rather wide 25-degree temperature accuracy.
Conclusions On Pellet Grills/Smokers and PID Controllers
I wouldn’t describe a PID controller as a ‘must-have feature’, as a pellet grill/smoker based on a time-based controller is perfectly workable.
Without a PID controller just means you will need to be a bit more ‘hands-on’ and watch the cook a bit more closely.
If you can afford a pellet grill with a PID control panel, I definitely think its a feature which should carry a lot of weight when making your choice.
As I’ve discussed above, don’t worry about PID controllers not producing enough smoke. In several cases, they can be set up to produce as much smoke as time-based control panels.
When in higher smoke modes though, you will just need to watch the cook more closely with the wider swings in temperature.
That’s it! Thanks for reading. I hope you found this article on the various brands/models of pellet grills/smokers that do and do not feature PID controllers.
If you would like to learn more or you need more information, such as how does a pellet grill actually work, please check out my Wood Pellet Grill Smoker Guide.
Don’t forget to review our database at the top of the article to browse all the pellet grills/smokers currently on sale which feature a PID control panel 🙂
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