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Best Pellet Grill for Searing
Searing is a type of cooking technique that people use when preparing poultry, fish, or meat.
Though inexperienced grillers often mistake searing for being a similar process to normal grilling, the technique actually involves much higher temperatures during the cooking process.
As these high temperatures cook the meat, a caramelized crust will form. Doing this helps to seal moisture inside the meat rather than letting it escape through evaporation.
Theoretically, a seared steak is much juicier and more full of flavor than a normally grilled one.
Because most pellet grills can be used for grilling, smoking, and searing, they’ve become increasingly popular over the last several years.
While the majority of pellet-based designs are meant to handle searing, not all of them can. Even with grills that are capable of the technique, some manage it better than others.
To get a good sear, the pellet grill model has to be able to give off a minimum of 300 F, and 500 F is an even better target.
You’ll also need to consider the temperature controls, materials used for construction, and size of the overall grill and cooking space.
We’ve put together a list of the grills that will give you the juicy, succulent flavor you’re hoping for.
The Best Pellet Grills for Searing
| Product | Cooking Space | Maximum Temperature | Material Construction |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1. Sear Box Our Best Pick  Check Price | 180 square inches | 900 F | Stainless steel, cast iron searing grates |
#2. Davy Crockett Check Price | 219 square inches | 550 F | Steel |
#3. Woodwind Check Price | 570 square inches | 500 F | Steel |
#1. Camp Chef SmokePro BBQ Sear Box
The Sear Box is easily one of the top picks for searing, if not the top pick on the market. As the name implies, it’s designed specifically to sear meat.
You don’t have to use two grills to manage one cookout. The grill box creates beautiful, professional-looking sear marks. It’s also one of the lower-priced options on the market.
One thing to note is that the Sear Box is designed to be used as an accessory for an existing pellet grill, rather than to function as an independent pellet grill.
It can easily attach to any Camp Chef pellet grill model using the existing hardware.
The box comes with a 16,000 BTU burner that can reach maximum temperatures of a whopping 900 F.
It’s also made with stainless steel, a sturdy material that stands up to wear-and-tear and tends to last several years. The searing grates are made of cast iron.
Cast iron searing grates are ideal because they offer more heat conduction and searing capability than stainless steel cooking surfaces.
Also included are specialized heat-diffuser plates that cause grease drippage to evaporate.
The Sear Box has 180 square inches of cooking space. In comparison to most grills, that’s a small amount, so you may not be able to sear as much meat as you want to.
For this reason, it’s not the best option if you want to sear meals for more than a few people.
#2. Davy Crockett Grill
If you’re looking for a more technologically advanced pellet grill option that comes with convenience features, you don’t have to look any further than the Davy Crockett grill from Green Mountain Grills.
The pellet grill comes with a built-in digital WiFi controller that allows users to adjust and view the grill information remotely through a mobile app.
The grill design comes with Sense-Mate, which is a specialized thermal sensor that consistently monitors and updates information about the grill temperature. There’s a meat probe to monitor the meat temperature.
One thing that makes this grill unique is its portability. Everything about the design is made so that you can both use the grill at home or bring it with you on your adventures.
The construction is lightweight at only 57 pounds, making it much easier to maneuver than denser grills.
The legs also fold up so the grill can be placed in the back of a pickup truck for tailgating events. The folding helps with transportation as well.
In addition to having a lightweight, folding, compact design, the grill can also operate using both 12V and 120AC units. This means that you can operate it in your backyard, on a boat, or plugged into your car.
The grill features a peaked lid so you can cover it even when cooking large fowl, stand-up poultry, or rib tracks.
There’s also a convenience tray included that has utensil hooks to hold your grilling equipment. The temperature can be adjusted between 150 F and 550 F, and there’s 219 square inches of cooking area.
#3. Camp Chef Woodwind Grill with Attached Sear Box
Another ideal pellet grill option from Camp Chef, the Woodwind Grill is versatile enough to use techniques like barbeque, braising, baking, roasting, and grilling.
The equipment functions as a combined smoker and grill, so you don’t need to have these two things separately.
The grill comes with digital temperature controls, and the system automatically feeds the correct amount of pellets to the fire to maintain the correct temperature and amount of smoke.
You can just let it sit without needing to constantly fiddle. The temperature ranges from 160 F to 500 F.
This grill has a much larger cooking area than the others on the list, clocking in at 570 square inches. You’ll be able to serve at least 15 people.
There’s also a patented cleanout system that allows you to remove ash just by pulling a lever between cooks.
The sear box that comes with the grill is the same type as the above detailed box, and it’s capable of hitting 900 F.
Final Thoughts – Best Pellet Grill for Searing
The Sear Box is a great grill accessory to increase your searing capabilities, since it can reach 900 F.
Meanwhile, the Woodwind pellet grill is a great choice if you want a huge amount of cooking area, while the Davy Crockett is ideal if you prioritize portability and technological convenience.