Weber pellet grill review for 2026: Searwood 600, Searwood XL 600 and Smoque compared on specs, searing, owner reports and prices checked in November 2026.
Reviews are built from manufacturer specs, retailer listings and the pattern of owner reports. Our hands-on cooks and temperature tests are pending, and each page will say when one has happened and on what date.
Our take
Weber made a pellet grill that grills: 180 to 600°F, a DirectFlame mode and a PID controller owners say holds steady. You pay with less grate per dollar than Traeger or Pit Boss and a one-dial controller that takes about a week to learn.
Best for
Cooks who grill three nights a week and smoke one weekend a month, and want both from one grill without a side burner.
Who should pass
Skip Weber if you mostly smoke big cuts; a Traeger Woodridge gives 860 sq in and a 24 lb hopper for $100 less than a Searwood 600.
about $800 to $1,300
Price checked November 2026. Retail prices move.
Pros
Cons
Weber’s Searwood line is the pellet grill I’d put in front of someone who’s replacing a gas grill. The Searwood 600 listed at $999 on weber.com in November 2026 and sold for $899 there and at Ace that same month, and it runs from 180 to 600°F with a DirectFlame mode that opens the fire to the grate. Pit Boss’s flame broiler can sear too, but no other mainstream pellet grill pairs that kind of heat with a controller owners rate this well. Among our pellet grill reviews, it’s the line that grills best.
The owner complaints are modest. Some owners report the right side of the 648 square inch grate running hotter, the controller menu takes a week to learn, and the standard cover won’t close with the front table fitted. The auger jams and grease fires that dogged Weber’s earlier SmokeFire grills aren’t showing up in Searwood reports, which is the thing most Weber shoppers ask about first.
This brand review covers the Searwood 600, the Searwood XL 600 and the smaller Smoque. Our own cook test hasn’t happened yet, so the page is built from Weber’s spec pages, retailer listings and owner reports, and it will be updated with dated results.
Weber’s pellet grills fit the cook who grills on weeknights and smokes on the odd weekend. A 600°F ceiling plus the DirectFlame grate gives burgers, chicken thighs and steaks a real crust without a side burner. Traeger stops at 500°F with no direct flame, and Pit Boss has a sear plate but a looser controller.
They also fit anyone already invested in Weber gear. Weber Connect is the same app that runs the Weber Smart Grilling Hub and the Genesis Smart gas grills, so probes and alerts carry over.
They don’t fit someone who wants 900-plus square inches for under $1,000. The Searwood 600 has 648 square inches, and the XL 600’s 972 cost $1,299. A Pit Boss Navigator 1300 gives you 1,329 square inches for $999.99.
From Weber’s US pages, November 2026:
| Smoque | Searwood 600 | Searwood XL 600 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $799 ($599 on sale) | $999 ($899 on sale) | $1,299 ($1,199 on sale) |
| Cooking area | 594 sq in | 648 sq in (420 + 228) | 972 sq in (630 + 342) |
| DirectFlame | No | Yes | Yes |
| Controller | Rapid React PID | Rapid React PID | Rapid React PID |
| Weight | 102 lb | 125.4 lb | 157.8 lb |
| Warranty | 5-year limited | 5-year limited | 5-year limited |
Both Searwoods have a 20 lb hopper and run 180 to 600°F. All three have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Smoque has two probe ports and ships with two probes, and it’s a smoker first. Weber claims 15 minutes or less to temperature on all three, and owners back that up. The Searwood grates are porcelain-enameled cast iron, which hold heat well for searing but want a light oiling after every wash. Manual mode on the Searwoods runs a fixed fan and auger rate so you can cook with the lid open.
Temperature control is what owners praise most since Weber moved on from SmokeFire. The Rapid React PID holds the set point through a 5-hour rib cook and recovers within a couple of minutes after the lid opens, with about 10°F of swing at 225°F in still weather. One caveat comes straight from Weber support, which has told owners that a drop approaching 100°F on the display right after opening the lid is within spec. Watch the meat, not the first two minutes of the screen.
Uneven heat comes up in owner reports, though the testing is mixed. AmazingRibs’ bread test found the cooking surface fairly even, with a slight drop-off on the left side, and the main grate about 15°F under the set temperature at 225, 350 and 600°F. Owners on the Weber forums mostly name the right side, the back right in particular, as the hottest spot. For a full grate of wings, turn the pan halfway through.
Pit tip: Treat the Searwood like a gas grill with zones. With DirectFlame open, steaks and burgers go over the fire, chicken breasts and fish go toward the edges away from it, and you get two cooking temperatures from one set point.
Smoke flavor earns better marks than Traeger and about even with Pit Boss, in owners’ words. SmokeBoost runs a slow, smoky fire at about 180°F, and owners who give ribs or brisket an hour of it say the flavor is clearly there. The repeat warning is that a brisket left for hours on SmokeBoost can dry out before it gets tender. An hour, then 250°F.
Searing is why people buy this grill. DirectFlame opens a window over the fire pot, and the grate above it reaches 600°F at the dial and hotter at the steel. Owners report a full crust on a 1.5-inch steak in about 3 minutes a side and burger char a Traeger can’t match. Manual mode is how owners run a griddle insert for smash burgers with the lid up.
Owners put pellet use at about 1 lb an hour at 225°F and closer to 3.5 lb an hour at 600°F. With pellets around $0.50 to $1 a pound in October 2026 (our pellet guide has the bag prices):
| Cook | Grill temp | Time | Pellets | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spare ribs | 250°F | about 5 hours | 5 to 7 lb | $3 to $7 |
| Steak night, DirectFlame | 600°F | 30 minutes plus preheat | 2 to 3 lb | $1 to $3 |
| Salmon fillet | 225°F | about 45 minutes | 1 to 2 lb | $1 to $2 |
The searing is cheap. The long smokes are where a 20 lb hopper matters, and the pellet calculator will tell you if one load covers yours.
The Searwood body is double-walled steel with a porcelain-enameled lid like a Weber kettle, and owners say it feels heavier than a Traeger Pro at the same price. The folding front table and side table are solid. The build complaints are minor: the grease tray is awkward to pull without spilling, and the standard cover doesn’t fit with the front table in place.
Weber Connect is a good app, with cook programs, probe graphs and remote set-point changes, and owners rate it about even with Traeger’s. The controller on the grill gets mixed reviews. It runs everything through one dial and a small LCD, and new owners say the menus confuse them for about a week.
Watch out: Hopper lids on the Searwood let rain in, by owner accounts. Wet pellets swell and jam the auger, so cover the grill or keep the hopper empty when storms are forecast.
Warranty is 5 years limited, labor not included. Owners rate Weber support well, and Searwood parts are easy to get through Ace and Home Depot.
November 2026 at weber.com: Searwood 600 $999, Searwood XL 600 $1,299, Smoque $799. All three were on sale that month, the Searwoods $100 lower and the Smoque $200 lower at $599, so it’s worth waiting for a sale.
The direct rival is the Traeger Woodridge at $899.99, with 860 square inches and a 24 lb hopper for $100 less but a 500°F ceiling and no direct flame. I weigh them in Weber Searwood vs Traeger. The value rival is the Pit Boss Sportsman 850 at $749.99, with a sear plate and 849 square inches but a looser controller, in the Pit Boss review. If you’re coming from gas and still deciding, pellet grill vs gas grill covers the switch.
The Searwood 600 ranks on the best pellet grills, and model detail is in the Searwood 600 review and the Smoque review.
If you’ll sear at least once a week, buy the Searwood 600, ideally at the $899 sale price. Step up to the XL 600 only if you regularly cook for more than six or want two big cuts at once. If you mostly smoke and rarely sear, the Smoque at $799 ($599 on sale in November 2026) or a Traeger Woodridge saves money and gives you as much smoker as you need.
Run the grill at 225°F with alder pellets and cook the brined salmon skin side down without flipping. A 2 lb side reaches 130 to 135°F in the thickest part in about 45 to 55 minutes; pull it there.
Smoke the wings at 225°F on hickory pellets for 30 minutes, then turn the grill to 400°F and cook 25 to 35 minutes more, about 75 minutes in all for 4 lb. They're done at 175°F in the thickest drum.
Brine the breasts for 45 minutes, then smoke them at 250°F on apple pellets for 50 to 70 minutes, about 2 hours start to finish. Pull each one at 160°F and rest it 5 to 10 minutes to reach 165°F.