Accessories & Consumables

By Travis Lindqvist · Founder · June 15, 2026

A pellet grill is the start of a small, natural kit — and the right accessories change every cook far more than their price suggests. This silo covers the consumables and accessories that matter: covers, pellets (flavour and burn-rate), probes and thermometers, grill grates and mods, drip liners and tools — what to buy with the grill and what to add later. Specs are verified against manufacturer and current Amazon listings; no hands-on testing is claimed.

This silo also owns the cook-capacity & hopper burn-time calculator — because how many bags of pellets a cook burns depends on temp, ambient cold and cook length, which is exactly the consumables question. The best pellets & accessories guide walks the cart-stack in buying order.

The cart-stack, in buying order

A grill is the first purchase, not the only one — but you do not need everything on day one. Here is the sensible order, so you spend on the things that change the cook first and add the rest as you go. The first three are worth buying alongside the grill; the last few you can pick up later.

1. Wood pellets

Pellets are the fuel and the flavour, and they are the one consumable you will buy again and again. Use clean-burning, low-ash, food-grade hardwood pellets and keep them dry — damp pellets burn poorly and can swell and jam the auger, which is a miserable way to lose a cook. Match the wood to the meat: hickory and oak suit beef and brisket, fruit woods like apple and cherry lean sweeter for pork and poultry, and an all-round blend covers everyday cooking. Pellets are interchangeable across brands, so you are buying flavour and burn quality, not a brand lock-in. How fast you go through them depends on set temp, ambient cold and cook length — exactly what the cook calculator is for.

2. A probe thermometer

This is the accessory that decides whether your food is actually done. A built-in grill probe reads the chamber temperature, not the meat, so on its own it tells you nothing about doneness. An accurate wireless meat probe — or a multi-probe set for a big cook — lets you watch the internal temperature and pull the food at the right moment instead of guessing. It is a small spend that protects every expensive cut you put on the grill, which is why it belongs in the first three.

3. A fitted cover

If the grill lives outside, a fitted, waterproof, UV-resistant cover is not optional — it protects the hopper, controller and electronics, which are the parts weather kills first. Size the cover to your specific model so wind-driven rain cannot get under it, and let the grill cool before covering it. A good cover is cheap insurance against an expensive controller failure.

4. Upgrade grates and 5. drip-tray liners

These two are the worthwhile "add later" items. Heavier upgrade grates hold more heat for a better sear, which is worth it if you reverse-sear steaks — and pointless if you do not. Drip-tray liners are cheap consumables that turn post-cook clean-up into a lift-and-toss instead of a scrub, and they keep grease from baking onto the drip pan. Neither is essential on day one, but both earn their keep over a season.

A word on food safety

The probe thermometer is not just about a better result — it is the food-safety tool too. Cook all meats to a safe internal temperature verified with a probe thermometer, following USDA safe-temperature guidance. A pellet grill makes low-and-slow easy, but doneness is decided by internal temp, not by time or by how the food looks. When in doubt, probe it.

Featured guides

The current published guides in this silo. More land each batch.

Landing next: Best wood pellets for smoking, Best grill cover for a pellet grill, Best meat thermometer for smoking, and Pellet flavours explained.