Memphis Pellet Grills Review: Elite, Pro and Elevate — Which One Is Right for Your Outdoor Kitchen

Memphis Wood Fire Grills builds a fantastic smoker and grill that is high on both construction quality and cooking system innovation. Three ITC3 models — the Elevate 30", the Pro 28", and the Elite 39" — each available as a built-in for outdoor kitchen installations or freestanding on a cart. All three share the same patented IntelliBurn secondary combustion system, dual-fan convection, and 304 stainless steel double-wall construction. The differences are size, cook surface, hopper capacity, and temperature ceiling. This review covers every model so you can make the right call before you buy.

Memphis Pellet Grills — Three Models, One Grill Review

Same IntelliBurn technology and stainless construction across all three. The decision is size, cook surface, and how long you want to cook unattended.

Entry Model

Elevate 30"

Size 30 inches

Temp Range 180–600°F

Hopper 12 lb single-bin

Construction 430 SS double-wall

Configurations Built-In / Cart

Compact footprint, Direct Flame Technology, single-fan convection, 430 stainless double-wall construction. The entry point into the Memphis lineup — full direct flame capability at the lowest price point.

Built-In Cart

Most Popular

Mid-Range Sweet Spot

Pro ITC3 28"

Size 28 inches

Temp Range 180–650°F

Cook Area 568 sq in

Hopper 18 lb dual-bin

Configurations Built-In / Cart

Full IntelliBurn system, 18 lb dual-bin hopper, 568 sq in primary cook surface. The Pro is where most people land — enough capacity for serious cooks without the footprint or price of the Elite.

Built-In Cart

Flagship Model

Elite ITC3 39"

Size 39 inches

Temp Range 180–700°F

Cook Area 862–1,275 sq in

Hopper 24 lb dual-bin

Configurations Built-In / Cart

24 lb dual-bin hopper, 862 sq in primary cook surface expandable to 1,275 sq in with the optional grate kit, 700°F ceiling. The flagship — built for large cooks, large builds, and buyers who want maximum Memphis.

Built-In Cart

What Makes Memphis Wood Fire Pellet Grills Different — Five Features No Standard Pellet Grill Has

Memphis pellet smokers are extremely well built — but the construction is only part of the story. The cooking system is where Memphis genuinely separates itself. Five features that no standard pellet grill offers, explained in plain English.

1. IntelliBurn Secondary Combustion — The Most Efficient Pellet Burn Available

The Burn Pot

Most pellet grills burn pellets once — unspent fuel exits as ash and smoke particulate. Memphis's patented IntelliBurn Technology re-burns that unspent fuel through a secondary combustion chamber. The result is a cleaner, more complete burn with approximately 15% better fuel efficiency than a standard pellet system at the same temperature. Less ash. More flavor. Lower pellet consumption per cook.

The Auger System

Wood pellets are fed from the dual-bin hopper to the burn pot via a heavy-duty auger. The variable-speed DC motor controls pellet feed rate — more pellets for high-heat searing, less for low-and-slow smoke. This precise feed control is what makes IntelliBurn's secondary combustion system work: consistent pellet delivery produces a consistent, controllable flame that the secondary chamber can re-burn efficiently.

2. Three Levels of Direct Flame — The Only Pellet Grill Built This Way

How the Three Levels Work

Memphis is the only pellet grill designed with three levels of direct flame heat. Standard pellet grills cook indirectly — the flame is always shielded from food by a heat deflector. Memphis lets you remove that deflector entirely and cook over open wood fire at three different proximity levels, giving you steakhouse-quality char and crust that indirect pellet cooking simply cannot produce.

The Direct Flame Insert

The direct flame insert drops into the grill easily — no tools, no complicated setup. Swap it in when you want to sear, swap it out for indirect smoking. The insert is designed to handle the full temperature range of the grill, so you can run it at 700°F on the Elite for genuine high-heat cooking that most pellet smokers are simply not designed to deliver.

Direct Flame in Practice

The combination of direct flame and IntelliBurn combustion produces the kind of sear marks and crust that define professional BBQ cooking. A steak finished over direct wood fire at 650–700°F on the Pro or Elite develops a crust that's impossible to replicate on a standard indirect pellet smoker — this is the feature that justifies the Memphis price point for serious grillers.

True Dual-Fan Convection

The dual metal convection fans built into every Memphis model circulate heat evenly across the entire cook surface — eliminating hot spots, cold zones, and uneven cooking. This is true convection, the same technology used in professional kitchen ovens. It's why Memphis correctly argues their grills don't need a rotisserie — true convection produces even cooking from every position on the grate without rotating food.

3. Digital Control Panel — Temperature Precision From 180°F to 700°F

The ITC3 Control System

The Intelligent Temperature Control (ITC3) system manages the auger speed, fan speed, and combustion process automatically to maintain your set temperature within a tight range. Set 225°F for low-and-slow brisket or 700°F for direct-flame searing — the system holds the temperature precisely without manual intervention. The Elite features a 7" touchscreen; the Pro and Elevate use a clean digital interface that's equally straightforward to navigate.

WiFi Monitoring

The Memphis Mobile App (iOS and Android) connects via WiFi for remote temperature monitoring — check your grill and food probe temperatures from anywhere. Current ITC3 models support monitoring and alerts rather than full remote control. For most cooks this is exactly what you need — visibility from inside the house without having to stand next to the grill. The onboard control panel handles all temperature adjustments easily when you do want to make changes.

The dual-bin hopper design lets you load two different wood pellet flavors simultaneously — applewood and hickory, cherry and mesquite — blending smoke profiles across a single cook. No other pellet grill in this class offers this as a standard feature across every model.

Memphis Pellet Grill Models Compared — Elevate vs Pro vs Elite Full Spec Chart

All three models share Direct Flame Technology, convection cooking, and the same warranty. The differences are construction grade, combustion system, hopper size, cook surface, and temperature ceiling. For a detailed head-to-head on the two ITC3 models see our Memphis Pro vs Elite comparison.

Elevate 30"

Pro ITC3 28"

Elite ITC3 39"

Who Makes Memphis Grills — Wood Fire Engineering, Designed and Tested in the USA

Memphis Wood Fire Grills was built around a single conviction: wood fire is the superior cooking medium, and every engineering decision should maximize what wood fire does. That conviction produced the patented IntelliBurn secondary combustion system, the only pellet grill with three levels of direct flame heat, and the only pellet grill designed to function simultaneously as a true high-end convection oven. Every Memphis grill is designed, engineered, and tested in the USA.

The founding philosophy was straightforward — most pellet grills sacrifice cooking performance for convenience. Memphis grills are built for the pitmaster who refuses that trade-off. The result is a grill that can bake bread, smoke a brisket, sear a steak over direct wood flame, and roast a whole chicken with true convection — all from the same platform. It's a privilege to cook on a Memphis, and the quality of the food it produces reflects that.

Memphis remains one of the few pellet grill brands that holds a US patent on its core combustion technology. The 7-year structural warranty and 3-year electronics warranty reflect confidence in the build. The grill is backed by the same warranty across all three models — Elevate, Pro, and Elite — so you're covered regardless of which tier you choose. For how Memphis compares against other top-tier options, see our best high-end pellet smokers guide.

Memphis Pellet Grills — Real-World Performance, What Owners Say

Long-term Memphis owners are among the most loyal in the pellet grill category. Here's the honest picture on both sides.

Which Memphis Pellet Grill Is Right for You — And Final Verdict