Brisk It Zelos-450 Electric Wood Pellet Smoker Grill – A.I. Smart BBQ Grill with WiFi, 7-in-1 Outdoor Grill & Smoker, PID Controller (Up to 500°F), 450 sq.in Cooking Area, Meat Probe

The short story

The Zelos-450 is a compact, tech-forward pellet grill that nails the fundamentals—steady heat, real wood flavor, and simple day-to-day use—while layering on an ambitious AI cooking assistant. After several weeks of ribs, a small brisket flat, salmon, wings, and a couple of high-heat steak sessions, I’d call it a capable mid-size smoker with a few smart tricks that genuinely help. It isn’t flawless (more on temperature stability, the app, and the paid AI features below), but it’s a strong fit for beginners and weekend cooks who want reliable results and modern convenience in a manageable footprint.

Setup and build

Assembly took me about 90 minutes solo, plus time to unbox. It’s on the heavier side for a grill this size, which I actually prefer—fewer rattles and better heat retention. The weather-resistant steel feels sturdy, welds are clean, and the powder coat has held up to a couple of rainy weekends. The cart is stable and the wheels roll easily across pavers and a small lip into my garage.

Dimensions are 46"W x 29.8"D x 38.8"H; it tucked into a corner of my patio without dominating the space. I recommend building it where it will live; it’s not a featherweight. My unit arrived clean and true, lid seated squarely, and no damage—good to see given the number of bolts and panels in play.

One note on internals: after a handful of high-heat cooks at 450–500°F, I noticed a slight bowing in the drip tray/heat diffuser. It didn’t affect airflow or performance, but it’s something I’ll watch over time.

Capacity and layout

With 450 sq. in. of cooking area, it’s sized for family meals and small gatherings. I comfortably fit two racks of St. Louis ribs, three spatchcocked Cornish hens, or about 15 burgers. A small 6–7 lb brisket flat fit diagonally, though a full packer is out of the question. If you regularly feed a crowd, you may bump into the space ceiling, but for a household of four to six this capacity is well judged.

The single meat probe included is accurate (mine read within 2–3°F of my Thermapen). I would love a second probe in the box for multi-meat cooks, but you can make do with an extra clip-on grate probe or a separate thermometer.

Heat, smoke, and consistency

The Zelos-450 uses an adaptive PID controller with a 180–500°F range. In practice, preheat to 225°F took about 10–12 minutes on a mild day and 15+ minutes in cooler weather. My advice: let it settle another 10 minutes after the screen says it’s ready. Doing that, I saw steady-state swings of around ±5–7°F at smoking temps. Without the extra wait, I did see occasional overshoots and dips early in a cook.

During long smokes (ribs, pork shoulder), it held target well once thermally settled. On windier days, I caught a handful of 20–30°F blips as the controller chased the setpoint—nothing catastrophic, but something to watch if you’re smoking delicate fish. I had best results shielding the right side from wind and setting my pellets to a mid-size hardwood blend (uniform pellets tend to feed more predictably).

Smoke quality is on par with other pellet grills in this class: clean, slightly sweet, and consistent. If you want an extra punch at low temperatures, run 180–200°F for the first hour before raising to your final cook temp. Pellet burn rate was typical—roughly a pound an hour at 225°F and 2–3 lb/hr at hot-and-fast. Keep a shop vac handy; a quick vacuum of the fire pot after every few cooks keeps ignition snappy.

Searing and 7-in-1 versatility

At 500°F, the Zelos-450 can roast and crisp well, but like most pellet cookers, it won’t replicate a ripping hot infrared sear by itself. I got excellent crust by preheating a cast-iron skillet or a set of grill grates directly over the fire pot zone. Wings and reverse-seared steaks turned out especially well this way.

Baking and roasting are a quiet strength. Cornbread, potatoes, and spatchcocked chicken came out evenly cooked, with a subtle wood note that’s hard to beat. Braising in a Dutch oven is also straightforward—set your temperature, let the PID hold, and ignore it.

Smart features: Wi‑Fi and Vera

Wi‑Fi setup was painless, and the app’s core features—remote monitoring, adjusting temps, and tracking probe readings—worked reliably. Notifications for stall detection and step prompts were timely.

Vera, the generative cooking assistant, is the headline feature. You can type or speak a request (“smoke two racks of ribs at backyard dinner time,” “I’ve got salmon and two hours”) and Vera proposes a plan with temps, timing, and seasoning suggestions. In testing, the suggestions were sensible and the auto-cook workflow advanced steps without babysitting. I intentionally missed a prompt during a pork shoulder cook and the system continued gracefully, nudging the temp according to the recipe logic.

Caveats:
- Some advanced Vera recipes/features live behind a subscription. The core app is still useful without it, but factor that ongoing cost if you want the full AI experience.
- Battery usage on my phone was noticeable during long cooks. If you’re running an all-day brisket with live graphs on, plan to keep a charger handy or reduce background refresh in your phone’s settings.

Overall, I appreciate the tech—especially for less familiar cuts. Once the novelty fades, you may stick to a handful of tried-and-true programs and manual setpoints, but it’s nice to have intelligent guardrails.

Noise, maintenance, and day-to-day use

Fan and auger noise is moderate—a soft whir that fades into background conversation. Grease management is conventional: a drip tray channels to a bucket. I line the tray with foil and replace it every few cooks. There isn’t a one-lever ash clean-out; expect to vacuum the fire pot and bottom of the barrel periodically. Ignition has been consistent after I adopted the quick vacuum routine.

I strongly recommend the optional cover if you’ll leave it outside year-round. The hardware is weather resistant, but any pellet cooker benefits from staying dry.

What I liked

• Steady heat once settled, with a truly useful 180–500°F range
• Compact footprint and sturdy, weather-resistant build
• Real wood flavor that’s easy to dial lighter or heavier with pellet choice and temp
• App is straightforward; remote temp changes and probe tracking work well
• Vera’s auto-cook steps and natural-language recipes reduce guesswork, especially for newer cooks
• Included probe reads accurately

What could be better

• Temperature stabilization takes patience; add 10–15 minutes beyond “ready” for the best results
• Occasional wider swings in gusty conditions; wind shielding helps
• Searing needs a cast-iron assist to be great
• App can be battery-hungry during marathon cooks
• Parts of the AI feature set require a subscription
• I noticed slight warping of the drip tray after repeated high-heat cooks (performance unaffected so far)

Who it’s for

• Beginners and busy home cooks who want pellet convenience with smart guardrails
• Gas-grill converts who value consistent temps and push-button smoking
• Small patios or balconies where a 450 sq. in. cooker is the right size
• Tinkerers who like trying new cuts and techniques with AI guidance

Who should look elsewhere:
- High-heat sear purists who want steakhouse crust without accessories
- Large-party hosts who routinely cook for a crowd
- Anyone who categorically dislikes subscriptions tied to cooking features

Recommendation

I recommend the Zelos-450 for most home cooks who want dependable pellet performance with helpful, not gimmicky, smarts. The build is solid, the controller holds temps well once you let it stabilize, and the app and Vera features genuinely streamline planning and execution. You’ll get better searing with a cast-iron assist and you may grumble at the AI paywall, but the core cooking experience is satisfying and repeatable. If a mid-size, well-mannered pellet grill that makes barbecue easier—and a little smarter—sounds right, the Zelos-450 is an easy pick.