The Grilla Silverbac is a wood-fired pellet grill that stands out in a crowded market. The 1.0 version of the Silverbac AT was our top pick in our 2023 Best Pellet Grills under $1199 roundup, and we've had our eyes on all things Grilla ever since.

Grilla Grills released their 2.0 models of the Silverbac, including an XL version, in 2025. In this article we'll walk you through our experiences with each model. 

grilla Silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill

Silverbac 2.0

grilla Silverbac 2.0 XL wood pellet grill built into the Grilla outdoor kitchen

Silverbac 2.0 XL Built-in

grilla Silverbac AT wood pellet grill

Silverbac AT 1.0

What are the differences between the Silverbac 1.0 and Silverbac 2.0?

There are four major differences between the original and new models of the Silverbac wood pellet grills from Grilla Grills. 

Cooking Chamber Shape

In the original Silverbac, the cooking chamber is almost completely circular, whereas in the 2.0 it's more oval.

The cooking chamber of the Silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill is more oval

Wider Base

Secondly, the base of the 2.0 pellet grill is wider. I have had my 1.0 tip over when I was moving it, so I appreciate the wider wheel base on this 2.0 design. It's more stable and better on the really windy days we get here in Central Indiana.

The base of the silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill cart is wider

Pellet Hopper

Third, the size of the pellet hopper has increased. Version 1 could hold 1 bag or 20lbs of pellets, while the new Silverbac 2.0 can hold 33 pounds of pellets. That's a huge difference in fuel capacity, making it one of the largest hoppers on any wood pellet grill of comparable size on the market.

Silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill has over 50% more hopper capacity for backyard smoking

New Controller

Lastly, the 2.0 has a new updated controller. If you've been watching the new releases from Grilla Grills, you've probably seen this controller in their Mammoth vertical smoker or in their Pie-ro pellet powered pizza oven. With the new controller comes 2 meat probes in the box.

Silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill digital controller

Compare the Silverbac Models

Silverbac 2.0 Specs

Feature

Measurement

Dimensions

H51 xW48 xD22

Weight

163lbs

Cooking Space

507 sq in (main), 185 sq in (upper), 692 square inches (total)

Grill Temperature Range

180-500°F

Cooking Grates

ÂĽ-inch stainless steel rod

Pellet Hopper Capacity

33 lbs

Probe Ports

2 ports, 2 meat probes included

Warranty

4 years

Price before discount code

$1133.99

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Silverbac 2.0 XL Specs

Feature

Measurement

Dimensions

H56.7 xW55.5 xD24

Weight

242lbs

Cooking Space

32.75" x 21.3" (main), 33.8" x 17.5" (second), 33.8" x 10.5" (warming), Total 1,644 sq in

Grill Temperature Range

180-500°F

Cooking Grates

ÂĽ-inch stainless steel rod

Pellet Hopper Capacity

33 lbs

Probe Ports

2 ports, 2 meat probes included

Warranty

4 years

Price before discount code

$1,889.99

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Silverbac 1.0 AT Specs

Feature

Measurement

Dimensions

H53 xW47 xD30

Weight

195lbs

Cooking Space

507 square inches (main), 185 square inches (upper), 692 square inches (total)

Grill Temperature Range

180-500°F

Cooking Grates

ÂĽ-inch stainless steel rod

Pellet Hopper Capacity

20 lbs

Probe Ports

1 port, 1 meat probe included

Warranty

4 years

Price before discounts

$1379.98

Check Price on Silverbac 1.0 AT

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What Cart Options Are Available For the Silverbac?

No matter which model of Silverbac you're looking at, all are available with a traditional cart, an all-terrain cart, or built-in to the Grilla outdoor kitchen. 

Each cart option serves a different purpose and we've experienced all 3. We loved the AT cart on our original Silverbac because it made moving the pellet grill in and out of the garage and through the grass a breeze. If you tend to move your wood pellet grill around a lot, the AT cart would probably be worth the extra expense for you.

Otherwise, the basic cabinet cart is great for those who tend to keep their pellet grill in one place on their deck or patio.

However, if you're ready to get serious about your backyard setup, Grilla offers modular outdoor kitchen pieces that are very economical, including a built-in cabinet for the Silverbac wood pellet grill.

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Cooking on the Grilla Grills Silverbac

People ask me all the time if a certain cooker is a pellet smoker or a pellet grill or both. I want to show you how the Grilla Grills Silverbac is a “both” wood pellet grill.

Backyard Smoking Test: Cooking Low and Slow

Low and slow cooking is usually associated with pork butt or a rack of ribs, so we’re talking about smoking meat here.

We smoked a pair of chuck roasts by setting the pellet grill to 250° and selecting the Pro mode on the controller for more smoke. After 6 hours, we transferred the roasts to an aluminum pan with beef broth, stuck the 2 meat probes in, and covered the pan with foil before returning it to the smoker. 4 more hours passed before our roasts reached my target temp of 206° and we had delicious pulled beef for dinner.

chuck roasts smoked and braised in the Silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill

When it comes to pork back ribs, we ran these at 225° for 3 hours and then wrapped them in foil with a competition wrap recipe. The total cook time was 5 hours, and the meat was smokey and juicy, exactly what I’m looking for in wood pellet grill ribs.

backyard smoking baby back ribs on the silverbac wood pellet grill

Hot and Fast Test

It’s not just low-heat cooking where the Grilla Grills Silverbac shines. Hot and fast cooking is setting the pellet grill temperature to around 450 degrees and still cooking indirectly. This convection style cooking is where the heat comes from around the meat rather than underneath, and we ran a batch of chicken wings for our test.

convection style cooking chicken wings on the Silverbac 2.0 wood pellet grill

We seasoned half of our wings with our Feathered Formula and the other half with our Essential Equation seasonings. They cooked at 450° on the smoker for right around a half hour, and our wings were nice and crispy and perfectly cooked.

Grilling Test

Direct high heat cooking isn’t something that this pellet grill can do, since there’s not a sear station or a hatch that you can open to gain access to the flame while cooking. What this doesn’t mean is that it’s not a grill though. We've made grilled hamburgers, chicken, and even grilled a steak to prove that this cooker can grill as well as smoke, and here’s how it went.

grilled breasts on the Silverbac wood pellet grill grates

We picked up some 80/20 ground beef at the supermarket and made 1/3 pound patties. We dropped in a GrillGrates Sear Station (save 10% with discount code: BBQLAB10) on half the grilling surface and tested to see which put on the best grill marks. The high setting on the Grilla Grills Silverbac is 500°, so we set it to high and let it warm up for a half hour before putting the burgers on.

grilled hamburgers on the Silverbac wood pellet grill grates

After 3 minutes on the first side, we flipped the burgers and found that the GrillGrates panels put on wider sear marks than the factory grates did, but the Grilla grates still performed better than the other 8 pellet grills that we tested head-to-head.

The Grilla Grill is one of the few wood pellet grills that can grill a whole main grate of burgers without having a sear station. That really makes it stand apart from the others in the space.

steak grilled on the Silverbac wood pellet grill

While "searing" a steak on the Silverbac is not what it's meant to do, we were pleasantly surprised to be able to achieve any amount of sear marks on this steak.

Grilla Grills Silverbac Features

Quality Build

Looking at the quality of the build, the Grilla Grills Silverbac has a couple of standout features.

First are the stainless steel components, which are rare in this price range. There’s a stainless steel lid with double wall insulation, and many stainless steel internal components. The burn pot, diverter panel and drip tray are all stainless steel as well, and it speaks to how Grilla didn’t cut corners to meet a big box retailer’s price point like so many other brands.

stainless steel burn pot in the Silverbac wood pellet grill

When I’m looking at wood pellet grills, I want the grates, igniter rod, and drip pan to all withstand the test of time and weather, and this grill seems up to the challenge so far.

The metal that isn’t stainless steel is powder coated, which is common in pellet grills, but what I like about the Silverbac is that the main parts that usually wear out are stainless.

Without completely taking the pellet grill apart, I can’t see what the auger tube and other internals are made of, but what I can see shows me that this grill stands out from the rest in build quality.

Grilla Grills App

When it comes to a mobile app that controls a pellet grill, I’ve used them all. Many are functional but visually underwhelming. This simply isn’t the case for the Grilla Grills app. It’s visually clean and crisp, looking like the design was one of the first points of consideration.

I’ve used the app to control and monitor the grill remotely while I was away from the house, and it’s incredibly responsive. I can change the temperature, go between Pro and PID modes on the controller, monitor my meat probe temperatures, and more.

It’s all the control I need for a wood pellet grill that I’m using while I’m at the kids’ games or for a quick run to the store.

Pause Feature

One thing I've really come to appreciate about all of the Silverbac models is the pause feature. Typically, when working with wood pellet grills, you have to work quickly when opening the lid to avoid the controller sending too many pellets down the auger, driving up the temperature. Grilla Grills has added a pause feature that you can engage before opening the grill lid that lets the controller know to take a break from feeding pellets while you're working with the open pellet grill. You can unpause manually once you close the lid, or it does automatically turn off on its own after 5 minutes.

Safety Features

There is a high-temperature shut-off and a low-temperature shut-off built into the Silverbac controller. If the pellet grill hits 615°, it will initiate a shutdown of the grill to protect it against overheating. If the grill hits 150 for an extended period of time, it will also shut down since it’s either out of fuel or there’s another issue causing such low internal temperatures.

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Cleaning and Maintenance of the Grilla Grills Silverbac

When it comes time to clean the Grilla Grills Silverbac, there’s not that much to it. Other than cleaning the grates each time you finish cooking and wiping down the exterior with a damp cloth, it’s just the deep clean that you need to worry about.

Every 3-4 cooks, I take out the grill grate, drip pan, and heat deflector and assess the cleanliness of the inside of the pellet grill. There’s likely to be an abundance of wood pellet ash due to the convection style cooking, and I attack that with a vacuum cleaner. I make sure to sweep all of the internal components, leaving the pellet cup and bottom of the grill clean for my next 3-4 cooks.

The pellet grill also has a pellet dump feature on the hopper, which allows you to change the type of pellet that’s in the grill. If you decided to run Hickory wood pellets for a brisket and want to change to Apple pellets for some chicken, that’s where the pellet dump comes in handy to change out wood pellets.

Grilla Grills Warranty

There’s a 4 year warranty on the Grills Grills Silverbac, and that’s a great warranty as far as pellet grills go. You have a hard time finding a wood pellet grill with a longer warranty. They do exist, but this is quite the extended coverage for a pellet grill.

Our Grilla Grills Silverbac Review

It’s hard to find things that I don’t like about the Grilla Grills Silverback. The usual corners that are cut to hit the price point of a big box store aren’t found in the Silverbac. With double wall insulation and stainless steel throughout, this is a high quality wood pellet grill at an affordable price point.

We found the overall quality and performance to be superior when compared with many of the other pellet smokers we have tested, and can whole-heartedly recommend this grill.

Grilla Grills quality doesn’t stop with the Silverbac. Be sure to also check out the Grilla Grills Primate gas grill and griddle combo as well as the Grilla Grills Kong kamado and the Chimp portable pellet grill.

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