Pit Boss Wood Pellet Grills to Make Your Grilling Experience Better
Summer is just right around the corner and all we can think of is BBQ food. Wood pellet grills can give amazing flavor to any food, from meats to vegetables. In this guide, we’ll be specifically focusing on Pit Boss, because they have some of the best wood pellet grills on the market.
Even if you are not a big fan of Pit Boss, we’ll tell you what to look for in wood pellet grills so that you can make an informed decision on what you want for your backyard.
Top 3 Picks
PIT BOSS SPORTSMAN PORTABLE WOOD PELLET GRILL
We love the Pit Boss SPORTSMAN PORTABLE grill because you can take it anywhere and enjoy wood flavored food. It also helps that it comes with a free cover as well.
PIT BOSS MAHOGANY SERIES 820D3 WOOD PELLET GRILL
We love the color on this wood pellet grill, and it has a large cooking space. It also has a decent sized hopper capacity.
PIT BOSS SPORTSMAN 1100 WOOD PELLET GRILL
The SPORTSMAN 1100 made our list because while it has 529 inches to cook on, we love the fact it comes with a built-in spice rack and bottle opener.
About Pit Boss
Pit Boss is a well-known company that makes high-quality grills and smokers for an affordable price. They are a subsidiary of Dansons Inc. and the company was founded in 1999 by Dan Thiessen. The actual company is based out of Alberta, Canada. Pit Boss is more widely known for their wood pellet grills that are high quality, durable and you get more for your money aka size. You can find Pit Boss wood pellet grills online and in stores.
What is a pellet grill?
Pellet grills are a bit different than a regular grill. It’s a combination of being a smoker, charcoal, gas grills and ovens. They always use 100% hardwood pellets as their fuel so that it can provide either direct or indirect heat.
How do pellet grills work?
Basically, wood pellets are dumped into a container called a hopper. The pellets then go into a cooking chamber that is powered by electricity. They then combust, ignite and the grill is now getting warm. The intake fans take in the air for ventilation. From there, the heat and smoke circulate finally infusing themselves in the food/cooking area.
A lot of brands, such as Pit Boss, include meat probes with pellet grills so that you can check your food temperatures as needed.
How are pellets made?
You will definitely want to use wood pellets, that’s safe to use on food. Preferably you’ll want to use 100% all hardwood that’s dry and looks like sawdust. Wood pellets are known to be very easy to use. They produce less than 1% of ash, so that means if you have 50lbs of pellets, it’ll only be ¾ cup of ash so cleaning up will be so easy to do. It also helps that they provide that amazing wood flavor onto your food and fill the aroma with air that everyone wants to smell.
What to look for in pellet grills
While we are just talking about Pit Boss, you should still keep the following considerations in mind:
Size
It really depends how big of a pellet grill that you need. Whether you need 500 or 1000+ square inches, you’ll need to decide which one will fit your needs.
Hopper Capacity
A pellet grill is almost like a smoker, so the bigger the capacity, the longer it can run since it uses pellets as fuel.
Types of Pellets
It’s absolutely crucial that you look for cooking pellets, not heating pellets. You may think they’re the same thing, but really, they’re not. The heating pellets have components that’s dangerous to consume or even inhaled. So, when you get a wood pellet grill, make sure you get cooking pellets, as they’re for food use and 100% safe to use.
Electricity
While pellet smokers depend on combustion pellets of hardwood, they are driven. It ensures that they have to be plugged into a normal socket for the controller, supporters and auger to operate properly, ensuring that you plan to keep theirs close to a source of electricity. For a cooker without direct access to an outlet on a deck or other setting, some models can operate with a high-amp extension cable. Bear in mind that this is a very model-specific capability and that each brand has different requirements.
Cold Weather
Besides the myth that pellets don’t work in cold weather, they can actually function. The newer pellet grills don’t have as much trouble maintaining the temperatures when it’s cold out, but you will be going through more pellets as the cold air will force the pellets to burn faster to hold the heat in the grill. If you do in fact live in a cold climate, it’s advised to get an insulated blanket for your grill (that’s made for grills/smokers) so that your pellet grill doesn’t have to feed as many pellets.
Buying Pellets
It is highly recommended that you use the pellets from that manufacturer. Otherwise, you will run into issues with your pellet grill and the manufacturer may not honor the warranty if you’ve decided to go with another manufacturer’s pellets.
7 Best Pit Boss Wood Pellet Grills
All of the NON-PORTABLE Pit Boss Wood Pellet Grills have the same features, with each one having a couple extra as their own. The following features are:
- 8 in 1: Grill, bake, roast, sear, braise, barbecue, char-grill, smoke
- 180°F to 500°F temperature range
- Premium gauge steel construction
- Fan forced convection cooking
- 2-in-1 removable stainless steel side shelf and serving tray
- Slide plate flame broiler for direct and indirect heat
- Porcelain-coated cooking grates
- Grease management system
- Solid bottom shelf
- Two in-line style wheels
PIT BOSS SPORTSMAN PORTABLE WOOD PELLET GRILL
We’re starting off with something portable because it would be nice to move the grill around as needed. The Pit Boss Sportsman boasts more than 380 square inches for cast iron cooking, you can cook everything from whole turkeys to small meals for a couple. It has a lightweight design, a latching hood and a cool-down function. There’s even a grease management system so that’s a nice bonus to have. The foldable legs make sure that this Pit Boss is ready to travel. It has great temperature range, and it has digital controls, automatic start up and cool down function. You can expect a max of 500-degree F. Whether you go tailgating or just want to have a cookoff against your friends, this grill won’t disappoint you.
Pros:
- Portable
- Lightweight
- Grease Management System
Cons:
- Not suitable for large crowds
PIT BOSS PORTABLE WOOD PELLET GRILL
Here is a versatile grill if you are looking for one, the Pit Boss grill can do 8 things. Not only can it grill, but it can also bake, smoke, char-grill, braise, roast and sear. It has 387 square inches for you to cook on and it features a 19lb hopper capacity for the wood pellets. It’s also very portable so if you want to bring it to camp, and have some good BBQ, this is the grill. The grill is made out of high-quality material (high-temperature powder finish) and has a locking lid so it can keep the heat in. There is a dial in the digital control board with LED readout so you can easily see the temperatures. For searing, there is an open flame searing up to 1000 degrees, making it so perfect for steaks. All in all, it’s the perfect portable grill that can do all that is worth having.
Pros:
- Portable
- Versatile
- Durable
Cons:
- LED screen hard to see in direct sun
PIT BOSS PB440 DELUXE WOOD PELLET GRILL – MAHOGANY
If you are looking for something more versatile, you’ll be happy to know that this Pit Boss grill is just that. It is huge, boasting 519 square inches to cook on, so you do not have to worry about running out of space. What’s great about this grill, that you can also sear, smoke, and broil, which is why we said it was very versatile. It features a 5lb hopper capacity so you can put some pellets in.
It also has collapsible legs with a rolling rack. One of the coolest features of this grill is that it has an innovative flame broiler that allows direct flame cooking (yes, you can think of steaks). For searing, there is an open flame searing up to 1000 degrees, making it so perfect for steaks. The temperature range on this grill is 180-500 degrees F and it’s very easy to clean. There’s even a stainless-steel bottle opener to open your drinks while you are grilling. It’s a great grill to have if you want more than just grilling.
Pros:
- Versatile
- Large Cooking space
- Durable
Cons:
- legs sometimes don’t lock
PIT BOSS SPORTSMAN 1100 WOOD PELLET GRILL
If you are wanting a grill that provides real wood flavor to your grill, the Pit Boss Sportsman 1100 will do just that. Made out of high-quality material, it is guaranteed to last for years. It’s massive as it has 1,121 square inches to cook on. There are also two meat probes and it also has that famous 8 in 1 versatility feature that comes with the Pit Boss pellet grills.
The temperature range that you can expect from this grill is 180-500 degrees F. For searing, there is an open flame searing up to 1000 degrees, making it so perfect for searing. There is a 30-pound hopper capacity. It has two caster wheels that’s easy to lock so that you can move the grill anywhere that you need it to. There’s also a digital control system with a LED output so that you can read the temperature easily. Overall, it’s a great grill if you want to entertain a large crowd in the comforts of your own home.
Pros:
- Large
- Versatile
- Durable
Cons:
- Uneven heat distribution
PIT BOSS NAVIGATOR 1150 WOOD PELLET GRILL
Like most of the grills we have rounded up here, the Navigator 1150 has many of the same features, like the 8 in 1, temp range, and the stainless-steel meat probes. What makes this grill different is the cooking space, which is 1158 square inches, so large enough to cook many meats and vegetables. For searing, there is an open flame searing up to 1000 degrees, making it so perfect for steaks.
There’s also a large pellet view window, 32lb hopper capacity and pellet door cleanout. Like most of the grills on here, it also has the tool hooks, locking inline wheels. With this model, there’s a side shelf so that you can put your tools down. It’s a great grill if you want a large pellet grill that’s run on 100% hardwood (pellets) in your backyard.
Pros:
- Pellet view door
- 32lb hopper capacity
- Large cooking space
Cons:
- Can be hard to control temperatures at times according to users
PIT BOSS SPORTSMAN 500 WOOD PELLET GRILL
Here we have another Sportsman but it’s Sportsman 500 by Pit Boss. It has many of the same features of the standard Pit Boss grills, including being very versatile (the 8 in 1), temp range, meat probes, tool hooks, inline style locking wheels and more. What makes this one stand out is a few things. The cooking space is 542 square inches, which is a decent size. There’s also a 15-pound hopper capacity. For searing, there is an open flame searing up to 1000 degrees, making it so perfect for steaks. There’s also a built in spice rack and bottle opener that’s unique with the SPORTSMAN grills. It always helps to have that removable tray shelf so that you can put BBQ tools.
Pros:
- Built in spice rack and bottle opener
- Durable
- Large cooking space
Cons:
- Sometimes has a hard time keeping consistent temperatures
PIT BOSS MAHOGANY SERIES 820D3 WOOD PELLET GRILL
Finally, we have this beautiful Mahogany SERIES Pit Boss grill that had to make this list. It has many of the same features of all Pit Boss pellet grills, such as the 8 in 1, meat probes, tool hooks, inline style locking wheels and more. What sets this grill apart is of course the color and the large cooking space of 849 square inches and a 21lb hopper capacity For searing, there is an open flame searing up to 1000 degrees, making it so perfect for steaks. Also, it has a temperature regulating smoke shack, a shelf with BBQ hooks. This grill is made out of stainless steel construction. It’s a great grill that will look pretty in your backyard.
Pros:
- Stylish
- Temperature regulating smoke shack
- Durable
Cons:
- None
Bottom Line
We hope that you enjoyed reading this guide about Pit Boss wood pellet grills. They’re great to have, they provide BBQ flavors that make food taste good, and all the wood pellet grills have the same features except for certain models that have different cooking spaces, hopper capacity and a couple of features that’s unique to that model. If you have found that we have helped you decide which Pit Boss pellet grill you liked if you want, you can let us know in the comments.