The 5 Best Pit Boss Pellet Grills of 2024
Our team has cooked on and reviewed eight different
The best
Understanding the different models and options can be confusing, as
Best Pit Boss Pellet Smokers
1. Our Top Pick – Pit Boss Sportsman 820
See our full Pit Boss Sportsman 820 review.
The best
At this price, we would expect
You also get a folding front shelf and steel side shelf included. There’s even a slide and sear system for direct grilling, although the sear zone is small.
The only thing you’re missing out on is WiFi. There’s no app connection, but you do get a single probe included to measure your temps via the digital controller.
- Great size for the price
- Porcelain-coated cast iron grates perform well
- Includes front and side shelves
- No WiFi
- Small searing zone
2. Upgrade Pick – Pit Boss Pro 1600 Elite
Read our full Pit Boss Pro 1600 Elite review.
Our favorite
If you want a big smoker that can do a lot of things really well, the Pro Elite is a great choice. This is one of the only smokers we’ve tested that gives you three levels of cooking grates for a combined 1597 square inches of cooking space.
This makes it excellent for catering to large crowds, as you can really load it up with racks of ribs or wings.
You also get
I still prefer the option to burn a few chunks of hardwood or lump charcoal using the firebox system the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro utilizes, but a variable smoke control is much better than nothing.
- Variable smoke technology
- Large cooking surface
- Storage
- Front rack hanger
- App experience
3. Best Large – Pit Boss Lockhart Platinum Series
Read our full review.
Pit Boss offers more large grills for the price than any other manufacturer.
The Lockhart is a really unique grill design that gives you a whopping 2,136 square inches of grate space, and comes in quite a bit cheaper than the Pro 1600 Elite we recommend above.
You’ve basically got a regular pellet grill with a two-door cabinet stuck on top. Build quality feels good for a grill at this price, and you get some nice features like a built-in light that is usually only found on more expensive grills.
You can sear on the lower part of the grill using
We did notice an issue where pellets didn’t smoothly slide down when they were running low but so long as you remember to top the hopper up it wasn’t a problem.
This grill does come with a WiFi connection, so you can use the
- Huge cooking space
- Solid construction
- Built-in grill light
- App usability
- Hopper design
4. Best Vertical – Pit Boss Copperhead 5-Series
Read our full review.
The vertical smoker design should be far more popular than it is. Using vertically stacked grill grates allows you to fit way more food into a small footprint. And because the racks are adjustable, you can choose different heights to maximize space so if you are smoking ribs or turkey, you can fit your food in.
Pit Boss also does a Sportsman vertical series, but for our money, the Copperhead is the best buy.
You get 1,659 square inches of porcelain-coated cooking racks, which is crazy for a smoker that fits into a 28.8″ footprint.
- Large Capacity
- Adjustable Racks
- Prime Button
- Water Pan Capacity
5. Best Budget – Pit Boss 700FB Wood Pellet Grill
Read our full review.
The 700FB was one of
Like its name suggests the
This grill does have plenty of options for cooking hot though. It’s able to hit 600°F and you’ve also got the flame broiler system where you use a slide-plate to get direct flame grilling.
You get a standard digital controller (Not a PID controller) so the temperature will fluctuate a little more.
We would recommend upgrading to the Sportsman 820, but if you want to save money the 700FB is still good value.
- Searing Zone
- Budget Price
- Large Cooking Area
- Non PID Controller
- Second Rack Position
Compared to other brands
Pit Boss VS Traeger
Pit Boss is generally quite a bit cheaper than Traeger. Once you get past the Traeger Pro series, there’s no comparable competition. The higher-end Traeger Ironwood and Timberline go for $1800 and $3000, and
At the entry-level point,
Pit Boss also offer more variety, with their selection of vertical pellet grills.
We have a whole guide comparing Pit Boss vs Traeger for a more detailed comparison.
Pit Boss VS Camp Chef
Camp Chef has been moving more up-market recently, with the Woodwind increasing in price and the launch of the Woodwind Pro.
The DLX WiFi would be the closest competition to
The digital controllers on Camp Chef are better than
Pit Boss lineup and availability
As we mentioned in the intro,
- Lexington, Austin, Tailgater, Laredo – Available at Walmart
- Pro Series – Available at Lowes
- Pit Boss Titan – Academy Sports
- Navigator –
Pit Boss & Retailers - Sportsman –
Pit Boss & Retailers - FB –
Pit Boss & Retailers - Mahogany Series –
Pit Boss & Retailers
In 2024,
It’s an interesting move from
Pit Boss & Louisiana Grills
Pit Boss and Louisana Grills are both owned by the same parent company Dansons. Dansons also owns Country Smokers and A-MAZE-N.
Dansons is now owned by W. C. Bradley, which also owns Char-Broil and Oklahoma Joe’s.
We have reviewed the Louisiana Grills Black Label 1000. In general Louisiana Grills are more premium than Pit Boss, with higher build quality and prices to match.