Pit Boss vs Z Grills: The Best Budget Pellet Smokers Go Head-to-Head

Pit Boss and Z Grills have a reputation for producing some of the best value-for-money pellet grills on the market.

We’ve reviewed many grills from both brands over the years, and one knock we’ve always had is that they lacked WiFi features you find on other brands like Traeger.

Both brands have recently added WiFi capability to their most popular pellet smokers, so I knew it was time to put them head-to-head.

Pit Boss vs Z Grills

I picked one of the most popular, full-sized grills from each company to test. I’ve compared everything from assembly to build quality to smoking performance. You can watch the comparison video or keep reading for the results.

If you want more of a detailed review of each brand and the different grills they offer, check out our recommendations for the best pellet grills from Pit Boss and the best Z Grills review.

For Pit Boss, I decided to go with the Sportsman 1100, while for Z Grills, I went with their flagship 700D4E. For a more direct size comparison, we could have gone with the Sportsman 820, but since that is quite a bit cheaper than the Z Grills, we went with the larger option.

Let’s start by breaking down the key differences between the Pit Boss and Z Grills Wi-Fi-capable pellet grills.

	Pit Boss Sportsman 1100	Z Grills 700D4E
Dimensions	64.2 L x 32.3 W x 52.4 H	48 L × 22 W × 51 H
Hopper capacity	30 lbs	28 lbs
Cooking surface area (sq in)	1121 square inches (711 main, 410 top rack + 489 jerky rack)	697 square inches (504 main, 193 top rack)
Direct flame	Yes	No
Meat probes	2 (1 included)	2 (2 included)
Temperature range	180°F – 500°F (25° increments)	160°F – 450°F (5° increments)
WiFi	Yes	Yes
Control	Digital controller connects to Pit Boss Grills app	Digital controller connects to Z Grills app
Storage	Side, folding front, and bottom shelves included	Enclosed storage cabinet. Folding shelf sold separately.
Pellet purge system	Yes	Yes
Warranty	5 years	3 years
Price	Check latest price	Check latest price

At the time of writing, the Pit Boss was only a little more expensive, but it offers nearly 1000 square inches more cooking space (when you include the jerky rack), more storage, and the direct flame grilling option.

And, like we mentioned, if you don’t need all that space, the Sportsman 820 comes in quite a bit under the Z Grills.

Pit Boss vs Z Grills tested and compared

I understand that what’s important to me might not be what’s important to you, so I’ve compared each pit across a range of areas, so you can make up your own mind.

Assembly

Don’t get nervous when you see how small the Z Grills box is They just package it so well! The actual assembly for both pits was similar time-wise, but there are more pieces to put together on the Z Grills. 

Mounting the Z Grills’s pellet assembly to the chamber was the toughest part. Getting the legs up through the chamber and fitting the bottom shelf was the toughest part of assembling the Pit Boss.

Assembling either grill with a friend makes life much easier. 

Build quality

The Sportsman is 50 lbs heavier than the Z Grills. A good chunk of that will be due to the larger footprint, but you can definitely feel a difference in the build quality.

The Z Grills smoker includes a stainless steel lid, which saves quite a bit of weight. Less weight also means it’s easier to move around.

The Pit Boss grill is also quite a bit longer and wider than its counterpart, which is noticeable when you compare the total cooking space.

Cooking grates and configuration

The Z Grills 700D4E has a total cooking area of 697 square inches. We have 504 square inches on the main bottom grate and 193 on the top warming rack.

That can’t quite compete with Pit Boss’s 1610 square inches of total cooking space. That’s 711 square inches on the main grate, 410 on the top, and 489 on the included jerky rack.

Now to be fair, you don’t have much room between each rack with that jerky rack inserted. I did find it came in handy when smoking several racks of ribs.

I imagine most of the time you’ll leave it out, though, so, in reality, you have about 1100 square inches of cooking space on this pit. That’s still a lot more than Z Grills, though!

Pellet hopper

Hopper size is really important to me. The Z Grills 700D4E has a 28-lb pellet hopper with no low pellet sensor or window, so you must open the lid to check where you’re at. I’d still comfortably do an overnight cook with a hopper this size. While it has a pellet dump feature, I find that I usually need to help the pellets out of the hopper with my hand.

The Sportsman 1100 has a slightly larger 30lb hopper with a small viewing window to help you monitor your pellet level. Its pellet dump feature also flows much better.

Controller

Both grills have Wi-Fi PID controllers, but I think Z Grills’s controller is a tad better. While the app seems generic, it’s pretty responsive. With Z Grills, you can increase the temperature in 5-degree increments, compared to 25 degrees with Pit Boss.

The bigger bummer on the Sportsman controller is that the app doesn’t include the 275°F cooking temperature (one of my favorite smoking temps). Another factor I don’t love about the app is that a few more steps are required for simple things like signing in and adjusting the temperature.

Z Grills has two probe ports and sends you two meat probes. Pit Boss has two probe port but only sends you one $12.99 probe. When you’re dropping this much cash on a pellet grill, you’d think they could at least include two meat probes for the two probe ports.

Storage and wheels

The Pit Boss pellet grill has a side shelf with tool hooks and a built-in removable tray for carrying food around or bringing prep products to the grill. My cutting boards would never fit on this, so it’s personally not a big deal that it’s removable.

But I see the appeal, especially when it comes to cleaning. I actually wish I could turn it upside down so the shelf was flat. 

The Pit Boss also has a sturdy folding front shelf and a bottom shelf that’s great for holding pellets. Add a built-in bottle opener and a spice rack, and you have the ultimate grilling set-up.

On its feet are two locking and rotating caster wheels and two wagon wheels. I’d prefer all locking caster wheels, as I’m not a big fan of wagon wheels. But the side handle helps move the heavy load around.

Now, the Z Grills 700D4E only has an enclosed storage cabinet. There’s no front shelf, side shelf, or even tool hooks. Smoking isn’t very convenient when the hopper lid is the only spot to place your spatula. Just think about all that grease you have to clean up later!

The saving grace is the four rotating caster wheels (two with locks), making moving around much easier.

Smoking and grilling performance

Believe it or not, I didn’t see a dramatic difference between the smoking performance of these two pellet grills. They both gave me fantastic results.

One of the first things I like to test is how well they smoke ribs. This is mainly because I know many people who are buying their first grill are excited about smoking some bones. I wrapped my ribs on the Pit Boss and left them unwrapped on the Z Grills, and they turned out exactly as I expected. 

The next test was pork butt, and I admit the Pit Boss came through with a darker bark.

My most memorable cook on the Z Grills was some chicken halves. The juiciness and smoky flavor were perfect!

Now, both pits were capable of grilling, but with the Pit Boss’s Sear Zone you can get some direct flame. Pull a lever and you open up the direct flame from the fire pot. You can sear up to 1000°F to kiss your meat with some flame.

I was very pleased with the char marks on some brats I grilled on the Pit Boss, even without using the Flame Broiler Lever. The sear marks on the Z Grills were still pretty good, too.

Cleaning

Unfortunately, neither wood pellet grill includes ash cleanout systems. They both use a simple grease management system consisting of a side hanging bucket. Pit Boss sells foil liners for easy clean-up, and Z Grills recommends lining the bucket with aluminum foil.

Here’s our handy guide to cleaning a pellet grill in three steps. Essentially, you need to remove all the cooking components every three to four cooks. Scrape them down and vacuum out the chamber before reassembling.

Thanks to the Sear Zone, the Pit Boss has just a couple more components, but they’re easy to remove and replace.

Brand history

Pit Boss

Established in Alberta, Pit Boss was one of the first companies to compete with the one and only Traeger back in 1999. However, it positioned itself as a more affordable Traeger alternative with much success. 

The Smoked BBQ Source team has owned and tested eight different Pit Boss models. So, we’re very excited to try out the new updates on the Pit Boss Sportsman 1100 Grill with Wi-Fi. 

Z Grills

Z Grills originally manufactured pellet grills for several top brands, including Traeger. It launched as an independent company in 2017 and quickly became one of the most respected brands in the industry.

How could they not when you’re getting Traeger quality at factory-direct pricing? Today, we’re focusing on Z Grills Flagship 700D4E with Wi-Fi. 

Alternative brands to consider

There are many brands making decent pellet smokers in the sub $1,000 budget range. Check out our best pellet smokers guide for our full list; otherwise, here are a few quick recommendations.

If you can stretch your budget a little further, the new Weber Searwood offers better high-heat grilling, more features in the app and controller, including adjustable smoke levels, and the option to kit the grill out a lot more with accessories, including a griddle and a rotisserie add on.

At a more comparable price range, you have the Camp Chef DLX 24 WiFi. It’s very similar but includes an excellent ash cleanout system, adjustable smoke control, and several additional accessories.

Finally, you could go for the Traeger Pro 575. It’s a similar price and has a much better App, but you get less cooking space and not a lot of other bells or whistles. Check out our detailed comparison for more info.

So which brand should you buy?

Now that you have all the details, I’d say these are both decent entry-level pellet grills. I love the larger grilling space, built-in accessories, and prep and storage you get with the Pit Boss Sportsman 1100, while I prefer the app and movability on the Z Grills.

To summarize, here is everything I liked and disliked about each smoker.

Pit Boss Sportsman 1100

What I liked

• Cooking space: Obviously, the number one thing we like is the large cooking area. If you want to feed a crowd regularly, this is the pellet grill for you.
• The hopper: From its capacity to its viewing window and easy dump feature, there’s nothing not to like about the Sportsman’s hopper.
• Built-in accessories and shelving: You get a side, folding front, and bottom shelf, plus tool hooks, a bottle opener, and a spice rack.
• Direct flame option: Pulling the Flame Broiler Lever gives you easy access to a direct flame for optimal searing.

What I didn’t like

• Movability: With only two rotating and locking caster wheels, plus the added weight, this pellet grill isn’t the easiest to move around.
• Only one probe included: I don’t know why Pit Boss gives you two probe ports, but only includes one probe!

Z Grills 700D4E

What I liked

• Movability: The Z Grills pellet grill is much easier to move around.
• Digital connectivity: I definitely prefer this app and the fact that you can increase the temperature by 5-degree increments.
• Temperature control: The double-wall insulation seals in heat and helps maintain the temperature, making this one of the steadiest pellet grills I’ve used.
• Smoking performance: Every type of meat I smoked on the Z Grills 700D4E turned out great.

What I Didn’t like

• Lack of storage: While I like the enclosed storage cabinet, I don’t like that the only spot to place your tools is on the hopper lid.
• Pellet dump feature: You’ve really got to help the pellets move along with this particular dump feature.