Another Budget Alternative Z Grills
If your primary reason for considering a Pit Boss is price, then you might want to give Z Grills a look.
These guys are very new to selling to consumers but theyve actually been building pellet grills for other companies for many years.
You can definitely see the resemblance when you look at the design. Everything is similar except for the high price tag.
The most popular model is the Z Grills 700E which was recently updated in 2019 to fix a few issues with the temperature controller.
Weve cooked a lot of food on the 700E and think its a fantastic pellet grill. It doesnt have quite as many features as a grill likes the Sportsman 820, but it does have a proper cabinet which is great for storage.
Pit Boss Platinum Laredo 1000 Wood Pellet Grill Review
We all know that all that standing is the most punishing part of the grilling experience.
But the Pit Boss Platinum Laredo 1000 Wood Pellet Grillhas you covered: with its digital control panel that can be accessed with the Pit Boss app, you can control it remotely while putting your feet up and avoiding unnecessary calorie burn.
Seriously though, this slick-looking, heavy-duty Pit Boss grill gives you everything you need for your outdoor cooking needs. With 1,006 square inches of cooking surface, a hopper capacity of 26 lbs, and even built-in grill lighting for nighttime cooks.
You can get the Pit Boss Platinum Laredo 1000 Wood Pellet Grill through Walmart, for a very reasonable $500.;
Pit Boss Pellet Grill Reviews
This post may contain affiliate links.
when I started on my research for the Pit Boss pellet grill reviews I soon found out that they offer more pellet grills than I expected to find.
Not only sells Pit Boss on their own website but they have several lines of pellet grills that are only available at Lowes. Walmart and even the Tractor Supply Company.
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How To Cook Brisket On A Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Many grills can cook almost any type you want, but nothing does it better than the Pit Boss grills.
Here we have a guide on how to cook with the;Pit Boss Pellet Grill Brisket Recipes.
Pit Boss produces the best pellet grills.
Cooking a brisket on a Pit Boss grill was fun and you are going to love the results that you see from grilling on it.
Pit Bosss grills are made with the best materials and are perfect for switching from one cooking style to another.
You can grill in the first hours and then smoke some meat the next.
With this guide, you get to make the meat the star of the meal and get the;perfect main dish;for your family and friends.
You do have to follow specific instructions to make the results better.
;So if you are planning to cook something for a lot of people on your Pit Boss, choose a large brisket and then follow the instructions below so you can make the best meal for your guests.
Pit Boss Rancher Xl Wood
If youre looking to feed a crowd, the Rancher XL has 1,004 square inches of cooking space. And the hopper holds up to 31 pounds of pellets, meaning it can cook up to 52 burgers at once.
Like most Pit Boss wood-pellet grills, the Rancher XL comes equipped with a sliding plate on the bottom that allows you to easily switch between smoking and open flame grilling. Although the temperature controls are not very precise, the grill can reach 500 degrees.
The amount of space the Rancher XL provides makes this low-cost grill excellent for a large party.
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Hopper Capacity & Run Time
As these are very small pellet grills they also come with pretty small hoppers. The Pit Boss 440D can hold only 5lbs and the Z Grills 6002E doesnt hold much more at 8lbs. If you check out my pellet usage article youll see that means for smoking/low-temperature cooking the hopper on the Pit Boss 440D should last for around 3 and half hours and the Z Grills 6002E should run for around 5 hours. However, when it comes to grilling you would need to pay close attention to these small hoppers.
While the Z Grills 6002E has the larger hopper at 8 lbs its not much bigger than the Pit Boss 440D at 5 lbs, both are very small hoppers: Image ZGrills.com
When grilling/searing on the maximum temperature setting you can be burning through around 3lbs per hour, potentially more in winter/cold weather. Hence, the Pit Boss 440D when grilling may last less than 2 hours and the Z Grills 6002E will probably run out after around 3 hours of grilling. Hence, on these small pellet grills, you frequently need to check the level of BBQ wood pellets in the hopper. However, dont be tempted to leave the lid open so you can see the level of pellets. If rain gets into the hopper youre going to regret that decision, as it may end up causing an .
What Is The Best Wood Pellet Grill
Weve established why Traeger and Pit Boss are the most popular pellet grill brands. With features such as digital temperature control and LED Display, enjoying that tasty smoke flavor has never been so satisfying.
But which of these market-leading companies is the best pellet grill option? Pit Boss makes a wide range of quality grills and smokers and might be particularly appealing if you have a tight budget. Pit Boss has pellet grill models for any experience level, and even a larger grill comes at a more affordable price.
We love the Navigator Series, which includes many of their more popular models, but the
And with their 5-year warranty on most products, you will be purchasing peace of mind to go with that versatility.
Still, Traeger is our recommendation is you are serious about your meats. The price difference isnt that substantial, and Traegers quality and attention to detail are second to none. Traeger products are built for the serious grillmaster, and even features such as the Bluetooth connected app were superiorly designed.
Traeger Grills are popular pellet grills for a reason. If you are looking for a well-built pellet grill with all of the features you need to make life easier , then get a Traeger, and dont look back. Happy Grilling.
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Pit Boss Vs Traeger Wood Pellet Grill Head To Head
I always try and avoid coming out and saying one grill is definitely better than another.
Its very hard to compare grills fairly. For example, if one gill costs $500 and another costs $1000, is it fair to say that the $1000 grill is better?
Youve also got a situation where each brand is constantly updating its line-up and grill construction.
So a review you read might be talking about the 2016 Pit Boss which is no-longer sold.
So with that caveat in mind, here are some general differences between Traeger and Pit Boss that most people agree on.
- Pit Boss, in general, offers better value for money.
- Most people agree that older models of Traeger were better quality although the new 2019 Traeger Grills are much better
- Traeger grills used to be made in the USA but they have since moved to manufacture to China.
- Traeger could charge a premium when they were the only company selling pellet grills. Now that they have competition, but thanks to the large name recognition and market share they havent had to cut price as much as you might expect.
- In 2018 Pit Boss increased their warranty period to 5 years . Note that this isnt retroactive so if you bought the grill before then you still only have a 1-year warranty.
- Most Pit Boss grills utilize a slide and sear system to give you a small searing zone directly above the fire pot.
I suggest comparing grills in these 6 categories:
- Price
| Check latest price |
Pit Boss 700fb Pellet Grill Bundle With Cover Review
A beautifully made backyard grill is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but environmental wear and tear can really take its toll.
With the Pit Boss 700FB Wood Pellet Grill Bundle with Cover, you can give your grill the protection it deserves with a durable cover that will keep it in perfect condition no matter the season.
If that sounds like the tail wagging the dog, rest assured that the grill lives up to the cover. A perfect family-sized grill, the 700FB has 700 square inches of cooking space .
There is also a 500°F temperature capacity and sturdy, high-quality construction that makes it built to last.
There is currently a great deal available on this bundle at the Pit Boss website: regularly priced at $510,the 700FBhas now been marked down to $350.;
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Pit Boss Promotions & Discounts
This Pit Boss smoker review found several discounts. First and foremost, the Pit Boss 700FB is on sale for $350, giving you $160 in savings. It also comes with a free, high-quality, and durable cover that is made to fit the barbecue like a glove.
But Pit Boss has way more deals than that. In fact, they have a page dedicated to them all year round. Heres another grill-and-cover bundle: the huge Sportsman 1,100, on sale for $599 .
You can also check out sales like the:
- 6-Piece Cast Iron Starter Kit marked down to $75 for a 25% savings
- R-Series Wooden Pellet Grill for $299,down from $449
But this Pit Boss smoker reviews favorite discount is the Rosewood Bundle of five essential premium cooking tools, which is priced at $30 for a full $65 in savings.
On top of all that, this Pit Boss smoker review is happy to say that the brand offers a monthly payment option for almost all their products through the Affirm service, bringing down hundreds of dollars in upfront cost to double digits.
Pit Boss Pro Series Ii 850 Wood Pellet Grill Review
The Pit Boss Pro Series II 850 Wood Pellet Grillconnects with the Pit Boss phone app and works with wifi and Bluetooth so that you can control it from a distance.
Temperatures go from 180° to 500°F, but it also allows for searing as hot as 1,000°F across two tiers of cooking racks.
The hopper holds up to 20 lbs of wood pellets, and the total cooking area is 850 square inches. Note that when the warming rack is removed, that measurement goes down to 539 square inches in the main grilling zone.
The Pit Boss 850 costs $500 and is available at Lowes, which throws in free delivery as a bonus.;
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Preheat The Pit Boss Grill
This cooking process will take a very long time, so;fill up your pellet hopper;to the top and get at least one sack of wood pellets ready for refilling the pellet hopper.
Set the Pit Boss grill and fire up the pellets while also selecting the smoke mode.
This will enhance the Pit Boss grills smoking capability and give your brisket a nice smoky flavor.
Bring the temperature to;225 degrees Fahrenheit.;
This will start slow, so there is no need to rush the process as it might be harder for the pellet grill to go down from a very hot temperature.
Once you get the Pit Boss pellet grill to the desired temperature, get your brisket ready.
Prepare your meat probe as well to determine the internal temperature of the meat while it is cooking.
Pit Boss Kc Combo Pellet/gas Grill Specs
- 1,001 Square Inches of Cooking Area
- 180° to 500° F Temperature Range
- PID;; Technology
- 26 LB Hopper Capacity
- Assembled Product Weight 262.35 lbs
So a couple of things to note, in terms of the cooking area the KC Combo offers roughly half the total cooking area of the Lockhart. It is a bit lighter than the Lockhart at just over 262lbs, but this is still a heavy setup that you dont want to be moving around that much. Granted though, the KC Combo should have a lower centre of gravity compared to the Lockhart, so it should be more stable when moving it around.
The pellet hopper on the KC Combo is quite a bit less at 26lbs compared to the massive 40lb hopper on the Lockhart. I personally think any hopper capacity significantly over 20lbs though is a bit over the top. Youre unlikely to go through more than a 20lb bag of pellets going low and slow over a 12hr period. Hence, any hopper which can take a full 20lb bag of BBQ wood pellets is sufficient really.
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About Pit Boss Grills
Pit Boss has a very different story than Traeger.
This company is a subsidiary of Dansons Inc. and was created in 1999 after the Traeger patent on most pellet grills expired.
Dansons saw an opportunity, and Pit Boss pellet grills were born as a Traeger alternative.
Make no mistake, this is not just a Traeger knock-off. In fact, they have a ton of expertise.
After all, Joe Traeger and his son Brian began working for and making Pit Boss pellet grills in 2018 after selling their company in 2006 .
So you can see that Traeger and Pit Boss have an interesting history.
Where Pit Boss really deviates from Traeger is that it is not solely focused on wood pellet grills. In addition to pellet smokers, Pit Boss also sells Louisiana grills, vertical smokers, portables, griddles, charcoal, and gas grills.
Pit Boss Sportsman 820
The Pit Boss 820 is a wood pellet grill and smoker with 849 square inches of cooking surface area.
This Pit Boss grill comes with a dial-controlled temperature control board with an LED readout.
With this, you can control the temperature from 180 to 500 °F. The fan-forced convection keeps the temperature stable within the cooker.
You also can sear on an open flame at a temperature of up to 1,000°F and adjust the broiler flame level for both indirect and direct cooking.
Versatile beyond most cookers, the Pit Boss Sportsman 820 allows you to bake, braise, barbecue, roast, smoke, char, sear, and grill. With all these options, you can cook anything from a pot roast to smoked ribs and everything in between.
This Pit Boss pellet grill also has a meat probe thermometer that can tell you the doneness of your food and keep it from drying out, no matter what setting you use on the grill.
- Heavy and difficult to move about the yard and patio
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Green Mountain Davy Crockett Grill
One of the lowest-priced pellet grills youre likely to find on the current market, this grill is not quite as durable as the Pit Boss 820, but could be a great choice for beginners. It does feature Wi-Fi capability, however, and its diminutive size make it an appealing option for camping or tailgating.
Pit Boss vs. Green Mountain
- SizePit Boss
- Ease of SetupGreen Mountain
- Pellet ConsumptionPit Boss
- WarrantyPit Boss
Budget shoppers, or customers looking for a grill that can be easily folded up and taken along on day trips or overnight adventures, would do well to give the Green Mountain Davy Crockett pellet grill a try.
Pit Boss 440d2 Deluxe Wood Pellet Grill
| Product Height with Lid Open | 20.47″ |
|---|---|
| 27.17″ x 17.91″ x 17.91″ | |
| Item Weight |
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Pit Boss Sportsman 10532
The Pit Boss 10532, better known as the 500SP, is perfect for those who want a smaller footprint while still being able to sear, grill, or smoke to perfection.
The digital control board will manage your heat and temperature, giving you the ability to cook your food just like a pro. It also integrates with Pit Boss meat probes so you can adjust your cooking without opening the lid.
With a temperature range of 180° to 500°F, you can cook just about anything.
Just let the Pit Boss do the work for you as you set it and forget it.
The 500SP has some hand features that you would not expect from this smaller model.
In addition to a 15 lb. pellet hopper size, the Pit Boss grill comes with a side shelf with a removable tray and a built-in spice rack.
The Pit Boss even has an integrated bottle opener, so you don’t have to stop grilling just to open up a cold one.
Smoking pork butt, grilling wild game, or searing freshly caught fish are all within the capabilities of this grill. So, this Pit Boss is worth a long look if you want to take your grilling game up a notch.
- Though small for a Pit Boss, it is not as mobile as the Traeger Ranger
Features & Benefits Of The Pit Boss 820
How well does the Pit Boss 820 hold up to the criteria weve listed above? This section is here to answer that question, giving you a point-by-point analysis of all the pertinent criteria. Be aware that some of these categories are subjectiveonly you can decide whether this particular grill is the right fit for you.
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