Pit Boss Pellet Grill Review

Pit Boss 71700FB Review

The Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler comes from the 700 Series, which boats an 8-in-1 grilling capability. It lets users bake, smoke, sear, char-grill, braise, roast, BBQ and grill in one super-sleek grill. This particular model, 71700FB, is one of the bigger Pit Boss grills available, and it boasts 700 square-inch grilling space enough to cook a feast.

Design and Features

Ideal for beginner cooks who are looking for a grill that allows them to fiddle knobs and adjust temperature as needed, the Pit Boss Pellet Grill can be your perfect entry to smoking.

• Flame Broiler – This feature lets users choose from either direct or indirect cooking. With the Pit Boss 71700FB, there’s an extra metal plate (that you can slide over directly to the flame) and give your food a smokier, and perfectly charred flavor every time. If you have been dreaming of a perfectly seared steak, but just can’t copy how restaurants do it, the flame broiler function would be a life-saver for you. Pit Boss also gives you a second rack, if you wish to smoke your meat so more without direct heat.

• 3-Step Cooking – This model promotes a lazy man’s way to grill. All you need to do is fill the hopper with pellets, key in your desired temperature, and BBQ/grill away.

• 700 sq. in. of cooking space – Ideal for those who love backyard parties and hosting dinners, the Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler gives you the chance to show off your cooking skills and host up to 6 people at a time. To give you some perspective, you can cook a turkey in this thing. The cooking lid firmly closes while in operation, which helps in reducing loss of smoke and heat.

• Digital control board – Adjust temperature, burn length, or type of cooking to create the perfect dish, whether you’re preparing seafood, red meats, or your favorite BBQ dishes.

• Porcelain-coated cooking grids – The grills, which are prone to rusting and excessive dirt from food, are made of cast iron. This means they durable, heavy, and easily holds temperature consistently. The porcelain coating helps in keeping food drippings from sticking to the grills, allowing users to have a stress-free cleanup every time.

• 180° to 500°F cooking temperature – This Pit Boss may be an entry-level model, but it lets users play with temperatures from 180° to 500°F thanks to a dial that can easily be turned.

• Portable – One of the interesting features of the Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler is that it doesn’t require an outlet to work. Unlike other portable grillers that lets you fire up from a converter (backed by your car’s power source), this Pit Boss model is truly portable. Plus, it only weighs 120 pounds.

• Versatile – The Pit Boss Pellet Grill gives you leeway to cook the way you want. You can sear, braise, grill, smoke, BBQ, roast, and even bake on this thing with ease.

In general, grills provide a healthier way of cooking since grease trickles down the pan and off to the attached bucket. You’ll literally see oil and unhealthy fat that would’ve been included in your meals if you chose to use a different cooking method.

Pit Boss doesn’t limit you with their own brand of pellets (like how Traeger does with its warranty restrictions), so you have freedom to experiment various natural hardwood like cherry, apple, hickory, etc. This is an important consideration because the flavor of your meat relies on the pellets you feed your grill.

Pros

• Lets you adjust temperature from 180º to 500º
• Durable (made of heavy-duty gauge steel exterior and porcelain coated cast iron grills)
• Portable
• Ample 700 square-inch cooking surface
• Effectively maintains temperature
• User-friendly (Easy to operate and clean)
• Flame Broiler option (gives you an extra way of cooking without transfer to a gas stove)
• You can bake, smoke, sear, char-grill, braise, roast, BBQ and grill with this Pit Boss model

Cons

• Assembly takes over an hour
• Back vents are known to release heat
• May not be ideal for areas with cold weather (it will frustrate you with temperature fluctuations)

Some users complain of a small hopper, but the Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler can actually hold from 10 to 20 pounds of pellet nicely. This shouldn’t really matter much because it is very easy to refill pellets when you need more. But if you’re the type who forgets checking your hopper and just fires up your grill, this could be an issue for you, so it’s worth mentioning.

Verdict

The Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler may not be the best grill for advanced cooks who want more functionality with their grills, or for those who are looking to feed huge groups of people regularly because the 700 square-inch grilling space won’t be able to accommodate your needs.

There are larger, more efficient grills in the market than the Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler, but you can’t find any model that offers this kind of versatility within its price point. If you’re not planning to host over 7 people at a time while tailgating, hosting a backyard party, or cooking for a family feast, then this Pit Boss grill can do wonders for your cooking skills.

The Pit Boss Pellet Grill with built-in Flame Broiler was designed for home cooks. Ideal for people who want to dip their fingers into smoking, this entry-level Pit Boss grill is a high-quality model with durable materials used. As such, it could withstand many of your experimental dishes, as long as you perform basic cleanup.

Pit Boss claims that its Pellet Grill offers the “best value per square inch in the pellet grill industry!” Price-wise, it’s hard to argue. This model is one of the cheapest in the market, considering the heavy-duty gauge steel used in manufacturing this all-black beauty, inclusion of a digitally controlled panel, and features found in higher-priced grills.