Pit Boss 820 reviews to help you decide which grill to settle for after going through all the features, pros, cons, and real-life grilling experiences of users.
The end of summer doesn’t mean you have to give up looking for the best pellet grills to cook food on. In fact, you have the whole winter to shop around, read 820 Pit Boss pellet grill reviews, and research which grill would be best for you. Whether you hold frequent barbecue parties like I do or just want to throw a tailgate party for your friends, it pays to know which is the best pellet grill to buy for the money.
In this post of Pit Boss Pro Series 820 reviews, we include the Pit Boss PB820D3 pellet grill review, the Pit Boss Sportsman Series 820 pellet grill review, and more to help you make a better decision based on the grilling space, ease of maintenance, and other factors.
Pit Boss PB820 D3 Pellet Grill Review
Let’s begin with the Pit Boss 820 D3 pellet grill review by going over the specs and features. We are looking at the mahogany wood pellet grill. This grilling machine allows you to do more than just grilling. You can char-grill, smoke, braise, barbecue, bake, sear, and roast and achieve a strong hardwood flavor by using 100% natural wood pellets. With just one machine, you can do plenty of stuff.
[amazon box=”B01GFX00N2″]As per the company website, the features of this grill are as follows:
- Assembled dimensions of 56.9-inch length X 32.3-inch width X 52.2-inch height
- Weight: 150.6 lb.
- 849 square inches of grilling surface with space to accommodate roughly 33 burgers
- The dial-in digital control panel with a bright LED display helps food reach a temperature between 180°F to 500°F (82-260°C) for both slow cooking and fast cooking at a high temperature
- The hopper capacity of 21 lb. can hold enough pellets to allow coking very slow dishes at a very low temperature
- The flame broiler lever helps to achieve the perfect searing with a direct flame that reaches a temperature of 1000°F (538°C)
- 2 porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grates
- 2 meat probes for better temperature control and to monitor meat doneness
- The 2-in-1 stainless steel side shelf has built-in tool hooks and offers more prep space
- A folding front shelf for additional space
- A removable serving tray
- A steel bucket to quickly clean the grease
- An adjustable smoke stack for having more control over the smokey flavor
- Fan-forced convection cooking and steady indirect flame for uniform cooking
- 5-year limited warranty
Let’s look at how these features work in more detail to get a better understanding of how the Pit Boss 820 D3 works, its pros, and its downsides if any.
The Grill Space
The Pit Boss 820 D3 is one of the best pellet grills that has a total cooking area of around 850 square inches, of which 593 square inches are located on the main grate level. If you remove the upper rack, there are 8½ inches of vertical clearance, which is more than enough space for whole chicken and turkey.
Hopper Capacity
The huge hopper capacity of this Pit Boss pellet grill is great, and I also appreciate that it has a hopper viewing window so I can see the level of the pellets without having to open the hopper lid.
Temperature Range
It can reach temperatures of 180°F to 500°F (82-260°C), and the primary dial on the controller lets you choose between smoke, 180, 200, 225, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, and high, 500°F.
Assembling Time
The instructions manual is pretty clear and the total assembling time was 1½ hours – from unboxing to getting it all set to ignite. A single person can easily assemble this unit but it’s good to have an extra pair of hands to help when you want to turn over the machine to attach the legs. At a heavy weight of 150+ lb, turning it over and keeping it steady while putting the legs on is no joke.
Construction Design And Quality
Made from 16-gauge steel, the Pit Boss 820 wood pellet grill is made to last for years. The shelf and the heavy-duty undercarriage also add to the stability and long shelf life of this grill. The 2.7-millimeter-thick door and the 2.16-millimeter-thick grill body are testaments to the fact that it’s the heaviest metal body that you can get on a grill within the same price range. The porcelain-coated cast iron grill gates are heavy but easy to clean. The width of the grates makes it easy to get sears on your meat.
The Pit Boss 820 wood pellet grill has two wheels and two stationary legs, making it exceptionally durable and ensuring that it won’t move even in the worst gusts. The Pit Boss wood pellet barbecue is the only grill I’m aware of that will remain in place like this one, even if the trade-off is that you have to hoist a fairly hefty grill to move it across the patio on just two wheels.
It’s not really the goal of pellet grills to trap all of the smoke within when cooking. There is an open smoke stack where smoke can freely exit. You can see some smoke at the initial stage but all in all, it’s quite airtight. And if you’re not satisfied, you can always put some gaskets to stop any smoke from coming out when starting the Pit Boss 820D3 wood pellet grill.
Digital Control Panel
This device’s controller lacks Bluetooth and WiFi, and it is not a PID controller. However, a digital control board that is not PID and has more erratic temps has a certain quality that creates delicious barbecue. It can produce the best bark and color on meat when a low and slow cook is used.
You can easily control the heat and smoke with the P setting. In essence, this lengthens the duration between pellet cycles on the grill, giving you more control over how much smoke or steady heat the grill will produce when the controller is set to “Smoke.”
One meat probe is included with the Pit Boss 820 wood pellet grill to check the doneness of the meat. The controller has two probe connectors, so if you buy a second meat probe, you can simultaneously monitor two different proteins.
Cooking On The Pit Boss 820D3 Wood Pellet Grill
To cook hot and fast on this baby, just set the controller to high at 350°F (roughly 180°C) for 90 minutes. I tried to roast a whole chicken without the backbone and it came out perfect – with a nice crisp skin and a juicy inside.
So, for a family dinner, I tried to slow slow-cook butt with basic salt and pepper seasoning. I put the timer at 5½ hours and took care not to open the lid for the first 3 hours. After that, I just sprayed some water on the pork shoulder every hour. It came out with a beautiful amber garnet color and impressed my whole family.
Depending on where the heat diverter is placed, it includes a unique Flame Broiler Lever that enables you to achieve instant direct or indirect heat. I wanted to find out how this grill would fare if I placed aluminum raised grill grates as well as if I placed the burgers directly over the open flame. To my surprise, both cooling systems produced nice sears and grill marks.
Pros:
- Heats up quickly in just under 8 minutes from a cold grill to 250°F (121°C) on a Smoke setting
- Sturdy built that’s durable
- Does both slow and fast cooking with equal efficiency
- P setting for more smoke control
- Comes with a meat probe and has space for inserting two meat probes simultaneously
- Easy-to-clean cast-iron cooking grates with a porcelain coating
- Both indirect and direct heat settings
Cons:
- Difficult to move around due to heavyweight
- Preset temperature may not be suitable for everyone
For another Pit Boss 820FB review, check out this video.
Pit Boss Deluxe Review
The Pit Boss 820FB Deluxe wood pellet grill is the top-of-the-line in the Pit Boss 820 series and what sets it apart is the huge cooking space of 818 square inches.You can cook for a football team with this pellet grill with its large cooking area! The built-in thermometer makes it easy to get your cooking done without constantly looking over your shoulders while entertaining friends.
The versatility of this Pit Boss pellet grill allows you to smoke, bake, roast, sear, and more. The bottle opener is a bonus. You can set this up within 45 minutes with the help of the enclosed instruction manual. For any reason, if the Pit Boss 820FB Deluxe wood pellet grill is not working as expected, learn some troubleshooting tips.
Pro Tip: Prime the pellet smoker before your first use with some wood pellets.
Features:
- Fully assembled dimensions of 25.3-inch length X 47.8-inch width X 50.2-inch height
- Weighs 141.1 pounds
- Auto-ignition
- 818 square inches of cooking space
- Burger capacity of 42
- Pellet hopper capacity of 19 lb.
- Porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grids
- Heavy-duty 16-gauge stainless steel construction for durability
- Temperature range of 170°F to 500°F (76-260°C)
- V1 digital control panel
- P setting for smoke and heat control
- Adjustable heat shield
- Two wheels for moving around
- 5-year limited warranty
Pros:
- The versatility of smoking, grilling, searing, baking, roasting, and more
- Heavy undercarriage and shelf for more stability
- Built-in thermometer to easily control cooking temperature
- Full control over smoke with P setting
- Porcelain-coated racks can keep food warm
- Allows cooking more delicate meat and fish with a heat shield
- Easily access the pellet smoker hopper during cooking
- Easy to clean both water pan and stainless steel bucket
Cons:
- A bit difficult to move around
- Not much space for prepping
Pit Boss 820SC Reviews
The Pit Boss 820SP is perfect for large BBQ parties with a cooking surface of 820 square inches. Ergonomically designed to best serve your grilling purposes, it has two tiers of porcelain-coated grid construction. With a fully automatic operation, the machine offers the ultimate ease of use and is one of the top pellet grills.
Features:
- LED digital control
- High-temperature embossed lid with smart, dark blue finish
- Sturdy side shelf with BBQ tool hooks
- Two front storage cabinets for easy access
- Two-tier cooking rack for getting more done in a shorter time
- Slide-plate flame broiler
- Completely natural wood pellets for the best smoke flavor
- Locking caster wheels
- Fan forced convection for uniform heating
- Cooking temperature range between 180°F to 500°F (82-260°C)
Pros:
- Easy to control heat with the LED digital control
- Auto start and shut down for the least supervision
- A smart look with a dark blue lid finish
- More storage space and better organization of tools
- More cooking space for serving a large group
- Easy operation of indirect or direct heat
- Greater stability with locking wheels
- Heavy materials for durability
Cons:
- The grease tray is not as deep as it should be
Pit Boss 820XL Reviews
The Pit Boss 820 XL is part of the Pit Boss Wood Pellet Series and promises to make you a grillmaster without paying an exorbitant price. This 8-in-1 grill is fired by 100% natural wood pellets to serve you delicious wood-fired barbecues with the best smoke flavor. You can grill, smoke cheese, bake, roast, and do more with just one machine.
Features:
- Assembled dimensions of 56.9-inch length X 27.5-inch width X 52.8-inch height
- Weight: 145.5 lb.
- 930 square inches of cooking surface
- Capacity to grill 45 burgers
- 21 lb. large hopper
- Two tiers of heavy-duty porcelain-coated grill grates
- Fully automatic ignition and shutdown with LED indicator lights
- Embossed lid with a copper finish withstanding high temperatures
- Stainless steel removable side shelf
- Fan-forced convection for even cooking
- Temperature range of 180°F to 500°F (82°C – 260°C)
- Standard flame broiler for both direct and indirect heat
- Steel bucket for effective grease management
Pros:
- Large pellet hopper for slow cooking
- Great for cooking for large groups of people
- Easy to cook on an open flame
- Strong steel construction for durability
- Greater versatility with 8-in-1 cooking functions
- Even cooking
Cons:
- Some cold spots during cooking
- Needs a better heat diverter
Pit Boss Pro 820 Review
The Pit Boss Pro Series 820 reviews are overall very good. The pellet smoker has been tested with pork shoulder and brisket while its level of grilling mastery has been put to the test by grilling a variety of fish and steaks. At a more basic level, the smoker was also tried out to produce the perfect smoked almonds and bacon. And each time, the result was awesome as per the Pit Boss 820 Pro review here.
Features:
- Capacity for grilling 42 burgers at a time
- 820 square inches cooking area
- 19 lb. hopper capacity
- Temperature range between 180°F and 500°F (82°C – 260°C)
- Side-plate flame broiler for indirect and direct flame
- Porcelain coated cast iron cooking grills
- Includes one meat probe
- Automatic start and shut-down
- Convection cooking with the force of a fan for uniform heating
- Tool hooks included
- Solid bottom shelf for stability
Pros:
- Fast ignition
- Reaches the upper-temperature limit of 500°F without any hiccups
- Can fit a brisket and pork shoulder at the same time
- Superior searing ability
- Stylish design and sturdy build
- Saves pellets with slow burning
- Great for both direct and indirect flame cooking
Cons:
- Two wheels make it difficult to move around the machine conveniently
- 275°F (135°C) is a common temperature for grilling and this is missing in the temperature settings
- Wireless controls are absent
Pit Boss Sportsman 820 Pellet Grill Review
Sitting comfy in the mid-price range, the Pit Boss Sportsman 820 is one of the more modern pellet smokers. The thick steel build quality makes this a great grill for the outdoors. Packed with tons of convenient features, this versatile smoker with a large hopper capacity is a winner.
Features:
- 849 square inches of cooking area
- Large hopper capacity of 21 lb.
- 180°F and 500°F (82°C – 260°C) cooking temperature range
- Removable tray and both front and side shelf
- Tough grate material of porcelain-coated cast iron
- Innovative flame broiler
- Bottle opener
- Clear LED panel
- Easy cleaning with a clean-up plate at the bottom of the hopper
- 5-year warranty
Pros:
- Ability to cook for a large group
- Allows searing over an open flame with a flame broiler
- Convenient removable tray for serving
- Built-in spice rack for easy access
- Durable body and cooking grates
- LED screen to read the cooking temperature
- Grill gates are easy to clean
Cons:
- No wireless connectivity
- Limited space for searing
- A rounded heat diverter plate that doesn’t fit with a drip tray
Pit Boss Maintenance And Cleaning Tips
- Cleaning up is a matter of minutes. Just let the pellet grills cool down completely and wipe.
- Empty the grease bucket and if you want less hassle with this, line the bucket with aluminum foil.
- For getting rid of excess ash, use an ash vacuum like this one.
- Clean after every use to prevent rust formation.
- Cover when not in use.
- After every use, empty the pellet hopper and store the pellets in a dry container.
- Use a grill brush with a scraper to remove the tough food bits.
FAQs
What Is The Difference Between Pit Boss 820 And 850?
Pit Boss 850 series has a larger hopper capacity of 27 lb. whereas the 820 series has a 21 lb. of hopper capacity. The former also features a large pellet view window, a full-length cover, more prep space with the side shelf, and is heavier at 164.2 lb.
Is Pit Boss 820 A Smoker?
Yes, it’s a smoker that can also grill.
