Pit Boss vs Traeger Pellet Grill: The Ultimate Guide

Pit Boss vs Traeger Pellet Grill

Grilling season is just around the corner and many are beginning to think about purchasing a new grill. There are a variety of grills on the market today that are geared towards different individuals. Some people love the flavor that charcoal gives, while others don’t want a mess so they pick gas grills. Many others like wood pellet grills as they provide an amazing taste and texture. Just by switching up the pellet flavor, you can easily change the flavoring of your food.

Today we will discuss the battle between two of the biggest names in the industry, Pit Boss vs Traeger, two manufacturers that make wood pellet grills. Both of these companies are well known in the grilling industry, providing excellent grills that master grillers have loved for years.

Overview of Traeger

Joe Traeger first created a wood pellet grill in 1985 after experimenting with wood-burning stoves. He patented the design a year later. For the next 20 years, Traeger had a monopoly on wood pellet grills.

During this time, Traeger was a family company in Oregon. However, when Traeger’s patent expired in 2006, there were many new competitors waiting to get in on the action.

In 2014, the company was moved to Salt Lake City, Utah after Jeremy Andrus joined the company. After this, the company really exploded in popularity. Every year, Traeger sells more than $300 million worth of grills.

Overview of Pit Boss

In 1999, Pit Boss was founded by Dan Thiessen in Alberta. This company was one of the first competitors for Traeger. Pit Boss is a subsidiary of Dansons, Inc.

In order to be more competitive, Pit Boss decided to make more budget-friendly models of wood pellet grills.

Quick Comparison: Pit Boss vs Trager

When it comes to Pit Boss vs Traeger, there are some facts that may make it easier for you to help decide which brand is right for you.

• Generally, individuals have seen better value with Pit Boss.

• Traeger grills were once manufactured in the United States, but they have moved their production line to China.

• Older models of Traeger grills may offer better quality than the newer models.

• Pit Boss has a warranty period of five years where Traeger has a warranty period of three years.

• Pit Boss is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

• All Pit Boss grills are designed to be an 8 in 1: grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, searing, charring, braising, and BBQing.

• BBQ enthusiasts agree that no matter what brand of wood pellet grill you have, the food cooked on it tastes amazing due to the wood-fired flavor.

• Wood pellets come in a wide variety of flavorings. Choices for Traeger include Cherry, Hickory, Mesquite, Maple, Oak, Apple, Pecan, and Alder. Pit Boss has other unique flavors including a fruit blend, a competition blend BBQ, Charcoal, Classic BBQ blend, Texas Mesquite blend, and apple.

Top Traeger Grills

1. Traeger Lil Tex Elite 22 Pellet Grill

If you are looking for a versatile barbecue cooking with both hot and fast, or low and slow temperatures, the Traeger Lil’ Tex Elite 22 Pellet Grill is the way to go. It offers 6-in-1 versatility to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ food to juicy perfection.

It is the perfect size for the at-home griller. The grill features 418 square inches of grilling space that can accommodate up to 16 burgers, 4 whole chickens, or 5 racks of ribs. It maintains a hopper capacity of 18 pounds, which allows it to hold at least 10 pounds of pellets.

With an integrated digital Elite controller, it keeps temps within +/- 20 degrees Fahrenheit and makes setting the grill temperature simple. All you have to do is turn the dial.

We appreciate the non-stick surface. Versatility makes us love this grill even more. Bake a cherry pie on the grill, cook pork chops for Sunday dinner, or bake a pizza. The possibilities are endless.

Another great feature that can’t be overlooked is the auto shut-down system. You will need to set the temperature in order for the draft induction fan to burn off the excess pellets, and then it will automatically shut down.

2. Traeger Pro Series 34 Grill Blue

The Traeger Pro Series 34 Grill is an excellent investment with a whopping 36,000 BTU output. We love that you can grill, smoke, bake, braise, roast, or barbeque on this versatile grill. It features 884 square inches of cooking space. The main rack measures 34 inches X 19 inches and is large enough to fit 24 burgers. The extra rack measures 34 inches X 7 inches and can hold up to 16 burgers.

The digital pro controller with advanced grilling logic is an amazing feature that we raved over. With dual meat probes to check the internal meat temperatures. This wood pellet grill has a sawhorse chassis for added stability.

Included in your purchase is the hopper clean-out, all-terrain wheels with locking casters, a cookbook, and an assembly tool kit. This wood pellet grill is fueled by 100% pure hardwood pellets for authentic wood-fired flavor.

3. Traeger Grills Tailgater 20 Portable Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

If you like to grill on the go, you will love the Traeger Tailgater. This portable grill has the 6-in-1 versatile cooking options (grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and bbq). The grill comes in two attractive finishes, bronze, and silver.

This Traeger grill has 300 square inches of portable grilling space that can accommodate up to 12 burgers, 2 whole chickens, or 3 racks of ribs. Perfect for picnics, beach trips, tailgating, fishing trips, camping, and more as it transports easily. It features EZ-fold legs that allow you to pack it up and grill on the go with multi-position thermostat control.

4. Traeger TFB29PLB Bronson 20 Grill

If you love traveling with a grill, the Traeger TFB29PLB Bronson 20 Grill is for you. This was built to champion cooking outdoors whatever adventure you are on. With a board sawhorse chassis for stability and all-terrain wheels, it makes it easy to transport over rocks and through the dirt.

While this grill only has 300 square inches of cooking space, it is ample enough to cook a lot of food. It will cook up to 12 burgers at once, 2 chickens, or 3 racks of ribs. Sides such as corn or baked beans turn out great on this grill too.

If you’ve ever had issues with grills before and burning food, this grill is for you. The flame doesn’t come in contact with the food, so it is pretty hard to burn a piece of meat on this grill.

Top Pit Boss Grills

1. Pit Boss 440 Deluxe Wood Pellet Grill

This deluxe wood pellet grill has a gorgeous two-tone copper and black finish. We love the 8-in-1 grilling feature, where you can sear, broil, smoke, or grill. This Pit Boss grill gets hot fast, so grilling doesn’t become an all-day affair. The grill is heavy so it traps the heat, allowing your food to be grilled evenly.

At a whopping 465 square inches, this grill can cook up to 20 hamburgers at once. We find it is perfect for BBQs or family get-togethers. This grill can reach a cooking temperature of 500 degrees. The hopper is 5 pounds, which we find to be a bit on a smaller side.

There is the main grill and a top grill. Both grills are made from porcelain-coated steel. One feature that is especially handy is that the grill is removable, so when it comes time to take the meat off, you can literally take the grill off with it.

2. Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical Wood Pellet Smoker

If you are a fan of immense flavor, the Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical Wood Pellet Smoker may be for you. This smoker can read temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Its porcelain-coated cooking racks create an even heat distribution.

This hopper can hold up to 40 pounds of wood pellets. We love that with such a large hopper, you don’t have to keep adding the pellets, which provides time to concentrate on other tasks. There is a 1657 square inch cooking space.

With double-walled construction and blanket insulation, the internal temperatures will be protected, even on the coldest days.

3. Pit Boss 71820FB Pellet Grill with Flame Broiler

If you like grills that are easy to move, you will love the Pit Boss 71820FB Pellet Grill. It features two wheels that act similarly to wheelbarrow wheels. Moving the grill from one spot to another has never been easier.

This grill allows you to sear food perfectly for that immense flame-broiled flavoring, which everyone loves.

This grill gets very hot but distributes the heat perfectly, creating even cooked food. The digital control board fires up the grill and allows you to place the cooking temperature from 180 degrees to 500 degrees. The fan-forced convection cooking produces a versatile atmosphere for grilling, roasting, smoking, braising, searing and baking.

The Pit Boss 71820Fb features a huge 820 square inch cooking surface. There are 580 square inches on the main grill and 240 square inches on the removable upper rack.

4. Pit Boss 700FB Wood Pellet Grill

With 700 square inches in total cooking surface, this digitally controlled burn system produces amazing food. The side table provides ample room for food preparation and hooks allow you to hang your grilling accessories easily.

We love the upgraded cart with the cabinet enclosure. It provides space for storing anything you need while grilling. We have tossed our plates in there so flies do not land on them while waiting for our food to be done, or you can store paper towels in there, wood pellets, or cooking utensils. The locking caster wheels provide a nice safety feature. Our favorite feature is the built-in bottle opener on the grill. This makes it convenient to grill foods while enjoying a beverage or two.

The flame broiler gives burgers the best taste. We no longer feel the need to go through the drive-through at our favorite fast food restaurant as we can easily create the same burgers at home!

Things to Consider

When deciding upon a Traeger wood pellet grill or a Pit Boss wood pellet grill, there are some factors that you need to think about. While one company may have a better price, the other company may have better features. These are all things that you need to compare when it comes to purchasing a wood pellet grill.

Price

One of the most important aspects that people look at is the price when it comes to anything they purchase, including wood pellet grills. Everyone wants to find the best price on grills, as sometimes they can be rather pricey. And when looking for a grill that is versatile and will last for years, you know that you will be spending more than if you had just purchased a standard charcoal grill.

When looking at the price between Traeger and Pit Boss, we found that Traeger offered some budget-friendly grills at $500 or less. If you are looking to spend a bit more, they have models that exceed $1,000. Pit Boss tends to have many models in the $500 to $700 range that are popular with many grillers.

Temperature

Both Traeger and Pit Boss are on an equal level when it comes to their temperatures. We found they have a minimum of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a maximum of 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hopper Size

Hopper size is a huge thing to look at, especially if you are going to be cooking all day long. Unless you like adding the wood pellets on a continuous basis, it may be beneficial for you to look for a wood pellet grill that has a larger hopper.

We found Traeger has some models on the market that hold up to 18 pounds of wood pellets. Pit Boss did not fare this well, but still had hoppers in the 10 to 12-pound range.

Grill Construction

It is important to look at how well a grill is made, as you want it to last for as long as it can.

We feel that Traeger is the winner in the grill construction category. These grills are strong and heavy-duty. This company uses cast-iron grates that have been coated in so they are non-stick in many cases.

While Pit Boss grills are constructed well, we find that one may need to replace the parts on these grills quicker than perhaps necessary

Cooking Space

It is wise to look at how much cooking space you will need when purchasing a grill. If you have a small family, you can get by with a smaller cooking space. But if you like to entertain or have a large family, you will want to look for a grill that offers more cooking space.

We have found that many of Traegers grills have more cooking space than Pit Boss. We have seen Traeger grills with cooking spaces up to 884 square inches while the largest one from Pit Boss was 500 square inches.

Pit Boss vs Traeger – Final Verdict

We hope you enjoyed our review today of Pit Boss vs Traeger. Both are exceptional brands when it comes to grilling. Any master griller would be proud to call any of these grills their own. If you are looking for a grill that can cook large amounts of food at once, consider going with the Traeger Lil’ Tex Elite 22 pellet Grill. If you prefer Pit Boss, consider going with the Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical Wood Pellet Smoker.

Our hope is that you learned the best method for picking which brand will work better for you and help you narrow your choices down in the ever-growing grilling business.