Recently I was looking for a pellet grill for myself and found myself struck by the fact that it is not easy to pick one. There are so many brands out there from which you can choose one, but when looking for the best, it zeroes down to two brands: Camp Chef vs Pit Boss.
When I researched these two brands, I got confused because picking one is really difficult. These companies have earned the respect of grill users because of their high-quality products, though their grills do differ in certain ways.
But I had to choose one at the end so I compared both and soon realized that there must be so many people like me who will be struggling to choose between these two brands.
So, here I am making a comparison guide for you guys so that you can make a wise decision by picking the one that suits your needs.
But before directing the comparison, I think it’s better to have a brief overview of both brands. Maybe many of you would be researching from scratch; therefore, an overview can benefit.
Brief Overview
Camp Chef
The Camp Chef grill line, as the name implies, is designed for outdoor use. For a long 20 years, Camp Chef has been a market leader in bringing people together to cook food for outdoor parties of all kinds. Camp Chef has been there for a very long time, and throughout that period, it has been compared with hundreds of other brands.
But, Camp Chef has always managed to float above them all into the top-rated pellet grill list. The Camp Chef grill line is extensive and provides various models and pricing. The designs are straightforward and practical, ideal for modern campers, road warriors, or backyard grills.
Pit Boss
Pit Boss was founded in Alberta, Canada, in 1999. They later moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and have grown a large pool of products, including electric smokers, ceramic grills, charcoal grills, gas grills, smokers, and griddles. Pit Boss is a brand dedicated to family, bringing people together, and serving incredible food. These grills are made of high-quality materials that can grill and smoke meats and vegetables with perfection.
Pit Boss currently offers a wide range of pellet grills at various price points. The company has been known for delivering high-quality products to customers. Moreover, I found that most of the users using Pit Boss reviewed it as one of the perfect grills available in the market.
Camp Chef Vs Pit Boss Comparison
Camp Chef and Pit Boss provide a diverse selection when it comes to grills. Depending on how you prefer to use your grill throughout the year, certain factors may be more crucial to you than others. Some features may be simply personal preferences for you, while others are necessities.
Here are a few key variables you can consider when determining which brand or grill is best for you.
Construction
Both brand product lines have high-quality construction. I did not find any significant difference between them when it came down to construction quality.
They both feature stainless steel burners that provide even heat distribution over the cooking area, which is essential because it allows for consistent results time after time for cooks.
Moreover, Camp Chef also provides a wide variety of products that have stainless steel cooking chamber lids and firepots. This specifically helps in better rust resistance and offers extra durability.
But on comparing both, I can say that the steel used on the Camp Chef grill was not as thick as Pit Boss used. But still, their overall construction is sturdy enough to withstand backyard use.
Camp Chef emphasizes powder coating, ensuring rust resistance and making them easy to clean. Both offer porcelain-coated steel for the grates.
Both brands offer a plethora of models, and they range in size and features, but both company’s grills feature almost the same type of build construction. But when it comes to choosing the one, I’ll go with Camp Chef because of the overall stainless steel construction quality and how well they have put together their products.
Temperature Control
There is no considerable difference in terms of temperature control as well because both Grill providers use digital controls that allow users to set precise temperatures and monitor them throughout the cooking process.
Both brands offer smoke and precision settings on most of their models, making it easy for users to cook a wide array of items.
When it comes to temperature range, the newest Camp Chef grill models have dials that allow you to control the temperature range in 5-degree Fahrenheit increments, allowing you to set it precisely where needed. These grills are typically capable of cooking temperatures ranging from 160 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, letting you slow or speed cook as desired.
The Pit Boss grills have simple controls that allow for 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit increments, which isn’t as accurate but is still acceptable for your grilling requirements. They are also usually available in a 180- to 500-degree range.
Wi-Fi Option
Camp Chef has an added feature called Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) that works under the “Digital Elite Controller” system in Camp Chef grills. The Camp Chef PID controller offers a wireless connection to your device so you can monitor and control cooking from a distance, increase or decrease the temperature in real-time, and monitor pellet levels all through your phone or tablet.
I found this feature very useful in case you are working away from your grill; just use the Wi-Fi option to check the temperature inside your grill to keep checking on whether things are going alright or not. It’s an excellent thing because it means that I won’t have to open up the lid of my grill once in a while just to peek at how well things are going, which can add a lot of extra time to your cooking process.
For Pit Boss grills, an option called Meat probe alerts the user when the meat has reached a desired internal temperature through an audio alarm and LED light indicator on most models. But, there’s no Wi-Fi feature present in any of the Pit Boss products so far.
Cooking surfaces
These companies provide a wide range of grill sizes to select from. So you shouldn’t have trouble choosing the correct one for your situation and the number of people you feed daily.
Furthermore, the Pit Boss models offer a bit more as they range from micro (250 square inches) to huge pellet smokers. The Camp Chef offers a size range of medium to large only, which has a size of 500 square inches to 2,400 square inches, which is more than convenient for most of us.
Safety features
Grills mostly lack many safety features since they rely on common sense to avoid being burned. But, both of these models include some safety measures. They have detachable ash pans and drips trays or buckets to make cleaning simple and safe. The handles are also heat-resistant in case you’re cooking with your hands and want to avoid burns. However, wearing gloves is preferable since it’s safer.
Hopper capacity
The hopper capacity is the maximum amount of fuel you can add to the machine and how often you refill it. The typical hopper capacity on Camp Chef’s grills is around 22 pounds, which is a decent size. Low-temperature use can give around one hour of continuous heat out of one pound of pellets.
On the other hand, grills from the Pit Boss line have a more comprehensive range of hoppers. It offers at least a 20-pound capacity on their full-size grills, 28 pounds on average, and a max of whopping 55-pound capacity on their biggest smoker.
Accessories
There’s a lot of stuff to choose from, which makes it simple to figure out what gear you’ll need for your particular barbecue. The Camp Chef grills come with a plethora of accessories, including cooking utensils, magnetic hoods, pizza peels, cutting boards, racks, carry bags, covers, cookware pots, and pans.
Pit Boss also offers various accessories, such as cooking tools, grilling gloves, a grill wok, magnetic hooks, a burger press, aprons, racks, and smokers like Pit Boss Propane Smoker, etc. They also have a few covers and various cast iron products, such as pans, griddles, roasters, and ovens, so you’ll have everything you need to make delicious meals.
Warranty
Camp Chef offers a limited 3-year warranty on their grills; Pit Boss offers a limited 5-year warranty. So Camp Chef has a shorter warranty than Pit Boss.
Price
The Camp Chef is more expensive than Pit Boss in terms of pricing. Camp Chef’s grills range in price from $500 to $1,700, while Pit Boss’ grills range from $200 to $1,000.
Ease of use
Grills that are difficult to operate aren’t enjoyable, which is why both of these companies keep basic controls and usage simple. The Pit Boss models feature simple displays and easy-to-use controls, making them suitable for anybody, even those unfamiliar with cooking.
Although they don’t always provide the extras that Camp Chef does, if you look hard enough, you will find what you need.
On the other hand, the Camp Chef models include improved controllers, bigger displays, and additional features like Wi-Fi connectivity and built-in meat probes to guarantee that your food retains all necessary nutrients.
Recommended Products
Camp Chef
CAMP CHEF PG24MZG SMOKEPRO
The Camp Chef PG24MZG SmokePro comes with a Slide and Grill feature that includes a sliding tray over the flames that allows you to cook food on direct or indirect heating. It can help you a lot to smoke, grill, braise, bake, roast, or barbecue on one convenient device. Heating is controlled by a Gen 2 PID controller with 1-10 smoke settings.
Specifications –
- Cooking area – 811 sq in
- Fuel – Pellets
- Temperature ranges – 160-500°F
- Hopper capacity – 18 lbs
- Dimensions – 47 x 25 x 22 in
- Weight – 133 lbs
- Warranty Period – 3-year limited
CAMP CHEF WOODWIND WI-FI 36
The Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill is a large grill with a secondary cooking area that is nearly as big as the primary grate. That’s fantastic if you love smoking ribs and other tall meats. The huge 663 square inches main grate can feed a modest company of individuals all at once when it comes to regular grilling.
Specifications –
- Cooking area – Primary: 663 sq in; Secondary: 573 sq in
- Fuel – Wood pellets
- Temperature ranges – 180-500°F
- Hopper capacity – 22 lbs
- Dimensions – 30 x 63 x 49 in
- Weight – 150 lbs
- Warranty Period – 3-year limited
Pit Boss
PIT BOSS SPORTSMAN
Despite its small body, this model includes 387 square inches of cooking space on the porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates, so you have plenty of room to cook a substantial meal. Other useful features include an automated start-up and shutdown system, an easy-to-read LED display with a digital control board, and much more.
Specifications –
- Cooking area – 387 sq in
- Fuel – Pellets
- Temperature ranges – 180-500°F
- Hopper capacity – 19 lbs
- Dimensions – 38.35 x 25.2 x 37.5 in
- Weight – 79.8 lbs
- Warranty Period – 5-year limited
PIT BOSS AUSTIN XL PELLET GRILL
The Austin XL is a large, solid, and attractive pellet grill at first sight. However, after a closer look, you’ll find that the Austin XL’s appeal goes deeper than skin deep.
A robust cart with four wheels and a handy lower storage shelf is nestled beneath the coordinated copper-hued chimney cap, as well as the hopper and cooking chamber lids. An outstanding digital control center, including a huge display and twin meat probe ports, can be found in the massive hopper.
Specifications –
- Cooking area – Primary: 649 sq. in; Secondary: 288 sq. in.
- Fuel – Pellets
- Temperature ranges – 180-500°F
- Hopper capacity – 31 lbs
- Dimensions – 53.5 x 27.5 x 49 in
- Weight – 178 lbs
- Warranty Period – 5-year limited
Conclusion
Camp Chef vs Pit Boss, both brands are amazing and have a lot to offer. Camp Chef has better Wi-Fi connectivity and built-in meat probes, while Pit Boss offers a broader range of hoppers.
It ultimately depends on your preference in the end, what you want in a grill, and your budget. If you want a pellet grill that’s easy to use with all the features you could need, Camp Chef is the way to go. But if you’re looking for an affordable option that still delivers good results, then the Pit Boss is definitely a great choice!
However, whichever brand you choose, you will be sure to get a top-quality grill that will allow you to cook delicious food for your family and friends.