Pit Boss 700fb Review

The Pit Boss 700FB Pellet Grill has one of the most elusive features of most pellet grills; true flame searing. The grill deals with that problem using a clever sliding plate design that properly sears your meat.

The grill is more than just its searing capabilities. This review looks at what makes the Pit Boss 700FB one of the best grills for any grill master. We will look at its performance, build, and of course, its searing capabilities.

Let’s jump right in!

Overview

The 700 square inches of the cooking surface of The Pit Boss are constructed of premium cast iron. Up to six people can easily utilize it and it features a second-tier rack that expands this area. For small to medium groups, the big cooking surface makes it possible to prepare a lot of food at once.

The cooking temperature on the grill is between 180 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit. This provides you with a dependable range that enables you to cook anything you desire, and it goes above and beyond what the majority of pellet grills of this type offer. The grill’s absence of a side shelf and lower cabinet is a drawback, however, you can purchase them separately for a little premium.

You can cook using your preferred style and customize it using the standard flame broiler, and the LCD readout with thermostatic controls that let you keep an eye on your food. There is the slow cooking option where you set the time and let the grill do its thing, or you can also use the sliding plate to sear your steak using an open flame. It all depends on how you like your meat.

Specifications

Porcelain-coated cooking grids
21 pounds pellet hopper capacity
Has a cooking temperature ranging between 180 – 500 degrees Fahrenheit
The Pit Boss features a digitally controlled burn system
Can cook for up to 6 guests
700 square inches of cooking surface.
Searing over an open fire pot using the flame broiler design
LCD readout with thermostatic controls
Fueled by pure hardwood pellets
Made using heavy-gauge steel parts.

The Pit Boss 700FB is a delight to use, with large pieces and clear controls that make it easy to operate. It is also a sturdy and durable grill with complete structural strength and heavy-gauge steel components. It is truly a design that was made to last, and it will not disappoint you. The grill also uses 100 percent wood pellets made from natural hardwood trees.

Pros

Great searing zone. This grill has a searing feature that makes a nice sear on your steak. This is a function that most pellet grills do not have, and it does that pretty well.
Sufficient cooking area. It has more cooking area than you could possibly need, especially for a small gathering. The 700-square-inch cooking area can cook food for 4 to 6 six people at once. You can grill burgers and smoke your briskets on it and still have some space left.
Superior build quality. The grill is made from heavy gauge steel. These give it a sturdy appearance that lets you know that the grill will last. There is also minimal replacement of parts because of its quality build.
Porcelain-coated grill grates. Not only are the grill grates made from the very best cast iron available, but they are also coated with porcelain. The cast iron materials ensure their longevity and the porcelain coating makes it nonstick and easy to clean. All you will need to do is brush it.
Easy to assemble and use. You do not need to be an expert to find your way around this grill. Both assembling and using it is a walk in the park.
Excellent temperature control system – there are two gauges to help you monitor the temperatures in the grill. Their accuracy level ensures that you do not under-cook, over-cook, or burn your food.

Cons

Unsuitable lid handle. The handle on the grill’s lid is a little too short. The lid opens wide, and because of the short handle, you might burn your hand when opening it all the way. If the lid were made a little longer, then burning incidents would rarely occur.
In-convenient second-tier rack position. The second-tier rack is positioned in such a way that it is hard to do any cooking underneath. If the upper rack were a little further back, it would leave enough space under the rack to make cooking possible.
Some missing accessories. The other downside of the 700FB model is that it does not come with a lower cabinet or side shelf. This makes it hard for the grill master to place their tools when cooking. You will have to find somewhere else to put your tongs, plate, and thermometer. Alternatively, you could purchase the cabinet or shelf separately, although it will cost you more.

Unboxing and Assembly

Shipping is done very carefully with this grill, with lots of foam and cardboard to ensure none of the parts get damaged in transit. I received no broken or damaged parts, largely thanks to the careful packaging.

When it comes to the assembly, most of the grill is pre-assembled. The only parts that you will need to assemble are the legs, the lids, and some handles, and you are done. This is the easiest full-size grill that you could ever build, and you do not need a lot of technical know-how for the assembly. You can use a cordless drill to make the assembly, and it can take you just under half an hour. Moreover, you do need an extra pair of hands to accomplish this – you can do it by yourself.

Now, if you want to get the taste of a wood fire-kissed steak, you will need a lot more preparation. This pellet grill can give you that smokey taste, but you will need to follow a few rules to get that. The rules are as follows:

Read the instructions. Before doing anything, not even assembling, make sure you read through all the rules needed to operate the grill. After reading, make sure to follow all the instructions, from priming, and starting to reheating the grill. There are no shortcuts, and you need to follow these instructions to the letter for successful results.
Closely follow the instructions. The second rule emphasizes the first rule; under no circumstances should you avoid following the instructions.

Here are the instructions you need to follow to get the best flavor: start the grill on smoke for 10 minutes. Once the minutes are up, turn the grill to 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit and preheat it for 20-30 minutes. Once the preheating is done, you can now adjust the grill to your cooking temperature of choice.

If you had previously used the grill and burned out all the pellets in the process, make sure you prime the auger system with pellets before starting the procedure. This is a crucial step to follow.

If you still have problems operating the grill after following these rules, there is a chance that the grill itself has a problem, and you will need to contact customer support to get things sorted out.

Cleaning Up

Cleaning up the grill is as easy as it could be. However, the diffuser plate can cause a problem while cleaning if you smoke fatty meat on it. This is because the fat bakes onto the plate and dries there, becoming hard to clean up. Things like a pork butt and chicken thighs are fatty and might cause a problem during cleaning.

If you do not use the searing zone, you will get better results by covering the diffuser plate using aluminum foil. Use the foil to cover it completely before cooking, especially if you will smoke the meat. The foil traps all the fats on the diffuser plate and makes cleaning up easier.

Build Quality

This grill has a superior build where its diffuser plates and grill body are all made out of high-grade heavy gauge steel. The grill racks are coated with porcelain which is also known to be long-lasting and durable.

You will be hard-pressed to find even a single blemish on the entire grill. The build quality is one to be envied, what with all the high-grade construction and ease of cleaning.

With proper care and maintenance, this grill could last you for years to come.

Temperature Accuracy

The Pit Boss 700FB has two temperature displays; one is a digital display mounted on the left wall and is found inside the firebox area on that wall, and the other is a gauge on the lid. The grill’s temperature gauges register temperatures differently from other pellet grills, going from dead to around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Both the gauges in the two different locations, cannot be affected by the hot air streams swirling in the grill. The steam will neither destroy their visibility nor cause problems when reading the temperature displays.

Cooking on Pit Boss 700FB

I often experiment in the kitchen, while at it I decided to test out the Pit Boss’ cooking options with different items to see how it operates in searing and slow operation. The pellet consumption for different cooking temperatures was:

Around 1 lb per hour when cooking at lower temperatures; 250 degrees or lower
Around 2 lb per hour using higher temperatures.
Around 2.5 lbs per hour using high

Tech Support

One of the many complaints you will get from many customers who buy appliances is that they were blindsided after buying the product. Most manufacturers only seem interested in marketing their wares and making sales. Once they get your money, they are in the least bit concerned with how satisfied you are.

Luckily this is not the case with this product. The customer service from the manufacturers is impressive. They offer services even on Sundays. The staff is patient and can take you through any problem you might have step by step. All this is done free of charge, and with all the kindness you could wish for. They can even help you run a few troubleshooting tests to find out where the problem lies.

You can also get the troublesome parts replaced with new ones and detailed instructions on how to replace the parts.

Honestly, their customer service is one of the best and easiest I had to deal with; as they were friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help.

My Experience with Temperature Fluctuations

The grill does have a slight problem with temperature fluctuations. Mine had about 50-degree swings, which was causing some problems when using the lower temperatures. Grilling at 225 degrees could end up being more than 270 degrees because of the fluctuations.

To deal with the problem, I contacted their tech support, who was kind enough to guide me through all the procedures, including troubleshooting tests to help determine what the problem might be. They even sent me some replacement parts for those that were not working. After this, the grill only slightly fluctuated about 5-10 degrees, which is quite impressive given what I started with.

PIT BOSS 71700FB Pellet Grill, 700 Square Inches, Black

700 sq. in. total cooking surface.
Porcelain coated wire grids with upper cooking rack
Digitally controlled burn system.
Fueled by 100% natural Pit Boss wood pellets.
Perfect for family cookouts and small gatherings

Final Thoughts

The Pit Boss 700FB is an excellent and versatile pellet grill that is reasonably priced. You get a great bargain considering the excellent customer service and performance you get from it. Its build quality also proves itself, making the grill something you should definitely go for, whether you are a beginner grill master or an experienced one.

It is quite a steal, and you will get the best performance to enable you to go out there, eat, drink, and be happy!