Pit Boss KC Combo Platinum Series Grill Review:
With the Platinum range, Pit Boss is trying to offer a range of pellet grills/smokers with features/capabilities not found on many other pellet grills/smokers today, especially at this price point. Pit Boss is well-known for its Lockhart and KC Combo.
Cast-iron grates are better than thin wire racks for Searing, and the grease tray is for direct-flame Searing. The Lockhart is a unique product. It has no other comparable products.
The KC Combo, which includes a gas grill, is designed to compete with several brands introducing this idea (pellet/gas barbecue). It’s pretty popular, as I will discuss below:
Grill Dimensions
The grill measures 69 in wide by 26 in deep We measure just 51 inches high from the floor to the top. This grill is much bigger than a traditional three-burner propane gas grill. It weighs in at just 257 lbs.
If you plan to place it on a raised deck to support the weight, ensure that your deck can handle this extra weight.
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Pellet Grill
Although we are referring to a single grill, there are two cooking areas. This is the pellet side. The pellet grill covers 562 sq. In. The main cooking area is the one on the cooking grate.
This translates to 20″x22″ of the cooking area on the pellet side. 439 sq. in. Parties have a total of 123 square feet of cooking space, while the warming rack adds an additional 123 sq. in.
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Propane Grill
Another 439 sq.m. can be covered by the propane grill/griddle side. in. of cooking space, which is 321 sq. in. When you use the griddle attachment in place of the propane grill grates, the griddle is 19″x18″.
You’ll find just over 1000 sq. In. There is plenty of cooking space between the sides of the Platinum KC Combo.
Combo Grills
The grill is cold-rolled steel and has a variety of textures. The grill’s three doors appear to have a textured finish. The grill’s exterior is finished in silver or grey, while the interior is painted with high-temp black paint.
The doors are heavier than those on other pellet grills that we have at The Barbecue Lab. The doors on each side are double-walled with some space between them, rather than being made of one metal thickness.
This gives it a more substantial feel and gives a more substantial appearance. The grill is 14 gauge, and each door is made from 12 gauge metal. They are also embossed, giving them a unique appearance. Each door has a textured powder coating that makes them stand apart from the rest.
The grill’s bottom serves as a shelf or storage rack. It runs the length of the entire grill unit. This shelf is not made from expanded metal, as you might find on an Oklahoma Joe’s Highland. If you intend to keep the grill in one location, this shelf is made from cold-rolled steel.
The KC Combo has two lights. They can be found on both the pellet side and the griddle side. They make it much easier to cook in the dark by being on the front of the digital controller.
The KC Combo has two shelves. The first is the folding front shelf, located in front of your pellet grill. This shelf can be folded up and locked, providing a stable surface for your work.
The size of the shelf is 21×7 inches. The shelf has a release on either side that allows you to store it for a smaller footprint. We also like the fact that the shelf can be taken down with two releases. This ensures that there is no accidental release while you are cooking.
The side shelf is the second shelf of the unit and is a great size. This shelf measures 20×12 inches and is where we kept everything that we used during cooking. It is sturdy and can support the weight of all our cooking supplies.
The legs are also made from the same cold-rolled steel and are designed in an L-shaped shape. This grill is solid and has been moved around our garage, driveway, and patio. This grill will feel very solid if you tighten all the screws properly while you are assembling it.
The KC Combo has four wheels, two of which are lockable. This will allow you to place your grill. Although the casters can roll smoothly on smooth and even surfaces, they can be difficult to maneuver up steep driveways or garages.
We found that the best way to lift a grill is to do it at 45 degrees; one wheel at a. Straight on at 90 degrees is much more complicated. Learn from your mistakes and save yourself the effort.
This unit is very easy to lock and unlock. Compared to some other grills, it is almost impossible to lock or unlock the wheels. This grill is different. With a simple flick of your foot, you can close the casters. This is a significant upgrade to what we have seen on other smokers.
Although a grill cover is not required, we recommend that you cover your investment if you plan to keep the unit outside. The electronics of this half-computer-controlled pellet grill will help prolong the life of your grill.
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Pellet Smoker
A pellet smoker this size can store 26 pounds of pellets in its hopper. We can cook for up to four people without having to add more pellets. You can often find a smaller pellet grill with a hopper that is half the size. We love the KC Combo’s large pellet storage.
The new pellet clean-out system is one of our favorite features. The built-in pellet clean-out tray with a brush is a welcome improvement to the old pellet grills.
To brush the pellet waste out of the ash drawer, pull the handle back and forth. There’s no need to pull out the shop vacuum between cooking sessions to clean out the grill. This is how pellet grills should look.
The door seal fit of the KC Combo was perfect. We recommend that you seal the doors with a gasket seal for many of the current smokers. This will keep the smoke from entering the cooking chamber. This unit seals nicely, and there is no smoke coming through the seal.
You can also adjust the amount of ventilation available through the smokestack by using a feature found on the smokestack caps. You can quickly tighten or loosen the stack cap to leave more smoke in the cooking chamber.
Digital Controller
The digital control board is one of the many things we are most excited about in this new Pit Boss series of Pit Boss Grills. We have used many Pit Boss grills over the years, and we even discussed some of our problems with older control interfaces.
Pit Boss has solved many of our issues with previous control interfaces. The controller can use the fan to produce smoke, something we all love about a smoker.
Let’s take a look at the control interface. First, the large digital display for the temperature of your pellet grill is what grabs your attention. The only dial is visible on the front. Adjustments can be made by pushing the button or changing the desired temperature.
The display light for the auger lights up when the auger turns and feeds pellets into the cup. The next light is for the Igniter. It simply shows you when the hot rod is turning to light your pellets. The fanlight is next. It will remain lit as long as the fan is on. It’s a variable speed fan, so it doesn’t just turn on and off for the Platinum series.
As the grill cooks, the fan output will vary depending on how loud it is. This row also has a pellet light, which tells you when your pellets are low. This light activates when the grill loses its fire. It will let you know if there is a pellet dam or simply run out of fuel.
The controller has a prime button that you can use to force the auger to feed pellets into the cup. This button is helpful when you need to refill the auger with pellets for the first time you use the grill.
This is also useful if you run out of pellets on the grill and need to reload. You can cycle the grill as usual by holding down the button until a pellet drops into the cup.
Pit Boss’ KC Combo grill is the first to feature a PID controller. A PID controller is a type of controller that uses a closed-loop system to obtain temperature information from the cooker chamber continually. This allows the auger to control the operation.
Older controllers for pellet grills used rules such as “auger runs 10 seconds and holds for 30 seconds” to achieve a specific temperature. The PID controller adapts to the temperature in the cooker chamber and adjusts the settings to ensure consistent cooking temperatures. A PID controller is the right choice for your next pellet grill.
The KC Combo has many temperature settings. These range from a smoke setting to 500 degrees. To produce maximum smoke, the smoke setting can be set at a 180 to 200 degrees temperature. It uses the variable speed fan.
You’ll see between 180-200 degrees above the smoke setting. You can choose from 200 to 450 in increments of 25 degrees. High will take you up to 500 degrees.
Each unit comes with two probes. They show the food temperature and can be used to determine the right setting on your digital controller. LIKE MOST PELLET GRILL MANUFACTURERS, the KC Combo’s probe ports are not located on the grill’s front.
This is one of the more unique design features—the 1/8in. Probe ports are located on the KC Combo. The pellet hopper’s lid houses the Jacks. The probe port is located on the side of both the pellet grille and the hopper. It allows you to keep your probe cables out of reach of the lid. [1]
Smoke IT
Smoke IT is the last feature you will find on your controller. Pit Boss included Bluetooth functionality in every Platinum grill. It works with the Pit Boss App for Android and Apple.
If you’re anything like us, it won’t be there when you try to find the Smoke IT App in the store. You will find the functionality you are looking for in the Pit Boss App.
Open the Pit Boss App and click on the grill icon in the upper right corner. The app will guide you through connecting your grill and your phone to enjoy the benefits of watching the game while you are indoors.
The app allows you to adjust the temperature, turn off or turn on the grill, and check the probe temperatures. The only thing you cannot do with the app is to start the grill. But you have to go outside anyway and take off the cover.
Sear Ability
Pellet grill owners will complain that it’s difficult to sear a steak on a pellet grill. Cast iron pans or another grill are common ways to sear a steak with a pellet grill.
We love the KC Combo’s three ways of sear. The best way to sear meat is to expose it to flames of hot metal. We believe the griddle produces the best sear on this grill. Turn the griddle to high, and your steak will be done in no time.
The KC Combo offers two options for flame-searing. You can also use the propane side to replace the griddle, place grill grates on the griddle, and then flame on. You can also use the flame broiler adjust the bar to bring the firepot closer to the grates. The pellet side will sear. There are three ways to sear on one grill. Consider us impressed.
Gas Grill
Three knobs control the burners and an igniter on the gas grill side. The propane side’s knobs are heavier than the plastic-y knobs found on many grills today.
This grill’s gas side has heat tents and grates that can be used for gas grilling.
You can also remove the grill grates to replace them with the griddle.
The griddle is heavy and will retain heat well when heated. You’ll notice that the griddle plate is unseasoned. It will be a light gray color once you open it. Season your griddle before you start cooking on it.
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Delivery and assembly
FedEx was very rough with our grill during transit. They even placed another pallet on top. We were sure that there would be damage to our grill when we opened the box. But, we have to give credit to Pit Boss for properly packing it.
The grill arrived in perfect condition, even though the bottom of its box sustained significant damage.
The pellet grill is already assembled. This means that the gas grill, pellet grill, and pellet hopper all need to be bolted together. Although the cart assembly is the first step, a second person will lift and place the large pre-assembled grill.
This is where flexibility is needed. To make it easier to reach all the screws in the next 60 minutes, we cut a piece from the cardboard box. It took us approximately 2 hours to complete the assembly from opening the box up.
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Our Thoughts
This grill is easy to use and offers a lot of outdoor cooking options. Both sides are great for cooking. We often cook a brisket on our pellet grill for dinner while cooking breakfast and lunch on our griddle.
A great weekend is made easy with a single grill: French toast, bacon, fried rice, hibachi vegetables, and smoke brisket for lunch.
The KC Combo is the best combo grill available. There’s no better grill than the KC Combo if you love to grill, griddle, and saute. The KC Combo was created to offer you the most options in a single, sturdy unit.