Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 Wood Pellet Grill Reviews:
There’re two chambers on the grill: one is wood pellet-fired, the other is propane gas-fired. The side burner can also be used.
Let’s look at the features and specifications of this grill to determine if it is right:
Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 Wood Pellet Grill Overview:
Combination grills offer great flexibility for those who want to slow cook with wood smoke or do quick grilling over an open flame.
The Combo grill’s cooking space is evenly distributed between the gas and pellet fired chambers. Each side has a 352 sq. inch primary cooking grate and a 200 sq. inch secondary cooking grate. In the main chamber, there is a combined grilling area of just over 1100 sq. inches. The side burner adds 130 square inches to the grilling area.
Although the 1,230 square inches of grilling space may seem large, it’s much more manageable because it’s broken up into smaller sections. You can fit two slabs of each of the baby’s back ribs onto the primary grate on the pellet grill side.
A third slab can be placed on the elevated secondary grate. It is possible to smoke three slabs on a single smoker, which is fine for most people. However, it is not what one would expect from a grill that has 1,230 square inches.
See Also: Pit Boss Pellet Grill Reviews
Temperature Control
The standard dial-in control system controls the temperature of the pellet side of your grill. It has an advertised range between 180F and 500F.
Although the standard Pit Boss controller is capable of temperature management, you can expect significant temperature swings in the chamber.
The temperature control system for pellet grills is connected to the gas-fired side. This is an important feature that isn’t immediately apparent. This grill has only one smokestack, and it is located on the gas-fired side.
The adjustable baffle allows smoke, heat, and air to flow between the gas and pellet sides. The adjustable top damper on the smoke stack can be used to regulate airflow.
Although I don’t know if the combination of the two cooking chambers is good or bad, it is something that you should be aware of. With a bit of imagination and care, this arrangement could be used as a cold smoker.
The burner knobs that control the temperature of the propane-fired side of the grill can be adjusted manually.
Each burner has a 12,000 BTU/hr rating, which gives it a combined heat output of 36,000 BTU/hr. The heat is distributed over 352 square inches of the primary cooking grate for a heating value of 102 BTU/hr/square inch. This is one hot grill!
See Also:
Pellet Hopper, Ash/Grease Management
The Combo comes with a 22-pound pellet hopper. The hopper is a good size. It can hold 20-pound bags of pellets.
Each cooking chamber has its unique grease management system. The pellet grill drains into the barbecue’s bottom, while the gas-fired side has a removable grease stick that can be removed from the sides of the grill.
This Combo grill does not have an advanced ash management system, so you will need a Shop-Vac to clean the firepot and chamber after each use.
Other Features:
- Pit Boss Pro Series is a favorite of mine. I love the beautiful styling and heavy cooking grates.
- Two stainless steel meat probe thermometers are included with the grill. These can be plugged into the control panel to monitor the internal temperature of your smoking food. The leads are not long enough for the gas grill side.
- You can grill food directly over an open fire with the Combo’s pellet grill side.
- The dimensions of this grill are 66x50x32 inches, and the weight after assembly is 172 pounds.
- A 5-year warranty covers all components of the Pro Series 1100 Combo.
- The Pro Series 1100 Combo, a Lowes exclusive product, is currently available for $$$.
Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 Wood Pellet Grill vs. KC Combo Platinum
Pit Boss also makes a pellet grill that can be combined with a gas barbecue. The Pit Boss KC Combo Platinum, which is exclusive to Walmart, is the second option.
There are apparent styling differences between grills and some essential details that aren’t immediately apparent.
The KC Combo’s pellet smoker and gas barbecue are physically separate. Instead of venting through the gas grill on the Pro Series 1100, the pellet smoker exhausts directly from its smokestack.
The KC Combo includes an upgraded PID controller, which can be accessed via Bluetooth. A PID controller allows the smoker to keep temperatures within the +/-5 degree range. The Pro Series 1100 can withstand temperature swings up to 15 degrees.
The KC Combo’s Ash Clean Out system is simple, and you don’t even need a shop vac. The hopper viewing window allows you to see at a glance whether you have enough pellets.
It costs about $100 to get all the upgrades on the KC Combo.
I compared the reviews and found that people prefer the KC Combo more than the Pro Series 1100.
Pit Boss Pro Series 820 vs Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 Wood Pellet Grill:
Lowes is the exclusive retailer of Pit Boss Pro Series 820 & 1100 pellet grills. These grills look great and are incredibly handsome. You might be wondering if these grills are worth the investment and whether you should choose the smaller 820 or larger 1100.
Features exclusive to the Pro Series:
The Pro Series is slightly heavier than other Pit Boss products. The Pro Series 1100 is 180 pounds, which is a little more than the Austin XL (178 lbs), but a lot more than Rancher XL (163 lbs).
The Pro Series comes with heavy-duty diamond hatch cooking grates. This porcelain-enameled cast-iron grate is quite beefy.
The new cooking grate has mixed reviews. Pit Boss deserves credit for making a thicker and more durable grate. This grate will last. Diamond hatch grates can be difficult to clean. You can use a rod grate to clean it.
Use a brush to scrub the rods and wipe them with paper towels. The diamond hatch provides many more corners and edges for grill gunk. Overall, the grate is a significant improvement.
I think the Pro Series is the most attractive of all Pit Boss grills. The Pro Series grill has the same copper color as the Austin XL, but it has a more hammered steel texture. It has a front-mounted collapsible work shelf that can be folded down and features some very cool stenciling. There are also helpful hooks.
The dial-in control panel with a digital temperature display is a peculiar feature of the grills. There is a “Smoke”, followed by 200, 225, and 250F settings. Strangely, the temperature increments between settings jump to 50° after 250F. This means that you can set the grill at 250 or 300, but not 275. Grilling temperatures can be adjusted from 250 to 300, 350 or 400, 400, 450, 450, 500, and 500.
Although I don’t mind the increments of 50 degrees at the higher ends, I wouldn’t say I like that the grill can’t reach 275F. This is the temperature that many people want to cook.
First, the paint can bubble up and start to peel off if you turn up the heat. You will have to deal with rust issues shortly after the paint is removed. The 5-year warranty does not cover the paint. It is possible to spray a can of high-heat grill paint on your grill to fix any paint that has deteriorated.
The second problem is that many grills were having electrical issues. People reported numerous instances where their grills tripped the GFCI outlets, failing electronics, and so on. The 5-year warranty covers these issues, but many people were disappointed when it took Pit Boss for replacement parts to arrive.
The good thing about electrical problems is their ability to present themselves quickly. The issues were discovered by people as soon as they started cooking on the grills. You can try one of these options: Buy a grill and return it to Lowes within 30 days to repair it.
After reading the reviews, I concluded that these grills are great as long as there are no electrical problems. However, you should be aware of potential issues with the paint.
See Also: Best Pit Boss Grills
Pro 820 vs. Pro1100: Why The Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 Wood Pellet Grill is Better?
The only thing that makes the 820 and the 1100 different is their size. The 1100 is the best choice for you if you look closely.
The 1100 has a second thermometer that allows you to monitor the progress of both your pork butt or brisket simultaneously. Caster wheels are another minor upgrade that makes moving the grill easier.
The 1100 has had a major upgrade with the Simple Slide to protect the flame broiler shield.
Most Pit Boss pellet grills can flame broil by removing a portion from the heat shield above the burner pot. The problem was that you needed to push the heat shield between the grates manually.
The Pro Series 1100 grill has a lever that is located under the side shelf. This lever allows you to pull back and forth to move the heat shield as required. The 820 does not have a Simple Slide.
The pellet hopper is a major improvement to the 1100. The 1100 hopper holds 35 pounds of pellets. It also has a sight-glass so that you can quickly check if you have enough. The 820 hopper does not have a sight glass and can hold only 19 pounds of pellets. [1]
Pellet grills that have hopper capacities below 20 pounds are not my favorite. Although it may seem like a small detail, it drives me crazy. The 20-pound weight of the most popular wood pellet bags is staggering.
Why do manufacturers make hoppers which can hold only half a bag of pellets? Are they asking you to fill the hopper with pellets and store the rest in your garage?
Must Read: kitchenaid vs cuisinart food processor