Pit Boss PB700SC Pellet Grill Review

If you’ve recently been to an outdoor lifestyle store, you’d have noticed that pellet grills are becoming quite popular. The backyard grilling community (and professionals) have taken to pellet grills due to both their versatility and ease of use. These grills can grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and barbeque. Thanks to the invention of the electric pellet grill, it no longer takes a professional pit master to churn out a perfectly smoked brisket, or a mouth watering steak. Want to know the best part? It doesn’t have to cost much to get started!

In this write up, I’ll be reviewing the Pit Boss 700 Deluxe, also known as the PB700SC, 72700SC, or 700SC. The Pit Boss 700 Series comes in three variations: with both a side shelf and enclosed lower cabinet (our reviewed version, retail $549.00); with a side shelf and no lower cabinet; or without both a side shelf or lower cabinet. We found this grill locally on the Cape, here in Massachusetts, at Boston BBQ Company (which is also The Stove Center in Cataumet, MA).

Features

• Digital control board
• Slide plate flame-broiler
• Large 21 lb. hopper
• Stainless steel hardware
• Rugged all terrain locking wheels
• Bottle opener
• Porcelain coated cast iron grates
• Upper warming rack
• Two towel racks
• Utensil hooks
• Dome mounted thermometer
• Enclosed grease trap
• Side shelf (optional upgrade)
• Enclosed lower cabinet (optional upgrade)

Operation

I found Pit Boss’s digital controller allows for effortless operation of the grill, thanks to it’s auto-ignition feature and easy dial in temperature knob. The temperature can be set anywhere between 180°F and 500°F, perfect for everything from low and slow smoking to high temperature baking. You may have heard about how smokers suffer from temperature fluctuations in various weather conditions. This is no longer an issue thanks to the adjustable “P” setting on the control board. The “P” setting lets you set your grill between 1 and 5, in increments of 1, to compensate for inclement weather or direct sun cooking. It works by increasing or decreasing the heat output relative to the selected level. When I had tested this grill it was quite windy outside, “no problem”, trimmed the “P” setting to one level higher than I usually have it set, and the grill maintained temperature like a champ. That's easy BBQ!

What really drew me to the PB700SC is what I call it’s x-factor, the slide plate “flame-broiler”. Why is this such a game changer? Most pellet grills have an internal heat structure similar to an oven, which means they’re incapable of searing. The slide plate “flame-broiler” allows the PB700SC (as well as other Pit Boss grills) to be some of the only pellet powered units capable of providing a sear, giving your steak those beautiful BBQ criss cross char marks and flavor.

The PB700SC comes with porcelain coated non-stick cast iron grilling grates, which make up a grilling area 26” wide x 19” deep, for a total of 507 square inches. Not enough space? This grill also sports a secondary smoking rack, adding an additional 193 square inches. This brings the combined total cooking area to 700 square inches (hence the 700 in PB700). That's big enough to grill 30 burgers at a time, or enough volume to smoke a 30 lb. turkey! 

Design

While using this grill I felt that Pit Boss understands that space on your deck or patio is limited. They’ve designed the 700SC to be large enough for family use or a small get-together, yet compact enough to be easily moved around. Speaking of which, moving this grill is made easy thanks to the four multi-directional locking wheels and side lifting handle. These are welcomed features when it comes to saving your back while storing away the grill for the colder months (or don’t, it can operate year round!...more on this later).

Accidents can happen, and grease spills are difficult, if not impossible to remove from patio stone, wood decking, clothes, and furniture. The 700SC has taken care of this problem with a built-in grease trap. This trap eliminates the need for dangling a bucket off of the side of the grill, a method prone to overflowing when it rains. Another plus the enclosed grease trap provides is that it reduces nasty smells from old grease when the grill isn’t being used.

All 700 Series pellet grills from Pit Boss have a traditional smoker design. You may notice that there is no vertical chimney, smoke is instead expelled from the grill through a lateral set of holes on its rear. This traditional smoker design traps both heat and smoke within the grill for a longer duration, this helps to create a circulatory effect for even cooking and stable low smoking temperatures. You have to admit, this grill looks stunning with its powder coated black blue hammer finish and brushed aluminum hardware.

Conclusion

You’ll find other 700 Series grills, like the Classic 700 at Walmart for $399, but it’s not enclosed, doesn’t have cast iron grill racks, has a dangling grease bucket, and does not have a side shelf. Cabella’s has a 700 Series grill for $100 more which is similar to the PB700SC, but does not have an enclosed cabinet.

If you’re looking for a great smoker and plan on putting it on a deck or patio, I absolutely recommend the Pit Boss PB700SC, especially if you opt for the version featuring an enclosed cabinet and side shelf.

Parts

If you're looking to fix up your Pit Boss PB700SC or Pit Boss PB700S, look no further. Stove and Grill Parts For Less is the largest supplier of grill and smoker parts in North America. We offer parts for all the top brands, including Pit Boss, Traeger, Louisiana Grills, Camp Chef, and more! Be sure to also check out our premium grade food pellets and grill accessories.