Pit Boss · Buying Help
The Pit Boss Model Family Guide: Classic, Lexington, Laredo, Lockhart, Pro Series II, Navigator, and Titan
Pit Boss builds a straight-line progression of pellet grills: the Classic 700 is the entry-level 700-sq-in, the Lexington and Savannah add cart storage and cast grates at 500 to 540 sq-in, the Laredo and Austin XL step up to 1000+ sq-in of cook space, the Lockhart and Charleston add a vertical smoker cabinet for cold-smoking, the Pro Series II and Navigator are the mid-tier with PID control, and the Titan sits at the top with 1830 sq-in of cook surface. This guide walks the ladder so you can pick the model that fits the cooks you actually do.
By Reed · Updated November 9, 2026
What you need
- Tape measure (for patio or kitchen footprint)
- A rough feed count (how many people you grill for most weekends)
- Honest answer on cold-smoking: yes or no
- Access to a Pit Boss retailer for a hands-on side-by-side
Step by step
Start with footprint and cook-surface math
Classic 700 and Pro Series II 600 are the small-patio choices (700 and 600 sq-in main cook surface). Lexington 500 and Savannah are about the same cook size but add a lower storage shelf. Laredo and Austin XL jump to 1000+ sq-in; Navigator 1300 and Pro Series 1600 run 1300 to 1600 sq-in; Titan tops out at 1830. More cook surface means more pellet consumption at the same cook temp — budget the operating cost in with the sticker price.
Decide whether you need cold-smoking
The Lockhart and Charleston combos add a sealed vertical smoker cabinet above the main pellet firebox. The cabinet temperature runs 100 to 250F independent of the main cook — that's how you cold-smoke cheese, jerky, and sausage without the fire temperature creeping up. If you don't cold-smoke, a Lockhart's vertical cabinet is dead real estate; if you do, no other model in the Pit Boss line does it as well.
Pick a controller generation
The Classic, Lexington, Austin XL, and Laredo use the standard Pit Boss PID-style dial controller — simple and reliable. The Navigator 850, 1300, and 1600 are the connected models with a touchscreen, WiFi, and the Grill Guide app. The Pro Series II and Pro Series 1600 Elite use a mid-tier touchscreen without the full connected feature set. The connected models are worth it if you cook long overnight briskets or pork shoulders and want remote temperature monitoring; if every cook is under three hours, the dial controller is enough.
Weigh the sear capability
The Flame Broiler Plate on every current Pit Boss model slides open to expose the firepot for direct-flame searing. Every grill in the line does this, so searing is not a differentiator between Classic and Titan. The difference is cook surface and pellet capacity for long low-and-slow cooks, not for the sear.
Match the hopper capacity to your cook length
The Classic 700 holds about 21 pounds of pellets; the Laredo and Austin XL hold about 28 to 32 pounds; the Pro Series 1600 Elite and Titan hold 40+ pounds. At 225F, every pound of pellets is roughly 45 minutes of cook. A 20-pound hopper is 14 hours of overnight brisket, which is enough for most. A 40-pound hopper means you refill once instead of twice on a 24-hour pork shoulder.
Consider the portable and tabletop options separately
The Portable Battery Powered Wood Pellet Grill and the Pro Series II Portable 150 are a different conversation entirely. They are designed for tailgating, camping, and patio apartments — not for a weekly backyard cook. If you need a second grill for travel, start with those; if this is your only grill, start at the Classic 700 or higher.
Common mistakes
- Buying too much grill 'just in case'. A Titan for a two-person household burns through pellets at a much higher rate than a Classic 700 at the same cook temp. Match the grill to how you actually cook on a Wednesday, not to the dream dinner party you host twice a year.
- Buying the Lockhart without a cold-smoke use case. The vertical smoker cabinet on the Lockhart and Charleston combos is the differentiator — if you don't cold-smoke cheese, sausage, or jerky, that cabinet is unused space and $300+ of premium you're not realizing. The Pro Series or Navigator covers 95% of the cooks a typical owner does.
- Skipping the cover and insulated blanket on the order. Pit Boss covers and the model-specific insulated blankets are not optional accessories for a serious user. The cover extends the powder-coat finish by years; the blanket is how you keep temperature stable below 40F. Add both to the cart on the same order.
- Not confirming the model is pellet-stocked near you. Pit Boss pellets are stocked at most major hardware chains and the Pit Boss direct store. Generic food-grade pellets also work. Before you commit to a grill in a rural area, confirm pellet availability within a reasonable drive — the grill is only as reliable as the pellet supply chain.
Hands-on tips
- Stand in front of a Classic 700 and a Laredo at a Pit Boss retailer once before you decide — the cook surface difference between 700 and 1000+ sq-in is bigger than the catalog photo suggests.
- If you're torn between the Navigator 850 and the Pro Series II 600, count your cooks longer than 4 hours. If the answer is more than two a month, the Navigator's connected temperature monitoring pays for itself in sleep alone.
- Match the insulated blanket to the specific model — the Austin XL blanket and the Lockhart blanket are not interchangeable even if the dimensions look close.
- Pit Boss's price steps between models are smaller than most pellet brands, so stepping up one tier is often $150 to $250, not $500+. Check the current pricing on both the step-up and the step-down before you commit.
- The Navigator connected models get OTA firmware updates — that's a quiet compounding benefit versus a dial controller that is what it is on day one.
- If you run competition BBQ and this is a second grill for comp duty, the Competition Series 850, 1250, or 1600 are the variants built for that use. They are also discounted periodically at bbqs.com.
- If your patio footprint is tight, the Carbon Series 500 and 700 are a newer, more vertical design that fits where a Laredo won't.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between a Pit Boss Classic and a Pit Boss Navigator?
The Classic 700 uses the standard dial controller and has a 700-sq-in cook surface with a 21-pound hopper. The Navigator 850 adds a touchscreen controller, WiFi connectivity, the Grill Guide app, and a slightly larger 850-sq-in cook surface with a bigger hopper. The Navigator costs more; the Classic is simpler and reliable.
Which Pit Boss is best for cold-smoking?
The Lockhart Platinum and Charleston 1020 combo grills are the only Pit Boss models with a dedicated vertical smoker cabinet above the main pellet firebox. The cabinet temperature runs independent of the main cook, which is the setup you need for cold-smoking cheese, jerky, and sausage.
Is the Pit Boss Titan worth the step up from the Pro Series 1600?
If you cook for competition-scale or large catering events regularly, yes — the Titan's 1830-sq-in cook surface and 40+ pound hopper handle long multi-rack cooks the Pro Series 1600 can't fit. If you cook for a family of four to six, the Pro Series 1600 Elite is more grill than most people use. Match the scale to the cook, not the ambition.
What's the smallest Pit Boss pellet grill?
The Portable Battery Powered Wood Pellet Grill and the Pro Series II Portable 150 are the smallest in the line, designed for tailgating and camping. The Classic 700 is the smallest full-size freestanding pellet grill, and the Pro Series II 600 and Carbon Series 500 are compact-footprint full-sized options.
Can I run a Pit Boss in cold weather?
Yes, down to about 40F ambient without issues. Below 40F, pair the grill with its model-specific insulated blanket to help the firepot hold ignition temperature. Below 20F, every pellet grill — Pit Boss or otherwise — fights physics and cook times stretch considerably.
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