7 best Pit Boss grill combos for Smoking and Searing

After a long day of mending fences or turning compost, the last thing you want is a complicated cooking process. Yet, the food you produce on your homestead deserves to be prepared well, whether it’s a quick weeknight sear or a slow weekend smoke. A reliable combo grill isn’t just a luxury; it’s a tool that bridges the gap between hard work and a rewarding meal.

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Why a Pit Boss Combo is Great for Your Homestead

On a homestead, every tool should serve multiple purposes. You don’t have room, time, or money for single-use gadgets, and that philosophy extends to your outdoor cooking. A Pit Boss combo grill, which blends the low-and-slow precision of a wood pellet smoker with the high-heat convenience of a gas grill or a direct-flame searing zone, embodies this principle of utility. It’s one piece of equipment that can handle nearly any cooking task you throw at it.

Think about processing day. You can use the pellet side to slow-smoke a pork shoulder for pulled pork to feed a work crew, all while using the gas side to quickly grill up some burgers or sausages for lunch. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about workflow efficiency. The ability to smoke homegrown bacon or hams on the same machine that sears a garden-fresh steak saves space on the patio and simplifies your outdoor kitchen setup.

Furthermore, these grills are built with a certain ruggedness that feels right at home next to a woodpile and a chicken coop. They aren’t delicate machines. They are designed to work hard, offering a straightforward approach to wood-fired flavor that complements the very nature of a self-sufficient lifestyle. It’s about turning your own harvest into incredible food with minimal fuss.

Pit Boss Pro Series 1150: For Large Family Feasts

If your homestead is the gathering spot for family, friends, or harvest crews, the Pro Series 1150 is built for you. Its massive 1,150 square inches of cooking space means you can smoke multiple pork butts or briskets at once, ensuring no one goes home hungry. This isn’t just about cooking for a crowd; it’s about efficient batch cooking for meal prep, allowing you to smoke enough meat on a Sunday to last the entire busy week.

The 1150 features a digital PID control board, which is a significant advantage for serious smoking. This technology provides incredibly stable temperatures, which is crucial for turning tough cuts into tender masterpieces over long, unattended cooks. While you’re out in the garden or tending to livestock, you can trust the grill to hold a steady 225°F without constant babysitting. The slide-and-sear flame broiler system also allows you to get a fantastic, direct-flame sear on steaks after a long day.

This is the grill for the homesteader who regularly feeds more than six people. If you process large animals, host community events, or simply believe in the "cook once, eat all week" philosophy, the capacity and temperature precision of the 1150 make it a workhorse that justifies its footprint. It’s an investment in your ability to be a generous and efficient host.

Pit Boss Navigator 850: A Versatile All-Rounder

The Navigator 850 hits the sweet spot for the typical homestead family. It offers a generous 879 square inches of cooking surface—plenty of room for a brisket and a rack of ribs—without the overwhelming size of the 1150. It’s a practical, do-it-all machine that can handle weeknight grilling and weekend smoking projects with equal capability.

What sets the Navigator series apart is its rugged, functional design. It often includes features like a large front shelf for prep space, which is invaluable when you’re bringing ingredients out from the kitchen. The build is sturdy, designed to withstand the elements, and the simple dial-in digital control makes it easy to operate even if you’re new to pellet grilling. The flame broiler is standard, giving you that essential sear a homesteader expects from a grill.

If you need one grill to do everything well for a family of four to six, this is it. The Navigator 850 doesn’t have the absolute latest tech of the Platinum series, but it offers proven performance and durability. It’s the reliable pickup truck of the Pit Boss lineup—not the fanciest, but the one you can always count on to get the job done.

Pit Boss Platinum Lockhart: The Ultimate Combo Unit

The Platinum Lockhart is more than a grill; it’s a complete outdoor cooking station. This unit uniquely combines a main barrel pellet grill on the bottom with a top-mounted electric smoker cabinet. This dual-chamber design is a game-changer for anyone serious about food preservation or cooking for varied tastes simultaneously.

Imagine smoking sausages and bacon in the upper cabinet at a low temperature while simultaneously grilling burgers or roasting a chicken in the main chamber below. This level of versatility is unmatched. The Lockhart is for the homesteader who wants to experiment with smoking cheese, making jerky, or curing their own meats, all while retaining the function of a high-performance pellet grill. It’s the pinnacle of the "one tool, many jobs" mindset.

This is the choice for the dedicated food preserver and the ultimate backyard pitmaster. Its complexity and large size mean it’s not for the casual user. But if your homesteading dream includes a smokehouse, the Lockhart provides that functionality in a modern, convenient package that also happens to be a fantastic grill.

Pit Boss KC Combo Platinum: Gas and Pellet Power

The KC Combo brings together the best of two worlds: the convenience of gas and the flavor of wood pellets. This is a true combo grill, with a dedicated gas grilling chamber right next to a pellet smoking chamber. This setup addresses a common homesteading challenge: time. On a busy weeknight, you can fire up the gas side and have dinner ready in 20 minutes. On the weekend, you can use the pellet side for a 10-hour smoke.

This model is all about eliminating compromise. You don’t have to choose between speed and flavor. The pellet side offers excellent smoking performance, while the gas side provides the high, consistent heat perfect for searing, quick cooks, or even using a griddle top for breakfast. The KC Combo is built for the family that grills several times a week and needs the flexibility to match their cooking method to their schedule.

If your biggest hurdle to outdoor cooking is time, the KC Combo is your solution. It’s for the practical homesteader who needs a quick burger on Tuesday but wants to smoke a brisket on Saturday. It provides the ultimate flexibility, ensuring your grill is a useful tool every day of the week, not just on special occasions.

Pit Boss Sportsman 820: For the Outdoor Cook

As the name implies, the Sportsman 820 is built for those who live and breathe the outdoors. This grill is a perfect match for homesteaders who hunt, fish, and process their own game. Its 849 square inches of cooking space is ample for whole birds, large roasts, or racks of wild boar ribs, and its aesthetic and feature set are geared toward utility in the field.

The Sportsman series emphasizes durability and practical features, like a built-in spice rack and a bottle opener—small touches that are surprisingly useful when you’re focused on cooking. The focus here is less on high-tech digital displays and more on reliable, wood-fired cooking. It’s about taking the food you harvested yourself and preparing it with the authentic flavor of wood smoke.

This grill is for the hunter, angler, and forager. If your freezer is full of venison, pheasant, or freshly caught fish, the Sportsman 820 is designed to honor that harvest. It’s a rugged, no-nonsense machine that connects the field to the table with incredible flavor.

Pit Boss Austin XL Onyx: Classic, Upgraded Design

The Austin XL has been a staple in the Pit Boss lineup for years, and the Onyx edition gives this classic workhorse a welcome upgrade. It retains the huge 1,000 square inches of cooking space and the simple, effective barrel design, but adds modern features like a PID controller for better temperature stability and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity for remote monitoring.

This model is for the person who appreciates a traditional design but wants modern convenience. Monitoring a long smoke from your phone while you’re on the other side of the property is a real advantage. The Austin XL Onyx offers a fantastic value proposition, delivering a huge cooking area and premium features at a price point that is often more accessible than the top-tier Pro or Platinum series.

Choose the Austin XL Onyx if you want maximum cooking area and modern tech without the highest price tag. It’s a smart choice for the budget-conscious homesteader who still needs to feed a large family or cook in big batches. It’s a proven performer with a fresh set of tools.

Pit Boss 700FB: A Compact, Reliable Performer

Don’t let the smaller size fool you; the 700FB (Flame Broiler) is a highly capable machine. With 700 square inches of cooking space, it’s perfectly sized for a small family or a couple, or for someone with a smaller patio or deck space. It offers the core Pit Boss experience—wood-fired flavor and direct-flame searing—in a more compact and affordable package.

The beauty of the 700FB is its simplicity. It has a straightforward digital control board and the classic slide-plate flame broiler that made Pit Boss famous. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, and delivers consistent results. For a homesteader just starting with smoking or someone who doesn’t need to cook for an army, this grill provides all the essential functions without any unnecessary frills.

This is the ideal grill for a small homestead, a beginner, or as a second, more convenient grill. If your primary needs are cooking for two to four people and you value simplicity and reliability over massive capacity, the 700FB is an excellent and economical choice.

Key Features for Searing and Smoking on a Pit Boss

When you’re choosing a Pit Boss, a few key features directly impact its performance for both smoking and searing. Understanding them helps you move beyond just the cooking area size and pick the right tool for your homestead’s needs.

First is the sear mechanism. Most Pit Boss models use a simple but effective slide-plate flame broiler. A lever opens slots directly over the fire pot, exposing your food to direct flame for an excellent sear. True combo units like the KC Combo offer a dedicated gas grill for searing, which provides more even, controllable high heat. Your choice depends on whether you prefer the flavor of a flame-kissed sear or the precision of gas.

Second, consider the temperature controller.

• Standard Digital Controllers: These work well and are reliable, maintaining temperatures within a range of about +/- 25°F. They are perfectly fine for most grilling and smoking.
• PID Controllers: Found on higher-end models, these use an algorithm to maintain incredibly precise temperatures, often within +/- 5°F. For serious, low-and-slow smoking where temperature stability is paramount, a PID controller is a significant advantage.

Finally, look at hopper capacity. A larger hopper (20+ lbs) means you can run the smoker for 12-18 hours on a low setting without needing to refill it. On a busy homestead, not having to worry about the pellet supply during a long cook is a massive convenience. It’s one less chore to add to the list.

Final Verdict: Choosing Your Pit Boss Combo Grill

Choosing the right Pit Boss isn’t about finding the "best" one, but the one that best fits your homestead’s rhythm. The decision comes down to three main factors: how many people you cook for, how you prioritize your time, and what kinds of cooking you do most often.

If your primary need is feeding a crowd or batch cooking, your choice is clear: the Pro Series 1150 or the Austin XL Onyx. Their massive capacity makes them the most efficient tools for the job. If your goal is maximum versatility and food preservation, the Platinum Lockhart with its smoker cabinet is in a class of its own.

For the homesteader who values weeknight convenience as much as weekend smoking, the KC Combo Platinum is the undeniable winner, offering true gas and pellet functionality. For most families, however, a versatile all-rounder is the smartest choice. The Navigator 850 or the Sportsman 820 provide ample space and rugged reliability for a wide range of tasks, from searing steaks to smoking a holiday turkey. Finally, for smaller families or those with limited space, the 700FB proves that great wood-fired flavor doesn’t require a massive machine.

Ultimately, the right grill is a tool that makes your self-sufficient life more delicious and enjoyable. Consider your daily needs, not just the big holiday feasts, and you’ll choose a partner for your patio that will serve you well for years to come. A good meal, cooked with wood fire and shared with family, is one of the greatest rewards of this lifestyle.