Pit Boss 150 Review: A Pellet Grill That Travels
256 square inches with a latching lid, which is a tailgate cooker rather than a patio one.
Pit Boss 150 Portable Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker with Flame Broiler
~$245
A latching, portable 256 square inch pellet grill with a 7 lb hopper and a flame broiler for direct high heat.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Cooking area | 256 sq in |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 180F to 500F |
| Hopper | 7 lb |
| Direct heat | Flame broiler, quoted up to 1,000F at the broiler |
| Portability | Latch-locking lid with carry handles |
| Grates | Porcelain-coated steel |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Specifications above come from Pit Boss's published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- It genuinely travels: a latching lid and handles mean it can be moved with the grates in place.
- A five-year warranty is unusually long for a portable cooker with an auger and a controller.
- The flame broiler gives real direct heat, which most portable smokers cannot do at all.
- Automatic start-up and cool-down cycles mean the same easy operation as full-sized pellet grills.
- It still needs mains power, but a modest inverter or portable power station runs it.
Where it falls short
- 256 square inches is the binding constraint. That is roughly one rack of ribs plus a little, and it will not stretch.
- A 7 lb hopper means frequent refills on any long cook.
- It needs mains power, which is a real limitation for camping unless you have a power source planned.
- It is a small thin-walled box, so wind and cold affect it more than any full-sized grill.
- Smoke flavour is light, as on every pellet grill, and the small chamber gives the fire less to work with.
What owners report
Reports on portable pellet grills consistently split on expectation. People who bought one as a travel cooker are happy; people who bought one as their only cooker run out of space in the first month. The capacity number is the whole decision, so check it against your real cooking with the smoker size calculator before buying.
The second theme is power. Pellet grills are appliances and the auger, fan and igniter all need electricity. Campsite use means either a hookup or a power station sized for the igniter surge, and the igniter draws far more than the running load. Plan for that rather than discovering it.
The third is fuel. A 7 lb hopper empties quickly at higher temperatures. Work out the fuel for the cook with the pellet usage calculator and take more than the number suggests, because there is rarely a shop nearby when a hopper runs dry.
Who it suits
- Campers and tailgaters who want pellet cooking away from home.
- People with a very small balcony who want a smoker at all.
- Anyone who already has a main cooker and wants a second, portable one.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who needs this to be their only smoker.
- Cooks feeding more than about four people at once.
- Campers with no power source planned.
Alternatives worth considering
Pit Boss 500 Carbon Series Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
~$300
543 square inches for a little more money if the cooker will actually live on a patio, which is where most people use it.
Check price on AmazonWeber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker, 14 inch Charcoal Smoker
~$290
Small, portable, charcoal fired and needs no electricity at all, which suits camping far better than any pellet grill.
Check price on AmazonZ Grills ZPG-550B2 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker
~$370
Twice the grate area with a PID controller, if portability turns out to matter less than you thought.
Check price on AmazonKeep reading
- Wood chunks vs chips vs pellets compared
- Pellet grill vs offset smoker compared
- Smoker size calculator
- Pit Boss 500 Carbon Series review
- Z Grills 550B2 review
- Weber Smokey Mountain 22 review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.