So you just got your new Pit Boss wood pellet grill & smoker grill and you’re excited to get it up and running so you can see what all the fuss is about. There are literally tons of different wood pellet options, do you really need them to start cooking? In this article, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the wood pellets and answer the question “can you use a Pit Boss without pellets?
Can You Use A Pit Boss Without Pellets?
The short answer is NO, the Pit Boss smoker grill is designed to run off approved pelletized, all-natural wood fuel only.
Read our ultimate guide on how to use a Pit Boss pellet grill.
After doing some research, people who ran out of pellets while cooking experienced the temperature on their grill temperature decreasing. The auger could also cause your firebox to catch on fire.
Personally, I haven’t experienced this yet, and hopefully, I’ll never find out what truly happens if you run out of pellets while cooking.
It’s dangerous to try to use an electric pellet smoker without pellets. The pellets are how a grill works and is what helps make it smoke while cooking.
Always make sure you have enough wood pellets in the hopper before you start cooking.
The great thing is there are literally tons of different wood flavors you can use for your Pit Boss grill, and I’ll show you what they are, but first let’s take a closer look at the pellet smoker grill.
What Is A Pellet Grill?
Basically, it works totally different than your regular barbeque or gas grill. A pellet grill runs off wood chips that look like rabbit food.
All you need to run your new Pit Boss is an electric cord and wood pellets. Pit Boss grills need electricity to run.
How Does A Pellet Grill Work?
To keep it simple, a pellet smoker grill works by using the auger to push pellets into the firepot. Inside the firepot, there is a little silver hot rod that gets red hot, similar to the cigarette lighter in a car.
That’s what lights the pellets on fire. You don’t have to use any gas, charcoal, lighter fuel, propane, or matches to use the smoker grill. In fact, you can’t use charcoal in a Pit Boss pellet grill.
Read do pellet grills use propane to find out the differences between gas and pellet grills.
Within about 4-5 minutes, you’re cooking on a 100% natural hardwood fire. Here’s a video that will explain how a wood pellet grill works the concept is the same for pretty much all pellet grills.
Are Pit Pellets Real Wood?
They are made from 100% all-natural hardwood that is dried and ground into sawdust.
They are free from any chemicals, glues, artificial flavors, and spray scents, to enhance the flavor or the aroma of the food.
Pit Boss recommends wearing a dust mask or safeguards yourself when working with the pellets to avoid inhaling wood dust.
What Is Wood Pellet Fuel?
The pellets are a clean-burning and product about 8200 BTU’s per pound, low moisture (5-7%), and are carbon neutral.
To you and me, all that means is that the pellets give your food a smokey flavor that tastes great!
Can You Use Any Pellets In A Pit Boss?
The Pit Boss company recommends using their Pit Boss pellets as they are designed to work with the Pit Boss.
That being said, it’s your smoker and as long as the pellets are authentic and of high quality, you shouldn’t have any issues using other brands in your smoker grill.
We’ve used Pit Boss pellets in a Traeger before, so you should be able to use Traeger pellets in your Pit Boss as well.
Types Of Wood Pellets Offered By Pit Boss
The great thing about cooking with pellets is you can opt from several different types of hardwood pellet flavors.
There are the ones that Pit Boss offers and what type of food you should consider cooking with them.
Pit Boss Wood Pellet Flavors | Tastes Like |
Hickory Blend | Smoky bacon flavor aka “King of the Woods” |
Cherry Blend | Sweet but tart with a rosy tint |
Whiskey Barrel Blend | Strong sweet smokey taste with a tang (highly recommended for red meats) |
Competition Blend | Blend of tart, sweet, and savory |
Mesquite Blend | Strong tangy, spicy flavor. (Tex-Mex) |
Apple Blend | Smoky mild sweetness flavor (great for baking) |
We got a 40-pound bag when we purchased our Pit Boss Pro Series 820. According to several people online, a bag of pellets should last you quite a while, depending on how often you cook.
Where To Get Your Pit Boss Wood Pellets?
You can find Pit Boss pellets at your local retail stores such which include Walmart and Lowes. However, be sure you compare prices online at Amazon.
Sometimes it’s possible to pay less by buying them online. You can check out the prices on Amazon by clicking on the flavor you’re interested in.
You can never have too many pellets, just make sure you properly store them to keep them from getting ruined.
Final Word On Pit Boss Wood Pellets
Cooking on a wood pellet can be great, just make sure you keep your family safe by always keeping it full of pellets, especially, if you’re going to be grilling something that is going to take hours.
We always make it a point to inspect our wood pellets before we start grilling. If you think that you might run out, don’t be afraid to add more to the hopper before you start cooking!
References And Further Reading
Pit Boss Nation – Pellet Grills 101
Related Articles