Exclusive to Academy Sports, the Pit Boss Titan is the latest in the Competition Series line and features everything you could ever want in a premium pellet grill.
In recent years, pellet smokers have exploded onto the backyard bbq scene and have become a staple for weekend warriors and professional pitmasters alike. When you think pellet grill, a few names probably come to mind. Of course, Traeger always tops the list. That’s due greatly to the fact that, for 20 years, Traeger owned the patent to the core technology behind smokers powered by auger-driven pellet delivery systems.
When that patent expired in 2006, grill makers and newcomers flooded the scene with their own takes on Traeger’s once niche product. Nowadays, you can find pellet grills made by more manufacturers than you can count. Still, a few have led the charge and become leaders in the industry. You have RecTeq, Yoder, Weber and Louisiana Grills just to name a few.
One other brand that’s on nearly every top 10 list is, of course, Pit Boss and rightfully so. When the creators of the Traeger Pellet grill sold their company to a venture capitalist, Joe and Brian Traeger actually went to work for Danson’s which happens to own Pit Boss Grills along with a few other companies. Needless to say, Pit Boss is a popular and reputable brand among zealous BBQ fanatics.
Like Traeger, Pit Boss markets a variety of pellet grills with some models being exclusive to select retailers. The Pit Boss Competition series is sold exclusively at Academy Sports and Menards. This week Pit Boss announced the latest model in the Competition Series lineup and this could be the most well-equipped pellet smoker to hit the market to date.
Meet Titan
The Competition Series Titan features every bell and whistle that Pit Boss offers and goes the extra mile with some new, never before seen additions to the massive smoker. First and foremost, the Titan has a whopping 1,620+ sq. inches of cooking space. That’s 300 more sq. inches than the Timberline XL from Traeger but more on that in a minute.
The Pit Boss Titan is equipped with a wi-fi controller to monitor your cook, keep an eye on pellet levels and track everything from the Pit Boss mobile app. All of your controls are accessible via a 4.3″ touch display which displays temperature, 2 probe temps, diagnostics and more. You’ll also have access to Pit Boss’ Variable Smoke Technology which allows you to dial in the perfect amount of smoke for each and every cook.
New features for the Titan include a divided pellet hopper which lets you custom blend your pellets right in the hopper and it holds a whopping 40 lbs of pellets. For comparison, the Timberline XL only holds 22 lbs. The Titan also features an all-new multi-function rack system. This allows for optimizing your grill space and adjusting the rack levels to your preferred height. Oh yeah, it also has that sweet flame broil feature so you can do some serious reverse searing on your steaks. Check out the video from Pit Boss below and see all the new awesomeness that is the Titan Competition Series.
I’ve watched some reviews of various models that include the roll-top lid found on the Titan and most reviewers agree, it’s a game changer for smoke retention. With no chimney, the smoke is released from vents in the back of the grill. The roll-top lid, with built-in gaskets, keeps smoke loss to an absolute minimum which means more smoke in your food and more consistent cook temps for those long smokes. Here’s a quick look at the key features of the Pit Boss Titan.
Features and Specs
- Retail price of $1,299 and sold exclusively at Academy
- Over 1,600 square inches of cooking area
- Large 40 lb pellet hopper
- 4.3″ touchscreen on the controller for an easy cooking experience
- WiFi and Bluetooth for connecting to the Pit Boss app on your smart phone
- Easy ash management, so you don’t need to pull out the shop vac
- Variable Smoke Technology (VST) lets you adjust smoke levels of your cook
- Roll top lid with dual insulation for cooking in any climate
- Includes 2 meat probes
- Flame Broiler™ Lever which allows for direct flame searing up to 1,000°F
- Lever to access the fire pot for direct flame searing
- New wood pellet burn system allows for easier starts and more even temperatures
- Temperature range of 150° F to 500° F
Now, I mentioned the Traeger Timberline XL multiple times in this post. Why? Well, for serious backyard barbecuers, the Timberline XL is considered the gold standard for large pellet smokers and don’t get me wrong, it is a formidable piece of machinery. That said, it retails for a whopping $3,800 and frankly, doesn’t offer anything you won’t find on the Pit Boss Titan. Having not used the Titan yet, I can’t make a true comparison but on paper, the Titan is a better smoker. Even if they are equally great, the Pit Boss has one distinct and very important advantage. The price tag.
Available exclusively at Academy Sports, the Pit Boss Titan smoker retails for a mere $1,299. That’s nearly one third the price of the Traeger and that’s a very big deal. I’ll be on the look out for the Titan at our local Academy and I hope to bring you a review at some point in the future. In the mean time, you can check out the Titan at the link below and get your patio ready for the summer BBQ season with this monster of a grill.
