A Pit Boss Pellet Grill is basically a tool for magically turning your food into smoky, delicious, juicy meals. I am using the general term “food” because, as we all know, any type of dish can be improved using just a tint of smoky flavor. There are so many Pit Boss recipes to try, you will need a plan!
Whether you are a vegetarian, pescatarian, carnivore, or just the biggest fan of mac and cheese, you will find at least one delicious recipe to cook in the Pit Boss that will rock your taste buds forever. You don’t even have to be a master, there are many Pit Boss recipes for beginners to choose from. You will become an expert in no time.
Cooking one of the many available Pit Boss Pellet Grill recipes is very simple, and everybody knows barbecuing is not an exact science. The key to amazing results is the internal temperature. Get it where you want it according to the recipe and the final result will be delicious.
Top 30 Pit Boss recipes
1. Tender And Juicy Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket
A brisket is, for many people, the definition of comfort food. A juicy, tender, moist, buttery piece of meat that melts in your mouth, perfectly seasoned and wrapped in a wonderful smoky aroma from the Pit Boss…what more can you ask from it? The recipe is simple, the pellet grill does most of the work and you and your loved ones get to enjoy the wonderful results. I wish I could tell you more about storing the leftovers, but likely there will not be any left to store.
The chuck roast is a very good alternative for the brisket and will most likely give you the same results when cooked properly using the Pit Boss recipe. A perfect choice for the Sunday lunch or a special dinner with your loved ones. Eat it as it is with a side of vegetables, use it to make a delicious sandwich, or try it as a keto snack if you think it will suit your preferences, a traditional smoked chuck roast will always satisfy your cravings.
3. Smoked Burgers
What can be more delicious than a juicy, tender, pinkish, perfectly cooked burger? A SMOKED juicy, tender, pinkish and perfectly cooked burger, of course! The reason why barbecue sauce was invented, the flavor to rule them all. Put your patties in the smoker and make them 10 times more delicious with minimal effort. Did someone say pickles, onions and ketchup? You know it! Assemble the burgers however you like and enjoy the delicious result as many times as you want. It is so easy!
4. Beef Jerky in your smoker
Just imagine being away from your smoker and craving the deliciousness and comfort it provides to your taste buds. Kind of a sad thing to imagine, isn’t it? Prepare yourself some beef jerky in advance and take it with you everywhere you go. A delicious snack for everybody, including keto lovers, protein hunters and those trying to stay in a calorie deficit. Even more, beef jerky is easy to cook, easy to store and easy to transport. This is just one of the many Pit Boss recipes for beef jerky available online. If you think you can find a better one, please share it with me so I can also try it.
5. Pit Boss pork ribs (+short ribs, baby back ribs)
I could eat ribs for breakfast, lunch, dinner and both snacks every day and never get tired of them! They are my favorite food, I enjoy all types of ribs cooked in every way possible. Add a little barbecue sauce, add a little garlic mayonnaise, add a little coleslaw salad and I will eat everything up like there is no tomorrow. Don’t you want to taste the heavenly delicious, smoked pork ribs?
6. Smoked Beef Short Ribs
If you are a beef fan rather than a pork fan, you will love these short ribs. They can come from many areas of the cow (such as the chuck, brisket, rib areas, plate), but will always have a lot of meat and a lot of flavor. Cooking short ribs is not a hard job as they also have a lot of fat to give intense taste and juiciness to the final result. Just rub them thoroughly with a dry rub, let them marinate for a few hours and throw them in the smoker.
7. Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Honestly, anything having the words “bacon-wrapped” sounds like a great recipe for me! The tenderloin is called “tender”-something for a reason, and that reason is not being too stiff! Just as the brisket or the chuck roast, the tenderloin is an excellent cut for a meal that all your family will love. If you need to impress somebody with your cooking, this recipe is exactly what you need.
8. Smoked Beef Tenderloin
An honest piece of melt-in-your-mouth beef tenderloin can be a great way to prepare something amazing for your love ones. A classic cut that becomes a true wonderful experience for you taste buds when paired with some rosemary and garlic. Cook it however you want, the result will be tender, juicy and great. Use it as a way to impress somebody or just as a means to achieve a great piece of meat for leftovers, the tenderloin always delivers.
9. Ultimate smoked chicken breast
Everybody knows chicken breast is a very hard-to-cook part of the bird. Most of the time you just get a tasteless, dried-out piece of meat when you cook it in traditional ways. Fortunately, the Pit Boss pellet grill comes to our rescue. Cooking chicken breast using this wonderful tool will result in a juicy, tender, perfectly smoked piece of meat.
10. Smoked Peach Chicken Thighs
Ahhh, chicken thighs! Easy to cook, always juicy and never boring. These cuts are “the best friend” of foods because they are always there for you when you don’t know what else to cook for your family. Use the smoker to elevate their taste, par them with peach and find yourself transported in another world of chicken deliciousness.
11. Smoked Chicken Wings
The brisket is a way of eating a very big piece of delicious smoked meat. Well, smoked chicken wings are a great way to eat small pieces of heaven without much effort. Wings are so versatile it is basically impossible to cook them wrong. No worries, after you try them smoked in the Pit Boss, you will not want to cook them any other way anyhow.
12. Smoked whole chicken – Pit Boss recipes
I don’t know about you, but seeing a whole cooked chicken gives me a lot of nostalgia for my childhood. My mom used to cook it for us at least once a week and we always enjoyed it. Recreate those memories with your family using this simple recipe and keep the tradition alive, with a smoky twist!
13. Smoked turkey
Do you like Thanksgiving so much that eating turkey makes any day a holiday? Spice things up with a little smoky flavor and try to cook a whole turkey in the Pit Boss. You will not be disappointed. You can even pair it with mashed potatoes and gravy for a truly exquisite experience any day of the year.
14. Smoked duck
I feel like people don’t eat ducks as much these days. Maybe the reason why is how hard it is to cook in the oven. Using a Pit Boss pellet grill you can cook ducks as often as you want and they will always turn out delicious. You don’t need to be a chef to enjoy exquisite tastes, you just need a smoker.
15. Smoked American Lamb Shoulder
Lamb is a type of tender meat not everybody knows about. It is a common meal to eat in eastern countries because it is very easy to cook as the meat is already tender and flavorful. Pair it with vegetables and some herbs and try something new for dinner this week.
16. Smoked pork shoulder (pork butt) for pulled pork
Pulled pork is already a tradition for many people. It is easy to cook and delicious in many ways. You can eat it on its own or use it for delicious sandwiches, quesadillas, leftovers or even spread it on a homemade pizza. Throw a piece of pork shoulder in the pellet grill, forget about it for a few hours and come back to enjoy a very tasty meal however you like it.
17. Smoked pork chops
I feel like pork chops are such an easy thought when we want something easy to cook, that doesn’t require a lot of thinking, and that we can eat any time of the day with family or close friends. They pair well with all sauces and any side and provide a familiar taste with little cost. Choose them with or without the bone, follow this recipe, and enjoy them each and every time you want!
18. Pit Boss Smoked Salmon – one of my favorite Pit Boss recipes
Salmon is definitely in the top 3 favorite types of fish for most of us. It is a great source of protein, healthy fats and many essential vitamins and minerals. As a versatile and widely available type of fish, we can say that salmon is an easy way to add many benefits to your diet without much effort. Smoked salmon is a loved dish in many countries around the world, so cooking it in the Pit Boss comes as a natural way to enjoy this wonderful type of meat.
19. Smoked Lobster Tails
For me, lobster tails are that fancy food that I love a lot, but don’t enjoy at home as much as I would like to. It just seems like a difficult type of meat to cook in the oven or on the stove. The Pit Boss pellet grill eliminates the fear of not cooking them in a way that maintains their savor. Try this recipe and see if it brings the fancy taste of restaurant-cooked lobster tails to your own dining table. Who knows, maybe this dish will become a regular dinner occurrence for your family!
20. Pit Boss recipes – Smoked Shrimp
Shrimps are a type of seafood that you either love forever or you don’t like at all. Unless you are allergic to them, if you tried shrimps before and didn’t like the taste, maybe now it’s the moment to try again. Who knows? Maybe this great recipe and the smoky aroma will change your mind.
21. Smoked Corn on the Cob
As I have said before, the Pit Boss is not a tool dedicated to carnivores! If you are a vegetarian or just don’t feel like eating meat right now, you definitely have your place around the smoker and can enjoy delicious smoked vegetables if you feel like it. Corn on the cob is such a traditional part of many meals around the world, so it was just a matter of time until a smoked version became popular at dinner tables everywhere.
22. Smoked Mac and Cheese – Pit Boss recipes for comfort food
Ladies and gentlemen, the queen of comfort foods: mac and cheese. Who would have ever thought of associating the creamy, delicious, cheesy texture of mac and cheese with the heavenly smoky flavor? We don’t know who was the first one to put this delicious meal in the smoker, but we will forever be grateful to them.
23. Smoked Artichokes with lemon
Artichokes do not receive enough credit for how delicious and healthy they are. People eat the leaves with vinegar, mayonnaise, plain and simple, as a snack, pickled and in many other ways. Maybe smoking it was the missing link in all the ways we can enjoy the great taste and benefits of artichokes. It definitely became a favorite of mine after trying it!
24. BBQ glazed smoked Brussels Sprouts with Bacon – Pit Boss recipes for everybody
Can you imagine someone waking up one day and deciding to make brussels sprouts actually taste good? Whoever this person was, thank you! As a person who cannot stand brussel sprouts and has dreaded them my entire childhood, I am actually amazed at how much I love them after cooking them in the smoker and glazing them with BBQ sauce. Hear me out, this could actually be THE WAY to combine all the health benefits of brussel sprouts with the deliciousness of bacon and BBQ sauce!
25. Whole Smoked Cabbage
Cabbage is a great vegetable, but so hard to cook it properly! Nobody likes it plain and simple, but the taste of smoked cabbage was a surprise I was not prepared for. If you are tired of cabbage salad or coleslaw, give this recipe a try and see if it rocks your world, too!
26. Stuffed, smoked onions
Onion rings are soooo delicious but so unhealthy. I have been trying to reduce the amount of fried food I eat but onion rings are where I draw a line. Stuffed, smoked onions came to the rescue as they are a great way to replace the classic rings with a more delicious, healthier version. Fewer vegetable oils, more smoky aroma! Yes, please!
27. Smoked mushrooms with garlic butter
A classic side to any type of meat or just a meal on their own, mushrooms and garlic butter are a pair made in heaven. A great way to add some protein to your dishes, mushrooms have been one of people’s favorite vegetables all around the world. Even though children don’t really dig them, you could try this recipe and see how they feel about smoked mushrooms. Who knows, maybe you will be surprised.
28. Smoked Queso Dip – Pit Boss recipes
Summer parties, birthdays, movie parties, weddings, baptisms, boardgames nights, tacos Tuesdays, there isn’t any event where a great queso dip is not a welcomed dish by everybody participating. This smoked version of the dip will impress all your guests and will become a regular at all your parties.
29. Easy Creamy Smoked Whitefish Dip
Dips are great for summer garden parties, as a quick snack in the afternoon or as a way to eat something healthy while watching a movie. Particularly, a smoked whitefish dip can be a nice way to impress your guests or change up the entire mood on a Saturday evening. This is a dish that seems fancy and complicated, but is very easy to cook if you have a Pit Boss smoker. Pair it with vegetables, crackers or some tortillas and enjoy a nice treat whenever you feel like it.
30. Smoked Tomato Marinara Sauce – Pit Boss recipes you did not expect
I just could not put together a list of perfect smoky recipes without adding one for an amazing tomato marinara sauce. This sauce is perfect for any type of meal that needs a smoky flavor, without it being too intense. Just cook it once and store it in the fridge or even the freezer. The possibilities are endless.
How to Start and Season a new Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Pit Boss connoisseurs, this is not new information for you. But for those who have just decided to switch up the old grill for a new pellet smoker, they should know that starting and seasoning it can be a “make it or break it” moment. No stress, right?
How to start the grill for delicious Pit Boss recipes
To start your grill, just follow the next steps:
Put enough pellets in the hopper to fill it up.
Plug in the pellet grill and start it up while keeping the lid all the way open. Then, set the overall temperature dial to “Smoke” and press the Power button to turn it on.
Hold the “Prime” button until you hear the pellets droppings into the firepot. Since the firepot is empty at the beginning, you will clearly hear the sound of pellets dropping in.
Using the Pit Boss pellet grill’s “Prime” feature you make sure that the pellets fill the firepot fast, before the grill times out from being empty for too long. This is a very safe and useful feature, but it can be a bit annoying for those who take their time when starting the grill.
Stop holding the “Prime” button once the pellets have dropped in the firepot. Wait 4-6 minutes with the lid open until you hear the sound of pellets burning. At this point, more smoke is going to start coming out of the pellet grill. This is a good sign and it means that the grill is working as it should.
Close the lid and set a new temperature of 350oF. In about 10-15 minutes the Pit Boss pellet grill will be completely heated.
Use a brush to clean off the grates and prepare the grill for seasoning.
How to season the Pit Boss
If you are the proud new owner of a brand new Pit Boss pellet grill, you should go through the full process of SEASONING it before trying any of those delicious recipes presented above. This process helps with burning and cleaning off the dirt, oils, bacteria, and other toxic leftovers from the manufacturing process, leaving the pellet grill safe and ready to be used for you and your family.
The word “seasoning” has a funny ring when used to describe the process of curing or pre-seasoning a pellet grill and tends to make people imagine a process similar to seasoning a cast-iron skillet. Some very creative people might even think about the process of seasoning a steak. Wouldn’t it be funny? Throwing some salt, pepper and other condiments on the pellet grill to make it taste delicious?
In reality, seasoning a Pit Boss pellet grill is a different process:
Assemble and start the grill.
Turn the temperature up as high as possible, to at least 450oF.
Let the grill run at this temperature for half an hour, with the lid closed. This will burn up any residues or other toxic substances on the interior.
Turn off the grill and leave it plugged for the fan to continue spinning. This will burn off the leftover pellets in the firepot. Once this process is done, the fan will turn off on its own.
Optional: cover the inside of the pellet grill with a very thin layer of a high smoke point oil (such as grapeseed or avocado oils) and repeat steps 1-4. The oil layer will become a protective coating and will protect the grill from rusting. Make sure to use a very small quantity of oil for coating. If it’s dripping, you have exceeded the perfect quantity.
Although some people say that this is the only seasoning you need to do, sometimes you need to clean the grill and reseason it from time to time. Just follow these steps again from the beginning and your Pit Boss pellet grill will as be good as new each and every time.
When you finish all these ideas, you must try some great recipes from Rachel cooks with love!
