Pit Boss 700FB2 review: the 21 pound hopper is the point
Buy the 700FB2 for the 21 pound hopper: it is sized for cooks that outlast an evening. If your cooks end by dinner, the smaller 500FB2 does the same job.
Verdict8 out of 10
Pros
- 21 pound hopper, sized for cooks that outlast an evening
- Flame Broiler lever gives a direct flame answer to the standard pellet grill searing weakness
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- The 747 square inch figure covers both tiers of racks. Pit Boss does not break out a primary grate.
- No published assembled dimensions, weight or pellet consumption figure
- The controlled range tops out at 500°F, so searing depends on the lever, not the thermostat
Who this is for
- Your cooks go on before bed and come off after lunch, and that is why you are shopping
- You want to set a temperature and go to bed, not tend a fire
Who should skip it
- Nothing you cook runs past dinner. Read the 700FB2 vs 500FB2 comparison, then probably buy the 500.
- You want searing from the thermostat alone. The controlled range tops out at 500°F, and the direct flame lever is the searing plan.
| Primary cooking areaSee footnote 1 | 747 sq in |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | 180 to 500 °F |
| Hopper capacity | 21 lb |
| Grate material | Porcelain-coated steel, 2 tiers |
| Controller | Digital control board, 5°F increments |
| Direct flame searing | Flame Broiler lever for direct flame searing |
| Warranty | 5-year warranty |
| Color | Black |
- Pit Boss publishes one cooking-space figure covering both tiers of racks. It does not break out a primary grate.
Specifications from the manufacturer and named third parties. Last read 2026-07-25.
Buy the 700FB2 if your cooks start the night before. The 21 pound hopper is the reason, and it is nearly the whole reason: the controller, the temperature range, the searing lever and the warranty are all shared with the smaller 500FB2. What the 700 adds is fuel capacity and cooking space, and this page is about whether you need them.
What the 21 pound hopper buys
A pellet grill's hopper is its fuel tank. The controller can hold a set temperature only as long as pellets keep reaching the auger, so hopper capacity is the spec that decides how long the grill runs unattended. 21 pounds is a hopper you can walk away from. It is the difference between a smoker and a grill that needs minding.
How long 21 pounds lasts depends on your set temperature, the weather and the pellets, and Pit Boss does not publish a consumption figure. So no hours number here. What the capacity buys is margin. A cook that starts before bed and finishes at lunch is the use case this hopper is sized for, and it is the use case the smaller FB2 is not.
What 747 square inches actually covers
Pit Boss lists 747 square inches of cooking space. Read the basis before comparing it with anything: that figure covers both tiers of racks, and Pit Boss does not break out a primary grate. The upper tier is real space for a second rack of ribs or a row of chicken thighs. It is not where a steak goes.
That matters when you put this number next to a competitor's. Some makers quote the primary grate only. Two figures counted differently do not belong in the same sentence, so find out what each maker counted before the bigger number wins your comparison.
Can the 700FB2 sear?
Searing is the standard weakness of pellet grills, because a thermostat and a fan do not make grate-level direct heat. Pit Boss's answer is the Flame Broiler, a lever that opens a slot over the fire for direct flame searing. That is a real flame under your food, with the flare-ups a real flame brings, so plan on standing there with tongs rather than watching from the kitchen.
If you want searing from the thermostat alone, this is not that grill. The controlled range tops out at 500°F, and above that the lever is the plan.
The controller and the temperature range
The control board is digital and moves in 5°F increments across a range of 180 to 500°F. The low end is where overnight smoking lives, and the hopper is what decides whether you can stay there until morning. The racks are porcelain-coated steel in two tiers, and the grill carries a 5-year warranty.
What Pit Boss does not publish
No assembled dimensions. No weight. No pellet consumption rate. The product page for SKU 11087 does not carry them, as of 25 July 2026, so they are not on this page either. Retail listings sometimes fill those gaps with shipping-carton measurements, which describe the box and not the grill. If clearance through a gate or a doorway decides your purchase, measure at the store or ask Pit Boss directly, because guessing from a carton number is how a grill ends up living in the garage.
The 700FB2 or the 500FB2
The decision inside the FB2 pair comes down to how long your cooks run. The 700FB2 vs 500FB2 comparison walks through the numbers, and the short version is that the two share the controller, the range, the searing lever and the warranty. The 700 adds cooking space and a hopper sized for cooks that outlast an evening. If nothing you cook runs past dinner, the hopper advantage never comes up. Buy the 500 and spend the difference on pellets.