When it comes to outdoor cooking, especially for large gatherings, having the right equipment is essential. The Pit Boss Champion Barrel Smoker is marketed as a versatile and affordable option for smoking enthusiasts, but does it truly live up to the hype? In this article, we’ll delve into a detailed review of this drum smoker, examining its features, performance, and whether it’s worth the $899 price tag. Join me, Gordon Ramsay from Cooking For Profit, as we put the Pit Boss Champion to the test by smoking a feast for a family reunion. Let’s find out if this smoker is competition-worthy or if it falls short.
Page Contents
- 1 Overview: What You Get with the Pit Boss Champion
- 2 Design and Build: A Closer Look
- 3 Cooking Versatility: Grates and Firebox Configuration
- 4 Ease of Use: Accessibility and Mobility
- 5 Airflow Control: Precision at Your Fingertips
- 6 Dimensions and Specifications: Measuring Up
- 7 Cooking Performance: Putting It to the Test
- 8 Post-Cooking: Resting and Serving
- 9 The Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?
Overview: What You Get with the Pit Boss Champion
The Pit Boss Champion Barrel Smoker is one of the more affordable drum smokers available, yet it comes packed with features. For $899, you get three levels of porcelain-coated cooking grates, offering a total cooking space of 1,158 square inches. This amount of space allows you to cook a variety of meats simultaneously, making it ideal for large gatherings or even competitive BBQ events.
Design and Build: A Closer Look
The Pit Boss Champion stands out with its robust design. The smoker features an exhaust vent controlled by a side lever, allowing you to adjust the airflow with precision. The vent settings range from ‘Min’ to ‘Max’, providing flexibility depending on your cooking needs. The overall construction feels sturdy, with a steel body that promises durability.
Lifting the lid, you’ll find the first of the three cooking grates, along with a rib hanger—perfect for smoking multiple racks of ribs. The inclusion of these accessories right out of the box is a definite plus, as they make the smoker versatile from the get-go.
Cooking Versatility: Grates and Firebox Configuration
One of the key features of the Pit Boss Champion is its three-tiered cooking grates. This setup allows you to load the smoker with a variety of meats at once. The grates are spaced about 6 inches apart, providing ample room for larger cuts like pork butts or whole chickens.
Below the bottom grate, you’ll find a heat diffuser, designed to create a swirling effect for even heat distribution. This diffuser can be removed, giving you direct access to the charcoal firebox. The firebox itself is easily accessible and removable, making it simple to add more charcoal or wood chunks during a long smoke session. The ability to cook directly over the fire, while maintaining distance between the flame and the food, offers flexibility in cooking styles—whether you prefer low and slow smoking or direct grilling.
Ease of Use: Accessibility and Mobility
The Pit Boss Champion is built with user convenience in mind. The firebox is not only easy to access but can also be removed entirely, which is a rare feature in drum smokers. This design makes adding fuel, cleaning, and adjusting your setup a breeze.
The smoker also includes two foldable side shelves, providing additional workspace, and a built-in dolly with inline wheels for easy mobility. Whether you’re moving it around your patio or loading it onto a competition trailer, the Pit Boss Champion is designed to be portable and practical.
Airflow Control: Precision at Your Fingertips
Controlling the airflow in the Pit Boss Champion is straightforward. The air intake vents are located on either side of the smoker, with pipes that direct air straight into the firebox. These vents can be adjusted from fully open to partially closed, allowing for precise control of the cooking temperature. Unlike other smokers that require you to bend down to adjust the vents, the Pit Boss Champion places these controls at a convenient height, making temperature management less of a chore.
Dimensions and Specifications: Measuring Up
The Pit Boss Champion stands at 52 inches tall with a width of 31 inches. The cooking surface is positioned at a comfortable height of just under 40 inches, making it easy to interact with the food. These dimensions make it a sizeable yet manageable smoker, suitable for both backyard setups and more professional environments.
Cooking Performance: Putting It to the Test
To truly test the Pit Boss Champion, we decided to smoke four bone-in pork shoulders for a family reunion. Using Fogo Gold lump charcoal, we aimed to maintain a temperature of around 250°F—a classic range for smoking pork. The smoker took about 45 minutes to stabilize at this temperature, which is fairly typical for a drum smoker.
We used two different barbecue rubs for this cook: the new Pit Boss Competition BBQ Rub and Dr. BBQ’s Peach Chipotle Rub. The rubs were applied generously, and we opted to use a water pan on the bottom grate to maintain moisture. After six hours of smoking, the pork had developed a beautiful bark and deep, smoky flavor.
One of the standout features during the cook was the sprayer sent by Pit Boss. We mixed apple juice and apple cider vinegar for spritzing, and the pump design allowed for continuous pressure, ensuring we could spritz quickly and efficiently.
Post-Cooking: Resting and Serving
After nine hours in the smoker, including a final three hours wrapped in foil, the pork shoulders were perfectly tender. We let the meat rest overnight in a warming drawer set to 150°F, ensuring it stayed warm without overcooking. The next morning, we vacuum-sealed the pork, ready for the big family gathering.
The Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?
The Pit Boss Champion Barrel Smoker offers a lot of bang for your buck. Its design is well thought out, with features like a removable firebox, three-tier cooking grates, and easy-to-use airflow controls that make it versatile and user-friendly. While it does have some competition in the market, particularly from higher-end models like the Hunsaker or Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco, the Pit Boss Champion holds its own, especially considering its price point.
For anyone looking to get serious about smoking, whether for family gatherings or competitive cooking, the Pit Boss Champion is a solid choice. It provides ample cooking space, easy mobility, and reliable performance, making it a worthy investment for BBQ enthusiasts.
So, is the Pit Boss Champion competition-worthy? Absolutely. It’s not just a great entry-level smoker; it’s a capable and versatile tool that can satisfy even seasoned pitmasters.
If you’re ready to elevate your outdoor cooking game, the Pit Boss Champion might just be the smoker you’ve been searching for.
