Honest Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill Review

Pellet grills are known for their convenience and reliability when it comes to smoking traditional barbecue. Naturally, when you are looking at the more affordable pellet grills you would expect them to produce lesser quality results, but Big Horn Outdoors Wood Pellet Grill stands out to rival even the more expensive brands. But does it really produce incredible smokey results time after time again?

We’ve compared its qualities, performance, and customer satisfaction with 7 other well-known grill brands in the market to provide the ultimate Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill review.

What Is The Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill?

The Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill is your all-in-one go-to for an affordable but reliable pellet grill. It boasts six different cooking styles, and although I’m not fully convinced about it doing all six, it does do low and slow perfectly well which is of course the most important.

Unlike other more prestigious pellet grills which sell all their accessories separately to make an extra buck, the Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill provides all the essentials and extras you’ll need to produce real barbecue, with the exception of a built-in temperature probe. I haven’t seen another pellet grill with 700 square inches of cooking space at this price point.

The Big Horn Outdoors pellet grill provides an easy and inexpensive entry to wood pellet smoking for beginners or enthusiasts, without having to break the bank.

Our Honest Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill Review

  • Quality made and reliable auger system, no complaints of backfire.
  • Spaciously boasts 700 square inches of space. 
  • Comes with a digital controller, setting temperatures between 225°F-450°F. 
  • Frame and grill grates are made from strong steel construction.
  • Comes with a fold-out table & holding hooks which often are sold separately with other grill brands.
  • One of the most affordable pellet grills on the market for this quality. 
  • The wheels don’t have any tread, making it slightly harder to move and relocate easily. 
  • Although the instructions are simple enough to follow, you will definitely need two people to assemble this bad boy due to its size and weight. 
  • May have to remove the top rack if you’re cooking bulky meats like a beer can chicken or larger roasts.
Specification Breakdown
  • Dimensions: H 43” x L 45” x W 20”
  • Weight: 110 lbs
  • Temperature Range: 225°F – 450°F
  • Cooking Space: 700 square inches
  • Pellet Hopper Capacity: 8 lbs
  • Warranty: No, unless factory defaults

What Matters The Most:

Cooking Space

One of the biggest advantages of the Big Horn Outdoors Pellet Grill over other grills at this price point is the extensive cooking space. This grill comes with two racks that offer a total of 700 square inches of cooking space. The top rack has 270 square inches of space while the bottom rack has 430 inches, giving you enough room to cook plenty of everything.

The top shelf is also easily removable, which helps you fit even the bulky barbecue foods, such as a beer can chicken or larger pork butt for example. The front of the grill also has a shelf where you can place your sauce for basting or your barbecue sprayer ready to spritz.

Most grills with 700 square inches of space don’t come cheap, but the Big Horn Pellet Grill offers a spacious grill for a reasonable price, with two racks to maximize your capacity. I would recommend using the bottom grill most as it’s directly in the center of the unit for reliable cooking results, but you can use the top shelf when needed.

Digital Control And Temperature

The Big Horn Pellet Grill comes with a digital temperature controller that you can adjust while you smoke, all the way from 225°F to 450°F. Although this does not allow you to smoke below 225°F or get close to any searing temperatures above 450°F, it does hit the sweet spot of 225-250°F consistently well.

Although the dial is easy to use, and it always displays the current temperature digitally, some users have reported that the temperature often fluctuates a bit. To be safe, you can also cross-check the digital display with a decent quality temperature gauge built into the hood.

Durability/Construction

This grill is made from sturdy materials like steel and porcelain that withstand frequent use and high temperatures. The slick porcelain is easy to clean: simply use a cloth to wipe off the grease and drippings. Or if it’s had a good session simply remove it and wash it in the kitchen basin with ease.

The tough materials make this grill durable and long-lasting, but it does come with a drawback: the grill weighs 110 pounds and the wheels don’t roll on grass or dirt as easily. Although most pellet grills are on the heavier side (Pit Boss 820: 146lbs, Traeger Pro 575: 124lbs), the wheels usually have tread which helps it move through all terrains better.

The Big Horn Pellet Grill is great for backyard barbecues, but it might not be the best option for transport or portability.

If you are looking for something lighter, check out the best portable pellet grills.

Accessories Come Free

Unlike other grills that charge extra for accessories, like Traeger’s famous folding shelf, the Big Horn Pellet Grill offers a few useful accessories for free. One of the most convenient features is the fold-out shelf. This shelf gives you a place to store tools, sauce to baste, your BBQ sprayer for spritzing, or even your 6 pack of beers (half gone). It hangs directly to the front of the grill, so all you have to do is lift it up when you’re ready to use it. 

The Big Horn Pellet Grill also comes with a set of S-shaped hooks that hang off the side. No need to buy the hooks separately–you have everything you need to hang your tools and equipment off the side of the grill. You could use these hooks for kettles, buckets, and anything else that you need at an arm’s reach and not lost in the cupboard.

Price

There is no hiding the fact that this grill is just so much more affordable than other grills of this size and build. To give a direct comparison on other brands “larger” pellet grill models:

  • Traeger Pro 780: ~$1000
  • Pit Boss PRO SERIES I 820: ~$1250
  • Camp Chef PG24MZG: ~$600

This makes it the perfect choice for entry-level pellet smokers, or those who just want to master another cooking style without breaking the bank.

One of the only other comparable grills at this price point is the Z Grills ZPG-7002B, however, it doesn’t come with as much versatility and accessories.

Our Concerns:

Heat Retention

One of the downsides of the Big Horn Pellet Grill is that it doesn’t retain heat as well as other grills, which leads to temperatures fluctuating more easily, which then leads to a more inconsistent smoke and overall cook.

Granted, it is made with thick stainless steel, it’s just not as good at absorbing and distributing heat like cast iron. Honestly, it doesn’t make the biggest difference all the time, but it may make the temperature harder to control in harsher or colder weather conditions.

This is even further evidenced by reading through the real customer reviews, noting that they have difficulty maintaining the grill’s temperature. If you are really concerned, you could add a water pan to your pellet smoker to help with heat control.

Doesn’t Come With Temperature Probes

Temperature probes are usually built-in thermometers that you insert into the meat that connects to the digital display. With a click of a button, you can check the internal temperature of the meat. This is a handy feature to save you from opening the grill to unnecessarily let the smoke and temperature out.

Since the Big Horn Outdoors wood pellet grill doesn’t come with these, your options are using a wireless thermometer (which connects to your phone), or do it as quickly as possible with an instant-read thermometer.

Six-in-One Is A Bit Ambitious

Although it says it’s a 6-in-1, realistically:

Grilling – it doesn’t reach high enough temperature to “sear” so grilling claim isn’t too reliable.
Baking – Although it’s possible to bake in the grill, you’d be much better off using your standard oven (if possible), as you may not get consistent results here.
BBQing – Traditional BBQ is low and slow smoking with wood, they’ve already said one of the functions is smoking so they are kind of double-dipping here.

Regardless of the above, it does do its primary duty: smoking, AND it does this well. 

Overall

Ultimately, after reviewing the Big Horn Outdoors Pellet grill, I’m overall impressed. Impressed by the size, versatility, and performance. What other pellet grills offer at an additional cost, this grill comes with included. You would think that the price would then be a bitter higher, but it’s absolutely not and it stands to be one of the most affordable pellet grills on the market.

Yes, there are some issues, and yes, it doesn’t come with probes, and yes there are slight temperature fluctuations. But honestly, with the amount you’re paying here it really is the best value for money when it comes to entry-level pellet smokers. 

The choice is yours to make! Happy smoking everybody.

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