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Pit Boss 850 Navigator Series WiFi & Bluetooth Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker

Pit Boss 850 Navigator Series WiFi & Bluetooth Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker

By Pit · Pellet Grills · Kitchen & Cooking

  • 932 sq in cooking space
  • 30 lb pellet hopper
  • 180-500 F in 5 F increments
  • WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
  • 1 included meat probe

Price not listed

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Used, refurbished, open-box

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Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

A mid-size connected wood pellet grill and smoker with 932 sq in of cooking surface across two grids, a 30 lb hopper and WiFi + Bluetooth app control. Check the Pit Boss Grills app before you buy: owners report WiFi and login problems, and no independent outlet has tested this exact model.

Strengths

  • WiFi + Bluetooth control with a color display and a flame intensity indicator.
  • Flame Broiler Lever sears over direct flame up to 1,000°F.
  • 5-year warranty on all parts and electrical components.
  • Removable undermount burn pot and underside pellet cleanout make ash cleanup easy.
  • Business Insider judged it better-designed than the Sportsman 850 for about $50 more.

Weaknesses

  • No independent outlet has tested this exact model, so there are no measured time-to-temperature or pellet-consumption figures.
  • The advertised 932 sq in is a two-tier total; the main grate is only 582 sq in.
  • Owners report WiFi that will not connect, login failures after updates and missing set-point notifications.
  • The Pit Boss Grills app is the recurring complaint source, and it is central to the Navigator’s connectivity claim.
  • The gap between the lower and upper racks is small, so the lower rack is hard to reach and clean.
  • A cover is effectively required; the sibling Sportsman 850 showed rust after light rain.

Verified specifications

ModelPit Boss Navigator 850 Connected, PB850M, SKU 11111.
ElectricalAC 110-120 V, 60 Hz, rated power 290 W.
Temperature range180-500°F (82-260°C) in 5°F increments, plus a “P” fan-cycle setting.
ConnectivityWiFi + Bluetooth, paired with the Pit Boss Grills app.
Hopper30 lb (13.5 kg) with a fuel-level viewing window and underside pellet cleanout.
Fuel100% hardwood pellets.
Cooking area932.3 sq in total, 581.9 sq in on the main grate and 350.4 sq in on the secondary.
Gratestwo oven-style cooking grids, porcelain-coated steel.
Meat probestwo probe ports, one probe included.
SearingFlame Broiler Lever for direct-flame searing up to 1,000°F.
Ignitionrapid igniter.
Warranty5 years on all parts and workmanship, 5 years on electrical components.
Dimensions58.7 × 34.1 × 46.7 in (1,491 × 866 × 1,185 mm); 174.2 lb (79 kg).
In the boxgrill, hardware pack, one meat probe, assembly guide and owner’s manual.
Clearanceat least 36 in (914 mm) from combustible constructions.
Full research notes and sources

What you get and how it cooks

The Navigator 850 is a mid-size pellet grill built around a 30 lb hopper and a digital controller that runs 180-500°F in 5°F increments. The 932 sq in of cooking surface is spread over two porcelain-coated steel grids, 581.9 sq in on the main grate and 350.4 sq in on the secondary, so plan your cook around a 582 sq in primary surface. A Flame Broiler Lever opens a direct-flame searing path rated to 1,000°F, and the rapid igniter starts the burn pot without a separate fire starter.

Two probe ports sit on the controller, but only one meat probe is in the box. The hopper has a fuel-level window and an underside cleanout, and the burn pot lifts out from underneath for ash removal. The manual asks for at least 36 in (914 mm) of clearance from combustible constructions.

The Navigator’s headline feature is connectivity, and that is also its weakest point. Owners report WiFi that will not connect even near the router, login failures after app updates and no notification when the set temperature is reached. One owner of a Pit Boss 850 bought in September says the WiFi never worked through several support sessions until a later app update fixed it. A separate owner of a Pit Boss 850DX calls the app “the worst”.

No independent outlet has tested this exact model. It held temperature with brief 5-10°F swings but flagged a low, hard-to-read controller, rust on the handle, shelf hooks and top hinges after two nonconsecutive days of light rain, and app problems: the temperature graph never worked, the cooking-history log was unreliable and no notification fired at the set point. Those are Sportsman 850 results, not Navigator measurements, but the two share the product family and app platform.

Running costs and upkeep

Hardwood pellets are the ongoing cost, and Pit Boss’s own fuel draws complaints about bark and filler content, though that is a fuel choice rather than a grill defect. A cover is effectively required: the sibling Sportsman 850 showed rust after light rain, and the Navigator’s powder-coated steel has no published rust data. A second meat probe is an extra purchase.

The 5-year warranty covers all parts and workmanship plus 5 years on electrical components. Nobody has published a failure rate for this model, so treat the warranty as a promise rather than a proven track record.

Which model this is

This page covers the Pit Boss Navigator 850 Connected, model PB850M, SKU 11111, the connected M-line grill sold in the US. The Amazon listing for this model is ASIN B0F8F4SVSX.

Pit Boss lists the Navigator 850 at $799.99 in the US, and a snapshot showed $699.99 on sale; Pit Boss Canada lists it at $999.99 CAD. Business Insider puts the Sportsman 850 at $749 and the Navigator 850 at about $50 more.

Don’t confuse it with the Competition Series 850 (PB850CS2, 849 sq in, 22 lb hopper, roll-top lid), the Sportsman Series 850 (PB850SPW2, 849 sq in, 21 lb hopper), the 850 DX (840 sq in) or the larger Navigator 1300M. Those are different grills with different hoppers and cooking areas.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

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