Pit Boss Sportsman 850 vs Blackstone 36-Inch Griddle: Pellet Smoke or Flat-Top Speed

Where these two differ

Both are big-value outdoor cookers and they do opposite things. The Sportsman 850 is a pellet smoker that holds low temperatures for hours and sears through a flame broiler. The Blackstone 36 is a propane flat-top that cooks fast and flat for a crowd. The right one depends on whether Saturday is for brisket or for pancakes.

This comparison is based on the published specifications and manuals for both and on recurring owner feedback. We have not cooked on either ourselves.

What the Pit Boss cooks

Ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, smoked chicken and roasts, held at a set temperature by the controller with a 21 lb hopper feeding the fire. Slide the flame broiler open and a steak sears over direct flame, which most pellet grills cannot do. It is a smoker first and a grill second, and it needs an outlet.

What the Blackstone cooks

Breakfast for a campsite, smash burgers with a crust, fajitas, fried rice, cheesesteaks, grilled cheese, seared vegetables and fish. Four burners give zones from warm to blistering across the steel. It is fast, it feeds many and it runs on a propane tank. It does not smoke and it does not roast indirectly.

Upkeep

The griddle top is bare steel that must be seasoned, scraped and oiled after every cook and covered, or it rusts in a wet week. The pellet grill needs its fire pot vacuumed, pellets kept dry and the electronics covered. Both are more care than a gas grill; the griddle routine is quicker, the pellet grill routine is less frequent.

Value

The Blackstone is usually the cheaper of the two and cooks more dinners per week. The Sportsman 850 is one of the cheapest ways into a large pellet smoker with a sear option. Either is good money spent.

Which one should you buy

Buy the Blackstone 36 if the family eats burgers, breakfasts and stir-fry and wants dinner in fifteen minutes. Buy the Sportsman 850 if weekends are for smoke and the patio has an outlet. Households that own both use the griddle on weeknights and the smoker on Saturdays, which is a sensible pair.

Common owner complaints

Sportsman 850 owners mention rough finish, temperature swing in cold wind and a controller without an app. Blackstone owners mention rust on an uncovered top, grease trays that need emptying mid-cook and wind blowing heat off the open surface. Both are value cookers with value compromises and no pattern of early failure.

Our verdict

The Blackstone 36 is the more useful cooker for most households and takes this comparison on everyday value. The Sportsman 850 is the right buy for anyone who wants smoke on a budget, and nothing the griddle does replaces it.