If you are looking to switch things up a little we have some great Pit Boss dinner ideas for you to try out on your pellet smoker.

Some of the recipes are grilled at high heat and some are smoked slow and low in your Pit Boss, but they are all great Pit Boss dinner ideas for family and friends.

Reverse Seared Smoked Tomahawk Steak

Tomahawk steak is a large cut of steak with the bone left in to look like the Tomahawk axe that gives it its name. It’s one of our favourite Pit Boss dinner ideas and it can feed 4-6 people.

Use the reverse sear method to smoke the steak slow and low at 225F (107C) for around an hour to take on flavour and colour, and then cook it for 1-2 minutes a side at high heat to sear it and create a great crust and char. Cook until the internal temperature reaches your desired level of doneness – 130-140F for medium rare 54-60C, 140-150F or 60-66C for medium.

Use your favourite BBQ beef rub or try the homemade one below:

• 2 tbsps light brown sugar
• 2 tbsps smoked paprika
• 3 tbsps coarse or kosher salt
• 3 tsps freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp chilli powder (a little more if you like it hot)
• 2 tsps ground thyme
• 1 tsp ground rosemary
• 1 tsp mustard powder

If you would like to infuse more flavour in advance cover the steak in the rub and ‘dry brine,’ it in the fridge overnight before smoking the next day.

Serve the steak up with some delicious sides – mashed potatoes, fries, roast potatoes, green beans, a nice green salad, grilled corn on the cob, seasonal vegetables and gravy or peppercorn sauce for a knockout dinner.

Pit Boss Dinner Ideas – Competition Style Ribs

Ribs are also a popular dinner idea on the pellet smoker, however many people are put off by how long they can take to smoke – up to 6 hours.

If you turn the heat up in your Pit Boss grill to 275F or 149C you can actually smoke your ribs in a lot less time – around 2 hours for spare ribs and about 30 minutes less for the smaller baby back ribs. It’s well worth doing and in fact this is the method that is often used at BBQ competitions to produce a firm bite to ribs rather than a fall apart texture.

Dust your ribs liberally with your favourite BBQ rub, get your Pit Boss pellet grill up to 275F or 149C and smoke the ribs directly on the grills for 2 hours before wrapping them in foil or butcher’s paper.

Retun the wrapped ribs to the smoker for another 45 minutes or so, before unwrapping them and brushing them with BBQ sauce. Cook uncovered for a final 15 minutes or so until the internal temperature reads 203-205°F (95-96°C).

Pit Boss Dinner Ideas Chicken

Smoked Char Siu Chicken Thighs

For something a little out of the ordinary try this Chinese inspired Char Siu chicken thighs dish for a great Pit Boss dinner idea. Many people associate Char Siu with pork rather than chicken, but the delicious flavours work just as well with chicken.

You marinade 2 kg (or 4 pounds) chicken thighs in the following ingredients for at least 2 hours but up to overnight:

• 2/3 cup or 175ml of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup or 50ml of Hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon or 5ml of Chinese 5 spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons or 8ml Sriracha sauce (or another kind of hot sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar or 375ml
• 1/4 cup or 50ml vegetable oil
• Optional (but authentic to restaurant Char Siu) 1 1/2 teaspoons or 7 ml red food colouring – this won’t affect taste just colour

Reserve some of the Char Siu marinade for brushing the thighs during the cook.

You then smoke the chicken thighs at 400F or 204C for 40 minutes brushing with the marinade and turning over halfway through.

A fantastic dinner served with fried or boiled rice!

Smoked Chicken Quarters with Alabama White Sauce

Fire up your Pit Boss pellet grill to 225F or 107C (use hickory pellets for a stronger smoke flavour or cherry/apple wood pellets for a milder smoke flavour).

Smoke a pound of chicken quarters dusted with your favourite BBQ rub for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the internal temperature shows 74C or 165F in the thickest part of the meat (away from the bone).

Serve with Alabama White Sauce on the side or brush the chicken with the sauce for the last 10-15 minutes of the cook.

Combine the follwing ingredients in a bowl to make the Alabama White Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
• 1 Cup of Mayonnaise
• 1/2 Cup of Sour Cream
• ¼ Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tbsp of Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp of Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1 Tbsp of Horseradish
• 2 Tsp of Lemon Juice
• ¼ Tsp of Sea Salt
• ¼ Tsp of Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp of Ground White Pepper

Quick Pit Boss Recipes

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

For a quick Pit Boss dinner recipe (or as an appetizer without sides e.g. fries) try wrapping your hot dogs in bacon and cooking them at a high heat of 450F or 204C for 4-6 minutes a side. Toast your buns on the Pit Boss grills during the last 2 minutes of cooking the bacon wrapped sausages.

You’ll need to wrap each sausage in a thin slice of bacon and secure the bacon with a toothpick.

Here are a few ideas of how to serve your bacon wrapped hot dogs:

• With a little finely chopped onion and or finely chopped green bell pepper
• With yellow mustard or ketchup or both
• With a curried ketchup (like a currywurst) – simply add a teaspoon of curry powder to your favourite ketchup
• Topped with finely diced jalapeno peppers and shredded cheese
• With finely chopped gherkins and celery salt
• Topped with sauerkraut and onions
• Southern style with a crunchy coleslaw
• Topped with beef chilli and cheese
• Along with lettuce and tomato

Or different combinations of the ideas above!

Smoked Chicken Wings with Homemade Buffalo Hot Sauce

You can easily turn Buffalo Hot Wings into a delicious Pit Boss dinner by serving with sweet potato or potato fries, baked potatoes, onion wings, wedges, grilled corn on the cob etc.

You could also substitute wings for breasts and serve the chicken fillet in a bun with the hot sauce, lettuce, tomato and cheese.

To make your own delicious homemade Buffalo Hot Sauce combine the following ingredients in a medium hot pan and cook until combined.

• 8 tablespoons of Butter
• ½ cup or 8 tablespoons of Tabasco Sauce (you can also substitute Frank’s Hot Sauce or Louisiana Hot Sauce) or to taste if you like it milder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika 
• ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Chilli Powder (we like Extra Hot Chilli Powder but to taste) 
• 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon Worcester Sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the chicken wings (or chicken breast) in your Pit Boss at 225F or 107C for 1-2 hours until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches a safe temperature of 74C or 165F. If you want a strong smoke taste use hickory wood, and if you like a milder sweeter flavour then go for apple or cherry wood.

What All Can You Cook on a Pit Boss Smoker?

Essentially anything you can cook in an ordinary oven can be cooked in a Pit Boss smoker. You can roast, grill at high heat or smoke food slow and low.

For some ideas of what you can cook on a Pit Boss smoker try below:

• Smoked Whole Chicken, Turkey & Duck
• Smoked Beef Brisket
• Smoked Chuck Roast For Pulled Beef
• Smoked or Grilled Steaks
• Smoked Whole Fish e.g. Salmon, Mackerel or Sea Bass
• Smoked Game Meats e.g. Venison, Wild Boar or Elk
• Grilled Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
• Grilled or Smoked Chicken Thighs, Quarters, and Wings
• Grilled or Smoked Vegetable ‘Steaks;’ Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, Squash etc
• Smoked Casseroles e.g. Shepherd’s Pie

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy our quick smoker recipes article or our Pit Boss chicken recipes post.