You've probably seen those big, heavy ceramic eggs sitting in your neighbor's yard or tucked away in the corner of a high-end hardware store. Usually, they're bright green and cost about as much as a used sedan. But then there’s the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill, which basically walks into the party and offers the same massive cooking surface and heat retention for a fraction of the price. Honestly, it’s a weirdly polarizing piece of gear. Some people swear by the luxury brands, while others realize that ceramic is ceramic, no matter what color the glaze is.
Ceramic cooking isn't new. It’s actually thousands of years old. The Japanese kamado—which literally means "stove"—was a clay vessel used for steaming rice before it evolved into the charcoal-fueled grill we recognize today. When you look at the Pit Boss 24, you’re looking at a modern tank built on ancient physics. It’s heavy. Like, "don't try to lift this into your truck alone" heavy.
Most people buy a pellet grill because they want convenience. They want to push a button and walk away. But the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is for the person who actually wants to play with fire. It’s for the cook who wants to sear a ribeye at $700^\circ\text{F}$ and then, the very next day, smoke a brisket for 14 hours at a steady $225^\circ\text{F}$ without the grill breaking a sweat. It’s versatile.
The Physics of Ceramic: Why This Thing Stays Hot Forever
The secret sauce of the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is the high-grade ceramic body. Think of it like a massive heat battery. When you light a fire inside, the ceramic walls soak up that thermal energy and radiate it back onto the food from every single angle. This is why meat stays so juicy in a kamado. In a standard offset smoker or a cheap kettle grill, you have a lot of airflow moving through the chamber to keep the fire alive. That moving air carries moisture away.
In a ceramic grill, the insulation is so efficient that you barely need any airflow once you hit your target temperature. The air stays still. The moisture stays in the meat.
If you've ever struggled to keep a temperature steady on a windy or cold day, you'll appreciate the 1-inch thick walls of this Pit Boss. I’ve seen people cooking on these in the middle of a Canadian winter while it’s snowing, and the internal temperature didn't wiggle once. It’s basically an outdoor oven that happens to burn wood chunks and charcoal.
Managing the Airflow
Controlling the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is all about the dance between the top and bottom vents. It's simple, but it takes a minute to learn. You open the bottom vent to let oxygen in and open the top vent to let heat out. If you want it hotter, you open them wide. If you want to cruise at low and slow, you barely crack them.
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The Pit Boss 24 comes with a dual-tier cooking system, which is a huge deal. It gives you nearly 600 square inches of cooking space. Most "large" kamados from other brands only give you about 450. That extra room means the difference between cooking one brisket or two. Or fitting a dozen burgers without them being crowded together like commuters on a subway.
What the Pit Boss 24 Kamado Grill Gets Right (and Where it Struggles)
Let’s be real for a second. No grill is perfect. The Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is a value play, and that comes with trade-offs.
First, the pros. The build quality of the ceramic itself is excellent. It feels premium. The stainless steel grates are beefy, and the side shelves are made of solid composite material that won't rot or fade in the sun. It also comes with a pretty decent cart. Some of the "pro" brands charge you an extra $200 just for the stand, which feels like a total scam. Pit Boss includes it.
The heat deflector—which they call the "heat shield"—is also usually included or much cheaper to add than competitors. You need this. Without it, you’re just grilling over an open flame. With it, the grill becomes a convection oven.
Now, the downsides. The felt gasket. Every kamado owner eventually has to deal with the gasket—the seal between the lid and the base. The stock gasket on the Pit Boss is fine, but if you do a lot of high-heat sears, it’s going to fry eventually. Many owners end up replacing it with a high-temp wire mesh gasket after a year or two.
Also, the weight is a logistical nightmare. If your backyard has a lot of stairs or uneven gravel, those casters on the bottom of the stand are going to struggle. It’s top-heavy. Be careful moving it, or you’ll end up with a very expensive pile of broken pottery.
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Maxing Out Your Efficiency with Lump Charcoal
Do not put briquettes in this grill. Just don't.
Briquettes produce a massive amount of ash. Because the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill relies on clear airflow through the fire grate, a mountain of ash will choke out your fire halfway through a long cook. You want to use high-quality lump charcoal.
Lump charcoal is basically just charred wood. It burns hotter, cleaner, and leaves behind almost zero ash. Plus, you can actually relight it. When you’re done cooking, you just shut all the vents. The fire dies from lack of oxygen, and you can save the leftover charcoal for your next cook. It’s actually one of the most economical ways to grill once you get the hang of it.
The Learning Curve of Overheating
The biggest mistake rookies make with the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is "overshooting" the temperature.
Ceramic is so good at holding heat that once it gets too hot, it takes forever to cool down. If you’re aiming for $250^\circ\text{F}$ and you accidentally let it climb to $400^\circ\text{F}$, you’re going to be sitting there for an hour with the vents closed, waiting for it to drop.
The trick is to start closing the vents when you’re about $50^\circ\text{F}$ away from your target. If you want to hit $225^\circ\text{F}$, start choking it down once the thermometer reads $175^\circ\text{F}$. It’s much easier to climb up to a temp than it is to fall back down.
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Real-World Performance: From Pizza to Pulled Pork
You haven't lived until you've done a pizza on a Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill. Most home ovens max out at $500^\circ\text{F}$. This thing can hit $700^\circ\text{F}$ or $800^\circ\text{F}$ easily. With a pizza stone, you can cook a Neapolitan-style pie in about 90 seconds. The crust gets those beautiful charred "leopard spots," and the cheese bubbles instantly.
For the low-and-slow fans, the stability is the selling point. Once you "dial in" your vents, the Pit Boss will hold a temperature for 12 hours straight on a single load of charcoal. You don't have to babysit it. You don't have to keep adding wood. Just throw a few chunks of hickory or oak into the charcoal, set the vents, and go to bed.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Cleaning is pretty straightforward. Every few cooks, you'll want to scoop out the ash from the bottom. Every year or so, it's a good idea to do a "clean-out burn." Basically, you open the vents wide and let the grill roar at a high temperature for an hour. This burns off any grease or gunk that’s built up on the interior ceramic walls.
Just be careful with the hinge. The Pit Boss 24 has a heavy-duty spring-loaded hinge because that lid weighs a ton. Periodically check the bolts to make sure everything is tight. A loose lid can lead to an air leak, which makes temperature control a nightmare.
The Verdict on Value
If you want the name brand and the status symbol, go buy the green one. But if you want a massive cooking surface and a grill that performs exactly the same for about half the price, the Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is a smart move.
It’s a serious tool. It’s not a "set it and forget it" appliance in the way a pellet grill is, but it offers a level of flavor and versatility that pellets just can't match. There’s something deeply satisfying about mastering the airflow and producing a brisket that looks like it came from a professional Texas BBQ joint.
Actionable Next Steps for New Owners
- Buy a cover immediately. Even though the ceramic is durable, the metal hardware and side shelves will last much longer if they aren't pounded by rain and UV rays.
- Invest in a high-quality wireless thermometer. Don't rely solely on the dome thermometer. Get a probe that sits at grate level so you know exactly what the meat is experiencing.
- Start with a simple roast. Before you try a 15-hour brisket, do a whole chicken or a pork butt. These are forgiving meats that will help you learn how the vents respond to small adjustments.
- Upgrade the ash tool. The one included is okay, but a dedicated shop-vac or a better ash bucket makes the cleanup process significantly less messy.
- Check your seals. After your first five cooks, check the tightness of the bands holding the lid and base. Heat causes metal to expand and contract, and things can loosen up during the "break-in" period.
The Pit Boss 24 Kamado grill is a heavy-duty commitment, but once you taste the difference in moisture and bark, you'll probably never go back to a standard gas or charcoal grill again. It's a bit of a learning curve, sure, but that's part of the fun.