Pellet and cook calculator

Planning numbers for time, pellet weight, and whether the hopper survives the cook. Not a promise. Wind and weather will move this.

Inputs

Change anything. The estimate updates live, and the address bar keeps up. Use Copy link to this estimate on the results panel (or the mobile bar) when you want to paste the exact scenario into a reply.

Protein / cook type

Meat weight (lb)

Target grill temp (F)

Grill model

Pit Boss Sportsman series pellet grill, front three-quarter view

Pit Boss Sportsman 820

Listed hopper: 21 lb
Assumed burn: 1.00 lb/hr at 225 F
Full hopper runs: 20 hr 39 min

Hopper hours use the temp and ambient you picked, not the mild 225 F catalog column.

Burn rate is a PelletDeck planning assumption, not a manufacturer lab test. Full specs for this model

Official Sportsman 850 photo. The 820 name is the older Sportsman size in the same hunting-inspired line.

Ambient condition (you pick it)

PelletDeck does not look up the weather at your address. This is a setting, and it is the one that surprises people: sub-freezing roughly doubles pellet use in this model.

Mild (about 60 to 80 F)Assumes 1x pelletsCool (about 40 to 59 F)Assumes 1.25x pelletsCold (about 25 to 39 F)Assumes 1.55x pelletsWinter / sub-freezingAssumes 2.1x pellets

Hopper size (lb)Listed hopper for this model is 21 lb. Change it if yours is different.

Planning number that tries to leave room for a stall. A 12 lb packer at 225 F is often an overnight job. What the stall does to your fuel math

Estimate

Cook time: 16 hr 30 min; 16.5 hours
Pellets: 16.9 lb; 1.00 lb/hr once running. How burn rate moves

ClearHopper covers this cook on paper

About 4.1 lb left after 16 hr 30 min. A full 21 lb hopper runs about 20 hr 39 min at this burn rate.

Still look in the hopper before you go to bed. Paper margin is not fuel.

Hopper load: 21 lb
A full hopper runs: 20 hr 39 min
Left at the end: 4.1 lb

How hopper hours are counted

The link carries these exact inputs, so whoever opens it sees the same numbers.

Assumptions

Cook time starts from 1.5 hr plus 1.25 hr per lb, then scales by (225 / target temp)^0.85.
Pellet burn starts at 1.00 lb/hr at 225 F, then scales by (target temp / 225)^1.2 and an ambient multiplier of 1x (Mild (about 60 to 80 F)).
Ambient is the setting you picked, not a live forecast. PelletDeck never looks up the weather at your address.
Startup waste is a flat 0.35 lb. Real ignition can use more if you leave the lid open.
Wind, wet pellets, a dirty fire pot, and a leaky lid are not in the math. They usually burn more, not less.
This is a planning estimate, not a promise and not food-safety advice.

Full formula writeup · Food-safety disclaimer

You pick the inputs. Every constant behind them is written down. How the formula works · Listed hoppers by model · How much meat to buy per person · What time to start smoking