The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.

[BKING!]

Originally Posted by PursuitSS

Anyone have any experience with this smoker?



Ive pretty much narrowed it down to either this or the Pit Boss Series 7

Thoughts?

Looks nice. I didn’t know that had that model

[MilhouseBBQ]

Pit Boss Pro Series From Lowes (Vertical Pellet) - Review / Issues

Hopefully this is a good spot for this, picked this unit up back in April, mixed results, some ok smokes, but big issues on others. After some very helpful tips here on the Brethren I picked up a wireless temp gauge (see below), turns out the unit is defective, this time I can blame someone else. Was heating at 100-150 degrees higher than the digital gauge on the unit.

I called Pit Boss customer service, long wait time, but the pre-recorded service said I was calling on the busiest time, after a weekend and Monday before the 4th no issue there. Nice enough dude, he did a few trouble shooting things, and yep, bad unit, they're sending me a new board, but the rub is that its back ordered for like 7-8 weeks, which is like the entire Michigan summer. No more smoked BBQ other than indirect on my grill.

With that long of a backlog, my guess, others out there have bad units too, you should check yours if you have one.

The temp gauge is a ThermPro TP-08s, cheaper than the unit most recommended by ThermPro but this one had a low temp alert, the more expensive unit didn't, odd but that's what I wanted. When I first got the temp gauge, it took me about 15 minutes to figure how I could tell whether the new gauge was off, or if it was the PB. I ended up testing it in my oven and grill, and it was within 5 degrees on both, and i used the meat probe in a chicken breast matched the other unit I had, ThermPro thumbs up!

[RCAlan]

Originally Posted by MilhouseBBQ

Pit Boss Pro Series From Lowes (Vertical Pellet) - Review / Issues

Hopefully this is a good spot for this, picked this unit up back in April, mixed results, some ok smokes, but big issues on others. After some very helpful tips here on the Brethren I picked up a wireless temp gauge (see below), turns out the unit is defective, this time I can blame someone else. Was heating at 100-150 degrees higher than the digital gauge on the unit.

I called Pit Boss customer service, long wait time, but the pre-recorded service said I was calling on the busiest time, after a weekend and Monday before the 4th no issue there. Nice enough dude, he did a few trouble shooting things, and yep, bad unit, they're sending me a new board, but the rub is that its back ordered for like 7-8 weeks, which is like the entire Michigan summer. No more smoked BBQ other than indirect on my grill.

With that long of a backlog, my guess, others out there have bad units too, you should check yours if you have one.

The temp gauge is a ThermPro TP-08s, cheaper than the unit most recommended by ThermPro but this one had a low temp alert, the more expensive unit didn't, odd but that's what I wanted. When I first got the temp gauge, it took me about 15 minutes to figure how I could tell whether the new gauge was off, or if it was the PB. I ended up testing it in my oven and grill, and it was within 5 degrees on both, and i used the meat probe in a chicken breast matched the other unit I had, ThermPro thumbs up!

I hope PitBoss gets things figured out for You with the Controller Board. Great thing that it comes with a 5 year warranty. I’ve read that the Vertical PitBoss Smokers really benefit from using a larger Aluminum Water Pan to help control the large temp swings. The stock water pan from what I’ve read is way to Small. If You have the time, I would buy a nice size Aluminum Water Pan that will fit in your Smoker, use 2 by putting the one filled with water inside of a empty one, fill it 3/4 way with water and give it a test run with your new ThermPro TP-08 and see if it solves/improves the temp issues with Your Smoker. Oh and always allow your grill to preheat for at least 20 mins. before setting your desired temp. Either way, Good luck.

[GatorBeerGeek]

Originally Posted by MilhouseBBQ

Pit Boss Pro Series From Lowes (Vertical Pellet) - Review / Issues

The temp gauge is a ThermPro TP-08s, cheaper than the unit most recommended by ThermPro but this one had a low temp alert, the more expensive unit didn't, odd but that's what I wanted. When I first got the temp gauge, it took me about 15 minutes to figure how I could tell whether the new gauge was off, or if it was the PB. I ended up testing it in my oven and grill, and it was within 5 degrees on both, and i used the meat probe in a chicken breast matched the other unit I had, ThermPro thumbs up!

I bought that same model because I wanted all the alarms. It works great and the price was right. Ended up getting an instant read from them as well due to the coupon code that came with the TP08.

[BKING!]

So with me being low carb and all sometimes I eat strange.
I literally just took a pound of ground beef, shaped it into a patty, and smoked it. Did smoke mode till patty was 130 deg and seared until medium. I hardly ever use grill grates. I really like an even sear. I topped it with shredded cheese , lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mustard all not pictured obviously.
I also want to add I did my searing different. I let the grill preheat to 400 deg and then switched to grill mode. I then seared lid open. As you guys know grill mode is a constant auger feed. Temp of grill displayed around 330 deg on the controller the entire time but i still got all the intense radiant heat I wanted. Internal temp rose only 10-15 deg until I got the outside the way I wanted it.

[rwalters]

Originally Posted by BKING!

So with me being low carb and all sometimes I eat strange.
I literally just took a pound of ground beef, shaped it into a patty, and smoked it. Did smoke mode till patty was 130 deg and seared until medium. I hardly ever use grill grates. I really like an even sear. I topped it with shredded cheese , lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mustard all not pictured obviously.
I also want to add I did my searing different. I let the grill preheat to 400 deg and then switched to grill mode. I then seared lid open. As you guys know grill mode is a constant auger feed. Temp of grill displayed around 330 deg on the controller the entire time but i still got all the intense radiant heat I wanted. Internal temp rose only 10-15 deg until I got the outside the way I wanted it.

Beautiful hunk-o-beef!

[drunkenmeatfist]

Haven't used the Copperhead in several weeks. Busted it out today to smoke some bacon. Thing is running like a champ.

[gtsum]

Wife out of town getting our kids and worked from home this afternoon so tried a creekstone master chef ribeye (they were on sale awhile back). Little thin for me so cooked direct for 6 minutes...turned out medium...next time 5 minutes will be the ticket. Arrowood cab quite good for $28






Memphis Elite





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[smoke ninja]

hello fellow pellet cooks. it's been awhile and I'd like to tell my pellet journey.

it started with a treager tailgater. did some ribs, chicken, even a brisket. flameouts.wild temp swings. I only bought it because it was on sale, floor model clearanced 75%. then the Walmart clearance season hit. I sold the treager for what I paid for it and used the money to get a pit boss. the classic, 700 sq feet of cooking with a sliding grate for a sear zone. then I picked up a vertical copperhead for $200. great value. I was fully emerged in the pellet life. at the time I needed the ease of use they offered. I went all out even got some grill grates and filled up my trunk with a bulk purchase of lumberjack pellets.

i decided to sell the vertical to a buddy. i only bought it in case i needed to do a large cook and it was such a value. in the end I got what I paid for it and moved on.

the pellet grill now sits at its post on the front porch. it's my "gasser". quick cooks, overflow. the sear plate opens up and does a surprisingly good job on one or 2 pieces of meat. grill grates add to the searing real estate and gives another dimension to how it cooks. convection gives food great color and texture, stuff off my pellet grill is some of the best looking I've cooked.

I'm glad I entered into the pellet world. it's not my favorite way to cook but offers a different way to cook with unique results.

I've settled into a pretty good rotation of cookers with a drum, kettle and pellet grill.

[rwalters]

Originally Posted by smoke ninja

hello fellow pellet cooks. it's been awhile and I'd like to tell my pellet journey.



it started with a treager tailgater. did some ribs, chicken, even a brisket. flameouts.wild temp swings. I only bought it because it was on sale, floor model clearanced 75%. then the Walmart clearance season hit. I sold the treager for what I paid for it and used the money to get a pit boss. the classic, 700 sq feet of cooking with a sliding grate for a sear zone. then I picked up a vertical copperhead for $200. great value. I was fully emerged in the pellet life. at the time I needed the ease of use they offered. I went all out even got some grill grates and filled up my trunk with a bulk purchase of lumberjack pellets.



i decided to sell the vertical to a buddy. i only bought it in case i needed to do a large cook and it was such a value. in the end I got what I paid for it and moved on.



the pellet grill now sits at its post on the front porch. it's my "gasser". quick cooks, overflow. the sear plate opens up and does a surprisingly good job on one or 2 pieces of meat. grill grates add to the searing real estate and gives another dimension to how it cooks. convection gives food great color and texture, stuff off my pellet grill is some of the best looking I've cooked.



I'm glad I entered into the pellet world. it's not my favorite way to cook but offers a different way to cook with unique results.



I've settled into a pretty good rotation of cookers with a drum, kettle and pellet grill.

Those 3 cookers make for a great team! What type of drum do you have? A DIY or one of the big names (Hunsaker, Gateway, etc)?

[smoke ninja]

Originally Posted by rwalters

Those 3 cookers make for a great team! What type of drum do you have? A DIY or one of the big names (Hunsaker, Gateway, etc)?

home build uds, real ugly. it also has a raised swing gate so I can cook over an open fire and rotisserie.

[AussieMatt]

Originally Posted by smoke ninja

I've settled into a pretty good rotation of cookers with a drum, kettle and pellet grill.

How do you like the PB horizontal? I'm have the drum and the kettle, but am really torn of what pooper to get. I can get the biggest PB from Lowes with an employee discount, but are they good enough? Do I need to spend more to get a decent one or is the PB good enough?

[smoke ninja]

Originally Posted by AussieMatt

How do you like the PB horizontal? I'm have the drum and the kettle, but am really torn of what pooper to get. I can get the biggest PB from Lowes with an employee discount, but are they good enough? Do I need to spend more to get a decent one or is the PB good enough?

I am happy with my pit boss but they do have some short comings.

they are not pid and temperatures can run in a range, not unlike an oven. can be upgraded for $100. mine works well enough. some folks have had problems but pit boss is good at warranty claims.

the biggest flaw in my opinion is where the firepot is located and how the handle heat deflection. in my model the firepot is centered. this puts a hotspot in the middle and I have problems with too much heat coming through the deflector. an aftermarket diffuser can help. some of the pit boss cookers have it to the side, their lineup is confusing, each store can have it's own line of bosses.

I really like the sear function. it's great for a few burgers or 2 steaks.

the lineup works well for me. I thought about keeping the vertical instead for long unattended smokes and large volume cooks. in the end I prefer the profile of the drum for things like butts and brisket. I didn't really need the extra capacity and I actually trust the drum w/2 vents open more then the pooper overnight.

the horizontal pellet cooker is on my front porch. I use it for quick cooks. good at things like meatloaf or doing trays of abts. I really like using it for reverse searing . my front porch cooker is also what I use most in the winter so the boss has a prestigious position in the lineup.

I would say they are good enough, especially if it is not your main cooker. aside from a better controller and a better heat shield (at least on my model) the only flaw I see is a poor hopper design. there is a flat spot at the bottom and the pellets can bind up if you dont keep an eye out. all three of these issues can be fixed for under $150. I personally haven't made any mods to mine

last night I made a 3 lbs bone in ribeye on it







and this center cut t bone pork chop

[gtsum]

Originally Posted by smoke ninja

I am happy with my pit boss but they do have some short comings.



they are not pid and temperatures can run in a range, not unlike an oven. can be upgraded for $100. mine works well enough. some folks have had problems but pit boss is good at warranty claims.



the biggest flaw in my opinion is where the firepot is located and how the handle heat deflection. in my model the firepot is centered. this puts a hotspot in the middle and I have problems with too much heat coming through the deflector. an aftermarket diffuser can help. some of the pit boss cookers have it to the side, their lineup is confusing, each store can have it's own line of bosses.



I really like the sear function. it's great for a few burgers or 2 steaks.



the lineup works well for me. I thought about keeping the vertical instead for long unattended smokes and large volume cooks. in the end I prefer the profile of the drum for things like butts and brisket. I didn't really need the extra capacity and I actually trust the drum w/2 vents open more then the pooper overnight.



the horizontal pellet cooker is on my front porch. I use it for quick cooks. good at things like meatloaf or doing trays of abts. I really like using it for reverse searing . my front porch cooker is also what I use most in the winter so the boss has a prestigious position in the lineup.



I would say they are good enough, especially if it is not your main cooker. aside from a better controller and a better heat shield (at least on my model) the only flaw I see is a poor hopper design. there is a flat spot at the bottom and the pellets can bind up if you dont keep an eye out. all three of these issues can be fixed for under $150. I personally haven't made any mods to mine



last night I made a 3 lbs bone in ribeye on it















and this center cut t bone pork chop

Nice looking food!


Memphis Elite





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[gtsum]

Did some Prime plate ribs from creekstone I picked up awhile back. Smoked for about 6 hours then wrapped in bp for about 2 hours. They probed tender and think temp was around 206. Let them rest for 2 hours and I thought they were good, but a bit on the dry side. Not sure what the deal was with that? Really like spg and then black ops run on beef these days








Memphis Elite





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro