Pit Boss Sale YMMV

[16Adams]

Thanks for all the input, reviews, tips, mods etc on The Pit Boss Brand. I’m reading them all. They are a popular entry level pellet cooker. I have plenty of room in my garage so I don’t plan to store it outside. With what I learn from The Brethren, Youtube, FB & IG perhaps I can stay in the Pellet Realm longer than 11 Months as I did the first time. I’m on my second bag of B&B Championship blend and wanting to try Lumberjack Char Hickory next. These two bags of B&B have worked great but there is more dust/powder than I recall from a few years ago. Sifting is not a problem but just easier to eliminate that step if possible. I’m using the shop vac before every cook, applying light oil after every cook basically treating the internals like cast iron. Cooks so far have been on roasting racks above a pan. How long I can do this before I get less enthused of the newness? Who knows?

My other thought was I’m only in it for 250+Tax use it as a tool, get it dirty and go.
Not yet

 

[16Adams]

I've never owned a pellet cooker but I've never ruled it out either. I'll jump on this deal if it makes it to my area. If not I will soldier on with charcoal and wood. :mrgreen:

Agree, wait for close out. Pit Boss sites reporting the 500 inch cooking area (half the size of the Austin XL at 1000 inches) is being seen in some Walmart for 150$
The Lexington I believe. Regular $297

My first real love of the smoked meat world was The Pit Barrel Cooker. I’d bring that meat in the house or gift it thinking, yea I cooked that. I still recommend The PBC to first time outdoor cooks. Food cooked in a barrel just always tastes good to me. And the PBC May have been easier to operate and far fewer things to go awry.

 

[Burn]

One obvious tip that I didn’t seem to get in the beginning is not to let the food extend past the drip pan. I see a lot of pics with food extending past the zone.

 

[Dr. Trout Bum]

Agree, wait for close out. Pit Boss sites reporting the 500 inch cooking area (half the size of the Austin XL at 1000 inches) is being seen in some Walmart for 150$
The Lexington I believe. Regular $297

My first real love of the smoked meat world was The Pit Barrel Cooker. I’d bring that meat in the house or gift it thinking, yea I cooked that. I still recommend The PBC to first time outdoor cooks. Food cooked in a barrel just always tastes good to me. And the PBC May have been easier to operate and far fewer things to go awry.

Never had better Q than that cooked in my UDS…drums make great food!

 

[RCAlan]

I have zero experience with pellets- but I admit to being "pellet curious".
These 2 suggestions don't seem to agree with each other. Is the preheat suggestion just for grilling? And the other is just for smoking?

It’s for safety and accuracy

The preheating advice is direct from the PitBoss Austin XL’s owners manual, on page 15. As stated before, the PB Austin XL has a Non PID Controller, so preheating for 15-20 mins at 300*-350* degrees is important to allow the controller to stabilize. When preheating is initially started, the temp will over shoot, but then come down and settle onto the preheating set temp. Once settled… 15-20 mins. then you can set the controller to your desired temp. The main reason that preheating is important for Non-PID controller pellet grills like the PB Austin XL is to prevent “Wild Temp Swings” and Flameouts. Mild temp swings of 20*-30* degrees is completely normal for Non PID Controllers, it’s the wild temp swings of 50* degrees and higher that can be avoided by properly preheating. Also, Flameouts can occur if the PB Austin XL is not preheated correctly. Just turning on the Grill cold, and setting the controller to Smoke or 180*-200* degrees will put the grill at greater risk of flaming out. When I first got my Austin XL 4 years ago, I to thought I could just plug the power cord in and set the temp… I was very wrong. After my grills temp dropped from 225* degrees, down to below 150* degrees and the Controllers screen was flashing. I almost just did a quick restart of turning the grill off and then back on again, but something told me to lift the grills lid and take a look… Good thing I did. The auger had continued to feed the fire pot during the flameout and there were pellets all over the bottom of the barrel. If I had just done that restart without looking first, the entire grill could have caught fire or worse, exploded. That can happen with any brand of pellet grill… Google pellet grills exploding…
These grills should not be operated like the oven in your kitchen, they are fuel by hardwood pellets and require a few additional steps to allow them to perform safely and accurately. That’s why I always share the importance of preheating, especially to those who own or are considering buying a Classic Traeger Grill or a Non PID Controller Pit Boss Pellet Grill like the PB Austin XL. I hope this wasn’t to long winded, but at the end of the day, it comes down to safety. I hope the info helps. FYI. The PB Austin XL is a great entry level pellet grill and a great buy.