Pit Boss Ceramic Cooker @ Costco ??

[SlowSmoked]

Hey All,

was at Costco earlier and saw that they had a Pit Boss Ceramic Cooker for $599.00. Looking for feedback from anyone familiar with these....

Does anyone know the diameter of the grill grate? (I used to have a LG BGE and was wonder about the size comparison)

Where do you find Pit Boss accessories?

Anyone with experience using these?

I just bought a Weber 26 but haven't opened it and was thinking about returning it to get this cooker. I live in Colorado, so a ceramic cooker would be beneficial during the winter. Any opinions on this?

THX

 

[SlowSmoked]

I saw a review on Costco.com where someone said it came with a cover.... can anyone confirm this?

 

[m-fine]

Cooking on mine now! The bottom grate is 20.5" and the top one is 20". It comes with the body and fire bowl, a main grate and a second raised grate, ash tool, cart, side shelves and yes a cover.

The top and bottom damper both leak a bit and are improved greatly by adding a little extra felt gasket. The dome thermometer is junk. The hinge is OK, but the lid is heavy and it is not quite up to Kamado Joe standards.

Other than that I couldn't be happier. It gives you just a bit more space than a large BGE or Classic Joe at a much lower price point.

 

[ekrieger]

I had just picked one up at Costco last week as there were 2 in stock and I saw the reviews as well and then the Kamodo Joe Roadshow came to town. Their rep was saying that the Pit Boss would require a special regulator attachment for smoking, as well as some other flaws (not nice to trash talk the competition) but their large ceramic grill was almost twice the price of the Pit Boss.

Is it true I can't use this as a slow smoker right out of the box? I've just moved from a Trager to the large ceramic and would consider spending BGE $$ if there is really a huge difference.

 

[ekrieger]

Hey All,

was at Costco earlier and saw that they had a Pit Boss Ceramic Cooker for $599.00. Looking for feedback from anyone familiar with these....

Does anyone know the diameter of the grill grate? (I used to have a LG BGE and was wonder about the size comparison)

Where do you find Pit Boss accessories?

Anyone with experience using these?

I just bought a Weber 26 but haven't opened it and was thinking about returning it to get this cooker. I live in Colorado, so a ceramic cooker would be beneficial during the winter. Any opinions on this?

THX

@SlowSmoked - Pit Boss sells accessories on their website (http://pitboss-grills.com/store/) - though not many of them. I saw a temp regulator on Amazon for @ $199 as well.

 

[m-fine]

The Kamado Joe Big Joe is both bigger and somewhat nicer, but the differences other than size are fairly minor things.

The Joe does come with deflector stones but you can buy them for the PB, and a ton of other accessories, and a couple hundred pounds of pork before you hit KJ prices.

A deflector solution is needed for slow/indirect cooks. KJ includes half stones with their divide and conquer system. Pit Boss sells a ceramic unit like the BGE plate setter (also not included with a BGE). I do not like the plate setter solution but CGS now sells a Spider for the Pit Boss which is a very slick and versatile device. Flipped down, spider can hold full or half stones below the grate with plenty of room for a drip pan, add a low grate for close searing or hold a wok griddle or other items. Flipped up, it can raise your main grate to the felt line (and the second grate up higher), hold a wok or other items further from the flame.