Pit Boss Kamado 24" at Costco

[NeilH]

I see the Pit Boss 24 is on sale at Costco for $499. This is the one with the black table on each side opposed to the wood colored ones. Anybody know what year the black painted ones are and if there is any other difference compared to the wood colored ones ?

 

[m-fine]

They came out in 2016 with bamboo handles and side tables. The wood stains easily so some people don't like it.

The 2017 models use black plastic for the handles and side tables. They also added the plate setter style Ceramic deflector to the package and included the screen for the lower vent. Otherwise it is the same Auplex manufactured grill (same source as Vision, Gorilla and others).

IMHO these are the best value in ceramic kamados out there but keep in mind it is more like a 20-21" grill and is not the same size as an XL BGE or Kamado Joe Big Joe which are both 24" inside diameter. They are still substantially larger than the 18" size and those couple inches make a big difference with certain cuts.

 

[NeilH]

They came out in 2016 with bamboo handles and side tables. The wood stains easily so some people don't like it.

The 2017 models use black plastic for the handles and side tables. They also added the plate setter style Ceramic deflector to the package and included the screen for the lower vent. Otherwise it is the same Auplex manufactured grill (same source as Vision, Gorilla and others).

IMHO these are the best value in ceramic kamados out there but keep in mind it is more like a 20-21" grill and is not the same size as an XL BGE or Kamado Joe Big Joe which are both 24" inside diameter. They are still substantially larger than the 18" size and those couple inches make a big difference with certain cuts.

Thanks for that detailed answer. It looked to be plenty big for my use. Would you sell a seasoned 18.5 WSM to use that money towards it ? It seems to be pretty versatile. I figure it's as good quality wise as the 2017 but wasn't sure.

 

[m-fine]

I have had mine for just over a year now and I am very pleased with it. If you want a ceramic Kamado for under $1000, I think the PB is the way to go.

Would I sell a well seasoned 18.5 WSM? Hard to say. Around here I would expect to be able to get so little for the WSM that I would rather keep it, unless I simply did not have the room. If it is one or the other, I would rather have the PB than an 18 WSM. They are a bit of an apples to oranges thing, but the Kamado is more versatile, a much better grill, and with our winters, the insulation makes a big difference. If all you are going to use it for is as a charcoal smoker in moderate to warm weather, I might suggest a 22.5 WSM, otherwise the Kamado is a nice Swiss Army knife of a cooker.

 

[NeilH]

I have had mine for just over a year now and I am very pleased with it. If you want a ceramic Kamado for under $1000, I think the PB is the way to go.

Would I sell a well seasoned 18.5 WSM? Hard to say. Around here I would expect to be able to get so little for the WSM that I would rather keep it, unless I simply did not have the room. If it is one or the other, I would rather have the PB than an 18 WSM. They are a bit of an apples to oranges thing, but the Kamado is more versatile, a much better grill, and with our winters, the insulation makes a big difference. If all you are going to use it for is as a charcoal smoker in moderate to warm weather, I might suggest a 22.5 WSM, otherwise the Kamado is a nice Swiss Army knife of a cooker.

It would be used for all my grilling and smoking. I have a guru dx 2 controller that I use on my WSM and could get an adapter for the PB. I just figure it's to good of a deal to pass up. (I sent you a PM before I read your reply.)

 

[m-fine]

I have no experience with the Guru, but I run mine with a heatermeter controller and it holds temps way better than my ovens. If you get the top vent set close, I am sure just about any controller would run it well.

A Kamado is a very good grill and charcoal oven and a good smoker. It is an OK pizza oven in that it can make a fantastic pizza, but it is not as easy with the closed lid as a dedicated pizza oven with an open front you can peer through. As a smoker it is very controllable and does the set and forget thing very well with plenty of fuel capacity to do the longest cooks without refilling. It won't give the same exact results as a stick burner, but it doesn't require all the work either.

One issue you need to work around is they (all ceramic kamados) are easy to heat up but very slow to cool down. For a slow cook you need to only light a small portion of the charcoal or you won't be able to control it well. For steaks you need to learn to reverse sear, cook low and then sear to finish rather than sear first because it can get a blazing 900 plus for the sear but then take hours to cool down! There is a bit of a learning curve, but there are a lot of resources online to help and it is worth it.