Costco Louisiana Grills Series 7 Pellet Vertical Smoker

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Also, after removing the stock water pan, in my PB5 I get good results by using one of the grates to hold the disposable foil pan, but move it up to the 3rd set of holes from the bottom. This gives a little more air volume for the fire pot to heat and seems to hold the swings down a little bit more. Should work for the LG7 as well.

Just remember the display pit temp is the area under the water/foil pan, not the cooking chamber temps. So where the food is, you are not going to see those swings. The swing is due to the inrush of heat from burning pellets and the fall is from where the auger stops, but the result is fairly smooth temps in the food cooking area.

I also took my logo off the glass door and inserted a Tel Tru thermometer. That and remote pit temp probes on the various racks confirm the swing is much less (almost none at some temps) in the food chamber.
 
Do these vertical pellet smokers give you the option of “turning off” or bypassing the smoke so you have control and the ability to continue cooking but cutting off the smoke? Love the idea of the design but would like the ability to cook without smoking as well.
 
Do these vertical pellet smokers give you the option of “turning off” or bypassing the smoke so you have control and the ability to continue cooking but cutting off the smoke? Love the idea of the design but would like the ability to cook without smoking as well.
Honestly, you could get a mild pellet and turn it up to a highertemperature where almost none of that super smokey smoke is produced.
 
Thanks! Any suggestion on the most mild pellet to use? Thanks for helping the newbie.
Walmart has PitBoss pellets - competition blend- for dirt cheap. I personally hate these pellets bc they give you almost no smoke. I'm sure others would disagree - but that's what you're looking for.
 
Just picked up this smoker at costco tonight. Upgraded from a MES 40 gen 2.5. Can't wait until this weekend to fire it up.
 
Just put some wood chips in a small loaf pan on the black heat deflector, really like the results. Used with aluminum foil water pan instead of the provided drip pan makes this smoker awesome.
 
How much of or any difference does it make that the Copperhead 7 is 60,000 btu and the LG7 is 40,000?
Don't know if it makes a difference. I have been happy with my LG7 so far. Did a brisket, chicken thighs and smoked some cheese. Still getting use to it but really like it.
 
How much of or any difference does it make that the Copperhead 7 is 60,000 btu and the LG7 is 40,000?
They are no different. Dansons make both brands. The pitboss website has all kinds of wrong/(misleading?) information regarding btu and cooking sq.in. Take the 5-series at 20,700 btu and the Copperhead 5 (Walmart only) at 40,000 btu. They are exactly the same smoker.
The 7 series is the same as the 5 but is 4 " taller and has one more rack.
 
BTW, I really like this smoker. Tip - I have never used the included water pan, but I put an aluminum pan on a rack that is just above the temp probe. It holds more water, can be thrown out/replaced when really dirty, and works as well if not better.
 
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BTW, I really like this smoker. Tip - I have never used the included water pan, but I put an aluminum pan on a rack that is just above the temp probe. It holds more water, can be thrown out/replaced when really dirty, and works as well if not better.
Are you using a half steam pan soze or a full size one?
 
Hey Guys! Just picked this smoker up this weekend Coming from a Masterbuilt Electric. Quick question, do you keep the hopper filled with pellets even when not in use? Thanks in advance!
 
I just got this smoker a month ago.. I have not been leaving them in as I store it outside.. Being new to pellet grills I just don't want them to get too much moisture. I have been putting in as much as I think will be used but watch it to make sure it is enough. Part of my process of putting it up after it cools is to dump the extra out. I also clean the glass and temp probe. Takes about 10 min to do all that.
 
Are you using a half steam pan soze or a full size one?
I am using a large pan that has 1-2" clearance all around. it works well and being larger still allows plenty of smoke while catching more drips/grease. I use a pan about 10 times then trash it. For a couple of bucks I dont clean it, I just empty the water and let the residue burn off a bit on the shut off cycle
 
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I just got this smoker a month ago.. I have not been leaving them in as I store it outside.. Being new to pellet grills I just don't want them to get too much moisture. I have been putting in as much as I think will be used but watch it to make sure it is enough. Part of my process of putting it up after it cools is to dump the extra out. I also clean the glass and temp probe. Takes about 10 min to do all that.
If the smoker is not in a covered area, I would keep the pellets to a minimum and always put the cover on. I also added some waterproof gorilla tape around the dump door to make sure no water can get in. Did I say I always put the cover on once it's cooled down ;-).

For pit boss owners you can get a nice cover on Amazon for ~ $22 https://amzn.com/B07H85ZZGG

I've had a lot of rain around here and have not had a single problem with mositure.

BTW I also sift my Pitboss pellets into a 5 gallon pail to keep sawdust to a minimum (I just use a steel colander from the kitchen) - although the PB pellets are very clean. (The sawdust can make the auger work harder and potentially jam-up, so a quick 5 minute sieve on a 40lb bag is preventative medicine)
 
Another trick I learned is that you need to have the chimney 'gap' about 2 fingers width. PB does not give enough detail in the manual, but what can happen at low/smoke temperatures is the excess smoke can suffocate the fire resulting in an error - pellets are pouring in but the temp is not going up due to no flame, and the controller gets screwed up (controller reads low temp, keeps pouring in pellets, temp doesn't rise due to no flame, hmm > add more pellets).

This type of thing can also happen if you keep adjusting the temp too often. If you get the ErL - just unplug and restart with the door open. I had this happen to me once because I had the top screwed down too far. On high temps you can have the gap smaller since there is less smoke, but I just leave mine at 2 fingers width.
 
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