Hello from Minnesota!

[GimmeBeef3654]

New BBQer here from Minnesota.

Never crossed my mind to smoke meats but there was a Menards sale on Pit Boss 820 XL's for $350, which I saw was nearly half off, and I bought it on a whim. Little did I know how much of a hold bbq would take on my mind. All I've been watching are bbq videos on youtube for the last few weeks.

I have a few cooks under my belt (2x chicken thighs, 3x baby back ribs, beef ribs) and am at the point of looking to make some upgrades to the pit boss. Wild temp swings are the subject of many a forum post and I probably will add to them. The latest rib cook was approaching the last straw for me, as I ended up having to crank up the temp after a 5 hour cook because the temp was much lower than what the controller thought (set to 225F, analog thermometer was 200 F).

Anyways, little teaser to my first thread incoming. Thanks for reading!

 

[02ebz06]

Greetings and welcome to the forum from New Mexico.

There are aftermarket controllers you can buy for some pits.
I got a Savannah Stoker years back for my CampChef XXL Pro vertical pellet smoker.
There are others out there, Smoke Daddy Pellet Pro is another.
You would have to see what works with the Pit Boss.

 

[normanaj]

Hello from RI.

I think I remember reading on this forum that PB does have a PID controller.That would certainly eliminate the temp swings.

 

[Flatrate]

Welcome from Michigan!

Dave

 

[Fueling Around]

Hello from central Florida.
Next spring I'll return to NW Minnesota

Did your temperatures start out normal or is it always low?
A separate thermometer with a grate level probe is your best friend in the old analog controlled grills which are notoriously not accurate.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Hi, and welcome from nw Iowa! Not sure about for that smoker but I bought an Auber pid to run my analog mes 30 and love it!

Ryan

 

[GimmeBeef3654]

Thanks all for the suggestions!