Hot spot

[RCAlan]

I am strongly considering buying a Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 as it looks like a great value with good build quality and some nice features, but I am worried about this issue as it seems fairly common. I'm not so worried about small temp swings overall, but even temps from right to left are a concern.

Has anyone tried the Smoke Daddy Heavy D Stick burner diffuser in the 1100? I see RCAlan uses it in the Austin XL which is a very similar grill to the Pro 1100, but I also see Rmartiness22 tried the non stickburner version in this exact grill, the Pro 1100 and it caused issues with how the drip pan sits. I am unsure if the difference is the size of the barrell between the Austin XL and the 1100, or if the non stick burner version of the diffuser is taller. It would be nice to know if anyone has tried the stick burner version specifically in a Pro Series 1100 and how it fit.

Kevin, I think you’ll be happy with either PB Austin XL or Pro Series 1100 purchase... The hard part is just convincing Yourself to pull the trigger on the purchase... If You do decide to go with the Pro Series 1100, make sure you go over the Grill completely to make sure all the screws and fittings are secured correctly.. Sometimes, when others assemble items, the attention to detail will not be same as your own. As for the SD HD Wood Burning Heat Diffuser, I think it’s a great product, but as I also posted, “One Size” does not always fits all... Even with the size of the PS 1100, it’s going to be a tight fit. To prevent problems, it would be a good idea to reach out to SmokeDaddyinc first by phone and tell them your grills brand, size and dimensions and have them trim the base of the heat diffuser by at least 1 inch and the top of the diffuser by 1/2 inch before you buy it. Every Brand and type of Pellet Grill will come in different sizes, so while 1100 sq inches of grilling space sounds like a lot, the grill itself is not huge as far as depth. Adding the Heat Diffuser solves the hot spot issues that many End User are having and being able to add true wood smoke flavor to your bbq is a true added plus that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Good luck with your decisions and post back your results.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[Lucas Bruursema]

Hi Kevin, just a forewarning before I say anything but I have had my pit boss 1100 pro series for about 2 months total I think and new to pellet grilling...so take what I say I guess with a grain of salt....

First of all....LOVE my Pit Boss. Really can't compare it to Traegers or any other brands because I've never used them but what can I say? The grill works, has lots of nice features and the food is coming out delicious. I purchased mine at Lowes and opened a store card that offered 100 dollars off your first purchase plus the grill was on sale so picked it up for 450. Compared to prices of Traegers, I guess I felt that was a good deal. I built it at home myself and the thing is heavy and feels pretty sturdy. I think after a couple months of cooking on my grill and a lot of great advice from people on this forum...I'm thinking I'm figuring out the ins and outs of how this grill works and just keep loving it more and more! I've been experimenting a lot with cheap cuts of meat to test different ways of cooking and have been starting to have lots of success.

As for the hot spots...these guys have given me advice that just has worked and I dont think I need any heat diffuser or make adjustments to my grill.
I have been playing with grill basically and having fun....some have been successes (first baby back ribs were amazing) others...not so much (cornbread in a cast iron skillet plus forgetting to check it equals a large black hockey puck). I think if you decide on a Pit Boss I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm a researcher when I'm about to pull the trigger so to speak on a large purchase and I really haven't found a whole lot of negative reviews and I certainly won't be one to add to them. If you get one I just don't think you'll be disappointed. Hope this helps somewhat with your decision!

 

[kevin james]

Hi Kevin, just a forewarning before I say anything but I have had my pit boss 1100 pro series for about 2 months total I think and new to pellet grilling...so take what I say I guess with a grain of salt....

First of all....LOVE my Pit Boss. Really can't compare it to Traegers or any other brands because I've never used them but what can I say? The grill works, has lots of nice features and the food is coming out delicious. I purchased mine at Lowes and opened a store card that offered 100 dollars off your first purchase plus the grill was on sale so picked it up for 450. Compared to prices of Traegers, I guess I felt that was a good deal. I built it at home myself and the thing is heavy and feels pretty sturdy. I think after a couple months of cooking on my grill and a lot of great advice from people on this forum...I'm thinking I'm figuring out the ins and outs of how this grill works and just keep loving it more and more! I've been experimenting a lot with cheap cuts of meat to test different ways of cooking and have been starting to have lots of success.

As for the hot spots...these guys have given me advice that just has worked and I dont think I need any heat diffuser or make adjustments to my grill.
I have been playing with grill basically and having fun....some have been successes (first baby back ribs were amazing) others...not so much (cornbread in a cast iron skillet plus forgetting to check it equals a large black hockey puck). I think if you decide on a Pit Boss I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm a researcher when I'm about to pull the trigger so to speak on a large purchase and I really haven't found a whole lot of negative reviews and I certainly won't be one to add to them. If you get one I just don't think you'll be disappointed. Hope this helps somewhat with your decision!

Thanks for the info Lucas. I just pulled the trigger and placed the order about an hour ago. Got the Pro Series 1100 which should be delivered on Saturday. I can't wait!

 

[Lucas Bruursema]

Awesome! Well enjoy! I don't think you'll be disappointed!

 

[NYRED]

Just an update...I cooked 4 racks of ribs on my Pit Boss PS 1100 over the weekend after removing the stock diffuser. The grill maintained very even temperatures from right to left. The grill's digital readout (left side), the analog dial (center) and my Maverick probe (placed at the right) all stayed within about 20 degrees of each other throughout the cook. The hot spot in the middle was negligible but i was cooking at low temps.

 

[Lucas Bruursema]

So I've convinced myself that I don't need to remove or add anything to my Pitboss. I completed cooking a brisket that I placed over the fire pot and managed to have a very delicious and tender brisket as an end result! Not sure about everyone else but I think I'm starting to learn the Pitbosses nuances and with that I'm having some very successful results! My advice if it's worth anything would be to play around and experiment (with not so expensive cuts of meat) and see what happens. Truly the saying of good barbeque comes from lots of bad barbeque certainly seems to apply....in my case anyway!

 

[Carloabad]

So I've convinced myself that I don't need to remove or add anything to my Pitboss. I completed cooking a brisket that I placed over the fire pot and managed to have a very delicious and tender brisket as an end result! Not sure about everyone else but I think I'm starting to learn the Pitbosses nuances and with that I'm having some very successful results! My advice if it's worth anything would be to play around and experiment (with not so expensive cuts of meat) and see what happens. Truly the saying of good barbeque comes from lots of bad barbeque certainly seems to apply....in my case anyway!

So I have to ask, how did you cook your brisket? What temperatures did you use? And you really placed it right over the hotspot? I did a brisket last night and placed it right in the middle and the hot spot pretty much burned my brisket at the bottom. I smoked at 250 and was so upset when it came out dry. I reached 195 in 7 hours so I knew something was wrong.

 

[Lucas Bruursema]

I bought a whole brisket and cut it in half because I wanted to make two meals out of it. I think the brisket may have been roughly about 12 lbs. I set my pitboss to the smoke setting and left it there. I did adjust the p setting to 5 for a little bit just to get a little more smoke but you really dont need to adjust it. The temp never got over 200 all that often. I then took the brisket after I had put a pit boss rub on and I set it width wise on the left side of the grill. I have noticed that on my grill (pro series 1100) that if you divide it into thirds it seems to have three different heat areas: left is low the middle is medium and right is high heat. The middle of course is going to have the fire pot and as you've found out has the hot spot. With this in mind I've just started smoking on the left side of the grill and moving things towards the right if I need more heat and not necessarily adjusting the temp on the control. Now, I'm no pit boss and I've read all the different ways to smoke a brisket but this way I'm telling you hasn't failed me yet because I've been able to produce nice tender juicy brisket every time off my pit boss. Once I've gotten my brisket to where it looks like it has picked up a good amount of smoke and has reached a temp around 165... I wrap it in tin foil and throw some butter and a little beef broth and let it steam until the temp reaches around 195 or so and I turn my pit boss to 200. I'll then place the brisket on the middle section and let it go! This all takes a good amount of hours and you can adjust to your tastes with how much smoke you want compared to it wrapped and finishing in foil. Total time for this brisket is roughly 10 hours. I then take it out and keep it wrapped and let it rest for an hour. If you keep the heat low on either the smoke to 225 setting I've managed to cook baby back ribs with no problems of them burning anything. Anything higher I do notice you'll start burning things. Not sure if you just got a pit boss and are just learning but you'll get it figured out with continued use. Now that I got mine figured out I've managed to make everything from brisket to cake without charbroiling it all! Good luck and let me know if there is anything else I can answer for ya!

A few pics attached. The ribs I did yesterday and I cooked them in the middle of the grill with no burning

 

[Lucas Bruursema]

Looking at my brisket pic I did just place it in the middle. I really do think the low setting will keep meat from burning on you.

 

[Carloabad]

That's great info. But what if you want to keep the brisket whole? Do you think I can just put the whole thing on the left side? And I will definitely take your advice and not smoke anything above 225. Thanks for your help!

 

[Lucas Bruursema]

I'm going to be finding out soon enough. Planning on buying a whole brisket and cooking it all at once for a group of friends....feel like from the advice I gave you I'm brave enough to try it! That smoke setting to 225 setting really has allowed me to cook right in the middle any of my meats and hasn't burnt any of it Including chicken wings. But I am guilty of checking somewhat regularly (but also quickly as not to let all the heat escape) so that I make sure my food is cooking like I want. Also try cooking your brisket with the fat side down. I've heard and agree from the advice of that it acts as an insulator from the hot spot. Hope this helps and glad I could help!

 

[tmott85]

Came here to provide an answer for this problem.

the right side of my Austin XL is significantly hotter because.... the blower blows air to the right side of the grill. Out of the fire box if you feel the air before it lights and it is blowing to the right. There is one hole in the left side of the firebox above the auger and it blows the heat to the right. I blocked this hole off and drilled a couple 1/4” holes on the right side of the fire pit and now the air blows straight up and out.

 

[Kp33]

Came here to provide an answer for this problem.

the right side of my Austin XL is significantly hotter because.... the blower blows air to the right side of the grill. Out of the fire box if you feel the air before it lights and it is blowing to the right. There is one hole in the left side of the firebox above the auger and it blows the heat to the right. I blocked this hole off and drilled a couple 1/4” holes on the right side of the fire pit and now the air blows straight up and out.

Any chance you can take pics of what you did...im having save issue my right side gets hooter than left...haven't removed diffuser yet but might try that...was wondering also if closing the chimney some would stop drawing the heat from left to right by minimizing the draft.

With regard to the chimney when smoking do most leave it all the way open...pit boss told me I dont need to because even all the way closed its still open.