Pit Boss 820

[mike243]

The P settings only work in smoke mode,once you set a temp they don't affect any thing,also you cant set a P setting once out of smoke mode.

 

[locolagarto]

BTW shortly after my post. the stall broke and my Pork butt finished at 190. it pull from the bone like butter and tasted soooooo good. Beat I have ever had. even from a pro here in town.

 

[locolagarto]

The P settings only work in smoke mode,once you set a temp they don't affect any thing,also you cant set a P setting once out of smoke mode.

I would say my experience today would contradict that. out of smoke mode, reducing the p setting reduces the huge temp swings. I am certain I will be testing further after a very successful smoke totay

 

[megabrisket]

The P settings only work in smoke mode,once you set a temp they don't affect any thing,also you cant set a P setting once out of smoke mode.

Really? I thought the p setting was only adjustable in smoke mode then still took affect throughout the other temps? Interesting. I wonder why they have such high temp swings then. Sounds like it's best for smoking long smokes in smoke mode with the right person setting to hold sround 225.

 

[locolagarto]

Really? I thought the p setting was only adjustable in smoke mode then still took affect throughout the other temps? Interesting. I wonder why they have such high temp swings then. Sounds like it's best for smoking long smokes in smoke mode with the right person setting to hold sround 225.

that was my experience today. going from smoke to 200 did nothing in P3. going to 225 jacked it up. I think mine may have an update. because going down to smoke is supposed to run the augers for 4 minutes and mine did not do that at all today.

 

[mike243]

I have had mine set on smoke since 9 last nite with a P=5 ,it was running 170 very steady,brisket was at 161 when I got up to ck it.flipped it to 200 ,pork was at 167.My son bought me a Prograde thermometer the other day and its working great

 

[locolagarto]

The P settings only work in smoke mode,once you set a temp they don't affect any thing,also you cant set a P setting once out of smoke mode.

Just Curious since I am still learning about my system. when you say you can't change P setting out of smoke mode, do you mean it doesn't affect the cycle or your button and display don't respond to the button push?

 

[mike243]

the P settings don't show up when you set it to a temp setting other than smoke

 

[locolagarto]

the P settings don't show up when you set it to a temp setting other than smoke

my 820D is definitely been updated. my P setting is displayed and adjustable all the time. it even has an explanation in the manual that says once the desired target temp is reached. the P cycle resumes to try to maintain that temp.

 

[mike243]

Cool,sounds like a smarter board than mine ,would like a wifi controlled board but not ready to spend the $ just for that,I do have a cheap wifi thermometer that seemed to work good for the first smoke,I would think the temp swings in yours would be a lot less than my controller

 

[G-Rod]

View attachment 372489 View attachment 372490 View attachment 372491 View attachment 372492 View attachment 372493 View attachment 372494 View attachment 372495
Well shoot, what's a good site to host a few pics to these days ?

J

Now I'm able to see the pics and WOW, that is a mountain of meat! Looks great man. Nice job!

 

[tyler3535]

LocoLagarto, awesome info. I have had huge temp swings, and have been playing/trying to lock down temps with various p settings. But I had a lack of understanding as to how to p settings operated. I get it now. If the temp drops below the temp setting, the temp sky rockets in order to catch back up. I saw this last nite with my brisket I was smoking. I was using p5 and 200. I noticed it was running hot lately so I figured p5 would run a little cooler and hopefully get me to 225. What I ended up with was 100 degree temp swings precisely EVERY 20 mins for the duration of my 9.5 hr smoke. I was smoking overnite and the temp was stable in the mid 70s. I heard a lot of ppl saying that 225 would run cooler but you get the huge swings when the auger is in a longer rest mode and drops below the set temp. I will now try smoking in p3 to try to maintain that 225 temp I’m looking for. I also noticed with the igrill2 probe I inserted in the grill that the temp at grate level is 20 higher than what’s being shown on the actual grill. So I guess I’ll shoot for a grill readout of 205 to get 225. I have a pit boss 700. Thanks again for the great info!

 

[locolagarto]

LocoLagarto, awesome info. I have had huge temp swings, and have been playing/trying to lock down temps with various p settings. But I had a lack of understanding as to how to p settings operated. I get it now. If the temp drops below the temp setting, the temp sky rockets in order to catch back up. I saw this last nite with my brisket I was smoking. I was using p5 and 200. I noticed it was running hot lately so I figured p5 would run a little cooler and hopefully get me to 225. What I ended up with was 100 degree temp swings precisely EVERY 20 mins for the duration of my 9.5 hr smoke. I was smoking overnite and the temp was stable in the mid 70s. I heard a lot of ppl saying that 225 would run cooler but you get the huge swings when the auger is in a longer rest mode and drops below the set temp. I will now try smoking in p3 to try to maintain that 225 temp I’m looking for. I also noticed with the igrill2 probe I inserted in the grill that the temp at grate level is 20 higher than what’s being shown on the actual grill. So I guess I’ll shoot for a grill readout of 205 to get 225. I have a pit boss 700. Thanks again for the great info!

I tried to do an overnight brisket last weekend and it failed miserably, (although everybody loved the brisket) I get a pretty steady temp if I just stick with smoke mode. It was really humid and the fire kept going out on me at a P4 setting. So I set the temp to 200 thinking is would keep the fire from going out....mad temp swings. the next day I found P3 was giving me a steady 220 as usual and it ran for 10 hours without any issue. I am definitely sold on staying away form the temp settings (unless you are baking or grilling) and just stick with a P setting that gives you your desired temp. P0 is hottest and P7 is lowest temp.

 

[tyler3535]

How big were the temp swings? And the next day when you had it on p3, were you in smoke mode or 200?

 

[jbuttimer]

I got my 820 last fall and the first couple of cooks on it were very disappointing because of the swinging temprature. I finally noticed that after a while the temp settled down and stayed steady. I timed it at around 45 minutes.

I've been using a Thermoworks Smoke thermometer so I'm able to keep an eye on the fluctuations. So I've narrowed it down to between 20 to 30 minutes. So now I start it up with the barrel probe in and watch the temp till steady. When that happens I put the meat in and don't open it until the meat is done. It's been working well for me. Giving it that time up front eliminates the wild swings in temprature during the cook.

I just wanted to bring up this post I made a couple of months ago so the new folks with the temp problems could see how I resolved the problem. The Thermoworks Smoke thermometer is really a must have to know what's going on inside the smoker and the meat. When heating up, being patient pays off. Once the temp settles in there are no more wild 100 degree temp swings. At first I fiddled with the P numbers and trying to control the temp but it was sooo frustrating, I couldn't get control of it.

I know how you guys like to tinker with your electronics and take things apart, but give setting the temp and waiting until the swings settle down, which will take some time, and see if that works. :)

 

[locolagarto]

How big were the temp swings? And the next day when you had it on p3, were you in smoke mode or 200?

At one point it hit 320 and I was opening the door to let heat out. It didn't help that it was midnight, I was tired and a little drunk....:) then the next day I was in Smoke mode at P3 and had no issue

 

[tyler3535]

Lmao. Yea I just did a test run and none of the smoke settings spiked at all. Problem solved. Thanks for the help!!!!

 

[Cleric40]

Hi All,

For those of you who have replaced their original controllers, Would anyone be willing to sell their original controller?

I have PB820 with a broken original controller and if anyone is interested in selling, please PM me.

I know many people replace their controller with PID so if you have the original and willing to sell, I'll happily take it off your hands.

Thanks!!

I'll also post in classifieds

Thanks!

 

[G-Rod]

Hi All,

For those of you who have replaced their original controllers, Would anyone be willing to sell their original controller?

I have PB820 with a broken original controller and if anyone is interested in selling, please PM me.

I know many people replace their controller with PID so if you have the original and willing to sell, I'll happily take it off your hands.

Thanks!!

I'll also post in classifieds

Thanks!

Hey Cleric,

I did a quick look to see how to PM you and didn't find it so I'm dropping this here... :)

I switched out to a PID controller shortly after I got my PB700 so it is in pristine condition. I ~think~ the 700 and 820 use the same controller but you might want to double check that. If it is compatible, I'm sure we could work out a deal that makes sense for both of us. Let me know and happy smoking! :)

 

[ozsmoker]

Do you have any issues with your PID controller causing black soot on food (eg gray cheese pizzas)?

I have been reading up on it and it seems to occur when the fan shuts off. GMG had an issue with it (and still might) and the solution was to keep the fan running all the time, and it didn't affect temp swings much

If I can't fix the problem, I will revert back to the original controller. I have the pitboss 700fb and it does not have a smoke stack