Pit Boss at Menards

[smokin papaw]

Seasoned it today and played with temps. Need to be patient while waiting for temp to come down after pellets ignite. But held temp very well. Assembly was a breeze.

 

[tom scherer]

I see today they have it for $399 {5/18/16} I'm get one and maybe get rid of the  Masterbuild..

 

[sn95gt50]

Been reading a lot of these posts and I am considering buying one. i currently do all of my smoking on a Webber kettle with good success. Our gas grill recently bit the dust and I was considering one of these as a replacemenT. I have used my neighbors Transfer occassionally not enuff to truly rate it. Does the temp overshoot that many have mentioned is that a characteristic of the Transfer as well?

How common is the auger problems some have mentioned? Menards currently has it on sale for $399 and I was thinking about pulling the trigger. Or should I pay the extra for the Teager?

 

[crumy]

I just purchased a 820d. The setup was easy. Just finished the first burn. Thinking about doing a chicken for first pass so I don't screw up anything too expensive. First time smoking and this thread really helped me make my mind up on which to get

 

[stolps]

So I would guess nobody has used the pellets yet either?  I'll be giving them a shot.  $20 for 40 lbs.

I used the pit boss competition blend and really enjoy them. Stay away from traeger pellets....they are junk.

 

[stolps]

Been reading a lot of these posts and I am considering buying one. i currently do all of my smoking on a Webber kettle with good success. Our gas grill recently bit the dust and I was considering one of these as a replacemenT. I have used my neighbors Transfer occassionally not enuff to truly rate it. Does the temp overshoot that many have mentioned is that a characteristic of the Transfer as well?

How common is the auger problems some have mentioned? Menards currently has it on sale for $399 and I was thinking about pulling the trigger. Or should I pay the extra for the Teager?

I wouldn't buy a traeger. My dad has one. The first year he had it he replaced the fan twice. I don't think the quality is quite there.

 

[loucarisma]

I've used the competition pellets and the Apple both are excellent. The price is also superb 21.40 for 40#s is great. Traeger pellets are 18.99 for 20 #s. I have the hickory but haven't used them yet. I have a 20 gallon shop vac and an old 6 gallon one. I have a new filter I'm going to put in the small vac and use it exclusively for changing the flavors of the pellets. I've used 1 bag of competition blend and 1 Apple so far. I've got COPD and the set it and forget it is just what I needed. I've done chicken thighs breasts pork roasts pork ribs chops and my favorite smoked catfish. Haven't done any beef except cooking burgers on the open flame. I absolutely love this grill half the price of a comparably sized traeger.

 

[harleysmoke]

I bought my Pit Boss in April from Rural King. It was the deluxe model for the same price Menards had the standard grill for. I picked up a bag of the competition blend pellets from Menards for a little over $20. I've been buying the Lumberjack brand pellets from Rural king, a 20# bag is $9.99 and I like the flavor. There is a learning curve but once you get it figured out it does a pretty good job. I enjoy that its a grill and a smoker and will never own anything else. When I'm grilling and I have time I like to smoke whatever I'm cooking first. I just leave it on the smoke setting on P4 for an hour or so then crank it up to 350 to finish it off. Best hamburgers, pork chops, chicken I've ever cooked. I smoked a 10.5 lb brisket on P2 setting which hovered around 200. Took about 17 hours but was worth it!
The only issue I've had is that the screws holding the legs on kept coming loose, even with the lock washers. I ended up getting 16 bolts that were 1/4-20, 1 inch long and 16 locknuts. I snugged them down nice and tight and will never have to worry about loose legs again.
I would recommend getting one of these smokers and play around with it and learn how to control the heat. Once you have it figured out you'll have a smoker/grill for years.

 

[eat more beef]

Have recently had some issues with my pit boss. The plate that the auger motor sits on was twisted and making some interesting sounds. And the board went at the same time. Have to give a big thanks to Susan at pit boss for the Tec support and very fast service on sending the new parts out!!! Within 4 days had the pit up and running!!

 

[actech]

Just pulled the trigger and got the pit boss. on sale 399 ! Just ran it full throttle to burn off manufacture oils.

 

[bdawg]

Which pit boss model is it?
I have the Pitboss 700fb en route from Amazon. It is supposed to be here Thursday.
My MES gave up the ghost a few monts ago and I have been looking for a good deal on a replacement. $398 free shipping with prime.

 

[actech]

Which pit boss model is it?
I have the Pitboss 700fb en route from Amazon. It is supposed to be here Thursday.
My MES gave up the ghost a few monts ago and I have been looking for a good deal on a replacement. $398 free shipping with prime.

It was the 820 fb. So far I like it. Havent grilled any steaks yet

 

[ron burgundy]

I got the 820 Friday. Rain in the forecast for a week! Rats!

 

[ron burgundy]

How long should I do the initial burn off? There's a bunch of oil on the flame broiler that I want gone.

 

[actech]

I let mine go about half hour at 500.

 

[ron burgundy]

I did about an hour. No more hot plastic smell. Broiler still looks kinda dark.

 

[bregent]

>Broiler still looks kinda dark.

Broiler? Which part are you referring to?

 

[ron burgundy]

Flame broiler. Big silver curved part that also catches the grease.

 

[bregent]

Flame broiler. Big silver curved part that also catches the grease.

AH, ok. Most mfg's call that the heat shield or grease tray. I wouldn't worry about how it looks - after a few cooks it will be loaded with burn grease. If you ran at 500 for an hours all of the mfg oils should be gone. 

 

[ron burgundy]

Heat shield does sound more appropriate.