Pit boss smokers

Anyone here got a pit boss? Got the 456d from lowes for Christmas. It's small but it cooks really well.

Trying to understand the p setting and how to use the smoke setting. I cooked a brisket and some ribs but I set it on 225 and let it ride. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated....

 

@Grumpy Uncle

 

The lower the P setting the higher the temp and less smoke. The higher the P setting the lower the temperature and more smoke. I haven't used P6 or P7 yet. The user manual that came with my grill said that you will need to watch it when it is at those settings 6 or 7 because you have a chance of your fire/smoke pot going out.

So far everything that I have smoked has had med/lo temps, 185° to 250°. there have been times I wanted more smoke so I would use P5.

I'm kind of squirrel brained today, I hope I was able to answer your questions.

 

That makes sense. So are you actually cooking in smoke mode and keeping your temp by adjusting the p setting?

 

Yes sir! When in smoke mode is when you use your P Settings.

 

I am usually in smoke mode at P4 or P5. Other times I am at 200°. Mine holds the temperatures pretty well. Unless it's super cold outside, then I need to babysit.

 

Hope you have better luck than I did with mine. I bought one right when they were brand new. After 6 months of ownership it 100% died. Wouldn’t start up. Prior to it dying It constantly over heated and I would go outside to check on it and my meat was cold because it quit working. When I called the company they said models made within the first 9 months of production they did not warranty. Luckily where I bought it gave me a full refund. I also had a friend that had his catch on fire and almost burn everything to the ground.

 

Oh ok that makes sense. I'll have to play with it. Which means I guess I have to get more meat to cook....oh no

 

Another expensive hobby. @COMiamiFan warned me about it.

On a side note. Make sure you do maintenance on it after every 3 or 4 uses. Especially removing the ash from the fire pot.

 

Easy enough.

So, how about pellets? I got a bag of competition blend from Walmart. What's the difference between the walmart competition and lowes competition blend? Besides color of course...also, is there a better blend? Cheaper even? Not complaining much since this bag was 40lbs for $14ish.

 

I have a Z-Grill which is essentially a Traeger, but my brother-in-law has the Pit Boss, so we have done some comparing. I don't have much to offer as far as tips & tricks, other than just use it and try out different temperature settings. I use mine about 5 times a week.
When in doubt, go lower/slower on the temp. Once you dry the meat out or overcook it there is no turning back. lower/slower gives you more time to monitor it. Some meats, like tuna steak for instance require the highest heat you can set it at.

 

I get the Walmart Competition blend, which is Pit Boss brand, the same as you would get at Lowes. At Home Depot I get Traeger brand, which apparently is not as good.
Competition blend is a good all round blend for just about anything you want to cook.
If you want to play with flavors, your harder woods such as hickory and mesquite are stronger flavors for red meat, and the fruit woods such as cherry and apple are more for chicken and fish. The back of the bag usually gives an indication of recommended use.
Enjoy!

 

I buy mine at Lowes because it is only 1 mile from the house. Convenience, I have got them at Wally World. I didnt notice a difference.
I mostly use the Pit Boss Competition pellets. It has all the woods that I like and it goes well with the meats I cook.
I will be trying some LumberJack in the future because I have read and heard good things about the brand.
I used Trager Pellets once to smoke some salmon. The pellets are a little longer, it was alder wood, recommend for smoking salmon. I noticed it burned a little hotter 15° to 20°. I'm not saying they are bad or anything like that. I'm just saying what I noticed. Maybe it was because the pellets were longer causing them to burn longer and hotter or maybe it was because it was alder wood. For me I didnt like the Trager Pellets at least the alder pellets.

 

Got my Tailgater for 50% off at Wal-Mart a couple months back. Found the deal on Brick Seek and raced to snag it before they sold out. I love it so far, used it for wings, burgers and more recently, smoked salsa. Can't beat the convenience!!

 

I did mean the pit boss competition blend. I guess I'll have to see what's available and try it out.