thepiratemorgan
New member
Needed a all-in-one Grill and smoker and the Pit Boss 850 DX fit the bill. I realize it might not do each component better than a separate grill and smoker, but I don't have the desire, or the room, to have separate devices, so I will accept the limitations I come across. Started out small and did hand-pressed 1/3 lb burgers tonight and they came out fantastic. Turned the grill on, fired it up to 500, cooked burgers about 8 mins a side then hit them with the sear function for another minute or two. Crispy outside, juicy inside, and a nice touch of smoke (Pit Boss Competition blend I grabbed when I got grill at Lowe's). I will be eventually doing long smokes of poor man brisket (as we're a small 3-person family) , Turkey Breasts, and Picnic Pork for pulled pork.
I do have a couple of questions (I'm sure I'll eventually have more)......
1) When preheating grill, manual says leave lid open until white smoke dissipates, but didn't seem to smoke white but that may be due to lack of ash (only the initial 45 minute burn off done so far), so I just shut the lid around 150 degrees. Should I leave it open until it hits desired temp (this cook being 500)? Does it heat up faster if left open or closed (took just about 15 mins to get to temp)?? I imagine it would closed as the auger can only pump in pellets only so fast and if it's pumping in at max speed anyway, closed would heat everything up quicker.
2) Speaking of temp, I would hit, but not hold, the MPC/Purge Button before opening the lid, but after some flipping of the burgers and bacon, the grill dropped off easily 25 degrees (though it was about 45 degrees and a slight breeze) and took a couple of minutes to get back. Normal? (I'm thinking due to weather conditions, yes, but just wanted other opinions).
EDIT - after relooking at manual, looks like you have to hit AND hold the prime button, there's no "hit me quick and I'll dump in some extra pellets" button. That's OK, I'll manage by having to hold.
LOL
3) I wanna do some slight "mods", of course (LOL).... so I bought some gasket material for the lid, figured it couldn't hurt to try an seal it up nicely for long smokes. Another mod I was thinking of was to cover half the chimney outlet with heavy duty aluminum foil on long smokes, pull it off on high heat grilling. Seems like the cap doesn't come down low enough on the stack to slow down smoke and heat exhaustion. Thoughts?
Anyway, I have experience in these online forums and will pitch in to help others if I can and I appreciate any and all input from you guys and gals, especially any Mods!!!
I'm up here currently waiting for Mother Nature to turn on the heat in Central NY (Utica area) before I really turn on the heat with this Pit Boss!!.
I do have a couple of questions (I'm sure I'll eventually have more)......
1) When preheating grill, manual says leave lid open until white smoke dissipates, but didn't seem to smoke white but that may be due to lack of ash (only the initial 45 minute burn off done so far), so I just shut the lid around 150 degrees. Should I leave it open until it hits desired temp (this cook being 500)? Does it heat up faster if left open or closed (took just about 15 mins to get to temp)?? I imagine it would closed as the auger can only pump in pellets only so fast and if it's pumping in at max speed anyway, closed would heat everything up quicker.
2) Speaking of temp, I would hit, but not hold, the MPC/Purge Button before opening the lid, but after some flipping of the burgers and bacon, the grill dropped off easily 25 degrees (though it was about 45 degrees and a slight breeze) and took a couple of minutes to get back. Normal? (I'm thinking due to weather conditions, yes, but just wanted other opinions).
EDIT - after relooking at manual, looks like you have to hit AND hold the prime button, there's no "hit me quick and I'll dump in some extra pellets" button. That's OK, I'll manage by having to hold.
LOL3) I wanna do some slight "mods", of course (LOL).... so I bought some gasket material for the lid, figured it couldn't hurt to try an seal it up nicely for long smokes. Another mod I was thinking of was to cover half the chimney outlet with heavy duty aluminum foil on long smokes, pull it off on high heat grilling. Seems like the cap doesn't come down low enough on the stack to slow down smoke and heat exhaustion. Thoughts?
Anyway, I have experience in these online forums and will pitch in to help others if I can and I appreciate any and all input from you guys and gals, especially any Mods!!!
I'm up here currently waiting for Mother Nature to turn on the heat in Central NY (Utica area) before I really turn on the heat with this Pit Boss!!.
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