EdCaffreyMS
Member
Recently my trusty, well loved Charbroil propane grill, with the original "Tru-Infared" pan system finally fell apart, so after investigating, and actually buying the current version of the grill, and finding out their "new and improved" simply doesn't work as advertised. I returned that grill, and purchased a Pit Boss PB1100PSC2 Smoker/grill combo.
I've never been one to accept anything as it comes out of the box, and if I can make modifications/improvements for me and my situation.... I typically will. The Pit Boss was no exception.
The items on my list were...
1. Preventing flare ups on the propane grill side.
2. Retaining heat in my cold climate (Montana)
3. Evenness of heating during smoking or cooking
4. Overall usefulness for me
That being said...here are the Modifications I have done....
First, I removed the "stack cap" on the grill side, cut of the factory threaded rod/bolt, and welded in a new one that would allow adjustment from all the way open, to completely closed for heat retention.
Next.... I cut a piece of sheet metal to cover the vent holes in the upper rear of the smoker portion...... I used rare earth magnets to hold the sheet metal in place.
As it comes from the factory, the smoker portion has a significant hot spot, directly above the firepot. I chose to solve this issue by fabricating a "flame diverter" from some scrap stainless steel sheet I had in the shop...... It completely cured the hot spot.
The following pic shows the "flame diverter" slide back so you can see the relationship of it to the firepot....when in use, it sits directly centered over the firepot.
What I consider the best, and most important/needed modification, was to steal the idea that charbroil origonally used on their "Tru-Infared" grills. In fact, the the pan is the following pics is from my old grill.... I just had to cut it down, and fab it to shape to fit the Pit Boss. Even if a person were to purchase the part new, and then fab it to fit, I think its well worth it. (Heres is a link to were you can buy one new: https://www.grillparts.com/charbroil/gourmet_series/partslist.asp?product_id=G517-6600-W1)
I would love to see Pit Boss offer these either as standard equipment, or even an aftermarket part. It really does make that much difference in the propane grill side.
And finally, a simple mod to help protect the electronics.... The grill covers were back ordered when I purchased the grill, and I've just not gotten around to finding/ordering one online yet. Even if you live is a mild climate, sunlight can have very adverse affects on the panel.... Keeping it covered will just help it last longer.
If I had to actually complain about something with this smoker/grill..... it's the fact that in order to clean it out, I have to drag the shop vac out, take the smoker side apart, and clean everything with the shop vac. Even if there were a built in dump gate for the firepot, from the factory, that would be 100% of an improvement. Otherwise, with the modifications, I like everything about this combo. Hopefully this post can help others, and if you have questions, feel free to ask!
I've never been one to accept anything as it comes out of the box, and if I can make modifications/improvements for me and my situation.... I typically will. The Pit Boss was no exception.
The items on my list were...
1. Preventing flare ups on the propane grill side.
2. Retaining heat in my cold climate (Montana)
3. Evenness of heating during smoking or cooking
4. Overall usefulness for me
That being said...here are the Modifications I have done....
First, I removed the "stack cap" on the grill side, cut of the factory threaded rod/bolt, and welded in a new one that would allow adjustment from all the way open, to completely closed for heat retention.
Next.... I cut a piece of sheet metal to cover the vent holes in the upper rear of the smoker portion...... I used rare earth magnets to hold the sheet metal in place.
As it comes from the factory, the smoker portion has a significant hot spot, directly above the firepot. I chose to solve this issue by fabricating a "flame diverter" from some scrap stainless steel sheet I had in the shop...... It completely cured the hot spot.
The following pic shows the "flame diverter" slide back so you can see the relationship of it to the firepot....when in use, it sits directly centered over the firepot.
What I consider the best, and most important/needed modification, was to steal the idea that charbroil origonally used on their "Tru-Infared" grills. In fact, the the pan is the following pics is from my old grill.... I just had to cut it down, and fab it to shape to fit the Pit Boss. Even if a person were to purchase the part new, and then fab it to fit, I think its well worth it. (Heres is a link to were you can buy one new: https://www.grillparts.com/charbroil/gourmet_series/partslist.asp?product_id=G517-6600-W1)
I would love to see Pit Boss offer these either as standard equipment, or even an aftermarket part. It really does make that much difference in the propane grill side.
And finally, a simple mod to help protect the electronics.... The grill covers were back ordered when I purchased the grill, and I've just not gotten around to finding/ordering one online yet. Even if you live is a mild climate, sunlight can have very adverse affects on the panel.... Keeping it covered will just help it last longer.
If I had to actually complain about something with this smoker/grill..... it's the fact that in order to clean it out, I have to drag the shop vac out, take the smoker side apart, and clean everything with the shop vac. Even if there were a built in dump gate for the firepot, from the factory, that would be 100% of an improvement. Otherwise, with the modifications, I like everything about this combo. Hopefully this post can help others, and if you have questions, feel free to ask!
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There's not much to wiring these type of controllers. I've been using similar controllers in my Blacksmith shop for years, and the wiring is very easy to figure out.
