Please Post your PB 1150 New Firmwate Update results

[Tym2Fish]

Picked up the 1150 Pro at Lowe's a couple weeks ago and waited for the new controller to arrive. I've been smoking for years on my Austin XL and while not very accurate temp wise, it was a workhorse and tons of great meat came off that thing. Decided to try a new one before spending a few hundred rebuilding the Austin.

I've done one cook with the 1150 but it was just a quick one with steaks. After some reading today I decided to do the first burn off as in the post above. Here's what I recorded. FYI, South Florida, ambient temp 82 degrees.

3:20 Power on, temp set to 350
3:51 Hit 350 as set. 29 minutes seems a bit long for 350 but it got it. I decided to move up to 400 as in the post above.
3:53 Set to 400
3:59 347
4:02 329
4:06 340
4:08 337
4:10 337/341
4:12 340
4:16 337
4:20 341
4:25 349
4:26 347
4:29 352
4:31 361
4:33 361
4:35 364
4:37 373
4:40 383
4:42 389
4:44 400

Not very impressive. Note the temp drop after raising the set point. And it took almost 30 minutes to recover. Hoping the PID can actually 'learn' so things will improve.

One good thing- it's been within 4 degrees of 400 since it hit it and is holding well. Looks like manual operation of the auger may be necessary to avoid waiting that long to hit temp but once it's there, it's there.

I'll be doing a second and third burn off soon and we'll see if things get better. In the meantime I'm smoking 3lbs of jerky in the morning. Hopefully I can figure out what the 'S' setting is on the controller since I can't find anything about it in the manual. Might have to prop the lid open or something. Gotta admit, right now I'm kinda missing my P settings.

The Austin XL is still sitting under it's cover beside the porch in case things don't work out so one way or the other we're gonna eat around here.

 

[Tym2Fish]

Gotta admit, starting to like the 1150 more and more. Smoked jerky this morning. Sliced and put it in marinade at noon yesterday. Very thin cut eye of round and some thicker cut rump roast. Started with a 350 burn off and it took forever to get there. Almost 47 minutes at 74 degree outside temp. Once it hit, I turned the controller to 'S' and opened the lid. A couple minutes later the temp hit 200 and I started loading the jerky. I used the hot spot in the middle for my water pan to help control / lower temp.

Controller stayed at 179-180 for the 3+ hour cook. My other wireless thermometer was showing 169-174 throughout. Temp gun grate readings were 214 by the probe, 223 in the middle and 218 by the stack. Big puffs of smoke consistently when the auger ran. Great to see so much smoke. I'll be using the 'S' setting more just for the smoke. Thinner cut jerky went a little over 2 hours and the thicker cut went 3 hours 15 minutes. Good stuff.

I've still got my fingers crossed this thing will 'learn' how to get to 400 quicker but for low and slow I'm happy. Since that's most of my cooking anyway, I'm probably keeping it.

FYI, I do have foil at the end of the broiler plate to protect the probe, like a cheap version of the Smoke Daddy thing, which I plan on getting. Also, there's another hunk of foil right beside the probe which I cram in there to keep the grates from sliding around. Other than removing the diffuser plate I haven't done any mods.

 

[shoot4fun03]

Well... First off, I gotta say that this forum is almost as glitchy and hard to use as the smokeIT app. Posting a reply to this thread is a challenge. That said, I will say that I have purchased a new PB1150PS2, and smoked a few items on it before calling Pit Boss and talking to a very helpful young lady. She sent out a new controller that day, and I got it about 4 days later. Pre-controller replacement, I was getting the usual temp variations, and the lack of temperature settings my older pb smoker was capable of. Post-controller replacement has brought about more temperature options but still a pretty big discrepancy between actual Temps and set Temps. I use the probes to monitor Temps across the grill, and I've seen 30°-50° difference from one end to the other. That said, I do think it is to be expected, given the fact that the PID uses averages. The grill does hold any temp I set it to with little fluctuation. I now have 10° incremental temperature from 180° thru 300° which is better than it was. 5° would've been better. The SmokeIT app still sucks monkey balls. That thing should be scrapped. My .02 worth...

Brad

 

[Nick549]

Put my new controller in last week and ran it through a few different temperatures for a half hour each or so. It held temperature fine but took forever to get up to set temperature. I was excited to do some food on it with the new controller…so here I am today in northeast PA 50 some degrees for a high. I didn’t want to be outside. I was going to put two racks of baby back ribs on and it. Ran it to get up to temperature and whenever the auger runs to dump pallets it is pouring out white smoke worse than a stick burner. So now I am cooking on my trusty Weber with the amazing pellet maze. I really wanted to like the smoker and I still do, kind of. I do not want to return it to the store but I am stuck. I want to have a few glasses of whiskey and enjoy my ribs for today I will waste my time tomorrow on the phone with customer service

 

[mh4dedesjr4]

Opened a case to get a new control board yesterday 05/10/21. Got an email today saying that they are out of stock and I will get one in 4 to 6 weeks. Not was I was expecting or hoping to hear.

 

[jjkz24]

Opened a case to get a new control board yesterday 05/10/21. Got an email today saying that they are out of stock and I will get one in 4 to 6 weeks. Not was I was expecting or hoping to hear.

It sort of doesn't surprise me, considering this time of year, everyone is outside doing their grilling & such. Everyone went out and got their smoker, and more than likely did research on the reliability of it, thus, contacting Pit Boss for an updated controller.

 

[johndeg]

Picked up the 1150 Pro at Lowe's a couple weeks ago and waited for the new controller to arrive. I've been smoking for years on my Austin XL and while not very accurate temp wise, it was a workhorse and tons of great meat came off that thing. Decided to try a new one before spending a few hundred rebuilding the Austin.

I've done one cook with the 1150 but it was just a quick one with steaks. After some reading today I decided to do the first burn off as in the post above. Here's what I recorded. FYI, South Florida, ambient temp 82 degrees.

3:20 Power on, temp set to 350
3:51 Hit 350 as set. 29 minutes seems a bit long for 350 but it got it. I decided to move up to 400 as in the post above.
3:53 Set to 400
3:59 347
4:02 329
4:06 340
4:08 337
4:10 337/341
4:12 340
4:16 337
4:20 341
4:25 349
4:26 347
4:29 352
4:31 361
4:33 361
4:35 364
4:37 373
4:40 383
4:42 389
4:44 400

Not very impressive. Note the temp drop after raising the set point. And it took almost 30 minutes to recover. Hoping the PID can actually 'learn' so things will improve.

One good thing- it's been within 4 degrees of 400 since it hit it and is holding well. Looks like manual operation of the auger may be necessary to avoid waiting that long to hit temp but once it's there, it's there.

I'll be doing a second and third burn off soon and we'll see if things get better. In the meantime I'm smoking 3lbs of jerky in the morning. Hopefully I can figure out what the 'S' setting is on the controller since I can't find anything about it in the manual. Might have to prop the lid open or something. Gotta admit, right now I'm kinda missing my P settings.

The Austin XL is still sitting under it's cover beside the porch in case things don't work out so one way or the other we're gonna eat around here.

S is for Smoke. 180 degrees.

 

[JerryM]

Ok I just got the 1150 ps2 on 8-27-21. I really had my doubts after reading so many bad things. After researching for many hours I went for it because as the updates hit the market It fixed the problem! I did none of the updates that were aftermarket. Like the piece that is added under the heat shield on the left. It held temperature for 6 hours with no problem at all! If you set the first port I think it is MCP it will cook to temperature and then cool down to 180 to keep the meat warm until you are ready to serve it. Remember the temperature is not at the rack level. It is no big deal though. Set it at 250 and let it smoke! I used my air temp. probe at the rack level to test. It is off but that is ok. You are cooking by finished temperature. If you ever used a wood smoker you will see how hard temperatures are to keep! I bought this smoker for when I want to be lazy and still smoke. It is exactly what I was expecting. The smoke is lighter than on my wood burner but I think I can make it better with stronger wood. Not impressed with the app!! I really did not buy for the app. Overall the lastest smoker is well worth it! It was very easy to use. It held temperature very very well! At least here in warm southern California.

 

[mwkirk]

I am likely just going to take my grill back and see if I can get a refund at Lowes. Mine had the apparently upgraded board already. They sent me a new one anyway and I replaced it. I still get the same issues...It takes 45 minutes to get to 350 and then it can't maintain that. once at 350 I can push it up to 450...watch it for a minute or two and see that it is slowly incrementing. I will walk away, come back and it is on 280 or something like that.

It seems at this point I am just getting the runaround from support on the phone so it is time to punt while I still can.

 

[JerryM]

I am likely just going to take my grill back and see if I can get a refund at Lowes. Mine had the apparently upgraded board already. They sent me a new one anyway and I replaced it. I still get the same issues...It takes 45 minutes to get to 350 and then it can't maintain that. once at 350 I can push it up to 450...watch it for a minute or two and see that it is slowly incrementing. I will walk away, come back and it is on 280 or something like that.

It seems at this point I am just getting the runaround from support on the phone so it is time to punt while I still can.

Okay now that I've had some time to do test and I can report. I like to start mine out on the smoke sitting it looks like a 5 on the dial. It takes a little more than an hour with the smoke would to get everything just right. Temperatures fluctuate from side to side at first but as time goes on the temperature levels out. It gets within about 15° from side to side. After everything is going even if I open the lid it recovers very fast. What's really cool is I can put my number one probe in and set it to temperature and when it reached his temperature it immediately cools down and keeps the food warm. When I cook chicken it is very crispy on the outside and super moist on the inside. I have used a stick burner for many years and I got to be honest the smoke flavor is not as intense at all. It has a more softer smoked taste kind of mild but it is good. I use mesquite and it does a good job. I have tried milder woods also and they're good but I have to get used to the mild smoke taste. Some guys say you can use a smoke tube I have not done that yet. Once this thing gets up the temperature it will hold it within 10 to 15°. That is the part I enjoy the most I don't have to work the temperatures as much as my wood burner. I do have to get used to the texture of the meat and color because it is different. To be honest it Cooks much like a convection oven. That is what the texture reminds me of. Bottom line is I am very happy with it and it works very well and does what I needed to do. I wanted something that was easy to use and quick to set up and would give that campfire taste of wood. The smoker does all of that and I'm not sure I'm going to use the grill part of it. I really bought it for a smoker. All in all I'm very very happy with my body and glad I got it before the price went up. I would recommend this product because it is well built and very easy to use.

 

[JerryM]

So at the 4:55 mark on this vid, can someone more knowledgeable help me explain? If I dial in 250, I expect 250 inside the barrel, or at least at the probe on the side next to the PID controller. I don't understand how you can see 225 inside the grill but have the PID saying 250. I did a pork shoulder and I had to set it to 280 just to get the barrel up to 220. Maybe I'm just not understanding how this works?

My smoker has the update so that's what I'm going to go by. I hooked up a thermometer with two air probes and put one at each end of the smoker and washed it the entire smoke which was about 4 hours on this one. So what I noticed is about the first hour of actual cooking the temperatures did fluctuate 20 maybe 30 degrees to what was on my dial. Once it got into the smoke the temperatures started to align within about eight degrees to 10°. When I got into the second hour at the end of it the temperatures were closer and by the end of the smoke they were almost perfect and very maybe five degrees. You have to remember that the barrel temperature and the cooking racks are not at the same level. Yeah I find it a smoke goes on it really doesn't matter. If you think it's a big deal just put an air probe in the pit on the cooking rack. Then you will know exact temperature. I am used to cooking on a wood smoker so these numbers are just great for me. Like I said just set your temperature by your ambient air probe. Do not use the meat probes to get pit temperature because they will be off. To be honest you're worrying about something that is really not that big of a deal on the temperature. If your dialed in temperature is 250 and it is running at 220°, it's no big deal for smoking meat. The biggest thing you need to worry about is a consistent temperature.

 

[JerryM]

I am likely just going to take my grill back and see if I can get a refund at Lowes. Mine had the apparently upgraded board already. They sent me a new one anyway and I replaced it. I still get the same issues...It takes 45 minutes to get to 350 and then it can't maintain that. once at 350 I can push it up to 450...watch it for a minute or two and see that it is slowly incrementing. I will walk away, come back and it is on 280 or something like that.

It seems at this point I am just getting the runaround from support on the phone so it is time to punt while I still can.

So did you buy this for a grill or for a smoker or just figured you wanted it for both? I guess it is okay as a grill but I use mine strictly as a smoker because of its ease of operation. I have never had mine over 250 because I only smoke with it. I already have a grill. I do know I can reach about 280 really fast. If you want to use it for a smoker though it is totally awesome. I always start mine off on the smoke mode and run it for 2 or 3 hours. The smoke mode is 180. When I pump it up to 250 it gets there at a really rapid pace. Still I think if I'm going to grill I will just fire up my gas grill it is much faster. Who knows I may get around to doing some grilling on it you kind of got my curiosity up as to how fast the temperature will rise and how hot it will go.

 

[JerryM]

First to report back— so claims of 10f increments are true. 180-300 are 10f and then you have 325-350-375-400-450-H. So you are getting 25f but not 425 or 475 (lots of pizzas call for 425).

I spent about an hour trying to figure out why I couldn’t get it to ignite, found out through an ohm tester that one of the leads on the igniter had come loose inside the terminal. I had to ghetto-wire it back together so it had continuity. So be very gentle when reconnecting. They aren’t great plugs.

Currently doing a run up the temp scale, but so far it seems to be holding temps just fine. I have a pork shoulder marinading so I’ll be able to post more details tomorrow.

Additionally, I got a notification from the iOS SmokeIT app that the grill was at the desired temp (never used to get those). Unsure if it’s the iOS update or grill firmware.

here’s a pic of the controller as it came back. First glance, I can’t see any work they did physically.

First power startup the code flashes “126”

Also all online recipes call for 225 or 275, which we don’t have anymore. So should we cook at 220 and 270 or 230 and 280?


EDIT: lol the smokeit app hasn’t been updated for the new values, so I can still set 225 on the app....(and it registers it as accepted on the PID) but not through the jog wheel. Lots of funky action going on here

EDIT2: okay lol don’t mess with the app until it’s updated. If you set it to 225 on the app, then jog the wheel, it’ll do 10f/25f with a 5 at the end. So 225/235/245/255 up to 505 and then it... breaks. Had to do a full power cycle to get it to come back around

EDIT3: I heard some talk about the controller serving up a webpage, mine does not. I ran an npcap and it doesn’t have anything open. It accepts ARP requests and ICMP pings. But no other ports that I could hammer to try and brute force. If anyone wants to DM me with a unit that does serve up a webpage.. I can assist in showing you some tools that can brute force the username/pass (not illegal to hack into your own devices)

Yeah when I use my smoke app it takes me to a website. From there I have to hit the flame at the bottom. The app is pretty plain and basic. I guess it pretty much works for what it is.

 

[JerryM]

They didn’t even look at my grill. Left the cover on and they didn’t hesitate 3rd return of said type of grill today they said.

This is an old thread I know but it is sad that the first ones had issues. They are really nice now.

 

[BigO58]

Just some closure on my experience, I had the grill 62 days and returned it to Lowe’s today. No questions asked, didn’t even clean it (figured pitboss can deal with it. Fugg em’). Told the cashier it was defective and send it back to them. Also they accepted the cover that I bought without question, even though I doubt that’s included in the 90 day return policy.

Just ordered myself a campchef 24 WiFi with sidekick, it was an extra $400 bucks but figured my time and sanity is worth the upgrade. Plus the sidekick will let me get rid of my small propane bbq I have. So kill two birds. Anyways, cheers guys, hope you have better luck than I did with the upgrade.

I liked the camp chef models, but they were always out of stock at Sportsman’s, so I got the PB from Lowe’s. No regrets in that purchase - heavy duty and seems to work well for me. It would be nice to have the Bluetooth & phone app to monitor cooks, but hearing all the issues, I think I’ll be happy with the grill as is!