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More smoke doesn't necessarily mean good flavor. If the smoke is. white Then you will not create that coveted thin blue smoke How hot do pillots get going through the order tube on the way to the fire pot?
I’m definitely guilty of leaving my pellets in the hopper at all times. I haven’t had any issue yet, but this southern humidity may get me in trouble one day!
First time watching your videos today and have subscribed! You make great, no-nonsense or BS videos which are informative and enjoyable to watch in the process. Keep up the great work!
A very informative and unbiased view of pellet grills which are given bad press by people who have their way or no way. I have a Yoder 1500s which is very good but also an LSG pellet which is that close to an offset you wouldn’t want to bet your house on the difference.They have nothing but praise from people with decades of offset use. I have many offsets and they do produce a better product, but do I always want to tend a fire all day, not always.
Great advise on emptying the hopper after each use. I’ve been doing that and the difference is recognized. I keep the pellets in an air tight container to keep moisture out of them.
Hi -Great video, but I’d like to see some info on Pitboss P-settings? I also think you would really really do a service to everyone by 1). Explaining the life cycle / burn cycle of the pellets in a grill adjustment (p-settings, etc.) 2) The pellet grill explosion risk, caused by those who don’t understand the cycle or the fire triangle we learned as kids and how it applies to pellet grills. I will post some comments here separately to illustrate what I mean. NO ONE to my knowledge has explained the fire triangle for grills - a vid would be great and drive a lot of traffic too!
I am adding a DIY cold smoker to my pallet grill for higher temp. cooking. soon I will upload the DIY video. Cost under $25 Now i can smoke the hell out
I purchased my Traeger in 20. It smoked very well until recently. Now it seems to be regulating temperature better in a tighter window thus cutting down on the amount of smoke I get.
My new pellet grill has a way to empty the hopper. My old grill did not. I will definitely start doing that. I have one of those smoke tubes, that thing is awesome for getting better smoke flavor.
@@madbackyard still the best as far as I’m concerned. Funny though, as I watched your video (well done btw), kind of got me wondering whether or not the boys were bbq types. I’m guessing they probably liked bbq as much as anything else.
Hi Lawrence - Thanks for watching. I would not recommend anyone use wood chips in their pellet grill though. It could easily jam your auger or worse, cause a fire.
I have not ever got much smoke from my Pitboss Austin 1000XL. I have tried several pellets, Treager Signature blend. I purchased the Bear Mountain Premium Bourbon BBQ Hardwood Pellets from Amazon and it only smokes when lighting with any of them. I always clean my grill after every cook including vacumming the ash pot, emptying the unused pellets and sealing them back up, I store them inside my home also. The fan runs and has plenty of air flow. I purchased it last year and it has never produced much smoke. I have set the P setting to every setting with even setting it on seven when is the highest with the longest pause time for the auger. I saw a video where someone said to screw the air cap down some and try it but this one does not screw down so I tried restricting the flow with tin foil around it. Nothing, no kind of pellets produce any viewable smoke except when it fires up or is shtting down.
Great info Sir. I have added a smoke tube to my set up. I mix a little wood chips in with the pellets, and I have had amazing results with this process. Once I started using the smoke tubes, I was able to put my stick burner to rest.😎
This^^^ iI have a trailer smoker as well as a pit boss laredo,and using the smoke tube and mixing wood chips and pellets it rolls smoke like the trailer smoker.
Just found your channel and this is my first watch! I have the same pit boss for my 3rd season; have you had any issues with temperature probes? I’ve now replaced 3 of the control panels, 2 thermometers and 2 temp probes…. Pit boss customer service has been amazing but my pal’s traeger seems to be the Toyota of smokers…..
PELLET LIFE CYCLE AND GRILL EXPLOSIONS I love my Pitboss and it just smokes like an SOB when I run it. (I just don’t understand the “it won’t smoke” comments). People don’t seem to fully understand the life cycle of pellets in a pellet grill as compared to a dedicated smoker. Creating smoke, which you can absolutely do in a Pitboss, is the initial step of combustion before the pellets ignite and actually burn with flame - it’s a cycle! And just like when you initially start the unit up, when you first get a whole lot of smoke and then the pellets burst into flame and burn up that smoke (more exaggerated on startup ‘cause you’ve intentionally over-fed the pellets to get the cycle established), that smoke is full of wood product and will combust and burn ! THAT’S HOW YOU GET THE PELLET GRILL EXPLOSIONS WE SEE ON TH-cam- HOW EXPLOSIONS HAPPEN: The FIRE TRIANGLE fireman talk about is made up of 3 parts or elements, all of which have to present to have a fire: - OXYGEN - FUEL - A HEAT SOURCE It starts when the person running the grill turns the unit off and then back on while the cycle is in progress, i.e, it’s smoking, because they think they’ve lost the flame, - but cycling to off and then back on AUTOMATICALLY starts a 4 minute feed of pellets you cannot stop! (And, should they then do it once more, going back to off again and then on out of frustration and ignorance, it just starts the 4 minute feed all over again!) NOTE: The normal feed time is about 18 seconds. So you’ve now caused your Pitboss to go into a 4 minute feed, feeding new pellets into a pot full of already hot embers, plus the heat rod at the bottom of the pellet cup now comes on ADDING MORE HEAT Remember !! : Start-up is the only time the heating element DOES COME ON! (During the normal cycle, your hot embers and the air from the fan blowing across them ignite the new cold pellets the feed auger dumps in.) You now create bu-ku extra smoke (which is combustable as I said) and you get this GRILL BACKDRAFT SITUATION, but unlike the movies, where the guy opens the door to let oxygen onto a smouldering fire, you have plenty of oxygen already there - the fan’s running continually!! - you’re adding HEAT to the oxygen and fuel (SMOKE) and igniting the smoke in a confined space! It ignites, expands rapidly and BOOM!! The grill can’t contain the expanding force generated when the smoke is ignited. The solution: TWO SIMPLE STEPS: 1) Take the control switch to OFF and leave it there - you can unplug it too, to be on the safe side. 2) Open the cover and step away When it cools down and the smoke clears, always, always dis-assemble your grill and clean the pellets out of the fire pot-a must-do to ensure you don’t restart with an overly full fire pot and get a runaway fire on the restart Remember: >> WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT, >> WHEN YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN “THAT MUCH SMOKE” TURN IT OFF, OPEN THE LID, AND STEP AWAY!! PS - NOTE - All pellets grills use some sort of auto-feed and heat rod to start the cycle when you first turn on your grill - I mentioned 4 minutes, etc above ‘cause it’s specific to a Pitboss, but ALL GRILL CAN BE MADE TO EXPLODE IF USED IMPROPERLY!
I don't own a pellet grill, but I want on. But I'll be perfectly honest, the reason I came to this video was that I saw the thumbnail and wanted to congratulate you on your R40 shirt.
I have a Pit Boss 1150 Pellet grill. After each use I empty the pellets from the hopper and run out the pellets from the auger tube. This takes a lot of time. I wish Pit Boss would have a “Speed Up” (Prime) setting when you first begin and at the conclusion of the cook have a “Run Out” feature that would quickly dump the pellets. When I have to “Run Out” the pellets I will remove the burn chamber of the Pit Boss1150 and put a galvanized bucket under the burn chamber hole and run them out that way. Otherwise the igniter will heat up a large amount of pellets in the burn chamber. This is something you do not want to happen.
Depends if you want direct heat grilling options in addition to smoking. If you do, then maybe go with the Pit Boss, just know it has more temperature control issues due to this variability. The Zgrill 700D3 which is the model I have does not really have direct heat but is much simpler and accurate to manage. Check out our recent video on Pit Boss temperature issues to learn more about them, and you can also check out our full Z grill review here. www.madbackyard.com/z-grills-pellet-grill-review/. Thanks!
If it isn't too late (haven't checked the latest videos) please include Knotty Wood pellets in your comparison or your next one....Plummond if you're just doing one, but would like to see Almond included as well. Edit: I see the Knotty Wood in a later video... Nevermind, except maybe the Plummond if you haven't tried it yet.
Even with all the good advice in this video, add a smoke tube for smoke flavor much closer to burning real wood. Or better yet, use a product made by Smoke Daddy, called Heavy D. This product replaces your standard heat diffuser, but has side compartments for chunks of real wood. This gives you smoke flavor almost indistinguishable from stick burner smokers.
What's crazy is the manufacturer's branded pellets, most notably Traeger brand is cut with alder wood. It would be nice if they at least offered a premium line or was required to say what was really in the bag instead of "made WITH 100 percent..."
Ha, that’s a very good observation! Yes I think the manufacturers are going to have to step up their game as people get more selective with the types of pellets they choose to buy.
I have a traeger. Just had a new smoke burner box unit replaced after less than a year of ownership. When I cook chicken (225-250F) and my smoke is just turning my chicken a charcoal grey color and just giving my chicken a burnt flavor. Even tried a new bag of pellets. Any ideas? My fresh pellets have a clean break too. (I vacuum my entire thing out after every other cook too so it’s not that full. And smoke stack is open by about 1” and the fan is blowing). Also, when I put my hand under my hopper by the fan, I feel air blowing down against my hand.
@@HappyGreyBlu Just looked at it, it's an old style controller, but not he oldest. Is the chicken in there as the unit is firing up? Do you start at low temps? Traegers do best when they are bought up to temp a little pover where you want to be and then bring the temps down. That is an uninsulated one which produce more smoke in the winter because it is constantly stoking. Is there billowing smoke during the cook? Does the smoke exit the stack nice? Stale smoke is horrible. If the stack cap is too low it inhibits flow of fresh smoke over the meat. Notice how I said OVER the meat.. That style of Traeger doesn't allow wood and smoke flavor to come underneath the meat. The heat/smoke/wood flavor travels along the bottom of the drip pan to the side opposite the stack and then flows over the top of the meat on it's way out the stack. Better to elevate the meat to get flow over and under. I used a cheap grate and four soup cans. When you changed the fire pot, did you put the hot rod so that it protrudes into the fire pot or does it barely stick in? The muffin fan blows around the auger and enters the holes in the fire pot. It should look like a forge with the flames shooting up out of the firepot when the fan is on full during ignition. Leave the firepot uncovered, and fire up the unit to see if ignition goes smoothly and there is strong airflow from the holes in the firepot. Make sure the fan isn't blocked or somhow dislodged and pointing in the wrong way and you don't have any wires jammed in the blades from when the firepot was replaced. I burned out my firepot once in 10 years and replace the hot rod three times. I change the controller two times to get more options adn once it fried and kept the hot rod on all the time.
Pit Boss will not get hot enough tocook the meat in the chamber in cold weather. Tried smoking turkey over Thanksgiving smoker would not get over 180 dgrees. How am I going to cook as well as smoke at that temp? Damn shame the only heating source in the unit is the rod.
Got the new Z grill, 700D4E. App wont download on Android, wont even connect on iPhone....and firs time using it..smokes nice at 160....then no smoke afterwords...225...no smoke. Very unhappy with this Z Grill decision....
Hey Fred- you actually don’t need to soak wood before smoking with it. Same way competition cooks don’t soak their logs before putting them in their big offset smokers. It’s the lack of oxygen from closing down the vents that causes it to smoke, not the water. Any water absorbed by soaking the wood chips or chunks evaporates before it starts smoking anyways. So you can save a step next time by skipping this part. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
Not necessarily wet, but with humidity they expand. A less dense pellet will burn faster. Just like a peice or cardboard will burn faster than a chunk of wood.
The truth is, you can do all these things and get plenty of smoke but no smoke flavor. Pellet grills burn very cleanly and efficiently. I have followed all of these tips to the tee.
I find that the best results for smoke flavor in a pellet grill...at least for me (I have a z grill 1000D3E) For chicken...I cook on the smoke setting for the first 30-45min, for brisket the first 1-2 hours...then i crank it up to my cooking temperature. It also helps to get your meats on there while they are still cold. Cold meat attracts more smoke as the surface needs more time to heat up. You'll get a better smoke ring and more flavor
@@claudebarnes6784 I appreciate those tips. Unfortunately I've tried those along with others and still get no smoke flavor. In fact I don't think I've really enjoyed anything that much that comes from my pellet grill. Now I own a smallish pellet grill, it's a Chimp from Grilla Grill. I just checked out the one you own. Even though mine is built like a tank, it just doesn't produce the same flavor profile as maybe something that costs twice as much, like the one you purchased. Pellet grills were in their early stages then so they may have improved them since then plus I like that yours has a smoke stack. The Chimp does not and I think that also contributes to it not having smoke flavor. Thanks again for those tips though I appreciate it.
Lower temps and starting on the smoke setting helps. Different pellets work better too. Lately I’m liking knotty wood plum wood pellets. You get a lot more ash so I’m guessing it’s less of a “cleaner burn”.
@@madbackyard I have heard so many good things about knotty!! I feel like it's a must try now. I have a huge bbq coming up where I make a ton of jerk chicken. Do you think the plum wood is a good flavor profile for jerk chicken?
NOT ENOUGH SMOKE? USE LUMBERJACK PELLETS!!! I cleared out my pellets and auger and filled it with lumberjack pellets. As soon as I fired up the traeger you could instantly smell the goodness! T R Y T H E M O U T ! !
*I have covered all of these Issues and NEVER once have I got a one SMOKEY tasting piece of food from my grill ...and I'm in the south and have done this a long time...and I will tell you if you have a REAL smoker...when you go into the house and you and your clothes smell like BBQ/Smoke then your smoking!!...I can lean into my Pellet grill and let my clothes get waves and waves of smoke and go in the house and smell nothing...its like baking my food*
*So in respect to the vent, on the PittBoss should it be as wide open as possible for the maximum amount of smoke? I thought that would permit the pellets to burn too fast rather than choking the vent down and slowing down the burn to a smolder. Please feel free to correct me here because I only bought my PitBoss 1150 Pro Series Gen 3 a couple weeks ago so I'm a noob and trying to figure it out. All my experience to this has been on solid wood chunks and using a pellet smoker is new to me. Thanks!*
I like to keep the vent down as much as possible when smoking low and slow to limit air flow and keep more smoke inside the cooking chamber for longer. I open it up more when cooking hot and fast. Hope that helps!
@@madbackyard So close the vent down maybe 75% when at 180F and smoldering but when raising temps to 225 and up, open vent 100% for fast air flow correct?
You can’t really close it down all that much in a pit boss because the base of the exhaust cap is always open for safety reasons. However, I do keep it down as closed as it will go for anything under about 275 and then open it up for anything 300 or higher. On a pellet grill though, because of the fan providing the air flow, I don’t think the exhaust cap position makes a huge difference the way it does on other types of smokers that rely on passive air intake and airflow.
The first and most important reason is that they are pellet grills. They are not pit smokers. In order for the pellets to burn correctly they need to burn hot and therefore you will not get a lot of smoke. That's just the physics of the situation. You can add a smoke generator or get a model of pellet grill that allows the pellets to smolder temporarily but if you want a real barbecue flavor then you need a pit smoker and wood splits.
Thanks for watching! Check out our video on using a small firebox in a pellet grill to more of this type of flavor! th-cam.com/video/wyf3368h6iE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YB_VPkBz_bTu0v8A
You got one thing wrong. All the igniter does is help start pellet grill in the first place. It does not keep and maintain after the grill is going. Go back and read the manual
Manual is long gone by now. The controller will cycle the ignitor on and off throughout the cook, even at a stable temperature, so it is using it to control the burn and therefore the temperature in addition to auger feeding. It’s why if you have built up ash it will mess with your temperature control.
I’ve discovered two undeniable facts about pellet grills. Firstly, they are not grills. To grill the fuel source must be 900 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum of 8 inches from your protein to create the desired Maillard reaction. Pellet grills can’t do this. Secondly, wood pellets are processed. They are great at generating heat without adding smoke flavor. Fact! If you own a pellet grill, please change your mindset about what you actually own. You own a pellet fired outdoor oven. Whatever you would cook in your indoor oven you can cook it in any pellet grill and the flavor will be the same. Pellet grills are outdoor ovens fueled by wooden pellets. Enjoy your outdoor pellet oven. Cheers!
Thanks for watching! I’m not sure about your numbers on the Maillard reaction. You can definitely sear a steak below 900 degrees. Pit boss also offers the direct heat option on this particular grill. While not as robust as a propane grill, I’ll give you that, you definitely still can grill steaks and burgers and get a Maillard reaction to occur quickly. As for smoke flavor, you are correct, as I mentioned in the video you may never get the same flavor you get from other types of smokers due to the nature of pellets. But I’ve noticed a pretty wide variance in smoke flavor depending on the type and brand of pellet you use as well.
@@madbackyard A pellet grill can’t produce a Maillard reaction as quickly and effectively as a pellet grill. You concede that point. Also a pellet grill can’t give you the smoke flavor a $69 Walmart charcoal grill can give you. You also concede my second point. You either work for Pit Boss or you’re trying too hard to make a pellet grill anything other than what it is actually. Pellet grills are outdoor ovens using pellets as a heat source that produce the same smoke flavor as an indoor oven. Zero! If you want to move your indoor oven outside by a pellet grill. Enjoy your outdoor oven! Cheers!!
Wow. Somebody really hates pellet grills! I guess Matt Pittman from Meat Church and plenty of other top bbq guys are just baking in their “pellet ovens” when they’re not using a stick burner huh?
@@Isovapor You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. If you can't get smoke flavor off of a pellet grill, then you have no business being around ANY grill.
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More smoke doesn't necessarily mean good flavor. If the smoke is.
white Then you will not create that coveted thin blue smoke How hot do pillots get going through the order tube on the way to the fire pot?
I just bought a Pit Boss and discovered your videos. You have great info, but more importantly, you're a Rush fan.
Haha, thanks for watching!
I’m definitely guilty of leaving my pellets in the hopper at all times. I haven’t had any issue yet, but this southern humidity may get me in trouble one day!
We’re all guilty of it here and there, thanks for watching!
Im in southern Louisiana and I had no troubles
First time watching your videos today and have subscribed! You make great, no-nonsense or BS videos which are informative and enjoyable to watch in the process. Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for the kind feedback and for subscribing!
Came here to say the same thing. Articulate, concise, and relevant information. So new sub from me too! 👍🇨🇦
Straight to the point!!!
Thnx for keeping it short & sweet!!
Thanks for watching!
Love the Rush shirt!!
Rock on, thanks!
MB, you nailed it! Firebox needed cleaning. Once exposed, I'm surprised it even fired in its current condition. Thanks! - Steve
Glad it helped! That’s usually the number one culprit for issues with a pellet grill. Thanks for watching!
A very informative and unbiased view of pellet grills which are given bad press by people who have their way or no way. I have a Yoder 1500s which is very good but also an LSG pellet which is that close to an offset you wouldn’t want to bet your house on the difference.They have nothing but praise from people with decades of offset use.
I have many offsets and they do produce a better product, but do I always want to tend a fire all day, not always.
Those Lone Stars look really nice. Will need to check one out some day. Thanks for watching!
This was the best video AI have seen . No long bs intro, just facts. Thanks can't wait for the pellet review.
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Great advise on emptying the hopper after each use. I’ve been doing that and the difference is recognized. I keep the pellets in an air tight container to keep moisture out of them.
5:08 I didn't think of that an feel I should have. Very nice!
Subscribed for the Rush shirt alone. 🤘
Haha, thanks!
Thank you for this. New to pellet grills.
smoke tube enough said
All are GREAT tips. My Camp Chef is my first pellet grill and I have found maintenance is the key to success
Thanks again! !! !!!
100% agreed, thanks for the kind words!
I "Liked" the video just because of the AWESOME T-Shirt you're wearing...
Thanks! Got it when I saw them in 2015 for their 50th anniversary tour (crazy). Was glad to have gotten to see Neil before he passed, he was flawless!
Great videos you have. I must admit though when this started you had me at the RUSH shirt!!! I am now subscribed!
Thanks!!! 🙏 🤘
Thanks just bought my PB 1000 series and didn’t know you could adjust the chimney. Thanks for info
Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching!
Thank God for that Arizona dry heat. I can be lazy and leave my pellets in! 🙏🏼
Haha. For sure!👍
Yes sir arizona!!!
great info!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks!
Came here for the shirt, subscribed for the content. 👍
Welcome aboard! That comment hits closer to the heart!
Excellent fast information
Thank you!
Hi -Great video, but I’d like to see some info on Pitboss P-settings?
I also think you would really really do a service to everyone by
1). Explaining the life cycle / burn cycle of the pellets in a grill adjustment (p-settings, etc.)
2) The pellet grill explosion risk, caused by those who don’t understand the cycle or the fire triangle we learned as kids and how it applies to pellet grills.
I will post some comments here separately to illustrate what I mean. NO ONE to my knowledge has explained the fire triangle for grills - a vid would be great and drive a lot of traffic too!
P settings is for your your probe that you insert into the meat. Not the amount of smoke
Wrong @@Last_Chance.
New pellet grill owner... Ive run one full bag without properly taking them out.... I like that saw dust bucket!!
Thanks for watching! Yeah they are nice for storage and organization.
Love the shirt! RIP Neil.
Oh, and nice video as well! 🙂
You can throw a large desiccant packet in the bucket if you live in a humid area.
Thats a good tip!
I am adding a DIY cold smoker to my pallet grill for higher temp. cooking. soon I will upload the DIY video. Cost under $25
Now i can smoke the hell out
Thank you for this video! Extremely useful.
Glad to hear it, thanks for watching!
I purchased my Traeger in 20. It smoked very well until recently. Now it seems to be regulating temperature better in a tighter window thus cutting down on the amount of smoke I get.
What model?
Also which controller?
First of all - NICE SHIRT!!!
Thanks!
Love that T-Shirt!
Haha, thanks! 🎸 🔥 🤘
Slappin da bass!!!!!
Big time mon! 👊
Lots of good information there.😊
Thanks!
My new pellet grill has a way to empty the hopper. My old grill did not. I will definitely start doing that.
I have one of those smoke tubes, that thing is awesome for getting better smoke flavor.
Right on, thanks for watching! Yes pellet tube smokers work great, especially for cold smoking too.
I stopped and and watched your video because you are wearing a Rush shirt!
Thanks for watching! 🤘
I stopped watching your video because you were wearing a rush shirt.
Yea a favorite band!!!!
Me too
Also here for the Rush shirt. RIP Professor.
Informative video. Nice shirt!
Thanks so much!!
Great tips thanks for posting
Thanks John!
I use a stick burner-
Awesome shirt though, RUSH forever 👍
Haha, thanks! 👍
Mine wont smoke at all. I set it to "smoke" and it just burns bc the igniter never turns off.
never mind - you answered it
Lone Star Grillz has mixed pellets with wood chips. This combination is said to have an offset flavor.
I’ll have to check them out, thanks for the suggestion!
Great shirt!!
Thanks! 🤘
Sweet shirt
Ha, thank you!
Good video dude thanx for the info just got a pit boss Laredo 1000 it’s cool been used to cooking on a big green egg this is different
Thanks! I still love cooking on my BGE too! But yes pellet grills have a bit of a learning curve.
Thanks for the tips. Subscribed, and liked.
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks so much for the info
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Hooray for living in Florida... wish i never got this damn pellet grill
Great videos ! Thanks !!
Thanks for watching!
Love the shirt! Sure do miss them.
Thanks! Yeah me too. I just heard it was Neil’s birthday the other day. We were blessed while he was here!
@@madbackyard still the best as far as I’m concerned.
Funny though, as I watched your video (well done btw), kind of got me wondering whether or not the boys were bbq types. I’m guessing they probably liked bbq as much as anything else.
Mixing a blend of fine wood chips with your Palace is the best way to get a good
Hi Lawrence - Thanks for watching. I would not recommend anyone use wood chips in their pellet grill though. It could easily jam your auger or worse, cause a fire.
I've been using wood chips in mind for almost 3 years no problem whatsoever mine is a even embers
I have not ever got much smoke from my Pitboss Austin 1000XL. I have tried several pellets, Treager Signature blend. I purchased the Bear Mountain Premium Bourbon BBQ Hardwood Pellets from Amazon and it only smokes when lighting with any of them. I always clean my grill after every cook including vacumming the ash pot, emptying the unused pellets and sealing them back up, I store them inside my home also. The fan runs and has plenty of air flow. I purchased it last year and it has never produced much smoke. I have set the P setting to every setting with even setting it on seven when is the highest with the longest pause time for the auger. I saw a video where someone said to screw the air cap down some and try it but this one does not screw down so I tried restricting the flow with tin foil around it. Nothing, no kind of pellets produce any viewable smoke except when it fires up or is shtting down.
Great info Sir. I have added a smoke tube to my set up. I mix a little wood chips in with the pellets, and I have had amazing results with this process. Once I started using the smoke tubes, I was able to put my stick burner to rest.😎
Great tips, thanks!
Yep. Smoke tube with wood chips and my briskets come out great.
This^^^ iI have a trailer smoker as well as a pit boss laredo,and using the smoke tube and mixing wood chips and pellets it rolls smoke like the trailer smoker.
My smoker tube keeps blowing out when I cook. What can I do
@olschool121 you got to light it and let it burn for a few minutes to get some coals before you blow it out.
I hope you’ll try Manchester Pellets when you compare.
I will check them out, thanks for the suggestion! Have you had a good experience with them?
Could you please do a video on the P settings...owners manual is very confusing..
A couple people have asked that so we’re going to see about putting something together either here or on the website. Thanks for watching!
the easiest fix is buy the LSG 20x42 pellet grill. run it at 200° for a long slow cook and get plenty of smokey flavor.
Use pellets made from wood not compressed saw dust with oil flavor added. That will improve everything.
Just found your channel and this is my first watch!
I have the same pit boss for my 3rd season; have you had any issues with temperature probes?
I’ve now replaced 3 of the control panels, 2 thermometers and 2 temp probes….
Pit boss customer service has been amazing but my pal’s traeger seems to be the Toyota of smokers…..
They should make air tight hoppers
Cool. and you were wearing a Rush shirt!
What brand of pallets do you recommend? For more smoke
I really like Bear Mountain, Knotty Wood, and even Expert Grill brand from Walmart.
Homer bucket for pellet storage!
That works! Make sure to keep them indoors too.
awesome shirt
Thanks!!🤘🎧🎸
PELLET LIFE CYCLE AND GRILL EXPLOSIONS
I love my Pitboss and it just smokes like an SOB when I run it. (I just don’t understand the “it won’t smoke” comments). People don’t seem to fully understand the life cycle of pellets in a pellet grill as compared to a dedicated smoker. Creating smoke, which you can absolutely do in a Pitboss, is the initial step of combustion before the pellets ignite and actually burn with flame - it’s a cycle!
And just like when you initially start the unit up, when you first get a whole lot of smoke and then the pellets burst into flame and burn up that smoke (more exaggerated on startup ‘cause you’ve intentionally over-fed the pellets to get the cycle established), that smoke is full of wood product and will combust and burn !
THAT’S HOW YOU GET THE PELLET GRILL EXPLOSIONS WE SEE ON TH-cam-
HOW EXPLOSIONS HAPPEN:
The FIRE TRIANGLE fireman talk about is made up of 3 parts or elements, all of which have to present to have a fire:
- OXYGEN
- FUEL
- A HEAT SOURCE
It starts when the person running the grill turns the unit off and then back on while the cycle is in progress, i.e, it’s smoking, because they think they’ve lost the flame, - but cycling to off and then back on AUTOMATICALLY starts a 4 minute feed of pellets you cannot stop! (And, should they then do it once more, going back to off again and then on out of frustration and ignorance, it just starts the 4 minute feed all over again!) NOTE: The normal feed time is about 18 seconds.
So you’ve now caused your Pitboss to go into a 4 minute feed, feeding new pellets into a pot full of already hot embers, plus the heat rod at the bottom of the pellet cup now comes on ADDING MORE HEAT Remember !! : Start-up is the only time the heating element DOES COME ON! (During the normal cycle, your hot embers and the air from the fan blowing across them ignite the new cold pellets the feed auger dumps in.)
You now create bu-ku extra smoke (which is combustable as I said) and you get this GRILL BACKDRAFT SITUATION, but unlike the movies, where the guy opens the door to let oxygen onto a smouldering fire, you have plenty of oxygen already there - the fan’s running continually!! - you’re adding HEAT to the oxygen and fuel (SMOKE) and igniting the smoke in a confined space! It ignites, expands rapidly and BOOM!! The grill can’t contain the expanding force generated when the smoke is ignited.
The solution: TWO SIMPLE STEPS:
1) Take the control switch to OFF and leave it there - you can unplug it too, to be on the safe side.
2) Open the cover and step away
When it cools down and the smoke clears, always, always dis-assemble your grill and clean the pellets out of the fire pot-a must-do to ensure you don’t restart with an overly full fire pot and get a runaway fire on the restart
Remember:
>> WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT,
>> WHEN YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN “THAT MUCH SMOKE”
TURN IT OFF, OPEN THE LID, AND STEP AWAY!!
PS - NOTE - All pellets grills use some sort of auto-feed and heat rod to start the cycle when you first turn on your grill - I mentioned 4 minutes, etc above ‘cause it’s specific to a Pitboss, but
ALL GRILL CAN BE MADE TO EXPLODE IF USED IMPROPERLY!
does having your opened heater plate in the opened or closed position matter?
love the shirt
Thanks!
Really enjoying your kind of content! Thanks for this video - it was super helpful! Keep up the great work * SUBSCRIBED! *
I really appreciate that! Thanks for subscribing!
I don't own a pellet grill, but I want on. But I'll be perfectly honest, the reason I came to this video was that I saw the thumbnail and wanted to congratulate you on your R40 shirt.
Haha, you’ve got a good eye! It was a great show, can’t believe it was 8 years ago now.
Yeah, it was bittersweet. Epic set list. But so sad it was the last Rush show.
I have a Pit Boss 1150 Pellet grill. After each use I empty the pellets from the hopper and run out the pellets from the auger tube.
This takes a lot of time.
I wish Pit Boss would have a “Speed Up” (Prime) setting when you first begin and at the conclusion of the cook have a “Run Out” feature that would quickly dump the pellets.
When I have to “Run Out” the pellets I will remove the burn chamber of the Pit Boss1150 and put a galvanized bucket under the burn chamber hole and run them out that way. Otherwise the igniter will heat up a large amount of pellets in the burn chamber. This is something you do not want to happen.
My Austin xl is set at 250 and it never gives smoke just a hard fire. Sucks I have to Lower to 225
Love the Tee shirt!!!
Thanks!! 🎸
Where can I find a firebox for 1150ps2 ?
Thanks
I seen that you have both Pit boss and Z grill which one would you recommend to person that's looking???
Depends if you want direct heat grilling options in addition to smoking. If you do, then maybe go with the Pit Boss, just know it has more temperature control issues due to this variability. The Zgrill 700D3 which is the model I have does not really have direct heat but is much simpler and accurate to manage. Check out our recent video on Pit Boss temperature issues to learn more about them, and you can also check out our full Z grill review here. www.madbackyard.com/z-grills-pellet-grill-review/. Thanks!
If it isn't too late (haven't checked the latest videos) please include Knotty Wood pellets in your comparison or your next one....Plummond if you're just doing one, but would like to see Almond included as well.
Edit: I see the Knotty Wood in a later video... Nevermind, except maybe the Plummond if you haven't tried it yet.
I love knotty wood pellets. We’ve been using them a lot in our recent videos!
@@madbackyard yep, glad to see it. Wasn't caught up. Did you use the Plummond yet? It sounds great. I've got some on order.
No but I’ve used pretty much every other kind they make. Let me know how it does!
do i need to adjust the stack ??
Even with all the good advice in this video, add a smoke tube for smoke flavor much closer to burning real wood.
Or better yet, use a product made by Smoke Daddy, called Heavy D. This product replaces your standard heat diffuser, but has side compartments for chunks of real wood.
This gives you smoke flavor almost indistinguishable from stick burner smokers.
Great tip! Will need to check out that Heavy D.
5 More reasons to keep my offset smoker and Not get a pellet grill. But I enjoyed this video, Thanks.
Touché good sir. Thanks for watching!
just subscribe to your channel because of your Rush t-shirt, nice ! (ok, I own a Camp Chef XT pellets smoker, great tips !) 🤘🤘🤘 #rushfan4ever
Rock on! Thanks for subscribing!
I came to the comments to say the exact same thing. By far my favorite band!
What's crazy is the manufacturer's branded pellets, most notably Traeger brand is cut with alder wood. It would be nice if they at least offered a premium line or was required to say what was really in the bag instead of "made WITH 100 percent..."
Ha, that’s a very good observation! Yes I think the manufacturers are going to have to step up their game as people get more selective with the types of pellets they choose to buy.
I have a traeger. Just had a new smoke burner box unit replaced after less than a year of ownership. When I cook chicken (225-250F) and my smoke is just turning my chicken a charcoal grey color and just giving my chicken a burnt flavor. Even tried a new bag of pellets. Any ideas? My fresh pellets have a clean break too. (I vacuum my entire thing out after every other cook too so it’s not that full. And smoke stack is open by about 1” and the fan is blowing). Also, when I put my hand under my hopper by the fan, I feel air blowing down against my hand.
Which model and controller?
@@Todd.T pro 34. No idea what controller.
@@HappyGreyBlu Just looked at it, it's an old style controller, but not he oldest. Is the chicken in there as the unit is firing up? Do you start at low temps? Traegers do best when they are bought up to temp a little pover where you want to be and then bring the temps down. That is an uninsulated one which produce more smoke in the winter because it is constantly stoking. Is there billowing smoke during the cook? Does the smoke exit the stack nice? Stale smoke is horrible. If the stack cap is too low it inhibits flow of fresh smoke over the meat. Notice how I said OVER the meat.. That style of Traeger doesn't allow wood and smoke flavor to come underneath the meat. The heat/smoke/wood flavor travels along the bottom of the drip pan to the side opposite the stack and then flows over the top of the meat on it's way out the stack. Better to elevate the meat to get flow over and under. I used a cheap grate and four soup cans.
When you changed the fire pot, did you put the hot rod so that it protrudes into the fire pot or does it barely stick in? The muffin fan blows around the auger and enters the holes in the fire pot. It should look like a forge with the flames shooting up out of the firepot when the fan is on full during ignition. Leave the firepot uncovered, and fire up the unit to see if ignition goes smoothly and there is strong airflow from the holes in the firepot. Make sure the fan isn't blocked or somhow dislodged and pointing in the wrong way and you don't have any wires jammed in the blades from when the firepot was replaced.
I burned out my firepot once in 10 years and replace the hot rod three times. I change the controller two times to get more options adn once it fried and kept the hot rod on all the time.
Pit Boss will not get hot enough tocook the meat in the chamber in cold weather. Tried smoking turkey over Thanksgiving smoker would not get over 180 dgrees. How am I going to cook as well as smoke at that temp? Damn shame the only heating source in the unit is the rod.
Got the new Z grill, 700D4E. App wont download on Android, wont even connect on iPhone....and firs time using it..smokes nice at 160....then no smoke afterwords...225...no smoke. Very unhappy with this Z Grill decision....
I sold my new PitBoss and bought a RecTeq 700. Problem solved.
Haha. I don’t know if that video would have been as helpful. 😆
That’s a “WORKING MAN”
Nice. 😎
If dry pellets are better then why do we soak wood chips or chunks before cooking on charcoal
Hey Fred- you actually don’t need to soak wood before smoking with it. Same way competition cooks don’t soak their logs before putting them in their big offset smokers. It’s the lack of oxygen from closing down the vents that causes it to smoke, not the water. Any water absorbed by soaking the wood chips or chunks evaporates before it starts smoking anyways. So you can save a step next time by skipping this part. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
@@madbackyard I was not trying to be critical. Thanks for the info!
Oh no I didn’t think that at all! I used to soak them too when I first started before I learned more. Thanks again for watching the video!
Wood chips contain a certain amount of moisture you must have a certain amount of moisture for proper smoke
Sorry but extremely dry pillows do not put off
is this a pellet grill? or a pellet smoker?
I guess I use them interchangeably on these barrel style models, especially because you can grill on this one too. Thanks for watching!
that doesnt make sense. how does a wet pellet burn faster and not smoke as much? idk i'll have to experiment with this new idea.
Not necessarily wet, but with humidity they expand. A less dense pellet will burn faster. Just like a peice or cardboard will burn faster than a chunk of wood.
The truth is, you can do all these things and get plenty of smoke but no smoke flavor. Pellet grills burn very cleanly and efficiently. I have followed all of these tips to the tee.
I find that the best results for smoke flavor in a pellet grill...at least for me (I have a z grill 1000D3E) For chicken...I cook on the smoke setting for the first 30-45min, for brisket the first 1-2 hours...then i crank it up to my cooking temperature. It also helps to get your meats on there while they are still cold. Cold meat attracts more smoke as the surface needs more time to heat up. You'll get a better smoke ring and more flavor
@@claudebarnes6784 I appreciate those tips. Unfortunately I've tried those along with others and still get no smoke flavor. In fact I don't think I've really enjoyed anything that much that comes from my pellet grill. Now I own a smallish pellet grill, it's a Chimp from Grilla Grill. I just checked out the one you own. Even though mine is built like a tank, it just doesn't produce the same flavor profile as maybe something that costs twice as much, like the one you purchased. Pellet grills were in their early stages then so they may have improved them since then plus I like that yours has a smoke stack. The Chimp does not and I think that also contributes to it not having smoke flavor. Thanks again for those tips though I appreciate it.
Lower temps and starting on the smoke setting helps. Different pellets work better too. Lately I’m liking knotty wood plum wood pellets. You get a lot more ash so I’m guessing it’s less of a “cleaner burn”.
@@madbackyard thank you!
@@madbackyard I have heard so many good things about knotty!! I feel like it's a must try now. I have a huge bbq coming up where I make a ton of jerk chicken. Do you think the plum wood is a good flavor profile for jerk chicken?
NOT ENOUGH SMOKE? USE LUMBERJACK PELLETS!!!
I cleared out my pellets and auger and filled it with lumberjack pellets. As soon as I fired up the traeger you could instantly smell the goodness!
T R Y T H E M O U T ! !
Thanks for the suggestion!
*I have covered all of these Issues and NEVER once have I got a one SMOKEY tasting piece of food from my grill ...and I'm in the south and have done this a long time...and I will tell you if you have a REAL smoker...when you go into the house and you and your clothes smell like BBQ/Smoke then your smoking!!...I can lean into my Pellet grill and let my clothes get waves and waves of smoke and go in the house and smell nothing...its like baking my food*
Here is a link to the pellet storage bucket I use in this video to keep my pellets fresh and dry. amzn.to/43R6dDn
*So in respect to the vent, on the PittBoss should it be as wide open as possible for the maximum amount of smoke? I thought that would permit the pellets to burn too fast rather than choking the vent down and slowing down the burn to a smolder. Please feel free to correct me here because I only bought my PitBoss 1150 Pro Series Gen 3 a couple weeks ago so I'm a noob and trying to figure it out. All my experience to this has been on solid wood chunks and using a pellet smoker is new to me. Thanks!*
I like to keep the vent down as much as possible when smoking low and slow to limit air flow and keep more smoke inside the cooking chamber for longer. I open it up more when cooking hot and fast. Hope that helps!
@@madbackyard So close the vent down maybe 75% when at 180F and smoldering but when raising temps to 225 and up, open vent 100% for fast air flow correct?
You can’t really close it down all that much in a pit boss because the base of the exhaust cap is always open for safety reasons. However, I do keep it down as closed as it will go for anything under about 275 and then open it up for anything 300 or higher. On a pellet grill though, because of the fan providing the air flow, I don’t think the exhaust cap position makes a huge difference the way it does on other types of smokers that rely on passive air intake and airflow.
Thanks for the help!
I have a huge brisket, two tritips and 8 chicken bombs smoldering as we speak :)
The first and most important reason is that they are pellet grills. They are not pit smokers. In order for the pellets to burn correctly they need to burn hot and therefore you will not get a lot of smoke. That's just the physics of the situation. You can add a smoke generator or get a model of pellet grill that allows the pellets to smolder temporarily but if you want a real barbecue flavor then you need a pit smoker and wood splits.
Thanks for watching! Check out our video on using a small firebox in a pellet grill to more of this type of flavor! th-cam.com/video/wyf3368h6iE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YB_VPkBz_bTu0v8A
I add a smoker tube in mine
Skip the pellet grill, buy a master built gravity series....
As much smoke as a you could ever want.
You don't need to do any of that stuff. Just buy a smoker tube. You'll have a shit load of smoke 😉
This is why my food tastes like cat shit!
I’ve been storing my pellets in an old litter box!!! Lol
“Pellet grill not making enough smoke “? Get a UDS and an electronic fan controller, way better bbq.
🫡
You got one thing wrong. All the igniter does is help start pellet grill in the first place. It does not keep and maintain after the grill is going. Go back and read the manual
Manual is long gone by now. The controller will cycle the ignitor on and off throughout the cook, even at a stable temperature, so it is using it to control the burn and therefore the temperature in addition to auger feeding. It’s why if you have built up ash it will mess with your temperature control.
Real men don’t cook with rabbit pellets
Or you could just get a real smoker like a man..... and use wood.....Fkn....nurd....
Thanks for watching chief.
I’ve discovered two undeniable facts about pellet grills. Firstly, they are not grills. To grill the fuel source must be 900 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum of 8 inches from your protein to create the desired Maillard reaction. Pellet grills can’t do this. Secondly, wood pellets are processed. They are great at generating heat without adding smoke flavor. Fact! If you own a pellet grill, please change your mindset about what you actually own. You own a pellet fired outdoor oven. Whatever you would cook in your indoor oven you can cook it in any pellet grill and the flavor will be the same. Pellet grills are outdoor ovens fueled by wooden pellets. Enjoy your outdoor pellet oven. Cheers!
Thanks for watching! I’m not sure about your numbers on the Maillard reaction. You can definitely sear a steak below 900 degrees. Pit boss also offers the direct heat option on this particular grill. While not as robust as a propane grill, I’ll give you that, you definitely still can grill steaks and burgers and get a Maillard reaction to occur quickly. As for smoke flavor, you are correct, as I mentioned in the video you may never get the same flavor you get from other types of smokers due to the nature of pellets. But I’ve noticed a pretty wide variance in smoke flavor depending on the type and brand of pellet you use as well.
@@madbackyard A pellet grill can’t produce a Maillard reaction as quickly and effectively as a pellet grill. You concede that point. Also a pellet grill can’t give you the smoke flavor a $69 Walmart charcoal grill can give you. You also concede my second point. You either work for Pit Boss or you’re trying too hard to make a pellet grill anything other than what it is actually. Pellet grills are outdoor ovens using pellets as a heat source that produce the same smoke flavor as an indoor oven. Zero! If you want to move your indoor oven outside by a pellet grill. Enjoy your outdoor oven! Cheers!!
Wow. Somebody really hates pellet grills!
I guess Matt Pittman from Meat Church and plenty of other top bbq guys are just baking in their “pellet ovens” when they’re not using a stick burner huh?
I guess I just don’t have any idea where the Smokey flavor comes from with my pellet smoker…just magically appears according to 2112….
@@Isovapor You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. If you can't get smoke flavor off of a pellet grill, then you have no business being around ANY grill.
Blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah