Hi,
I have the Pit Boss 1100 Pro Series.
This is my second one- I never even got to start the first, due to critical damage to the unit- It was clear the unit was damaged before it was tightly packaged as neither the box or inner packing was damaged, at all. PB Customer Service reps were absolutely AWESOME on the phone but the results/resolutions of the company were sub-par (Not entirely their fault but they over-promised and underdelivered on almost everything). The retailer would not do anything until the day before the return deadline was up (6 months), but ultimately delivered a new grill.
Every cook I have done beyond burgers, I experienced a burnout. I have tried different ways to restart the unit after burnouts but it always ends with very rapid heating to high temps and burning the food, even after cool downs. I have learned to remove the food after a burnout...
Overnight, I was smoking a brisket- Started at 1:30 AM. Cooking at 225 F. It maintained right at 225 F all night. At 09:30 AM, I spritzed the brisket and it was looking amazing. I wanted a little more dark bark so I was going to give it a little more time (The brisket was in stall for about an hour and a half- 165-169 F). The grill was still at 225 F. About 15 minutes after spritzing it, my probe monitor began to alarm- The temperature had dropped to 95 F.
I opened the grill and confirmed there was no fire/heat- Another burnout. I closed the lid to prevent heat loss to the brisket, shut down the grill, unplugged it and restarted it to 225 F. (Since I was cooking a brisket, it was a little hasty).
I ran inside, prepared the butcher paper to wrap it. Then ran out to the grill to pull the brisket- The temp was in the 400s and climbing. I opened it and everything was burning. The brisket was a shriveled, completely charred, chalky, hockey puck! I was in the house for no more than 4 minutes. I tried to investigate the internal meat- An expensive brisket ruined. (I understand that I should not have attempted to restart it until I pulled the brisket however, the main problem remains).
- I have had my current smoker for only 5 months- It was brand new.
- The unit had sufficient power- I have used multiple cords and there was no power outages/glitches.
- I clean the grill after every cook (I remove everything, wipe everything down, and vacuum everything, including the fire pot, at minimum.)
- I have never used anything other than Pit Boss pellets (This cook was PB "Classic" pellets)- I bought them last week and they remained unopened, in the garage
- I maintained/checked the hopper frequently- There was never a "void vortex" to the auger and the hopper was still half full.
- The outside/ambient temp was in the upper 60s at the time of flame-out. It has been dry and sunny for multiple days prior.
I have reached out to Pit Boss in the past in regard to this, and they told me that it is because I am "not cleaning it". That could not be further from the truth. I am OCD about cleaning it out.
WHAT IS CAUSING IT TO FLAME OUT?
I want to love this grill/smoker so badly but I am so sick of Pit Boss, their overpromising, their lack of answers, and, in my experience, their poor product. I do not want to go to a "competitor" with a smaller, more expensive product but, I will never buy another Pit Boss.
I have the Pit Boss 1100 Pro Series.
This is my second one- I never even got to start the first, due to critical damage to the unit- It was clear the unit was damaged before it was tightly packaged as neither the box or inner packing was damaged, at all. PB Customer Service reps were absolutely AWESOME on the phone but the results/resolutions of the company were sub-par (Not entirely their fault but they over-promised and underdelivered on almost everything). The retailer would not do anything until the day before the return deadline was up (6 months), but ultimately delivered a new grill.
Every cook I have done beyond burgers, I experienced a burnout. I have tried different ways to restart the unit after burnouts but it always ends with very rapid heating to high temps and burning the food, even after cool downs. I have learned to remove the food after a burnout...
Overnight, I was smoking a brisket- Started at 1:30 AM. Cooking at 225 F. It maintained right at 225 F all night. At 09:30 AM, I spritzed the brisket and it was looking amazing. I wanted a little more dark bark so I was going to give it a little more time (The brisket was in stall for about an hour and a half- 165-169 F). The grill was still at 225 F. About 15 minutes after spritzing it, my probe monitor began to alarm- The temperature had dropped to 95 F.
I opened the grill and confirmed there was no fire/heat- Another burnout. I closed the lid to prevent heat loss to the brisket, shut down the grill, unplugged it and restarted it to 225 F. (Since I was cooking a brisket, it was a little hasty).
I ran inside, prepared the butcher paper to wrap it. Then ran out to the grill to pull the brisket- The temp was in the 400s and climbing. I opened it and everything was burning. The brisket was a shriveled, completely charred, chalky, hockey puck! I was in the house for no more than 4 minutes. I tried to investigate the internal meat- An expensive brisket ruined. (I understand that I should not have attempted to restart it until I pulled the brisket however, the main problem remains).
- I have had my current smoker for only 5 months- It was brand new.
- The unit had sufficient power- I have used multiple cords and there was no power outages/glitches.
- I clean the grill after every cook (I remove everything, wipe everything down, and vacuum everything, including the fire pot, at minimum.)
- I have never used anything other than Pit Boss pellets (This cook was PB "Classic" pellets)- I bought them last week and they remained unopened, in the garage
- I maintained/checked the hopper frequently- There was never a "void vortex" to the auger and the hopper was still half full.
- The outside/ambient temp was in the upper 60s at the time of flame-out. It has been dry and sunny for multiple days prior.
I have reached out to Pit Boss in the past in regard to this, and they told me that it is because I am "not cleaning it". That could not be further from the truth. I am OCD about cleaning it out.
WHAT IS CAUSING IT TO FLAME OUT?
I want to love this grill/smoker so badly but I am so sick of Pit Boss, their overpromising, their lack of answers, and, in my experience, their poor product. I do not want to go to a "competitor" with a smaller, more expensive product but, I will never buy another Pit Boss.