Big Horn Wood Pellet Grill

[trilandun]

This is my first post. I have found a lot of useful information here and wanted to see if anyone had heard of this smoker. I did purchase it last night for $299 (on sale from $399) at my local Runnings Farm Store (in South Dakota). I have never had a wood pellet grill before, but I figured for the price why not give this one a try. I have not grilled on it yet and only gone through the burn in process. 

It looks like it is build very similar to a Pit Boss grill (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pit-Boss-Pellet-Grill-Smoker-71820/205198057). The sticker on the inside of the unit mentions Shinerich Industrial LTD (China) as the manufacturer.

Description:

 
This wood pellet cooking system features a heavy duty steel construction with porcelain coated steel cooking grates and 580 sq. in. of cooking area. Its front table provides a convenient service area and its large hopper holds up to 15 lbs. of pellet fuel.

• Wood pellet cooking system
• 580 sq. in. cooking area
• Porcelain coated steel cooking grates
• Large hopper holds up to 15 lb. of pellet fuel
• Front table provides convenient service area
• Heavy duty steel construction

Manufacturer's Part Number: #SRPG1093

Picture here --> http://www.ruralking.com/pellet-grill-590-sq-in.html

More info Here --> http://www.runnings.com/grills-wood-pellet-grills/big-horn-pellet-grill-580-sq-in.htm

I will try to take some pictures and get them up here soon.

Here are my questions:

1.) Does anyone have any additional info about this grill?

2.) Does anyone else here own one?

I will continue to update this thread as I find out more through my own research, but there doesn't seem to be much out there about this grill.

Please post any questions or things I may have missed.

Thank you in advance, Andrew

 

[trilandun]

After looking at The BigHorn more, its looks the same as the Pit Boss 820 http://pitboss-grills.com/grills/?model=71820FB  

The only differences are:

- The handle on the front is different

- There is no thermometer in the lid on the BigHorn

- The BigHorn does not have a top warming rack. (Maybe I could fabricate one in)

- The BigHorn has a nice shelf on the front that is easily removable

- Hopper capacity on the Big Horn is only 15lbs instead of 20lbs on the Pit Boss

- Since the hopper is different the controller is different, however there are still 8 P-settings (P0-P7). The BigHorn does have a 11 position switch on the controller like the Pit Boss (Off and Smoke-High).

It would be interesting to buy some of the Pit Boss parts like the flame broiler (http://pitboss-grills.com/store/#!/...0D-*Coming-Soon*/p/52666477/category=12847025) to see if it would fit.

I wonder if I could swap out the controller unit on the BigHorn if mine breaks with a Pit Boss or another brand?

I have a local Pit Boss dealer here, so I am going to go look at an 820 in person to see if there are any other differences.While there I will also buy a grill cover for the 820 to see if it fits the BigHorn.

 

[seenred]

Hi Trilandun, and welcome to the forums!

Congrats on that new pellet cooker!  I don't know anything about that Big Horn, but you're right...it does look very similar to those Pit Bosses...and I've heard other members say good things about those.  Sounds like you got it for a great price.  I'll be looking forward to seeing how you like it after you've cooked on it some.
 

Happy Smoking!

Red

 

[josh8870]

Hey Trilandun,

I was recently searching for a reasonably priced smoker online and came across this model. The price almost seems too good to be true for a smoker this size. I have not seen one in person or found any reviews either. I stumbled across this thread and was hoping you could tell me a little bit about it.

How is the construction compared to other pellet smokers you have looked at?

How big is the actual cooking area (some are not as large as advertised)?

How long did it take to get up to temp?

I would also love to see some pictures and hear about your first cooking experience!

Thanks,

Josh

 

[paddleman]

I purchased a the $299 sale price big horn a few weeks ago. Love it, my two criticisms are: the placement of the grills internal probe, I am finding the internal temp is 40 to 50 degrees F higher in the center of the grill then theirs is registering, huge difference. That is not a great problem other than I would like it to cook at the lower temp vs the actual temp I am getting from my secondary thermometer. The real problem is, and this happen twice, once last week and at 4:30 this morning. I put a full brisket on at midnight last night, put it on smoke, set my alarm for 4:00 AM as I wanted to bump my temp up to 170 after 4 hours of smoking. When I awoke the grill was cold, same thing happened last week. Not sure what is causing it. Well as with last week, at 4:00 this morning I tore the grill apart, got the shop vac out, cleaned out the ashes and fired it back up. Working fine now.

My therory is that the fire box fills up with ashes, the ashes insulate the pellets from the heating rod and the pellets can't burn. Has anyone else experienced this, or found out a different cause. It there a safeyt that is shutting this thing down that I don't know about?

I did thoroughly clean the grill before I started last night as I didn't want that very thing to happen, but...

What a PIA this morning.

Be careful with the temp, don't trust their devices reading.

 

[bregent]

>My therory is that the fire box fills up with ashes, the ashes insulate the pellets

>from the heating rod and the pellets can't burn. Has anyone else experienced

>this, or found out a different cause. It there a safeyt that is shutting this thing down

>that I don't know about?

The hot rod is only used for the initial start up - it shuts off after a few minutes. If the grill is getting hot and smoking, then it's not a problem with ash blocking the hot rod. 

FYI, flame outs are not uncommon, especially when running towards the lower temp ranges. It's often caused by fuel rate being too low - the pellets burn out and not enough pellets are added to sustain the burn. I'm not familiar with your particular grill - does it have a 'p' setting? When you open it up after a flame out, is the pot filled with unburned pellets?

 

[paddleman]

Thanks, I will check that out.

 

[erndog1001]

I bought one of these a couple months ago and I have to say I AM NOT IMPRESSED. Here's my tale.

 I went looking for a Treager at my local Runnings store While browsing I spotted the Big Horn and decided to have a look. Well it does LOOK like a decent grill. And due to the fact that it is several hundred dollars cheaper I bought it.

 Had it about a month and it worked ok. Not great mind you Just ok . One thing I noticed right from day one was how much of the smoke backed up into the pellet box. I mean most of the smoke  came out that way instead of through the chimney. And I am no newbie to smokers Anyways after about a month the auger quit working So I returned it and got a new one AND was advised to not leave pellets in the hopper when not in use. Advise which I have heeded . However this one does the same thing as the first one. Most of the smoke comes out the pellet box. I'll keep looking for a solution to my smoke problem bc it does a decent job of cooking

 The moral of the story is I would not recommend this grill to anyone else. 

 

[mick2854]

Hi All. I purchased the Bighorn pellet grill smoker and have had a problem that I need to
find the solution to. This is the scenario: I loaded the grill with about 4lbs of short ribs after
getting the grill up to 225f. All seemed to be good until I checked on the meat about an hour after I closed the door and began to cook. The smoke seemed to be a mixture of well combusted smoke and poorly combusted smoke which was more carbon heavy than it should have been. The internal temperature was about 300f when the controller setpoint was 225f. I increased the setpoint to 275f and in a few seconds the combustion fan came on and stayed on for only about 20 secs. It seems like the combustion fan should come on more often and stay on longer. I kept cooking until the internal temperature of the meat was 160f. Medium rare. The meat was basically inedible due to the carbon coating. The Bighorn has the exact same controller as the Pit Boss 820, with 8 pellet feed periods. P0 to P7. I had my grill set on P7, which will cause the auger to feed pellets for 18 seconds and then be off for 150 seconds. I was trying to cook mostly and then towards the end of the cook, bring on some smoke. I'll be calling the number supplied in the manual on Monday 9/19, and see what the factory rep can tell me. I'm hoping there is an adjustment for the combustion air fan start and run duration. As it is now, I really can't use this grill. I'll update this when I know more. Any advice and ideas are welcome.

 

[unclewoody]

I picked up a Bighorn XL pellet grill last week and was wondering about a couple of things:

1. What is the highest temperature you've been able to reach in smoke mode?

2. When you adjust the hood/cap on the chimney does raising it or lowering it make the temperature go higher? I understand that the P0 setting will deliver the highest heat but haven't seen a significant difference with the chimney hood/cap up or down.

3. Have you been smoking in smoke or cook mode? Ideally I'd like to get to around 225F but haven't been able to do that in smoke mode.

4. If you're going to use smoke mode do you preheat the grill on high and then turn the knob back to smoke?

 

[Steven Peters]

I have owned the Bighorn XL for about a month. The only issue I have had was on a longer smoke with pork butt, I got down near the bottom of the pellets in the hopper and the interior design of the hopper allowed for the pellets to not all feed into the auger. This resulted in having to do a restart, which was no big deal, but I was glad I was watching closely. To answer your questions above...

1. I have not fully tested smoke mode upper temp limit. Both of my smokes, held around 180-200 with a little higher fluctuation on the smoke setting. About 2 hours into the longer smoke, I switched to cook and set it at 225. I figured the meat would only take on so much smoke anyway. It immediately jumped to about 260, before settling in the 220 range. Some people had advised they seldom use the smoke option and instead get enough smoke from a lower end cook setting such as 225.

2. I wondered about the hood cap on the chimney. It didn't say anything in the directions, so I screwed it all the way in and left it like that in both instances.

3 & 4. I used a combination of both settings during my smokes. Initial start up on smoke with grill lid open, then close until the grill gets to 200-225 on smoke setting, then open and add my meat. Go for a period of time at that setting, (2 hours is about what I tried) then transition to cook at 225 or 250.

I had a great result and the perfect amount of smoke taste for my liking. I cooked pork butt on one smoke and then boneless chicken breasts on the other. The chicken breasts I expected to be somewhat dry, but I basted/mopped several times with a OJ/sauce mixture and watched their internal temp like a hawk. When they were done, I pulled and let sit before slicing and serving. Fantastic results! All pellet grills have some quirks and are not a set it and forget it option. Definitely a learning curve, but a fun venture either way.

 

[dirkster]

I picked up a Bighorn XL pellet grill last week and was wondering about a couple of things:

1. What is the highest temperature you've been able to reach in smoke mode?

2. When you adjust the hood/cap on the chimney does raising it or lowering it make the temperature go higher? I understand that the P0 setting will deliver the highest heat but haven't seen a significant difference with the chimney hood/cap up or down.

3. Have you been smoking in smoke or cook mode? Ideally I'd like to get to around 225F but haven't been able to do that in smoke mode.

4. If you're going to use smoke mode do you preheat the grill on high and then turn the knob back to smoke?

I have one of the older models of this smoker and love to cook pizza on it. I fabricated an insulating blanket from welding felt and can get temps close to 450. I also can smoke in the dead of winter and use little fuel. I found the felt really cheap here: https://store.cyberweld.com/panfelwelbla.html . I enjoy this smoker and think it works well. A friend of mine bought a rec-tec ( a bit more money ) and I like his better. Just waiting for this one to crap out before buying one of those.

 

[heydude]

I just bought one of these and it is the biggest pos. It has never worked properly, wont maintain even a smoke temp, wont get above 350 to cook for any amount of time. Does anyone know the customer service number for Bighorn Pellet grills? Thanks in advance.

 

[RCAlan]

I just bought one of these and it is the biggest pos. It has never worked properly, wont maintain even a smoke temp, wont get above 350 to cook for any amount of time. Does anyone know the customer service number for Bighorn Pellet grills? Thanks in advance.

Bighorn Pellet Grills...
Customer Service Number 866.814.0585
https://bighornoutdoorlife.com/pellet-smokers/
The information should have been in the Owners Manual... Good luck.

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[Diane-RN]

Please help!! We bought one of these, to use as both a smoker and a grill. How the heck do you grill a darn steak on it? The huge grease plate does not allow you to have a direct flame to sear your steak!! Am I missing something? Our steaks come out looking boiled.

 

[RCAlan]

Please help!! We bought one of these, to use as both a smoker and a grill. How the heck do you grill a darn steak on it? The huge grease plate does not allow you to have a direct flame to sear your steak!! Am I missing something? Our steaks come out looking boiled.

From looking at the BigHorn Grills website and looking at the features listing, it doesn’t mention anything about grilling... https://bighornoutdoorlife.com/pellet-smokers/
and not to confuse matters, the BigHorn Pellet Grill is completely different then the PitBoss 820 model that many here have posted thinking they are almost the same. Different Controllers, different Auger assembly, different Fire Pot and no features that allow for Direct Grilling. I would give their customer service a call and ask them for help and support as they would know the workings of their pellet grill better then anyone here... Bighorn Pellet Grills...
Customer Service Number 866.814.0585
https://bighornoutdoorlife.com/pellet-smokers/
Good luck.. Oh and if all else fails, see if You can return it...

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi