# Pit Boss Austin XL... Anything better for $500 or less?



## kevin james

Anyone here have a Pit Boss Austin XL? Is it any good? I saw this smoker at Walfart yesterday and was pretty impressed for the price at $497.00. I'm heavily considering pulling the trigger on one, but before I do I thought it best to get the scoop on them here since this is hands down the best place on the web to get real world info on any of the currently available pellet grills (or any smoker for that matter).

So here is my situation... I have been without a smoker for two years and need something new. I had a MES 30 which died (it was too small and I wanted to replace anyways), and I have decided to go with a pellet grill. I was planning to get a Rec Tec RT 700 Bull last year and decided I just couldn't swing it and would wait until this year. Now here we are and once again due to other commitments and house projects I have succumbed to the fact that once again I just can't pull the trigger on the Rec Tec yet. All in with the cover, searing kit and other various things the Rec Tec comes in at just about $1,500.00. I do believe the Rec Tec is 100% worth the price, and I still plan to get an RT 700 Bull as my permanent solution when I can swing it in probably another year, but I just can't do it right now.

So I started thinking since I just can't pull the trigger on the Rec Tec now, and since I just can't wait another year to start smoking again, I should look for a temporary solution, something decent that will get me through the next 1 to two years until I can get my Rec Tec. Since it is a temp solution, I'm looking for something no more than $500, but it also has to be one of  the larger grills though, not a mid size ( I learned my lesson going too small on the MES 30).

I have also looked at various models from Camp Chef and Green Mountain Grills, but the only model from GMG that is under $500 is the Davey Crocket and that thing is just way too small and honestly, even the bigger GMG models the construction just looks cheap to me and not worth the money. Camp Chef looks better and has a couple decent looking grills for $499, but they are smaller than the Austin XL and more of a mid size which I don't want. I even briefly considered the Rec Tec Trail Blazer or Bullseye, but decided the cooking area was just too small on both and the Trail Blazer breaks my budget. I could do it.. but I just don't want to spend more than $500 on a temp solution that is smaller than what I really want.

I should also be clear that I fully understand that for a full size grill for $500 or less none of these will be in the same league as the Rec Tec... and there will certainly be temp swings, but again my current goal is something temporary that will get me smoking now and will get me through one, maybe two years at the most until I can FINALLY get the Rec Tec RT 700.

So this brings me back to the Pit Boss Austin XL. I saw it yesterday at Wallfart and was pretty impressed. The construction seemed really good for the price of $497 (seemed way sturdier and more heavy duty than any of the offerings from GMG regardless of size and price), I liked that it has two meat probes, has a 31 LB hopper, and I also really liked the searing feature as I do plan to grill steaks on it as well, and now I hear they have increased their warranty on all of their pellet grills to 5 years!  All of these things have me thinking this is the one (for now lol).

I would love to hear some thoughts from anyone that has one. What is the good, the bad and the ugly on these?


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## kit s

Don't know , but one review had a lot of pluses. 
here a link to review. https://furiousgrill.com/pit-boss-austin-xl-review/


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## averhoeven

I just bought a Trailblazer (it is actually on its maiden voyage as we speak) stepping up from an MES that died. How much space do you need? With the second shelf there's room for me to make a tray of beans, a tray of Mac n cheese and 2 racks of ribs. I was planning on posting pics and stuff once it's all done later if that would be helpful. I think the trailblazer will be plenty big for almost any application I'd use it (mostly family cooking and entertaining a moderate number of people).


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## kevin james

kit s said:


> Don't know , but one review had a lot of pluses.
> here a link to review. https://furiousgrill.com/pit-boss-austin-xl-review/


Thanks. I did see that review and there really wasn't much of any negatives. The only things they didn't like were that it's heavy.... but that's because it's designed be sturdy and it's the largest size. The only other complaint was that it's not as popular as other models... but I don't care about that or even think that should really be a consideration in a review.


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## drunkenmeatfist

I picked up the Pit Boss Copperhead 5 a few months ago for $109 when they were on clearance. It works great and it has a TON of cooking space. I don't have any experience with the Austin model, but it seems like Pit Boss makes good products. Of course I can't grill on the Copperhead, but I prefer to grill over coals/wood so I have a kettle and a kamado for that.


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## kevin james

averhoeven said:


> I just bought a Trailblazer (it is actually on its maiden voyage as we speak) stepping up from an MES that died. How much space do you need? With the second shelf there's room for me to make a tray of beans, a tray of Mac n cheese and 2 racks of ribs. I was planning on posting pics and stuff once it's all done later if that would be helpful. I think the trailblazer will be plenty big for almost any application I'd use it (mostly family cooking and entertaining a moderate number of people).



As much as I would love to get the Trailblazer I'm just worried it's not big enough at only 22" wide. I made the mistake of going with the smaller MES 30 vs. the 40 and regretted it, so I don't want to make the same mistake again. I would like to be able to load it up with 1 full packer brisket, 1 7-8lb pork butt, 1 slab of St. Luis Spares, and 1 - 2 Tri Tip's. For that reason I really want a full size 36" unit like the RT 700 or this Pib Boss Austin XL, both of which will definitely fit that if using the top shelf, but I just can't afford the RT 700 right now. I WILL be stepping up to that once I can afford to though, probably in a couple years after I take care of some other house projects that have to take priority.

I spent all morning today going to different places that have some of these including the Pit Boss's, the GMG's and the Camp Chef's . I found another Pit Boss at Lowes, the Pro Series 1100 that while slightly more than the Austin XL at $599 vs. $497, it seems to be a better value than the Austin XL. Upgrades include a front shelf, a better side shelf, at slightly larger hopper at 35 lbs vs. 31 lbs, a larger second shelf at 11" deep vs. 8.5" deep, an external handle to open the searing section which the Austin XL does not have, and it also has free delivery (same as Austin XL), but on top of the delivery they also assemble it for you for free which is not the case on the Austin XL. I am really thinking this is the one I'm going to pull the trigger on.


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## dethpuck

I wouldn’t bother with camp chef I have not been impressed with my woodwind.  I am saving up for a rectec to replace the campchef.


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## jac63

Like you I want a rec tec but it's just not in the budget right now. After doing a lot of researching on the web I decided to try a Pitboss. Back in March I ran across the 820's on sale for $399 at Menards and made the purchase. I think it is the same controls and basic grill/smoker as the Austin XL other than it's a bit smaller. Over all I'm happy with it but I did have to get past the temp swings. It will overshoot then undershoot by 15-20 degrees. If I stand there and watch the temp display it drives me crazy so I very likely will install a Savannah Stoker PID controller on it down the road, if for nothing more than for my peace of mind. All that said the food that comes off of it is awesome so I doubt the temp swings are as critical as I worry about and based on results apparently don't really matter.


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## mike243

I have had mine for right at 1 year,I love it,had a couple of probes die but they were replaced. Lowes carrys almost the same smoker but has a front shelf and holds a couple 3 more pounds of pellets,they were about $40 more but seems like they went up some more. I would love to have a front shelf and don't know why, I have plenty of table space but it just seems handier lol.


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## SlickRockStones

The PB Pro Series also have heavy porcelain coated cast iron grates. Lowe’s was offering $100 off on new Lowe’s Credit accounts of $600 plus purchase. That drops the 1100 Pro to $499. Check to see if it’s still on.


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## kevin james

SlickRockStones said:


> The PB Pro Series also have heavy porcelain coated cast iron grates. Lowe’s was offering $100 off on new Lowe’s Credit accounts of $600 plus purchase. That drops the 1100 Pro to $499. Check to see if it’s still on.



I will definitely have to look into that. Thanks!


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## drunkenmeatfist

jac63 said:


> Like you I want a rec tec but it's just not in the budget right now. After doing a lot of researching on the web I decided to try a Pitboss. Back in March I ran across the 820's on sale for $399 at Menards and made the purchase. I think it is the same controls and basic grill/smoker as the Austin XL other than it's a bit smaller. Over all I'm happy with it but I did have to get past the temp swings. It will overshoot then undershoot by 15-20 degrees. If I stand there and watch the temp display it drives me crazy so I very likely will install a Savannah Stoker PID controller on it down the road, if for nothing more than for my peace of mind. All that said the food that comes off of it is awesome so I doubt the temp swings are as critical as I worry about and based on results apparently don't really matter.


You should put a therm in your oven and watch how the temp swings 30 degrees north and south of the temp you have it set at. You will realize that the swings do not matter as long as they are fairly consistent.


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## fullborebbq

I have use a Smoke Daddy pellet unit in my own build and can say the quality is great, JMO 
Here is one of there products:
https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/pellet-pro-680-pellet-grill/


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## smokinq13

I got one for Christmas and love it! I have multiple threads about it whether its customizing it or cooking on it... i haven't had any trouble with it yet,  no blow outs, shut downs etc... i was in the same exact situation as you,  had a mes30, it died plus wanted something with more "real estate" for big cooks and was not paying $1,000 plus for one. For a Austin xl size of a treager or other brand you'd be looking easily at $1,500+.... the one complaint i have is the temperature increments, i wish they had some settings for in between what is there... like a 275 or 325 but instead its "250 to 300 to 350" but to be honest it's not that big of a deal... also pit boss just upped their warranty to 5 years as well so you can't really beat that


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## sweetride95

I would get it. If the temp swings bug you, the food will be fine though, you can always add a Savannah Stoker or similar PID controller for much better accuracy later on. You'd still be half the price of a spendy grill in a similar size.


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## kevin james

I am just about sold on the Pit Boss, but will likely go for the Pro Series 1100 over the Austin XL mainly due to the handle to open the searing section, the front shelf and the fact they will assemble and deliver for free. That seems like it is definitely worth the extra $100.

There is one thing that I have read several times that is the only thing holding me back at this point, the hot spot issue due to no true heat diffuser. I know this is due to the searing option though which I REALLY like since you can't have a heat diffuser and still be able to open up the sear section.

I'm not so worried about PID vs. Non PID, or temp swings of +/- 10-20 degrees since realistically, your oven has temp swings too and that doesn't seem to effect the food.  My old MES 30 had similar temp swings and it was fine so I'm not really worried about it on the Pit Boss. If I decided later that I wanted a PID controller I guess I could do that but I'd be concerned that would void the 5 year warranty. I'm not sure Savanah Stoker even makes one that fits this particular Pit Boss model but it looks like the Rec Tec controller fits if you add a peace to cover the sides.

The hot spots though... I see a lot of people saying the left side of the grill is consistently up to 70 degrees hotter than the right side, with the right side closer to the read out temp. I wouldn't mind  a difference of 10-15 degrees from right to left, but 70 degrees seems extreme. That is really the only thing that has me still concerned if I will be happy.


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## drunkenmeatfist

kevin james said:


> I am just about sold on the Pit Boss, but will likely go for the Pro Series 1100 over the Austin XL mainly due to the handle to open the searing section, the front shelf and the fact they will assemble and deliver for free. That seems like it is definitely worth the extra $100.
> 
> There is one thing that I have read several times that is the only thing holding me back at this point, the hot spot issue due to no true heat diffuser. I know this is due to the searing option though which I REALLY like since you can't have a heat diffuser and still be able to open up the sear section.
> 
> I'm not so worried about PID vs. Non PID, or temp swings of +/- 10-20 degrees since realistically, your oven has temp swings too and that doesn't seem to effect the food.  My old MES 30 had similar temp swings and it was fine so I'm not really worried about it on the Pit Boss. If I decided later that I wanted a PID controller I guess I could do that but I'd be concerned that would void the 5 year warranty. I'm not sure Savanah Stoker even makes one that fits this particular Pit Boss model but it looks like the Rec Tec controller fits if you add a peace to cover the sides.
> 
> The hot spots though... I see a lot of people saying the left side of the grill is consistently up to 70 degrees hotter than the right side, with the right side closer to the read out temp. I wouldn't mind  a difference of 10-15 degrees from right to left, but 70 degrees seems extreme. That is really the only thing that has me still concerned if I will be happy.


Here is a link to a thread about a product that might help. Apparently it will add smoke flavor and help with even temps.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...d-the-heavy-d-stick-burner-attachment.279194/


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## mcgarnicle

I picked up the Pit Boss Pro 4 from Lowes last month and so far with just a couple cooks, I like it a lot. I still need to get a thermometer for the grates to get more visibility on the temp swings everyone claims they see but just looking at the control board it stays +/- 10 degrees. Overall quality seems nice and they give you a 5 year warranty, I also like the ceramic grates that come with the pro series.


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## mike243

Just how thick is a true heat defuser?  no matter how thick of metal you put there it will always be hotter than any where else,the only thing that could change that is air flow, I don't feel that there's enuf difference for me to go to too much trouble to try to correct it.


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## RCAlan

You know, something must be wrong... smh.  Why is it that the Top 5 Pellet Grill manufactures produce true heat diffusers for their pellet grills??  10 gauge steel or stronger devices that covers the burn pot/fire pot on their grills???  Is it perhaps they know something the average Backyard BBQ’er doesn’t quite understand...  IDK...  smh...
RecTec has a deflector shield/heat diffuser..  https://www.rectecgrills.com/deflector-shield-bull-rt-680/

Traeger Pellet Grills Factory OEM HD Steel Heat Diffuser Baffle 37721001...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Traeger-...l-Heat-Diffuser-Baffle-37721001-New/855556309

MAK 1&2 Flame zone Heat Diffuser $400.00...  https://makgrills.com/product/flame-zone/
Yoder Smokers Heat Diffuser with Access Door... https://www.atbbq.com/yoder-smokers-heat-diffuser-access-door.html
Green Mountain Grills Heat shield/Diffuser...
https://greenmountaingrills.com/products/new-parts/stainless-steel-heat-shield-db/

If You do your research, you’ll notice a few things that they all have in common.  The construction and the quality of the material being used and that they all sit directly over the burn pot/fire pot....  I know this might be a long read for a few...  but it pays to know what you’re talking about and have your facts straight.  The MAK’s FlameZone also allows for direct grilling if the cook requires it...  Amazing...  They all have true heat diffusers to help control and manage the heat in their grills...  Just because Pit Boss and Louisiana Grills, both manufactured by Danson Corp. doesn’t offer one on their grills does not mean they couldn’t benefit and perform better by having one.  Do You have to have one??  No, but your pellet grill will perform better with one then without one.  It’s funny how some will post their opinions without having their facts straight...  but everyone has an opinion like everyone has an....  And they have a right to their opinion right or wrong... .02

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


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## kevin james

Well, I finally decided to pull the trigger so my order is in. I ordered the Pro Series 1100. I have to call Lowes in the morning to schedule the delivery, but shooting for this next Saturday morning (so I don't need to take PTO). I can't wait to try it!


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## smokinq13

you'll be in love!


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## ewsouth

kevin james said:


> I am just about sold on the Pit Boss, but will likely go for the Pro Series 1100 over the Austin XL mainly due to the handle to open the searing section, the front shelf and the fact they will assemble and deliver for free. That seems like it is definitely worth the extra $100.
> 
> There is one thing that I have read several times that is the only thing holding me back at this point, the hot spot issue due to no true heat diffuser. I know this is due to the searing option though which I REALLY like since you can't have a heat diffuser and still be able to open up the sear section.
> 
> I'm not so worried about PID vs. Non PID, or temp swings of +/- 10-20 degrees since realistically, your oven has temp swings too and that doesn't seem to effect the food.  My old MES 30 had similar temp swings and it was fine so I'm not really worried about it on the Pit Boss. If I decided later that I wanted a PID controller I guess I could do that but I'd be concerned that would void the 5 year warranty. I'm not sure Savanah Stoker even makes one that fits this particular Pit Boss model but it looks like the Rec Tec controller fits if you add a peace to cover the sides.
> 
> The hot spots though... I see a lot of people saying the left side of the grill is consistently up to 70 degrees hotter than the right side, with the right side closer to the read out temp. I wouldn't mind  a difference of 10-15 degrees from right to left, but 70 degrees seems extreme. That is really the only thing that has me still concerned if I will be happy.



LOVE MY 1100 PRO SERIES!


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## Winterrider

I see PIt Boss has another model out now. Or maybe just a name for another size. The Rancher, seemed pretty heavy duty. Think it was $599


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## mike243

I seen the rancher somewhere but it only had 1 temp probe I think,same size as the Austin Lx


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## BirdDawg

4 weeks ago I entered into the pellet portal for the 1st time and picked up a Pit Boss 820 Pro. (which on a side note brought me to this forum as I was doing my research). It has a front folding tray, a fixed side tray and 2 temp. probes. I have used my PB 3-4 times a week for the last 4 weeks. Not 1 single issue. Plugged it in, filled up the hopper and never looked back.

As a 1st time pellett user I have noticed a couple of things that I am getting used to. I would love to have a 275 degree setting. No biggie as I've just allowed more time at 250. Temp swings have been nominal. Set-it and forget it. Coming from a charcoal/wood burner I would like to get a bit more smoking consistantly rolling thru. So yesterday I picked up a 12" A-Maz-In smoke tube at Wallyworld for $19 to supplement. Might be to much smoke for long cooks but we shall see.

As for Pit-Boss. So far so good!


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## kevin james

My Pro Series 1100 will be assembled and delivered this Saturday and the plan *was*  to do the burn in on Saturday afternoon and try searing some steaks Saturday evening. Then Sunday, I was planning smoke a 2.5 - 3.0 LB Tri Tip, a 3.0 LB Bottom Round Roast, and maybe a rack of St. Luis Spares using 3 2 1 method. But... then we got a rain storm out of nowhere and now the forecast says rain all weekend. I have a very small back yard with no patio cover so I'm not really comfortable running it in the yard in rain as I don't want pellets swelling up and causing an auger jam on it's maiden voyage.

So.... Plan B. I'm thinking about putting it in my garage for now, rolling up the garage door and using in there this weekend. I'm not big on leaving my garage open and unattended due to other things stored there including some music equipment, so I think I will need to keep it to short cooks this weekend. So the ribs are out, but I think the steaks, Tri Tip, and Bottom Round cooks should be fine due to smaller cuts around the 3 LB mark, cooked to maybe 125 IT and then wrapped to rest to get a nice medium rare. I might try smoking a couple boneless chicken breasts as well just for the heck of it.

I was thinking about putting the Tri Tip and Bottom Round on one of my MES 30 racks sitting on top of a foil pan to catch the drippings, and put some beef broth in to add moisture. I'm thinkin this setup will elevate the meat so it's doesn't sit in the liquid and it should get good smoke coverage all over. Just something I want to try but I'm thinking this should allow the meat to form a nice bark while also making a nice au jus and keeping the clean up super simple. We'll see how things turn out.


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## smokinq13

Your best friend will be a canopy! I got this 4x6 at wally world for 35 bucks( not on sale)... its my "bbq" canopy now

:....








I'd get at least a 6 x 6 if I'd get another


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## BirdDawg

I'm the same having to use an Academy Sports canopy when it rains.
I did 2 tri-tips last Saturday on my PB. Smoked for 1.5 hours then reversed sear.  It was really good.


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## michael.hulgan

I’ve had several friends purchase the pellet fed smokers and a majority of them complain about the lack of smoke flavor. It’s  widely known that they just provide a light smoke flavor. I would go with a Oklahoma joes highland as the smoke flavor is amazing and gets fantastic bark!


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## mpkelley20

michael.hulgan said:


> I’ve had several friends purchase the pellet fed smokers and a majority of them complain about the lack of smoke flavor. It’s  widely known that they just provide a light smoke flavor. I would go with a Oklahoma joes highland as the smoke flavor is amazing and gets fantastic bark!




I have had zero issues with getting good smoke flavor with my PB 1100.  I think majority of people that buy pellet grills buy them for the ease and versatility.


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## ewsouth

mpkelley20 said:


> I have had zero issues with getting good smoke flavor with my PB 1100.  I think majority of people that buy pellet grills buy them for the ease and versatility.


And another nice PB 1100 feature: the P setting.  Use can adjust the amount of smoke 0-7(4 being standard) on your cooking.


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## smokinq13

ewsouth said:


> And another nice PB 1100 feature: the P setting.  Use can adjust the amount of smoke 0-7(4 being standard) on your cooking.



Pretty sure thats standard on most pellet grills... BUT a +$1400 grill vs a $500 grill that does the same thing, I'd go with the cheaper option such i am beyond happy with my PB austin. 

Keep the grill happy with good maintenance ( seasoning after cooks for rust, cleaning out the ash etc) i don't see why this grill won't last as long too


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## kevin james

*Update -* So my new PB 1100 was delivered Saturday morning and as planned, I did the burn in Saturday afternoon.

 I did the first cook straight after the burn in with a 2.5 LB Tri Tip rubbed down with a nice steak rub. I put it on the top rack on the hopper side with a foil pan underneath with beef broth and a little bit of the rub for flavor. I wanted to try the unit bone stock first before any mods and I definitely saw that the side next to the hopper was a little bit cooler and the side next to the smoke stack was much hotter. Not too big of a deal though. Temp swings weren't too bad, about +/- 20 degrees as it cycled. I set it at 225 and cooked to 140 IT then turned up to 300 and opened the searing section to reverse sear. It came out really good!

Second smoke on Sunday was an epic fail.. but totally my fault. I threw on a 2.5 LB chuck roast (never cooked one before), also rubbed down with the same steak rub. This time I pulled the flimsy heat diffuser out, set to 225 and cooked to 145 IT, then opened up the sear section and reverse seared and also cooked some veggies at my GF's request. This time I put the meat directly on the lower grates, on the cooler smoke stack side to get more smoke on it. I noticed that without the heat diffuser, the hopper side is now pretty even with the center, and the smoke stack side is a bit cooler. Left to right the temp difference at lower temps 200-250 is within 30 degrees which is not bad at all and I will use to my advantage moving things around inside depending if I want to speed the cook up or slow it down while leaving the temp setting alone. Everything worked perfectly as expected, but the epic fail which again was my fault, was that it was just to tough a peace of meat and really needed to be a longer smoke up to 200 IT like a brisket. For this cook it was too late... already 9:00PM on a work night. Oh well... live and learn.

Third smoke. My GF wanted some shrimp and I wanted another tri tip. So this time after the preheat I left it at 350, opened up the searing section and cooked the shrimp which came out great, then lowered it back down to 225 and threw the tri tip on. This one was a bit smaller at just over 2.0 LB. This time I put it on the lower grate right in the center set at 225, cooked to 150 IT (my GF wanted it a little more done), then reverse seared again. It came out amazing! Even taking it up to 150 before the sear it was still nice and pink inside, super juicy with a nice mild smoke flavor.

Since I'm only three cooks in, I want to continue experimenting before I do anything like add a smoke tube or do any mods. Before adding a smoke tube, I want to try Lumberjack 100% Hickory pellets and leave on the smoke setting for 1-2 hours to get as much smoke on as possible at a lower temp to see if that improves smoke flavor. Nobody had the Lumberjack pellets or any 100% Hickory pellets locally so I was stuck using the Pit Boss Hickory Pellets in the blue bag from Walmart, which I understand are a blend, 70% Alder/ 30% Hickory. I would think that could easily be the reason for the more mild smoke flavor, plus the fact that a tri tip isn't exactly a long smoke at only 2 - 2.5 hours. If I still want more smoke after trying the lumberjack pellets, I have an old AMAZN tray smoker I used in my MES 30 and I will try that to see if it helps. Also, I will say that I'm a little OCD so I have been and will continue to clean it after each use (it has it's own brand new dedicated shop vac lol).

This weekend I plan on trying something with a longer smoke time, but not too long since it's still in my garage... probably a rack of St. Luis spare ribs and maybe some chicken.

Overall, I am really happy so far and loving my new Pit Boss!


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## treker67

michael.hulgan said:


> I’ve had several friends purchase the pellet fed smokers and a majority of them complain about the lack of smoke flavor. It’s  widely known that they just provide a light smoke flavor. I would go with a Oklahoma joes highland as the smoke flavor is amazing and gets fantastic bark!


That's for sure on the smoke, convenient on the cooking but very light on smoke. May wind up selling my 2 month old Pit Boss pro series really soon. They are nice but nothing earth shattering, get way better smoke flavor out of my Webers.


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## treker67

michael.hulgan said:


> I’ve had several friends purchase the pellet fed smokers and a majority of them complain about the lack of smoke flavor. It’s  widely known that they just provide a light smoke flavor. I would go with a Oklahoma joes highland as the smoke flavor is amazing and gets fantastic bark!


That's for sure on the smoke, convenient on the cooking but very light on smoke. May wind up selling my 2 month old Pit Boss pro series really soon. They are nice but nothing earth shattering, get way better smoke flavor out of my Webers.


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## J. McRican

On the fence between the PB Pro Series 1100 or the PB Austin XL. Am buying this weekend and want real advice as to what to get. Love them both but ive read the hopper on the XL is a pain to empty a can cause low smoke or complete jams if not completely emptied after each use. Also, the better side shelf, lever for the searing and folding front shelf on the 1100 are great options that the XL doesnt offer. Biggest difference im having is the price difference in my area. The 1100 is $599 before a couple of discounts the basically bring it down to about $510. The walmart near me has the XL on clearance for $349. Thats huge compared to the $458 that ive seen regularly on line for months and i was set to get the 1100 til i popped into walmart today and saw the new clearance price. 
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Hope to hear back before purchase. Thanks again.


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## mpkelley20

I have the 1100 and I am glad I bought it. Emptying the hopper is very easy and I’ve never had a problem with jamming of the pellets.  The lever to open up the center pot for direct grilling is used all the time. I use my 1100 for everything including smoking grilling baking. I know some of the other models have the ability to slide the middle plate open but it needs to be done from within the grill and not outside with a lever.  That would not be fun 

The only modification I made on mine was removing the grate at the top of the hopper which allows me to easily move pellets around inside if they are not falling into place on their own. I generally leave my pellets in the hopper at all times and do not empty it after every use. I have not had a problem yet.

As for the cost difference, you have to remember you are buying something that you will own for many many years. Do these features that come with the 1100 justify the price increase. For me it does because I no longer need to have my gas grill running to do things like burgers for Searing steaks. 

Regardless of what you will buy, the pit boss is a great grill that cooks incredible food. The main thing is finding the right pellets to use and making sure if you love a lot of smoke that you use pure flavor pellets and not these blends that companies like pit boss make. I made the switch to lumberjack and couldn’t be happier. I’ve used a bunch of their different flavors and have found Sherry to be perfect for most of the items that I cook. Good luck with your purchase and let us know what you end up getting


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## J. McRican

mpkelley20 said:


> I have the 1100 and I am glad I bought it. Emptying the hopper is very easy and I’ve never had a problem with jamming of the pellets.  The lever to open up the center pot for direct grilling is used all the time. I use my 1100 for everything including smoking grilling baking. I know some of the other models have the ability to slide the middle plate open but it needs to be done from within the grill and not outside with a lever.  That would not be fun
> 
> The only modification I made on mine was removing the grate at the top of the hopper which allows me to easily move pellets around inside if they are not falling into place on their own. I generally leave my pellets in the hopper at all times and do not empty it after every use. I have not had a problem yet.
> 
> As for the cost difference, you have to remember you are buying something that you will own for many many years. Do these features that come with the 1100 justify the price increase. For me it does because I no longer need to have my gas grill running to do things like burgers for Searing steaks.
> 
> Regardless of what you will buy, the pit boss is a great grill that cooks incredible food. The main thing is finding the right pellets to use and making sure if you love a lot of smoke that you use pure flavor pellets and not these blends that companies like pit boss make. I made the switch to lumberjack and couldn’t be happier. I’ve used a bunch of their different flavors and have found Sherry to be perfect for most of the items that I cook. Good luck with your purchase and let us know what you end up getting



I definitely will. I was almost deadset on the 1100 until i saw the price of the XL and almost swayed that way. Probably picking up the 1100 today and i will update on final price point and on use in the future. Thanks so much for your time in replying and so soon


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## clifish

I too was at my local wally world and they have a bunch of the pitboss grills and blackstone griddles in stock marked down.  Guy in the dept says they will be further marked down in the coming weeks.  So if they are loaded with them hold off....or buy now and don't assemble and see if they drop again.


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## mike243

Would love to have the font table but its no biggie to me,mine works great and that's all that matters in the end. love the 2 temp probes also


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## JWFokker

ewsouth said:


> And another nice PB 1100 feature: the P setting.  Use can adjust the amount of smoke 0-7(4 being standard) on your cooking.



Just for clarification, the P setting simply adjusts how often the pellets are added. Smoke production is more closely tied to the temperature. By changing the P setting you can get it to produce smoke more frequently, but the fire will also run hotter and thus produce less dense smoke. Such is the nature of pellet grills.


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## mike243

the higher the number the lower the temp and more smoke ,lower number more even higher temps less smoke


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## Little-m

mike243 said:


> Would love to have the font table but its no biggie to me,mine works great and that's all that matters in the end. love the 2 temp probes also



If memory serves, you can order one from off their website.


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## smokinq13

Or you can build your own and make it look even better... that's what i did


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## Leggy

Hi,

New to this great forum and thank you for the help in advance.

Never had a pellet smoker and interested in PB 1100 but with all this talk about light smoke flavor that pellet smokers put in general I was wondering if a gas grill with Amazen tube generates higher/better smoke and smoke flavor than pellet smoker itself (without Amazen tube).
I am currently using a gas grill with the Amazen tube smoker with indirect cooking and although the smoke isn't intense but it's not bad either using Cookin pellets perfect mix and have Lumber Jack sample pack on the way


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## JWFokker

There's a strong case to be made for using a pellet tube or two and cold smoking for a couple of hours, then finishing with whatever heat source you prefer.


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## mpkelley20

Honestly, I haven’t had any issues with smoke flavor once I switched to lumberjack pellets. When I’ve added a smoker tube to get more smoke I’ve found the result to be too much smoke.


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## mike243

and there's the rub,every body is different on the amount of smoke, my wife don't like heavy smoke these days so I'm pretty good for her, I like a little heavier but I adjust lol


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## jac63

mike243 said:


> and there's the rub,*every body is different on the amount of smoke*


Exactly! Both my wife and I get pretty severe indigestion from heavy smoke, love the flavor just can't deal with the results. The pellet smoker is about perfect for us, especially with LJ pellets.


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## Leggy

Thank you for the replies but still haven't figured how comparable the smoke intensity and flavor of pellets burnt in Amazen tube in a gas grill to the intensity and flavor of smoke generated in a pellet smoker. Are they barely distinguishable or one is stronger than the other?


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## mpkelley20

For me the pellet


Leggy said:


> Thank you for the replies but still haven't figured how comparable the smoke intensity and flavor of pellets burnt in Amazen tube in a gas grill to the intensity and flavor of smoke generated in a pellet smoker. Are they barely distinguishable or one is stronger than the other?



I used tubes in my old weber and got decent smoke.  Probably similar to when using just the standard pellet smoker here.  With the tube and the pellet grill, it was a lot more for me.  Almost too much as I already stated.  I find the Pit ZBoss with cherry lumberjack pellets in the hopper alone is perfect.  I suppose if I wanted to really get that "oh...you smoked it....a lot" flavor, I will go back to adding the tube to supplement.

What I love about the pellet grill vs my weber is that everything I cook tastes better.  Even with fast cooks like burgers over the open flame on the 1100 or a pizza at 500 degrees, the food comes off with a wood stove type flavor.  Similar to cooking burgers or dogs on a charcoal grill vs propane.  It's just better.  I haven't used my Weber all season.  I use the pellet grill for smoking, baking, searing...everything.  The 1100 with the easy to open center pit makes it easy to cook burgers or put a char on food. 

So for me, the overall taste profile of wood vs propane is why I prefer the grill.  The ability to easily control temps for long smokes is also better than propane.


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## mpkelley20

Let me add...the smoke flavor between the weber with the tube and the pellet grill is different.  Can't explain the science behind it but it is different.  Probably due to the main heat source.


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## Leggy

Thank you for the details. Would you say the smoke flavor out of the pellet grill without using the tube is lighter or stronger when compared to the gas grill with the tube?


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## mpkelley20

It has been a while since I used my gas grill.  But the taste is just different.  Between the smoke and what I will call the "wood oven" taste profile, I prefer the pellet grill food.  Even when cooking a pizza at 500 degrees in a few minutes, I get the wood oven pizzeria taste.  When I would cook on a gas grill, it just taste like pizza.  Hard to describe.  

I think you can get similar smoke on a gas grill with a tube.  If you are ok with the overall flavor profile of propane vs. wood then you probably don't want a pellet grill.  But there are so many more benefits of a pellet grill that I have found vs. my gas that "I" no longer need my gas grill.  I don't have issues with the direct grilling as my 1100 has that.  I don't mind the slightly longer heat up times.  The cost of pellets vs. propane is actually cheaper for me where I live.  I don't need 800 degree temps for what I cook.  The 1100 maintains temps without my constant involvement.  

If you are making a decision on smoke alone, I think it is a tough call.  But like I said, with the pellet grill and a tube, it is way more smoke than a gas and tube.  At least for me.


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## mike243

I also could get by with just my gas grill but I can make burgers and chicken without baby setting it to stop fires in the pellet smoker , cant do that with the gasser,also get some smoke flavor when doing high heat. love all my cookers and each has its place


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## smokinq13

I agree with mike on this one. I love my weber spirit, genesis, my mes 30in( which i need to still fix) and i love my pellet grill. They all have their applications and uses which I'm sure i could manage if i had to choose one over the other BUT there is just something about cooking on a pellet grill which no other grill could do. Yes the smoke flavor isn't as strong as a stick burner but depending on type and manufacturer of the pellets you still might be happy. My best bet woukd be to wait til walmart has pellet grills on sale and get one yourself... go to brickseek.com and just keep an eye out for sales... usually 1st of the year they do


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## Leggy

Thank you everyone for the good feedback.
I live in SoCal and usually grill for 10 people and sometimes it could go up to 25 but that's very rare. Most of the time the food is variety of veggies, filet mignon chunks and marinated chicken chunks on skewers and I grill this over my 6 burner natural gas Nexgrill and it does great so far.
On the same grill I smoked using wood chips and now pellets beer can chicken, tri tip, beef back ribs, beef chuck short ribs and the result was mostly very good. The other day I did tri tip using Cookin perfect mix pellet and the taste was amazing including the smoke flavor. However, the challenge is maintaining the heat and available grate space as I use 2 burners plus the tube and end up with total available space of 300 square inch.
I enjoy meat smoking and indirect cooking and would like to have a dedicated cooker for that hence the pellet smoker for ease of setup and cooking. I have gas grill and I prefer to grill and sear on the gas so grilling capabilities on my smoker isn't important for me at all. All I need is good smoker.
I read a lot of comments about light smoke flavor but wasn't sure how light they mean, if similar intensity to tube on gas then I am sold as we prefer that level of smoke intensity. My wife wasn't a fan wood chip smoke flavor as she thought it was strong.
Yesterday went to Lowe's and checked the 1100, 820 and the vertical and now I am torn between the 1100 and the vertical mainly due to grate space (I am not limited with cooker space as I have plenty of backyard space).
The chamber height of 1100 seemed low and I am uncertain how easily I will fit 2-3 beer can chicken and be able to rotate them around particularly when the second shelf is used.
Searched for vertical vs horizontal pellet smoker but couldn't find much info. I really like the setup of the horizontal but the cooking space of the vertical is unbeatable.


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## mike243

Mine is the same size as the 1100 and no need to rotate anything around as far as I know, have done lots of pork but most of my chickens are low heat high smoke to start then 350+ to finish and 2 spatchcock chickens were the biggest whole birds I have done. I bought my son the PB 5 vertical and he likes it a lot


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## J. McRican

The walmart in my area(New Hampshire) has the Austin XL on clearance for $349. I have seen it on line going between $458 and $499. You have to actually go into the store and check out the grills. I havent seen the same price checking on-line even if i look at my store specifically. Hope you have the clearance price available for you too


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## siege

I have a Pit Boss XL pro 1100, and am very happy with it. If I had seen an Austin for $349 before I bought it, I would have been on it like white on rice. The difference is minor, and I could have $200 more to spend on meat.


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## acd4476

Picked up an austin xl at walmart for $200. Figured at that point I had to buy it. Have a MES 30. Looking forward to trying the pellet grill


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## siege

You  didn't buy it for $200...You stole it.! Awesome deal,  you will love it. The learning curve isn't bad, but read the directions thoroughly.  The rest will fall right into place.
Congrats  =)


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