Your Pit Boss grill controls temperature by turning off and on the auger at specific intervals, which will cause a swing in temperatures of +/- 25 degrees and is completely normal. Some other things you can check that may help regulate your temperature:
- If your unit has a chimney, raise the chimney cap up as high as it can go. You might think that trapping the smoke in the grill is a good idea and will add smoke flavor, but instead it will cause temperature issues within the unit. The fire could even die out due to lack of air intake. The only time to lower the chimney cap is if the outside temperature is extremely cold and the grill is having trouble staying up to temperature. The chimney cap can be lowered just about an inch in this case.
*If you want more smoke flavor on your food, use the lowest temperature setting/Smoke setting. Also, we sell some ideal smoke tubes here: A-MAZE-N Smokers
-If your unit has ventilation holes on the back of the barrel instead of a chimney, be sure that nothing is blocking them. Be sure you don’t use foil or any other object to block these holes. You might think that trapping the smoke in the grill is a good idea and will add smoke flavor, but instead it will cause temperature issues within the unit. The fire could even die out due to lack of air intake. Please keep these holes open and uncovered.
*If you want more smoke flavor on your food, use the lowest temperature setting/Smoke setting. Also, we sell some ideal smoke tubes here: A-MAZE-N Smokers
- Check to make sure the flame broiler is installed properly. It should be resting on the bracket on the left inside the grill, as well as resting on top of the grease drain channel on the right inside the grill. If the flame broiler is placed properly, you should see it at an angle, higher on the left side and lower on the right. If this is not how it is placed, it can cause many different temperature issues and even damage the finish on the bottom of the barrel. You will also want to make sure that the flame broiler slide cover is all the way closed when the lid of the grill is closed. If it is open it will allow a lot of extra heat to escape, which can cause the grill to overheat. Do not cover your flame broiler with foil because it can cause temperature issues and can also prevent the grease from draining properly into the grease bucket.
- Check the condition of the pellets. The fresher the pellets are, the better they will perform. If the pellets have absorbed any moisture due to humidity, they will not burn as efficiently as they would if they were in good condition. You can test their condition by taking one and seeing if it will snap in half crisply and not crumble. If the pellets are not in good condition, replace them. To ensure proper performance, we always recommend using Pit Boss or Louisiana Grills brand pellets in your grill. Pellets should be stored in an airtight container to protect them from moisture.
- Have you vacuumed the fire pot recently to ensure the air holes are not blocked by excess ash? If there is too much ash in the fire pot, the fire may die down due to lack of proper airflow. We recommend cleaning your fire pot after running 40-60 lbs. of pellets through your grill, or any time you see excess ash.