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Why Does Pit Boss Pellet Grill Temperature Fluctuate? 11 Different Ways to Minimize It!

Why does Pit Boss Pellet Grill Temperature Fluctuates ans 11 ways to minimize it
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Are you a pit boss pellet grill owner and experiencing temperature fluctuation? And finding ways to fix it?

Then you came to the right place!

Pit boss pellet grill enables you to make crispy and smoky meat that will be your next go-to dish that you’ve been waiting for!

Yes, you can try out a lot of dishes with this pit boss grill.

But you just wanna little aware of the grilling techniques.

Now if you are experiencing temperature swings with your pit boss grill, you’ll get to know here everything about it.

So, here we go!

Why Does Pit Boss Pellet Grill Temperature Fluctuate?

PIT BOSS 72700S PB72700S, Pellet, Electric Grill, BBQ Smoker, 700 sq. in, Black with Blue Lid

Function and nature of Pellet Grill

Mild temperature fluctuations are normal as they occur due to the nature of the pellet grill itself.

There are mild temperature swings are occurred in pellet grill due to its functioning like electric home ovens.

But why the mild temperature swings happen?

While smoking or grilling process is going on, the grill temperature drops.

Due to a drop in temperature, pellets are delivered through augur to the system. This will result in a rise in temperature until it reaches the desired temperature.

At this point, augur stops delivering pellets until the temperature drop. Then the process is repeated.

It means when pellets are added to the grill fire, the temperature goes high and the controller limits the delivering pellets till the temperature swing goes down.

This process maintains the desired grill temperature. So, you experienced mild temperature fluctuation during grilling or smoking.

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Weather conditions

Weather is one of the major factors for temperature fluctuation for Pit Boss Grill.

Rain, wind, hot weather, sunlight, cold weather, humidity are the weather conditions that lead to dramatic temperature fluctuation

Using Extra-large pans

For cooking in grill get the pan with optimum size. The large pan can affect the airflow of the grill or totally block the airflow.

When using the pan ensure about its size first. The size should be optimum so that there is at least an inch of clearance between the grill and edge of the pan.

Other reasons

The temperature of the pellet may swing due to a lot of other reasons such as heavy food load, the opening of the grill door frequently, stacking food too close at the sides of the grill grates, etc.

So, you should avoid these things while cooking on the pellet grill.

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How to Minimize Dramatic Pit Boss Pellet Grill Temperature Fluctuations?

If you are not getting desired results with your favorite Pit Boss Pellet Grill due to temperature fluctuations, then you need to work more on the following factors. So that it will minimize the temperature.

Follow instructions manual of Pit Boss

If you are newbie owner of the Pit Boss grill, always follow the instructions given in the manual. Don’t take any shortcuts to understand the proper function of the grill.

So go through the instruction manual is the first necessary step before using the grill

Preheat the Pellet grill

Preheating is an essential step for grilling. It should be done every time you will use the grill.

Always preheat the grill for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or given as per the instruction manual.

This is an important step to prevent temperature fluctuation and helps grill for constant stable temperature while cooking.

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“P” Setting adjustment

While smoking or temperature below 200 ° F, if you experience temperature fluctuation, try to adjust the “P” setting located on your pellet grill.

When you change the “P” setting, you change the pellet flow and the augur rotating frequency.

But be careful while adjusting the “P” setting. You should allow it sometime i.e at least 30 minutes to settle down after adjusting once.

Adjusting the “P” setting frequently can lead to more temperature swings.

If you notice dropping in temperature or flame getting loses, you need to down or lower the “P” setting.

The manufacturer recommends using the grill at the factory setting of P-4 before P-settings adjustment.

While cooking on the Smoke mode in winter, it is good to use a “P” setting such as P2-P3 that prevents flame out. So that your grill operates more stable in winter.

During hot weather use P4-P5 settings that produce more smoke.

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Cover the grill with Insulated grill blanket

Pit Boss 73701 Grill Cover for 700D, 700S, 700SC Wood Pellet Grills

As I said above weather condition is one of the reasons which can fluctuate the grill temperature.

You can protect your grill from weather conditions with a good insulated grill blanket.

It will protect your grill from rain, wind, snow, and cold and helps to maintain grill temperature constant.

It will also save fuel consumption in the long run.

Dome Thermometer

You can quickly gauge the internal temperature with a dome thermometer. But keep in mind, they are not accurate about the internal temperature of the food. Because they are located near the highest point of the grill.

They are easy to install on your grill and also allows for easy readings of temperature.

As the heat circulates, it gradually increases to the top point of the grill.

Hence the temperature readings are in fact higher than where meat or food is located.

But you can roughly gauge the internal temperature by this dome thermometer.

Make sure the dome thermometer is clean as it will affect the temperature.

Use a meat probe

You can monitor the internal temperature of food constantly with a meat probe.

For actual close temperature reading, you can use a meat probe.

You need to plug-in the meat probe and then insert the probe on the meat cut. Set the grill temperature.

Ensure the meat probe is clean as it can affect temperature.

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Use the quality hardwood pellets

If you use cheap pellets they will break easily and leads to sawdust. It will burn faster than the usual rate. It is one of the major reasons for temperature fluctuation.

Using charcoal pellet also affect the temperature of the grill. So, Pit Boss recommends Pit Boss brand pellets for minimum temperature swings.

You should also careful about its storage. Make sure they are stored in dry and sealed bucket. The storage place should be a dry and cool.

 Avoid frequent opening of the grill door

If you are opening or closing the grill door frequently, you may experience the temperature fluctuation in the grill.

So, don’t open the grill door frequently during cooking unless it is necessary.

Check Any Wear and tear of the burn pot

The burn pot should be in good condition so that it minimizes temperature swings.

If the burn pot has a hole, heat will escape and leads to drastic temperature fluctuation.

This may occur if your grill is older. If there are wear and tear in burn pot, you need to replace it.

So, make sure there is no wear and tear of the burn pot.

Use water pan

Water creates an indirect cooking surface which is essential for good BBQ. In offset smoker, the heat source is located far from the cooking chamber.

So, a water pan creates a natural source of indirect cooking without any further modification.

Water also helps in temperature control and limits the temperature fluctuations.

Water helps for maintaining lower temperatures because of evaporation cooling.

When water heats up and comes to the boiling, it starts to evaporate. Put the steam into the air. As the water temperature will not surpass, 212 degrees before evaporation. This evaporation allows keeping the cooking chamber operates at a lower temperature.

The one more reason is that water temperature takes longer to rise or fall in temperature which surely helps for temperature fluctuations.

Adjust the smoke cap

If you are getting difficulty with the consistency in the temperature, you can try the adjustment of the smoke cap.

You can increase or decrease the height of the chimney cap to adjust the airflow in the grill.

Wrapping Up

Now you know the causes for Pit boss pellet grill temperature fluctuation and how to minimize it.

If you are not getting desired results with your Pit Boss pellet grill, try out the above practices to fix it.

I am sure you will get slow smoked whole chicken (meat) with tender juicy perfection this time!

 

Sources:

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pit-boss-340-temp-swings.288456/

http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=32232

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pit-boss-820-issues.279287/