If you’re new to owning a Pit Boss, you’re likely looking for tips to help you make the most of the smoke setting. What’s the best way for using the smoke setting on a Pit Boss so the foods come out with that smokey flavor everyone loves? Well, look no further, I have some tips that will help you make the most of the smoke settings.
9 Tips for Using The Smoke Setting On A Pit Boss
Compared to other types of grills, the Pit Boss makes it easy for anyone to cook foods in their backyard. After all, once you power it on, the grill regulates the temperature flow to ensure your cook is as accurate as possible.
Hopefully, these tips will help you add that smokey flavor to the foods, which is the reason you bought a pellet grill smoker in the first place.
Read this article if you’re trying to get more smoke from your Pit Boss pellet grill.
1. Ensure Your Grill Is Clean
If you know you’re going to be grilling a Boston Butt, ribs, etc that will take hours, clean your grill beforehand. Cooking on a dirty grill can ruin your cook. Electric smokers burn cleanly, thanks to the 100% woodgrain pellets. That said, when a pellet grill becomes too dirty, the built-up residue on the grates and ash in the burn pot can quickly ruin the cook.
Ensure you clean the grates with a brush before each use to remove any residue from the last cook. You’ll also want to vacuum out the burn-pot and clean the RTD temperature probe to ensure your smoker functions correctly.
2. Test Different Types of Pellets
The type of pellets you use will play a huge part on whether you get the right amount of smoke flavor or none at all. Avoid using cheap hardwood pellets that are made with lower quality wood and other additives, as it can diminish the foods flavor.
Wood pellets come in many different flavors that will enhance the taste and smoke flavor in your food, when paired correctly.
For instance, if you’re cooking chicken, you’ll want to use sweet fruity pellets, as they pair well with beef, pork, and chicken.
Some of the most common blends people use, are applewood, mesquite, hickory, and competition blend.
Of course with so many different flavors, you can experiment to see which flavor you like.
3. Use the Right Meat
Choose tough meat cuts for low and slow cooking such as; beef chuck, top round, etc. Tough cut meats are perfect for low and slow cooking, as the low heat will break down the connective tissues after an extended period of time.
If you’re not sure of what tough meats are, be sure to check out this website.
4. Start Early
Read the recipe and give yourself plenty of time to cook the food the right way. Most beginners make the mistake of not giving themselves enough time to smoke and cook the food the right way.
If you plan on having guests over for a barbecue, ensure you invest in a thermometer and start the grill up early in the morning. This way your guests won’t be asking you what time is the food going to be done.
That’s when you’ll feel the pressure to turn the temperature up to rush the cooking process. The smoke setting isn’t meant for cooking food, it’s meant to add that smoky flavor.
Remember, the cooking process can’t be rushed, especially, if you’re aiming for great-tasting smoky flavored food!
5. Go Low and Slow
It takes time to break down the connective tissues on tough meat, if you rush the process, the meat will become tough and chewy.
Professional barbecues will tell you the only way to prepare ribs is over low, indirect heat, with wood smoke. This process produces a moist, fall off the bone barbecue that will make your mouth water.
That said, the Pit Boss can add some smoky flavor to short, fast cooks such as hamburgers, steaks, and even vegetables.
If you’re cooking at a higher temperature, you’ll still get a mild wood-fired taste, but nothing really strong.
6. Regulate the Heat
The Pit Boss will do most of the work, but pellet grills are known to have big temperature fluctuations which can cause the foods to dry out. Whenever you cook for an extended period of time, use a water pan add some humidity and help stabilize the heat.
You don’t need anything fancy, a disposable aluminum pan works perfectly, especially, when you’re smoking a Boston Butt.
7. Experiment With The P-Setting
The P-Setting is what helps the Pit Boss monitor the temperature and produce more smoke when cooking in extreme hot or cold temperatures.
The default P-Setting on a Pit Boss is four. If you go up to P6/7 the grill puts out less heat, but more smoke flavor.
Don’t be scared to play around with it to see which temperature is best for which meats.
8. Don’t Open The Lid
While the grill is smoking, the grill is at the smoke temperature of about 180° but won’t go above 225°F. Opening and closing the lid during the smoking process will just cause the temperature to drop and interrupt the smoking process.
Keep the lid closed and let the meat smoke, until the internal temperature has reached 135 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, you can turn the grill up and start cooking the food.
According to the Pit Boss website, once the meat reaches 135°F, it no longer absorbs smoke.
9. Let The Bark Get Dark
You’ll know your meat is smoked properly when you see a dark tasty crust formed on top. The dark crust is known as “bark” and it is the result of complex chemical reactions known as polymerization and The Maillard reaction.
The bark is completely editable and it’s what gives the meat that smokey flavor you’re looking for. Bark formation takes time, and you’ll only notice it on the long slow cooks that are set at the smoke setting at 225°F or less.
Final Word
Using the smoke setting for the first time can be intimidating, especially, if your last grill never had one. Hopefully, these tips will help you understand how to start using it.
It takes time to learn how to use it efficiently so your foods have that smoke flavored taste. That said, the Pit Boss makes it easy for anyone to produce high quality barbecue, even if you’ve never owned one.
If you want to become a better barbecuer, then you’ll just have to keep experimenting with the smoke setting. Eventually, you’ll be a pro and everyone will want to know what’s your secret and ask you what to you did to get the smokey flavor.
Related Articles You May Be Interested In
- Can You Cold Smoke on a Pit Boss?
- How Do You Use Smoke Setting on Pit Boss?
- When To Use Smoke Setting On Pit Boss?
- 17 Foods You Can Smoke On A Pit Boss Pellet Grill?
