The process to starting a Pit Boss vertical smoker or pellet smoker grill is fairly easy. And after having both kinds of smokers, I have it down to a few simple steps combined with steps to prepare my meat.
Start your Pit Boss smoker or smoker grill with these simple steps:
- Ensure the hopper is adequately filled with quality wood pellets.
- Check to see if the firebox is clean and leave the door or lid open.
- Plug your smoker into an electric power source.
- Make sure the dial is set to SMOKE.
- Press the power button. You should hear the fun come on.
- It may take a few minutes for the first few pellets to ignite but you’ll start to see smoke.Leave the door open until the smoke clears out which may take approximately 3-5 minutes. Soon you’ll hear the sound of fire. Then the temperature readout should slowly rise. Once the smoke clears, close the door or lid and turn up your smoker or smoker grill to the desired temperature. Allow the unit to reach and hold that temperature before placing meat into the smoker or smoker grill.
That’s the basic set of instructions you’ll find in the owner’s manual. But here’s my whole sequence of events start to finish.
Prepare Your Meat To Go In or Onto your Smoker or Smoker Grill
Usually, the day before I plan to smoke or grill, I’ll prepare the meats with rubs or a brine. The extra day gives the seasonings time to get into the meat. It’s also not a bad idea to check your wood pellet supply. Better to know you’re low on pellets the day before than a few minutes before you plan to smoke.
Lately, I’ve been using Pit Boss’s Competition Blend wood pellets. CookinPellets also makes some good, smoky pellets. You can check prices and availability here.
As far as which flavor is best, I don’t have an answer for you. I honestly cannot tell if a meat was smoked with hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry or a mix. In my opinion, you’re going to taste more flavor from the seasonings, rubs, or bines you use. A more discerning palate might be able to tell the difference, but I can’t. Try different kinds and see if you can taste the difference.
About 30 minutes before starting the smoker, I’ll pull the meat out of the fridge or brine to let it warm up just a bit. Keep it covered with plastic wrap or paper towels to keep bugs away.
Water For the Smoker
Having water in the smoker will help to keep your meat from drying out. It’s going to dry out some anyway, but this helps. I usually microwave 3 cups or so of water till it’s at least very warm or hot. Then I add the water to the water pan during the startup process. Then right after the smoke has cleared I’ll set the water pan into the smoker and close the door. If you use cold water it will take the smoker longer to get up to your desired smoke temperature. No need to waste pellets doing that.
Spray Your Grate or Grill With Non-Stick Spray to Prevent Sticking
If you hate scraping meat of your grill or grate like I do, then spray it with a non-sticking spray. I use basic Pam but there are other sprays or methods. No need to get fancy.
If you don’t spray the grate or grill you might be fussing and cussing to get the meat off. And you might lose some juice out of your meat when it tears apart. Spraying can make the difference between scraping or sliding. I prefer to slide or gently pick up the meat off the grate.
How Long To Wait Before Putting Meat Into The Smoker
The whole startup time takes about 12-15 minutes. Usually, about 4-5 minutes from the time you turn the unit on till the smoke clears and you shut the door. Then 6-10 minutes before the smoker reaches smoking temperatures. The hotter you plan to smoke will obviously add more time.
It’s a good idea to let your smoker reach at least 250 degrees (F) and then let it bake for a few minutes to kill any bacteria left behind from the last time you used your smoker.
Keep the Pellet Hopper Lid Closed
After you fill your hopper with enough pellets, close the lid and keep it closed. I say that because I had some issues with my Traeger pellet grill. I think it had to do with air getting to the augur area. Soon I had smoke coming up out of my hopper. That is NOT where you want smoke!
I never had the pellets in the hopper catch fire, but it seems to me that is a possibility. Whether they ever would catch fire or not, I still didn’t want smoke in there. I want smoke where my meat is. I think it’s best to keep the hopper lid closed unless you’re filling it up or checking pellet levels. Keeping it closed keeps debris out of there that might clog up the augur.
Keep the Door or Lid Shut During Smoking
Once you add your meat to the smoker, you’ll want to keep the door shut as much as possible. Every time you open the door, you’re letting smoke and heat out and it takes time for the smoker to get back to temperature. Smokers smoke best with the door closed.
Hopefully, you’ve planned out your smoke time with meaningful activities. Don’t be a Nervous Ned always opening up your smoker to see what’s going on. It’s good to check in on the smoker now and then to make sure it hasn’t gone out for some reason, but keep yourself busy while the smoker smokes. Patience is critical during this process. Time, smoke and patience. I’ve ruined nice dinners a time or two by being impatient and stopping the process too soon. Don’t do it.
How Long Do Wood Pellets Last In A Smoker?
There are a few variables involved here like the type and quality of pellets you’re using and how hot your smoker or grill is running. I’ve never checked the exact times and amounts myself, but according to my research, I’m seeing about 2 lbs of pellets for every hour of low and slow smoking, and about 4 lbs of pellets for every hour for temperatures above 275 degrees (F).
I store my pellets in a waterproof plastic container outside near my smokers and use a quart size container to hand fill the hopper from there. Keep your pellets dry! If they get wet, they’re ruined.
Being prepared for smoking meat can make all the difference. Make sure you have the right meat, enough wood pellets, go through the important startup process, and then let the fire and smoke work their magic until it’s done. Then you can enjoy the amazing flavors of properly smoked meats.
Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.