The Pit Boss P setting chart might be confusing for those who don’t have much experience in using BBQ grills. It’s no doubt that Pit Boss makes some finest pellet grills that you can find on the market today. However, some people don’t fully understand how the P settings on their Pit Boss smoker works. And this can result in improper cooking temperature control. We’ll discuss this matter in this article.
What is P setting?
The P Setting (also called P SET) is a type of setting that you normally see on Pit Boss pellet grills. This is a smart feature which allows users to easily manage the amount of smoke and cooking temperature produced by the grills through adjusting the feeding of pellets.
In other words, P Set functions as a pause button that prescribes the timing of pellet feeding cycles. It can add or reduce the gap between each cycle of pellet feeding. The higher you set the P number, the longer the duration of the pause.
By using the P Set, you can manually adjust the frequency of the pellet feeding cycles. You can delay the cycles or speed them up based on the external conditions influencing the firebox’s efficiency.
See also: Pit Boss Smoke Stack Adjustment – How To Adjust Pit Boss Chimney
What is the working mechanism of the P Setting?
Functions of the P Setting
As mentioned before, P Setting is necessary to neutralize some external conditions. So what are these conditions? They can be environmental elements such as wind, humidity, wintery weather… If you’re grilling on a cold and windy day, you might want to accelerate the cycling of the pellets. This way you will maintain a stable heat in the firebox.
The question is how does the P Set on a Pit Boss grill work? P Setting is basically a manual override system. It allows you to adjust the frequency of the auger motor through the temperature dial in order to obtain the desired cooking heat.
The P Set also works with Smoke Mode. It can make your Pit Boss grill generate more or less smoke as you want. Usually Pit Boss grills have the smoke function preset to P4 by the manufacturer. However, by adjusting the P Setting, you can add extra heat to the grills when smoking meat in cold weather or windy days.
How the P Set actually works
For example, your grill is set at the lowest setting. However, you’re grilling a pork butt in windy conditions and it’s 30°F outside. To avoid heat loss, you can adjust the temperature dial of the grill to increase the heat. Nevertheless, your meat will quickly burn due to being exposed to high heat.
Instead, you can lower the P Set number and change it to P3. This way the auger motor will be turned on for 18 seconds and then paused for 100 seconds before being turned on again. If you set your grill to P4, the auger system will still stay active for 18 seconds, but the pause will last longer (for 155 seconds).
How to adjust P Set in Smoke Mode
As mentioned earlier, the P Set also works when your pellet grill is in Smoke Mode. The smoke function can be seen as a cycling mode for the grill to start cooking. When using the smoke setting, the auger motor of your pellet grill is placed under manual mode, with a default setting of P4 for the P Setting.
Nonetheless, many people prefer their BBQ meats to impart more smoke flavor. In this case, you need to change the P Set to a higher number in order to lengthen the pellet cycle. This way the temperature will be kept low and your foods will be exposed to smoke longer.
How Do You Adjust The P Setting On A Pit Boss Grill?
You can easily adjust the P Setting by pushing the “P Set” button. Use a pointy object such as a screwdriver, a pen tip or toothpick. However, it’s advisable to avoid using something too sharp as you might damage the button. Ballpoint pen in this case is a great choice.
In addition, you don’t want to use too much force when pushing the button. Because the plastic can be cracked and this also leads to a broken P Set button.
After pressing the button, the P Setting will appear on the LCD screen. Just keep pushing the P Set button until you get the exact number of P Setting that you want.
Pit Boss P Setting Chart
Now that you’ve got a basic understanding about how P Set works, it’s time to refer to the P Setting Chart on Pit Boss grills for precise temperature control. The table below shows the on and off time of the auger correspondent to each P SET Setting:
Other Temperature Control Suggestions And Tips
There’s no denial that the P Setting plays an important role in controlling your Pit Boss grill’s temperature. However, there are other ways that also allows you to grill with more precise temperature:
- Use a grill blanket to reduce heat loss whenever the outside temperatures drop quickly
- Only feed your Pit Boss grill with high-quality wood pellets to maintain a stable temperature
- Don’t open the door too much while grilling as the smoker will lose heat faster
- Remove the ashes from the burn pot regularly
- Adjust the smoke cap on your Pit Boss for a more efficient airflow
With the help of the Pit Boss P setting chart, now you can manage the grilling temperature on your Pit Boss more easily. Nevertheless, it’s best that you take your time to experiment with the P Set for best cooking results. Mastering the P setting can’t be done in just 1 or 2 days. And Bourbon O recommends that you only adjust the P setting when the firebox is subjected to heat loss due to environmental conditions.
