After receiving the one I ordered I can say the one on display on the shop floor seemed to be an older version (no spark guard and fire bowl was different, the fire bowl had a slot cut through it most of the way down and the two round holes drilled towards the base - you can see the picture later, the one I received had a spark guard and different fire bowl).

The Pit Boss was well packaged and protected by lots of stiff cardboard, and inner and outer box as well as foam to protect parts in transit. The corner of the packaging had been damaged in transit but the excellent packaging meant no harm had come to the contents.

This is what it looks like once assembled.

The fire bowl has a slot all the way through and down one side (different to the one on display in the store).

A little more care could have been taken in the factory (but I knew to expect the need to undertake a few minor modifications).

Whilst most people wouldn't even consider this an issue given I'll be running the kamado outside without any protection from the elements and I need to make it as weather proof as possible, a little more high temp sealant needed here (see arrow in picture) to stop the rain.

I was pleased to see that the item came with with spark guard (unlike earlier models I'd read about on the forum). When open the sliders are a little loose but snug up nicely when closed.

Looks like the factory have made some other improvements, the lower edge of the bottom inlet has black gasket behind it indicated to by the arrow, I'm guessing that I won't need to mod the bottom vent as others have had to before.

I recall others mentioning about the fine lines, crazing appearing on the glaze over time, well mine came like it (hopefully can be seen in the pic). And as the manual says, completely normal due to the differential expansion of the ceramic and the glaze.

With the top vent open a smidge and the bottom as above the Pit Boss held the proper temp for a few hours to cure the gasket and ensure it sticks to the ceramic (as recommended in the handbook). Confession: I didn't think a handful of charcoal would be enough so put much more in for the initial burn.

Now to a new problem I'd not read about before. The holes drilled in the metal top vent were exactly opposite each other however the holes for the bolts to go through were incorrectly positioned in the ceramic. My guess would be either the top was distorted a little prior to firing or during firing the ceramic distorted. To fix things I has to peel off a little of the gasket around the chimney so that I could get the top vent as close to the rear edge of hole. That still didn't fix things, still couldn't get bots through the holes so used a needle file to elongate each of the holes enough to get both the bolts through - not a major drama for me but would be for others without a fine file to hand.

After curing the next day I though I'd do something simple to start, a chicken with no wood smoke:

It was interesting starting to figure out temp control, but settled down nicely and didn't need tweaking at all. One thing I did learn was that I was too hasty putting the food on (or I've got some sub-standard charcoal) and should have let the fire 'set' properly and only emit the fine wispy smoke - chicken came out okay but taste wasn't as good as it could have been, it tasted a bit smokey but not in a pleasant way.

Next exercise was pizza, no pictures I'm afraid, it was that good we couldn't wait to eat it. Let fire 'set' properly, and the food was awesome.

I do need to test and almost certainly add gasket to the top vent. The other thing on my to-do list is rain protection, I want to use the Pit Boss in all weathers but don't have (and am prohibited from getting) something like a gazebo or arbour to provide that protection. I'll be thinking about what I can make or mod to stop rain/snow getting down the top vent - I'll post in the DIY forum (or here) if I come up with any viable solution that won't be affected by strong wind.

Paul

This is a new 2018 model from costco. I havent fully assembled it yet as I need a helping hand to get it on the stand and wasnt about to ask my prego wife lol, but it did have the gasket/felt on the top chimney part however I did notice the sliding doors on the bottom are still loose so well see if I need to seal those up or not.

Ive also noticed they added felt around the stand where the kamado sits, didnt see any pictures of previous models having that either.

After seeing a few posts about issues I looked over all the main points and everything seems well put together, visually the lid seems to lines up, the bands seem tight (though they do say after the 1st heat cycle they may need to be tightened again) and have read I should check them every few cooks which isn't an issue for me.

I know costco version has the plastic side tables compared to other places still getting the version with the bamboo / wood. I did not expect the plastic handle and side tables to be as heavy duty as they are, not cheap hollow plastic.

Hopefully I get some time and a helping hand tonight so I can season / break in this thing!

Long time lurker, first post. Bought my pit boss kamado back in 2015. Love smoking and grilling with it and got it for a steal.

I was recently grilling some pork chops and started my coals as usual (volcano method). Once they were nice and hot around 350+, I moved the hot coals around to start heating up the rest. When doing so with the bbq "scraper" that came with the grill, i started noticing that the charcoal grate was flaking off in large thin pieces. Has anyone else experienced this? Any potential solutions?

I keep the grill outside and covered, but I don't doubt that humidity gets into and around the grill which may be causing the outer layers of metal of the grate to "flake" off.

Thoughts?

Thanks ahead of time.

As far as replacement felt, again there seems to be dozens of options. What have you guys had a good experience with in terms of a replacement?

Appreciate the help! I've been loving this grill so far and I'm looking forward to getting it back in tip-top shape!

I don’t really need WiFi control, but I guess it would be a perk

i don’t know what these pictures are that are being added. This isn’t even my grill

Attaching couple of photos below as well

I recently attempted to get some warranty support on a cracked/broken deflector and after providing my proof of purchase w/ pictures, this is the back and forth between myself and Dansons CSR :

Dansons CSR: "This was ordered through store name so you would need to contact them for a replacement or refund on it."

I replied with: "Why? Doesn't PitBoss/Dansons have a warranty?"

Dansons CSR: "We do if it purchased directly through us."

In other words, they are saying that retailers warranty their items which is pretty much BS. I've actually had good luck with Dansons in the past getting support for my 2016 PitBoss K24 so, I was really surprised that they are giving me the run-around this time. I'm actually very concerned at this point on whether their Lifetime Warranty is worth anything at all. The saving grace is that Costco will bail them out by returning the item if necessary. Other retailers are simply not going to allow returns on items outside of their normal return policy despite what Dansons might say. It might be that they were having an off day but the CSR was unwilling to budge from their stance. In any case, this is just my experience and should serve as a PSA for potential buyers.

I would love to pick up a 24” model this year.

Before even firing up my new toy for the first time, I removed the stock felt gaskets and replaced with the new Lavalock XTR78 1000F gasket: https://bbqgaskets.com/lavalockr-xtr78-for-big-green-egg-1000f-lifetime-replacement-warranty.html

I know how to structure a fire and have bags of both Kamado XL Lump and Fogo Premium Lump, so I think I should be good to go as far as quality fuel and structuring for goid airflow.

I've seen some comments regarding the small size of the PB/LG daisy-wheel top vent compared to the KJ vents that swing completely open, so I've made a jury-rigged 16" smokestack that should provide a +50% draft to increase peak venting to close to KJ fully-open levels.

And as far as safety, I understand about burping, have a fire extinguisher and hose at the ready, and have the grill positioned on a fire-proof grill mat, so I believe I'm prepared.

I'm a very experienced low and slow smoker that originally jumped on this LG24 because my 10-year old Backwoods Smoker Fatboy is on it's last legs (rusting out), but now that I've understood these Kamados are as usable for 'Extrememy High and Very Fast' as they are for Low and Slow, I'm itching to try making a 900F Neopolitan Pizza!

Any pointers, advice, or cautions from others owning similar budget Kamados who have successgully gotten them up to 900F appreciated...

[EDIT: P.S. Just to keep the subject of this thread appropriate to the subject of this Forum and limited to getting PB24/LG24s up to 900F, would prefer to avoid any comments or advice on cooking pizza on this thread. I'll eventually post an update on whatever temperature I succeeded to achieve on my first attempt this weekend but will linit it to a picture of the thermometer and perhaps my smokestack if it works well. Any updates regarding my first attempt at Neopolitan pizza (including any pics) will be posted in the Pizza Forum. Thanks.]

Thanks'

Scott

Am I totally screwed here and back to the drawing board? Or is there such thing as a complete replacement top? The bottom seems fine, no cracks, the metal ring around the lid also fine. I only paid 200 for it used, but I'm guessing it will be at least that to get a new one? And thoughts or suggestions welcome here! FML...

So, my first post on here as a proud owner of my first grill in general let alone Kamado since moving into my first home here in the south of England.

I had an interest in a Kamado for a while and after seeing this one in Costco UK I decided to go for it.

I spent time carefully reading through the pitboss review pinned as I assume this is the same grill? Hence why I’ve posted it in this section as there isn’t an LG section.

My question is the mods suggested in that thread for the extra felt at the bottom and top, mine appears to have a vented sliding cover as well as the solid one, does the extra felt still need fitting and will the same pattern described there work? The top is also fastened with screws, I assume I just need to make holes in the felt for the screws?

There were talks on there about moving the grill rack itself up as it sits below the rim of the ceramic/opening, did anyone find the solution for this?

Can anyone from the UK help for places to source accessories?

Will do my running in burn this weekend, or once those mods are made, very keen to get learning.

I’ll attach some photos!

Thanks in advance

Toby!

I'm new to this Kamado world. I've got the 2019 LG. I've been reading about the woo ring, part of me says i must have shiny thing(i also brew beer so i'm used to shinyitis fever) but truth be told i'm not sure I get it. Maybe split stones, but if i was grilling(and smoking) i'd probably fire up a kettle in parallel.

Could someone spell out the honest benefits of it? or is there something better to spend my money?

Thanks in advance

I've just purchased my first Kamado. I previously had a cheap offset smoker and it was struggle to get my head around this method. But i'm beyond delighted. Once you get the knack of getting it lit and no running away in temp it hold its temp so easily. Did my first pork sholder(Butt) and it far exceeded my expectations.

Anyway, tried pizza's this weekend. I'd read that it was better to have 2 stones to deflect the heat from the actual one you were cooking on. Got round that with a few layers of foil hung off the fire box. worked really well and pizza turned out really good.

http://tinypic.com/r/33zfh5i/9

I have read about the lid being off like and under or over bite but not a vertical lift.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Can we use this thread as a means to collect all the modifications people are doing to address issues?

Air Leakage:

@Walrus mentioned a 2nd layer of felt is required around the top vent to prevent air leakage.

Bottom vent also leaks, but there doesn’t seem to be a consensus fix for this

Loose Hinge:

it it would be awesome if someone found remedies and made a video of how they fixed the issue(s)