It’s important to understand differences in temperature with a grill.
Most people that are using a Pit Boss will assume the temperature they are setting on the grill is what they are going to get.
This is not always going to be the case.
There is a difference when comparing the Pit Boss’ actual temp vs the thermometer.
The Pit Boss actual temperature can be impacted by external conditions (i.e. heat, wind), poor ventilation, or the build-up time needed to hit the set temperature. In some cases, the issue has to do with a poorly calibrated thermostat.
It’s important to not assume the set temperature in a Pit Boss is the temperature you are going to get with the grill.
This is not going to be the case in most situations. There will be small differences that you are going to want to get used to.
This article is going to look at comparing the Pit Boss’ actual temp vs the thermometer.
Table of Contents
Comparing Pit Boss Actual Temp Vs Thermometer
1. External Temperature
You will want to look at the conditions the Pit Boss is set up in.
If it is hot outside, this is going to play a role in how the Pit Boss handles temperature. Remember that the grill is not on its own and it does get impacted by the conditions around it.
This includes heat and wind.
For example, if it is a hot day, this is going to ramp up how hot the Pit Boss gets. It will get much hotter when the lid is closed because of how hot it is around the Pit Boss.
You should account for this as a Pit Boss user.
You don’t want a situation where the temperature is set to a specific number and then continues to rise past this number because of how hot it is.
This is when you are going to want to make adjustments and slightly drop the temperature to account for how hot it is outside.
This will take a bit of time to get used to but it is essential to be patient with the approach you are taking.
2. Build-Up Time
You will want to think about the build-up time when setting the temperature on the Pit Boss.
A lot of people don’t do this and that is what holds them back.
You can’t assume the temperature is going to be ready within seconds. It is not going to be this quick regardless of how new the PIt Boss is or what the conditions are like around it.
There will be a build-up time that you are going to want to think about.
This tends to take at least 5-10 minutes.
Wait for the build-up time to finish and then note the temperature based on the thermostat. You will realize whether or not it is off by a lot.
3. Airflow and Ventilation
What about the ventilation for the Pit Boss?
Is it good?
When the airflow is not good enough, this is going to ramp up the heat in the grill. This is when the actual temperature is going to rise past what the thermostat is suggesting.
You have to be aware of this.
The ventilation has to be clear as that is going to ramp up the heat even when things are great outside the Pit Boss.
You have to be alert and continue to monitor the temperature in the Pit Boss as best as you can.
4. Poorly Calibrated Thermostat
One issue that people report is when the thermostat is not in good shape.
This means it is poorly calibrated.
This can happen when the Pit Boss has to be reset. You can try to do this by resetting the Pit Boss and seeing if that helps.
It will take a few minutes and will let you test the thermostat.
If the situation is not good, you will have to swap out the thermostat with a new one to get the Pit Bos to work as you want it to.
Look into this and make sure the grill does not break down to the point it does not work as you want it to.
Final Thoughts
You will want to look at these factors when comparing the Pit Boss actual temp vs thermometer.
The Pit Boss’ actual temperature might be slightly off if it is hot outside the grill or the ventilation is bad causing airflow trouble. Another reason can be a poorly calibrated thermostat, which has to be reset or replaced.
It’s important to dig into this by waiting to see how close the two are.
If it is off by a little bit, this is normal. You are not going to want to overthink this because the temperature will be slightly off from time to time.
The only time you will want to worry is when there is a big discrepancy.
This is when the Pit Boss is not going to work as you want it to.
