Pit Boss PBCSL200 Portable Charcoal Grill

Safety Information

Major causes of appliance fires are a result of poor maintenance and a failure to maintain required clearance to combustible materials. It is of utmost importance that this product be used only in accordance with the following instructions.

Please read and understand this entire manual before attempting to assemble, operate or install the product. This will ensure you receive the most enjoyable and trouble-free operation of your new portable charcoal grill. We also advise you retain this manual for future reference.

Dangers and Warnings

1. A minimum clearance of 25.4cm (10 inches) from combustible constructions to the sides of the grill, and 25.4cm (10 inches) from the back of the grill to combustible constructions must be maintained. Do not use this appliance indoors or in an enclosed, unventilated area. This appliance must not be placed under overhead combustible ceiling, awnings, parasols, gazebos or overhang. Keep your grill in an area clear and free from combustible materials, gasoline and other flammable vapors and liquids.
2. Should a grease fire occur, leave the lid closed until the fire is out. Do not throw water on. Do not try to smother the fire. Use of an all-class (class ABC) approved fire extinguisher is valuable to keep on site. If an uncontrolled fire does occur, call the Fire Department.
3. This outdoor grill is not intended for installation in/on recreation vehicles or boats. Never use this appliance in an enclosed space, such as a camper, tent, car, boat or home. This appliance is not intended for and should never be used as a heater or a furnace.
4. This appliance is not recommended for children, persons with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they are under direct supervision or instruction by a person responsible for their safety.
5. Do not obstruct the flow of combustion and ventilation air to this appliance. Keep the portholes clean and free from debris. Clean before use. Inspect the unit prior to use for fatigue and damage, and replace when necessary. Regular care and maintenance is required to prolong the lifespan of your unit.
6. Do not cook before the fuel has a coating of ash.
7. Parts of the barbecue may be very hot, and serious injury may occur. Keep young children and pets away while in use. Do not touch hot surfaces. Use heat-resistant gloves, long-handled tongs, or cooking mitts at all times, since the grill will become very hot. Open the lid carefully when cooking to avoid burns from the hot air and steam trapped inside. When opening the lid at high temperatures it is essential to lift the lid only slightly, which allows air to enter slowly and safely, preventing any back-draft or flare-ups that may cause injury. May emit hot embers while in use.
8. Do not use gasoline, white spirit, lighter fluid, alcohol or other similar chemicals for lighting or relighting. Use only firelighters complying to EN1860-3. Keep all such substances and liquids well away from appliance when in use.
9. It is highly recommended that you use charcoal briquettes in your grill. Do not use coal in this product. Charcoal not included. Failure to follow this warning could lead to fire, bodily harm, and will void your warranty.

Carbon Monoxide ("The Silent Killer")

Always use a gas appliance outdoors in an open area with good ventilation to avoid breathing toxic fumes from combustion or leaking gas. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by burning gas, wood, propane, charcoal or other fuel. Carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Low blood oxygen levels can result in headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, confusion, loss of consciousness or death. Follow these guidelines to prevent this colorless, odorless gas from poisoning you, your family, or others:

• See a doctor if you or others develop cold or flu-like symptoms while cooking or in the vicinity of the appliance. Carbon monoxide poisoning, which can easily be mistaken for a cold or flu, is often detected too late.
• Alcohol consumption and drug use increase the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Carbon monoxide is especially toxic to mother and child during pregnancy, infants, the elderly, smokers, and people with blood or circulatory system problems, such as anemia, or heart disease.

Table of Contents

Safety Information ......................................................................................... 2

Parts & Specs................................................................................................ 6

Assembly Preparation.....................................................................................7

Assembly Instructions

Installing The Fan Batteries...........................................................................7

Inserting The Inner Shell................................................................................7

Assembling The Charcoal Box ........................................................................8

Positioning The Cooking Grid .........................................................................8

Securing The Grill Lid .....................................................................................8

Operating Instructions

First Use – Grill Burn-Off ................................................................................9

Preheating......................................................................................................9

Start-Up Procedure ........................................................................................9

Refuelling The Grill.........................................................................................10

Shutting Off Your Grill...................................................................................10

Care & Maintenance .....................................................................................11

Tips & Techniques ........................................................................................12

Troubleshooting............................................................................................13

Replacement Parts........................................................................................14

Warranty

Conditions ...................................................................................................15

Exceptions ...................................................................................................16

Ordering Replacement Parts.........................................................................16

Contact Customer Service.............................................................................16

Warranty Service ..........................................................................................16

Accessories Sold Separately........................................................................17

Parts & Specs

NOTE: Due to ongoing product development, parts are subject to change without notice. Contact Customer Service if parts are missing when assembling the unit.

Specifications

Assembly Preparation

Parts are located throughout the shipping carton, including underneath the grill. Inspect the grill and parts after removing from the protective shipping carton. Discard all packaging materials from inside and outside of the grill before assembly, then review and inspect all parts by referencing the parts list. If any part is missing or damaged, do not attempt to assemble. Shipping damage is not covered under warranty. Contact your dealer or Pit Boss Customer Service for parts: Monday through Sunday, 4am - 8pm PST (EN/FR/ES).

Email: service@pitboss-grills.com

Toll-Free: 1-877-303-3134 | Toll-Free Fax: 1-877-303-3135

Tools required for assembly: none

Assembly Instructions

1. Installing The Fan Batteries

Parts Required:

• 1 x Grill Body (#9)
• 4 x AA Batteries (not included)

Installation:

• Place the grill body on a clean, level surface. Tip the unit backwards (or flip over) and remove the battery compartment cover. Install four batteries, and replace cover.

Diagram showing grill body and battery compartment.

2. Inserting The Inner Shell

Parts Required:

• 1 x Inner Shell (#8)

Installation:

• Insert the inner shell into the grill body. The rimmed lip of the inner shell will rest on the edges of the grill body.

Diagram showing inner shell being placed into the grill body.

3. Assembling The Charcoal Box

Parts Required:

• 1 x Charcoal Box (#7)
• 1 x Charcoal Box Airflow Plate (#6)
• 1 x Charcoal Box Lid (#5)

Installation:

• Place the charcoal box into the inner shell of the grill. The feet of the charcoal box will position correctly into the grooves on the bottom.
• Next, place the charcoal box airflow plate into the base of the charcoal box. This creates space between the fan and the fuel for airflow.
• Lastly, rest the charcoal box lid on the top of the charcoal box.

Diagrams showing assembly of charcoal box components.

4. Positioning The Cooking Grid

Parts Required:

• 1 x Cooking Grid (#4)

Installation:

• Place the cooking grid into the grill, resting the edges on the interior ledges of the inner shell.

IMPORTANT: The griddle in the centre of the cooking grid should face up.

Diagram showing cooking grid placement.

5. Securing The Grill Lid

Parts Required:

• 1 x Lid Handle (#1)
• 1 x Vent Handle (#2)
• 1 x Grill Lid (#3)

Installation:

• Remove the 2 screws that were pre-installed on the bottom of the lid handle, and then pass the screws through the mounting hole on the top of the lid to fix the lid handle and lid handle bezel on the top of the lid.
• Pass the vent handle through the bar-shaped hole on the back of the lid and lock the vent handle on the vent piece. Cut off the cable tie on the vent piece, so that the vent handle can slide toward left and right to drive the vent to close.
• Place the grill lid over the cooking grid. Secure the two safety latches from each side of the grill body to the grill lid.

The unit is now assembled.

Diagrams showing lid handle and vent handle installation, and securing the lid.

Operating Instructions

Charcoal barbecues are extremely versatile. High temperatures are ideal for quickly cooking burgers and sausages. Try adding some wood chips to the charcoal, or try combining different flavor wood chips to make your meats even more flavorful.

First Use – Grill Burn-Off

Before using your smoker for the first time with food, it is important to complete a burn-off. Starting the smoker and operating at 177°C / 350°F with the grill lid on for 30 to 40 minutes will burn-off the unit and rid it of any foreign matter.

Preheating

It is important to allow your grill to preheat before adding food to the unit. This allows the grill and cooking grids to heat up quicker, kill off bacteria and other pathogens leftover from past cooking sessions, and the grill is then able to maintain its temperature once your food is placed. Preheat with the grill lid on.

IMPORTANT: The outside ambient temperature, weather conditions, and quality of charcoal briquettes will all affect your cooking temperature. Observe the time it takes to reach your desired temperature, and adjust your cooking time as needed.

Start-Up Procedure

1. Ensure the Fan Control Knob is turned off.
2. Remove the grill lid, cooking grid, and charcoal box lid.
3. Place charcoal briquettes into the charcoal box, on top of the airflow plate. This creates space between the fan and the fuel for airflow. Add some lighter cubes, or solid firelighters, to assist with lighting the charcoal briquettes.
4. Light the lighter cubes using a long-nosed lighter or safety matches. Once it has caught, leave the charcoal box lid off for about 10 minutes to allow all charcoal briquettes to light. Turn the Fan Control Knob on to maximum.

NOTE: It is recommended that you do not stoke or turn the charcoal once they are alight. This allows the charcoals to burn more uniformly and efficiently.

5. After 10 minutes, replace the charcoal box lid on the charcoal box, then replace the cooking grid, and finally the grill lid. Monitor the temperature on the grill lid and allow the unit to preheat for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Check the Ventilation Knob on the back of the grill lid, and leave the airflow vents fully open.
6. After preheating is complete, you are ready to enjoy your grill at your desired temperature! Adjust the Fan Control Knob and Ventilation Knob to promote more or less airflow through the grill chamber.

Diagrams illustrating the start-up procedure.

Refuelling The Grill

If you require a longer cooking time (e.g. when roasting a whole cut or slow-smoking), it may be necessary to add more charcoal.

1. Open the lid carefully when cooking to avoid burns from the hot air and steam trapped inside. Using heat-resistant gloves or cooking mitts, remove the grill lid, the cooking grid and charcoal box lid.

IMPORTANT: The grill will become very hot, and serious injury may occur. Do not touch hot surfaces. Use heat-resistant gloves, long-handled tongs, or cooking mitts at all times.

2. Carefully, using long-handled tongs, add new charcoal briquettes to the charcoal box. Adjust the Fan Control Knob to maximum to promote more airflow through the grill chamber to light the new charcoal briquettes.
3. Once new charcoal briquettes have lit, replace charcoal box lid, cooking grid, and continue use.

Shutting Off Your Grill

1. Turn the Fan Control Knob all the way off.
2. Stop adding fuel. Adjust the Ventilation Knob on the back of the grill lid to close airflow vents and allow the fire to die naturally.

IMPORTANT: Do not use water to extinguish the charcoal as this could damage the charcoal grill.

Care and Maintenance

Any Pit Boss unit will give you many years of flavorful service with minimum cleaning. An important step is allowing the grill and cooking grids to self-clean by running the grill at a high temperature for 5 to 10 minutes after each use. Follow these cleaning and maintenance tips to service your grill:

1. Charcoal Box

• Clean out the charcoal box when a build-up of ash is found, to ensure that there are no signs of blockage of the holes on the charcoal box airflow plate. Check your charcoal box often, and clean out as necessary.
• Check and wipe the charcoal box lid on a consistent basis, to ensure that the holes are not blocked. Obstruction to the charcoal box lid holes may result in failure to reach desired temperature.

2. Inside Surfaces

• Using a grill cleaning brush, remove any food or build-up from the cooking grids. Best practice is to do this while they are still warm from a previous cook. Grease fires are caused by too much fallen debris on the cooking components of the grill. Clean the inside of your grill on a consistent basis. In the event you experience a grease fire, keep the grill lid closed to choke out the fire. If the fire does not go out quickly, carefully remove the food, turn the Fan Control Knob off, and close the Ventilation Knob until the fire is completely out. Lightly sprinkle baking soda, if available.

3. Outside Surfaces

• Wipe your grill down after each use. Use warm soapy water to cut the grease. Do not use oven cleaner, abrasive cleansers or abrasive cleaning pads on the outside cabinet surfaces. All painted surfaces are not covered under warranty, but rather are part of general maintenance and upkeep. For paint scratches, wearing, or flaking of the finish, all painted surfaces can be touched up using high heat BBQ paint.
• Use a grill cover to protect your grill for complete protection! A cover is your best protection against weather and outside pollutants. When not in use or for long-term storage, keep the unit under a cover in a garage or shed.

Cleaning Time Table (Normal Use)

Tips & Techniques

Follow these helpful tips and techniques, passed on from Pit Boss owners, our staff, and customers just like you, to become more familiar with your grill:

1. Food Safety

• Use different platters and utensils for the cooked meat than the ones you used to prepare or transport the raw meat out to the grill. This will prevent cross contamination of bacteria. Each marinade or sauce should have its own utensil.
• Keep hot foods hot (above 60°C / 140°F), and keep cold foods cold (below 3°C / 37°F). Cooked foods should not be left out in the heat for more than an hour. Do not leave hot foods out of refrigeration for more than two hours.
• A marinade should never be saved to use at a later time. If you are going to use it to serve with your meat, be sure to bring it to a boil before serving.
• Defrost and marinade meats by refrigeration. Do not thaw meat at room temperature or on a counter top. Bacteria can grow and multiply rapidly in warm, moist foods. Wash hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water before starting any meal preparation and after handling fresh meat, fish and poultry.

2. Cooking Preparation

• Be prepared, or Mise en Place. This refers to preparing the cooking recipe, fuel, accessories, utensils, and all ingredients you require at grill side before you start cooking. Also, read the entire recipe, start to finish, before lighting the grill.
• A BBQ floor mat is very useful. Due to food handling accidents and cooking spatter, a BBQ floor mat would protect a deck, patio, or stone platform from the possibility of grease stains or accidental spills.

3. Grilling Tips and Techniques

• Always use a meat thermometer to determine the internal temperature of the foods you are cooking. It's a good idea to put cooked food onto a heated platter, keeping the food warm. Red meats, such as steak and roasts, benefit from resting for several minutes before serving. It allows the juices that were driven to the surface by heat to ease back to the center of the meat, adding more flavor.
• Sugar-based sauces are best applied near the end of cooking to prevent burning and flare-ups.
• Use a set of long-handled tongs for turning meats, and a spatula for turning burgers and fish. Using a piercing utensil, such as a fork, will prick the meat and allow the juices to escape.

Troubleshooting

Proper cleaning, maintenance and the use of quality fuel will prevent common operational problems. When your Pit Boss grill is operating poorly, or on a less frequent basis, the following troubleshooting tips may be helpful.

For FAQ, please visit www.pitboss-grills.com or contact Customer Service for assistance.

WARNING: Ensure the grill is completely cooled prior to any inspection, cleaning, maintenance or service work to avoid injury.

Replacement Parts

NOTE: Due to ongoing product development, parts are subject to change without notice.

Diagram showing exploded view of grill parts.

Warranty

Conditions of Warranty

All charcoal grills by Pit Boss, manufactured by Dansons, carry a limited warranty from the date of sale by the original owner. The warranty coverage begins on the original date of purchase and proof of date of purchase, or copy of original bill of sale, is required to validate the warranty. Customers will be subject to parts, shipping, and handling fees if unable to provide proof of the purchase or after the warranty has expired.

Dansons carries a one (1) year warranty against defects and workmanship on all parts. Dansons warrants that all part(s) are free of defects in material and workmanship, for the length of use and ownership of the original purchaser. Warranty does not cover damage from wear and tear, such as scratches, dents, dings, chips or minor cosmetic cracks. These aesthetic changes of the grill do not affect its performance. Repair or replacement of any part does not extend past the limited warranty beyond the one (1) year from date of purchase.

During the term of the warranty, Dansons' obligation shall be limited to furnishing a replacement for defective and/or failed components. As long as it is within the warranty period, Dansons' will not charge for repair or replacement for parts returned, freight prepaid, if the part(s) are found by Dansons' to be defective upon examination. Dansons' shall not be liable for transportation charges, labor costs, or export duties. Except as provided in these conditions of warranty, repair or replacement of parts in the manner and for the period of time mentioned heretofore shall constitute the fulfillment of all direct and derivate liabilities and obligations from Dansons to you.

Dansons takes every precaution to utilize materials that resist rust. Even with these safeguards, the protective coatings can be compromised by various substances and conditions beyond Dansons' control. High temperatures, excessive humidity, chlorine, industrial fumes, fertilizers, lawn pesticides and salt are some of the substances that can affect metal coatings. For these reasons, the warranty does not cover rust or oxidization, unless there is loss of structural integrity on the grill component. Should any of the above occur, kindly refer to the care and maintenance section to maintain the finish of your grill and prolong its lifespan. Dansons recommends the use of a full length protective grill cover when the grill is not in use.

This warranty is based on normal domestic use and service of the grill and neither limited warranty coverage's apply for a grill which is used in commercial applications.

AUSTRALIA: Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.