Pit Boss vertical pellet smoker

[Prairie Doggin']

I know this topic has been beat around a bit, but wondering if anyone has experience with the vertical Pit Boss smoker? I know [MENTION=744]Hamm's[/MENTION] mentioned he had one that sucked, but wondering if any others had an opinion.

Kind of looking to replace my 10 year old Camp Chef Smoke Vault. Still works great, but I don't always have the gumption to babysit a brisket all night, adding wood chips every hour or so. Almost without fail, I fall asleep and it blows out, runs out of propane, water pan runs empty, etc.

Want the versatility of a vertical smoker to also do sausage, etc. Camp Chef also makes one, but seem to be out of stock everywhere. I like the looks of the 7th gen Pit Boss -- huge, lots of racks, sausage hooks, etc -- but, reviews are sketchy.

Anyway, if anyone has input, positive or negative, thanks in advance.

 

[Aucker33]

My wife bought me a copperhead 3 a couple of years ago and I've been pretty happy with it so far. When I first started using it I hated it because I didn't think whatever I was smoking tasted near as good as my propane smoker. After about a year of good use the smoke box got seasoned and everything that comes out of it tastes great after that. No issues so far ( knock on wood ). The only thing is when you're smoking below freezing the auger freezes up and you have to hand feed pellets until it gets warmed up. Which is usually one handfull of pellets. I would buy another one just bigger.

 

[Prairie Doggin']

I'm looking at the biggest. Never heard anyone complain about having too big of a smoker.Thumbs Up

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[Shane H]

My wife got me the pit boss vertical 7 a couple months ago have used it a lot.
Works great

 

[REY_off]

I got the 3 Series for fathers day last year. I love it. Everything I've made on it turns out great.

I suggest looking at this model, https://pitboss-grills.com/vertical-smokers/pro-series-II-4-series-vertical-wood-pellet-smoker.

Its got the new controller (supposed to eliminate the somewhat bigger temp swings that the pit boss vertical smokers experience) and its located in a new, better location than the older generation. Its also has wifi.

The best thing I did after buying my smoker was getting a wifi thermometer. The pit boss probes are known to be less accurate than others.

You can also lookup the pitboss vertical smoker owners group on facebook. Lots of info on there every day.

 

[snow]

PD buddy dumped his bradley electric for the new pit boss,he's a sausage making fool,bradley was okay but to small he said,he loves his pit boss verticle and I love his sausage making skill,its killer,dumped a bunch of snow goose breast on him this week we'll see how he does with all that stinky mess. He also has the wi-fi probe.said its a must for roasts.

 

[HammsRMK]

I have the 7 also so far so good. I did have an issue with the first one I bought, the fan did not start. I called scheels and they exchanged it out right away.

 

[Hamm's]

I got the 3 Series for fathers day last year. I love it. Everything I've made on it turns out great.

I suggest looking at this model, https://pitboss-grills.com/vertical-smokers/pro-series-II-4-series-vertical-wood-pellet-smoker.

Its got the new controller (supposed to eliminate the somewhat bigger temp swings that the pit boss vertical smokers experience) and its located in a new, better location than the older generation. Its also has wifi.


Glad to see they moved the controller. It was in a poor location before. Drippings would always end up hitting it.

 

[eyexer]

My son has the pit boss copperhead 7. Hell of a smoker. BUT you have to keep the burner clean or it will burn back into the hopper resulting in a toasted unit. This is a common issue with pit boss units. Aside from that they are awesome

 

[Prairie Doggin']

Thanks for all the input. I took a look at the link REY_off posted above, and might just pull the trigger on that one this weekend. Didn't like the preset temps listed, but the longer I thought about it, I figure I probably aim for 225° about 90% of the time. I've spent $400 in a lot dumber ways...

 

[Kentucky Windage]

Thanks for all the input. I took a look at the link REY_off posted above, and might just pull the trigger on that one this weekend. Didn't like the preset temps listed, but the longer I thought about it, I figure I probably aim for 225° about 90% of the time. I've spent $400 in a lot dumber ways...

I wouldn’t classify spending $400 on hookers and blow as dumb, but to each their own.

 

[701FishSlayer]

I cheaped out couple weeks ago and bought a trail embers from home of economy. Just getting into it but she works normal, holds temp fine. $300. So far weve made couple stuffed meatloafs, wings, steaks, burgers, brisket. Gunna toast up a prime rib today and see how that goes. Its kinda funny once ya start cooking shit a guy wants to use it every other day.

 

[snow]

K.W. comes thru again thanx for the monday smiles....

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My son has the pit boss copperhead 7. Hell of a smoker. BUT you have to keep the burner clean or it will burn back into the hopper resulting in a toasted unit. This is a common issue with pit boss units. Aside from that they are awesome

Truth spoke eye as I have the pit boss pellet grill which I clean/vacume before each use,bought this unit because you can sear w/o a propane side car,well even tho pit boss claims temps up to 750 degrees I had a camp fire in the hopper box at 500 degrees heating up a cast iron skillet to sear a steak,personally I feel these pellet grills are over rated,over priced,best results to bbq is good ole charcoal grills,propane is a convenience but lacks the charcoal flavor.,my little smokey joe for steaks/chops etc is killer when I add wood chips for added flavor.

For pork roasts/ribs the 22" weber makes it happen for smoking and flavor.MPO only.

 

[sl1000794]

K.W. comes thru again thanx for the monday smiles....

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Truth spoke eye as I have the pit boss pellet grill which I clean/vacume before each use,bought this unit because you can sear w/o a propane side car,well even tho pit boss claims temps up to 750 degrees I had a camp fire in the hopper box at 500 degrees heating up a cast iron skillet to sear a steak,personally I feel these pellet grills are over rated,over priced,best results to bbq is good ole charcoal grills,propane is a convenience but lacks the charcoal flavor.,my little smokey joe for steaks/chops etc is killer when I add wood chips for added flavor.

For pork roasts/ribs the 22" weber makes it happen for smoking and flavor.MPO only.

Only have the 22" Weber charcoal kettles, Weber charcoal Smokie Joe's and 2 small rectangular Weber gas grills for crisping hot dogs and sausages after simmering them until done.

 

[Petras]

I have run a copperhead 5 for about 4 or 5 years now. Only issues I have had is if my dumbass forgets to put the cover back on and it rains, water gets into the hopper and soaks the pellets... Makes for a real pain in the arse to clean all that crap out after it's been rain soaked... not sure if it's just my unit, but something with the lid and the lips around it makes it possible for water to get in... that negative being said, I fricken love my pitboss. Clean out the fire chamber before each use, and keep the water tray from going dry during the cook and you won't have as bad of temperature swings. When this one shits the bed I WILL be buying another one...

P.S. if your not fully against going into walmart, you should be able to get their copper head 5 series for about the same price as you'd pay for a 3 series anywhere else... at least that how it was up until about a year ago for the last guy I told to check it out.

 

[m77hunter]

I've got a Pit Boss 7 series, I bought it about a year ago. I have done jerky, summer sausage, and pastrami on it so far. The only complaint I've got is that the temp control is not overly precise. With mine, if I set it at 175, it hangs around 165. If I set it at 200, it goes to 205-210. I'm going to try some better quality pellets to see if that will make a difference.

 

[sl1000794]

Couple of 7 bone beef rib roasts for Men's Fellowship at church and a brisket all done on 22" Weber charcoal kettle grills:

 

[Prairie Doggin']

So, bought the new Pit Boss and tried it out with some ribs. Stupidly decided I would trust the built in thermometer to do its job. Thought about sticking another probe in to track the temp, but decided to just trust it.
Mistake - must not have been anywhere close to temp. No fat rendered out, tough as hell. Ended up with crappy ribs and no data -- my own fault; I knew better. Threw them in the fridge to try and salvage with a low and slow oven cook tonight.
I guess thermometers are like anything else: One is none and two is one.

 

[Petras]

I guess I should maybe have mentioned in my post that I do all my cooking on the top racks and the temperature difference between my top rack, and what the on board temp controller shows is usually around 50 degrees.... If I'm wanting my cook surface to be at 225, I need to have the controller set for 275-300.... a thermometer on the cook surface is always a good idea.

 

[Migrator Man]

Didn’t know the vertical pit bosses were any good. When I was looking years ago they had horrible reviews. Might have to look into one now!