Grills PBV3A1 Electric Smoker, Blue Hammertone, 684 sq inches

This smoker is for sure worth the money. It has many great features and holds heat well enough to get the job done to a high degree of perfection. The inside is large and can hold briskets, ribs, chicken, and other types of roasts, no problem at all. Today, I’m smoking a 31 pound brisket with no trouble at all. The front door opens wide, making the inside easily accessible, especially for cleaning. And the water pan below is also nice because its large capacity means fewer refills during the cook, which can also lower temps. Another really nice feature is the large wood/chip tray. It holds lots of chips and, if you soak them 15 minutes before, results in fewer refills and undesirable temp drops. This is my second time using it. The first time, the brisket came out beautifully. I expect the same this second time around. As for its ability to properly hold the heat. I’ve read many reviews that seem to suggest an issue there. This, in my view and increasing experience, is an issue without a real problem. For one, smoking an 18 plus pound brisket is a low and slow proposition, not a fast cook. You’re looking at a 12 hour cook anyway—at a minimum. You also need low temps: 225-250, no more. With this information, the Pit Boss has no problem with maintaining these temperatures and producing professional results. But, don’t forget to calculate outside temperature, weather, etc. When it’s cold out, do your smoking in a garage, if you have one. In a garage, you’ll want to be mindful of clearances from combustible materials, such as walls and ceilings, but this is pretty well spelled out in the owner’s manual. If it’s raining, you might want to hold off as you can damage the electrical components in such weather, waiting till the environment is more favorable to your competition ambitions, as ambient outside temps do affect the inside temperature of the smoker. But, this is true of pretty much all smokers. If I were to choose something about the smoker I don’t like, I’d say the door thermometer needs to be replaced with a reliable, high-quality digital thermometer. Of course, this is by no means a deal breaker, but the built-in door thermometer is highly inaccurate. The solution is simple. Buy a meat probe that comes with an oven-rack clip. Connect the clip to one of the shelves, preferably one without any food on it, then thread your probe through it, snaking the wire out of the smoker, closing the door. Connect it to the thermometer unit and you’re off, with a way to accurately gauge the inside temp of your smoker. Just set the unit on top of the smoker and you’re good to go. Ok, hope this helps other backyard warriors! S

I had high hopes for this Pit Boss smoker, but unfortunately it has been nothing but a disappointment from the moment it arrived. Out of the box, several panels were bent, and the sides were visibly warped. Because of this, the door will not close properly or seal at all, which completely defeats the purpose of a smoker. I tried adjusting and reseating parts, but the misalignment is clearly a manufacturing defect, not user error. Even worse, the smoker will not reach proper cooking temperatures. The highest temperature I could get it to reach was about 200°F, which makes it essentially useless for smoking or grilling. A smoker that can’t get hot enough is not a smoker. For the price, I expected far better build quality and basic functionality. Instead, I received a unit that feels cheaply made, poorly assembled, and unusable. Cons: • Warped sides • Bent pieces • Door will not close or seal • Won’t heat past 200°F • Poor overall construction I would not recommend this smoker to anyone. Save your money and look for a better-built brand.

Got this for Christmas. Was a bit worried because of reviews concerning not getting to temp and customer service issues. Almost caused me to return it. However, it’s been great so far. No issues. Good quality and produces good smoke. Since I haven’t had issues I can’t speak to Customer Service. I also have a Weber Smoky Mountain which is a bit more manual, but I find to results to be pretty comparable. Seems like nice product at a good price. Love the window on front. Was concerned if I could keep it clean, but pretty easy.

It works great but the thermostat is very inaccurate. Had to buy an external thermostat to et accurate temperature readings.

Great job it does. 👍

I've been using this smoker regularly for about a year now, maybe more I don't know. Here's what you need to know: it's basically a toaster oven with some wood chips in the bottom, no real fire. So, if like me you have an apartment balcony where grills are banned, this might be a good loophole. The downside is that you need a little fire to make good smoke and the quality of your meat will suffer for the convenience. The temperature control is useless. I turn it to full power and if the sun is shining, I can hold about 230 degrees Fahrenheit. If it's cold and cloudy or rainy it might not even break 200. So be ready to involve the oven in your cooks. You can make some pretty good bbq if this is what you have to have though. Here's what I've learned. Soak some of your wood chips, it'll stop the wood from all burning up at once Don't ever fill the wood tray fully with wood and don't empty it out, let the ash hang out in there Leave the wood tray sticking out a bit for more air flow Overall, I would not recommend this product if you have alternatives. There are plenty of smokers from Pit Boss and others that will give you a better finished bbq product for a similar cost and effort. If you can't have a real fire though, this is better than nothing.

An amazing Smoker. My husband lives it.

I had this thing less than 6 months. Tried to start it the other week, it won’t start. I tried again today to fix it and still won’t start. Even when it did start temp would never get over 225, which I lived with cause I do t tend to smoke much over that anyway. I used this thing overall, maybe, 10 times and it won’t start. It’s a shame because aside from the temp not going past 225 I really did like this smoker at first. Lots of room, easy to put together, easy to use, but this sucks for the price I paid. Now of course I’m past my return date so I can’t even return. Be nice if this company would reach out and make this right but I won’t hold my breath