Pit Boss Grills 77550 5.5 Pellet Smoker, 850 sq inch, Copper

Works perfectly and makes the best smoked meats!

This is not a direct review of the pit boss vertical smoker. I have it assembled and working well. I ordered one smoker and received a very damaged box. Not surprising as the smoker is heavy and made of quality materials. I unpacked the smoker and found it to be damaged beyond repair or use. Amazon shipped me a second smoker and instructed me to return the damaged smoker. Second box came in better condition so I did a quick glance over and saw no immediate damage. After complete assembly I went to open the pellet hopper and the lid was bent shut. I had to pull the lid assembly apart and do some repair work to get it functioning. I would absolutely buy the smoker again, but maybe from a store instead of Amazon and save myself the headache of shipping in subpar packaging.

I've only used it a few times but man it cooks great. I'm no expert and this is the second pellet smoker for me. I wore the first one out and gave it to my son. This one is so much easier to maintain. I love the big ole' hopper. If you're new to pellet smokers this IS the one for you.My one con is when you open the door be prepared to get smoke in your face.At this price point I'd buy another one in a heart beat.

Great smoker. Well made, tasty food, assembly was very time consuming and difficult. Overall, I’m happy with this purchase.

Assembly went well, everything lined up. Loaded with pellets and fired right up. Everything as advertised worked well, 4 stars since I have only used once. I smoked 20# of Jerky and what I like about the smoker is being able to get high heat that I need for a short while and will use in the future to roast or bake.

Makes the best ribs. Even had to bake some potato dishes in it for Christmas cause we didn’t have any more room In the oven. Just make sure to always have water in the drip pan so you don’t start a grease fire

My only complaint is that the smoker came with a bent door! so it doesn’t seal properly. Other than that I love it if the door wasn’t broken it would definitely be a 5 star. I cooked on it for the first time today and it was lovely.

No ax to grind, just facts -Item was slightly damaged by UPS upon delivery, Pit Boss mailed out replacement parts quickly, then the fun started. Premature positive feedback sent to Danson's (parent company) due to quick response.The control board display failed and a new one was sent. Tear down and R&R takes about an hour, unit runs for about a month and error codes appear when cooking/smoking above 300 degrees. New control board sent.Another 1hour+ R&R, and within a month same problem, shuts down above 300. Another long Customer Service call, tons of requested pic's sent, and another denial to access to a Supv., another control board and a temperature probe sent.Another 1hour R&R and the unit was set to 350. Stayed at 350 for a few minutes but screamed up to 520 degrees in moments. Shut her down, cooled, restarted, same result (on video - sent to Pit Boss). I'm told they sent the wrong control board. Asked for a Supv again, told they don't speak with customers.New control board and temp probe sent again. Another 1hour+ R&R, fire her up - same issue, temp shoots up to 520+ without shutting down. This is madness - someone needs to step in. Told again that no Supv will take call or email me. I asked them to offer me any solution other than to replace the same parts - non was made.After totaling the combined 20 hours of my time on support and repairs I called to let them know I was done - a Supervisor jumped on the phone. He offered a willing ear, yet no solution.Bottom line - electric pellet smokers are designed to set it and leave it for hours at a time. Had I done so I'm convinced the high heat would've caught the hopper on fire with 20-60lbs of pellets inside. Customer Service should be trained to offer real solutions, and Supervisors should intervene when shelf solutions don't work. Trust was gone, and no reasonable solution was offered. Amazon made an exception for me as a long time Prime member to soften the blow of this nightmare.Pit Boss acknowledges that they have a severe control panel problem, and expects the customer to live with it. Stay.Far. Away.