Pit Boss
Pit Boss Navigator 3-Series Vertical Pellet Smoker
A vertical pellet cabinet, not a pellet grill with a lid — five racks stacked in an insulated cabinet with an auger-fed burn pot at the base and a chimney above, so heat and smoke rise past every rack in sequence. That is the opposite of a horizontal pellet grill, where a diffuser plate spreads heat sideways. This is Pit Boss's replacement for the Copperhead 3-Series name and carries a 50 lb hopper and WiFi.
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Specifications
Features
Pros
- ✓1,118 sq in over five racks in a small floor footprint — far more capacity per square foot of patio than a horizontal pellet grill
- ✓50 lb hopper means multi-day jerky or sausage runs without refilling
- ✓130°F low end is genuinely lower than most pellet cookers and covers jerky, sausage and fish
- ✓5-year limited warranty is double what Masterbuilt and Char-Broil offer on comparable cabinets
- ✓WiFi plus Bluetooth with three probe ports, one probe in the box
- ✓Viewing window lets you check rack loads without dumping cabinet heat
Cons
- ✗420°F ceiling with no direct-flame zone — this cabinet cannot sear, and chicken skin will need a finishing grill
- ✗Vertical stacking means the bottom rack runs hotter than the top; rotating racks mid-cook is part of using it
- ✗Grease drains to a rear drawer that is easy to forget and unpleasant when it overflows
- ✗Pellet cabinets produce lighter smoke than charcoal at the same temperature, despite the vertical airflow
- ✗Needs mains power and a level surface; the caster wheels do not handle grass or gravel well
Compare the Pit Boss Navigator 3-Series Vertical Pellet Smoker
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