5 Tips For Beginners | Pit Boss Vertical Pellet Smoker 

Answering your Top 5 BBQ Questions here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A7QdO6CmpHk.html

One thing I started doing that I picked up in the pit boss forums was to use the water pan that comes with the verticals as a heat shield. I place the water pan about an inch above the heat shield over the burn pot and line it with foil. Then the next rack, about 2 to 3 inches higher, i put a disposable tin foil pan that I fill with water. This has been a game changer for me. I made my profile picture my set up so you can see it easier.

Quick tip. I use Simple Green to clean my glass. Its eco friendly and food safe. No scrubbing needed. Grease and smoke easily comes off, even if the surface is cold. Great videos!

First time smoker ever and just got my Pit Boss pellet smoker, very appreciative of this video.

Great video sir! Great tips for newbie pellet smokers. This unit will be my first pellet smoker. Graduated from the old school offset. Lost a lot of sleep with her but was still fun. Picked up the masterbuilt electric with the side cold smoker accessory. Made outstanding briskets with that, but the build is pretty cheap. This unit looks perfect for what I need. I will follow your maintenance tips. Thank you

Picking up my first series 5 today...pork butt waiting in the fridge. Your videos are a great help...Thank You!!

I didn’t get the pellet one but I got the other one at Walmart for 50 percent off and thanks for this video. Now I know how to keep her clean 🧽

Thanks for the video, your videos have helped me to choose the Pit Boss as a smoker. Just FYI, steam at atmospheric pressure is 248 degrees Fahrenheit.

Great stuff, and the editing is on point!

Great tips...thank you. Here's anithrr tip...use large heavy-duty foil to line water pan....it cleans up much easier...just dump liquid and remove foil.

Really awesome tips my dude! I just got this as an early Christmas present and I want to maximize my efforts moving from a propane smoker. You have definitely boosted by confidence. Thank you!

Great vid! Thanks for taking the time. New to smoking and just ordered a Pitboss! Learning from you while I wait for it to arrive!

Mike, thanks to your awesome videos I decided to get the 5 series smoker. I just finished the burn in and the unit is cooling down. Thank you for all your videos that made the decision easier.

I am so thrilled to have found your channel. I have the Pit Boss 4 and most of the smoking videos are from guys that have green eggs or yoders or other smokers. Yours is the same setup as mine. It helps me with my smoking.

Thanks. I'm old school charcoal smoker guy. New to pellets. Very good Video

This is GOLD hints, thanks so much for doing this. Brilliance!👏👏😊

Thank you for the 6 tips it’s definitely going to come in very handy!

Just bought one and dude you’ve help me get started cheers from downunder

Great Advise.... Thank you very much. Doing my first pellet smoke tomorrow!!

Great info! I just used my smoker last weekend for the first time.. LOVE IT!

Thanks buddy love seeing a video frome a fellow ohioion! But just got the pit boss 7 series upright smoker and everything i have cooked on it turned out perfect so far, thanks for the videos love your recipes!!!!!

Mr. Buckeye it is beast mode here in SoDak. Temp 95 and heat index at 107. I give it 24-48 hours to Cleveland. Supposed to have thunderstorms tomorrow. So thought today good day to run the Pit Boss VS. I had a pot roast in the freezer, the kind you toss in the slow cooker with veggies, and I thought what the heck. Everything is a learning experience, right? Got it all defrosted by last night and seasoned it up lightly with my favorite season all, wrapped it in foil and overnight in the fridge. Thanks for the tip about cleaning the cabinet temp probe. I never thought of that. You mentioned in four chuck roast video about opening the stack more. I kept mine pretty well screwed down thinking it’d keep the smoke in more. I opened mine up more like you suggested. Thank you. The one benefit I noticed right off the wild temp swings I was experiencing were reduced. Little more fine tuning and I may get it down pat. I asked you about a baked potato. Today I scrubbed and pricked one and put it in at the same time as the meat. 5 1/2 hours when my meat hit 160pulled it. Potato still hard, think the secret there would be to either pre=bake it in the oven first or parboil it the finish it in the smoker. Lessons learned and you keep right on feeding those good tips. Thanks again.

I found that an easy way to remind how long I’m cooking is to use an app. A new one came out that works well for me called pellet grill minder.

Thank you sir! You have been a Huge help in getting started.

Good job WW - I learned a lot

very nice info on that smoker friend

Awesome tips Mike! You’re far better than I at cleaning your smoker after. :)

Very Kool Video, Thanks for the Tips. I’m thinking about getting one of these smokers😎

4-29-20 just bought a series 5 copperhead,besides getting me hungry,i figured it was x for a vertical smoker. have a pit boss 3 job pit(gas,lumb coal,smoker) but the smoker is not what i need any more,i am hooked on smoking an i just build my smoker,(wife said its better then buying a new truck,last weeks thinking!)well WARRIOR its time to come out and play.THANKS for all the info

Im picking up one tomorrow. Just found your channel. Liked and subbed. Great video with lots of tips for a FNG like me. LOL Thanks again

Enjoy your videos!! Keep up the great work!!

Great job presenting some awesome tips!

legend i have the same smoker so trying to learn as much as i can

Great tips! Subscribed👍

great tips...I just ordered one and Im a little nervous about doing a brisket since the last time I smoked one it turned out to be as tough as leather..

Awesome tips, thanks for sharing.

These are great tips I love my vertical smoker and have had no issues with it so far besides the first time I used it the ribs were a lot tougher then I would have liked, thanks for the video

Great tips, good explanation of each tip. I think I'm liking the this Pit Boss Smoker. Nicely Done. Thanks for sharing. 😎.

Good info Mike, thanks for sharing 😎

Awesome video!!

Great video Big boss man

Is there a recommended time for the 'smoke' setting?

Thanks , good videos, very helpful !

Mike. Great tips

You just sold me on this smoker.

Nice tips, thanks.

Can’t wait to use this

Subbed ya, My next video will be my Pit Boss Vertical series 7 I got today. Most likely doing pork shoulder or chuck roast. Cheers brother, 1st time seeing your videos, nice work.

I have a pit boss love it!

This is great info, thanks! I bought the 6 rack Louisiana vertical smoker from Costco (I heard made by Pit Boss but a different color). I've only made the small chicken parts and a pre cut pork tenderloin in medallion size. I previously had the small bullet smoker from the big box store & smoked better on that than this all pellet unit so it'll take some getting used to for me. Your cleaning tips were also terrific!

So I pulled the trigger on one because of your review- how do you easily get the pellets out at the end. I don't like to let them sit in fear of them clogging the systems. Is there an easy way other than funneling them out the hatch and then burning the rest

I find that using the owners manual suggestion of vinegar mixed with baking soda and the abrasive side of the kitchen sponge will make the smokiest glass look like new, no scraping needed.

I use the 2 series vertical wood smoker. I've done Ribs twice, Turkey twice, pork loin, Chicken wings twice and salmon, I've had the thing a little over month!

Can you recommend a thermometer. Thanks in advance

GREAT video, I had a quick question. I just got the series 5 copperhead. If I do an overnight cook, can I just add another water pan in? As in...will the machine still run and not be damaged if the base water pan evaporates but I have another water pan in there for back up? Thanks bud and keep up the great videos!

Thanks for the 7 tips

I can’t find the pit boss cleaner where I’m in Canada don’t know if it not here yet

Just watched your video, I’m new to smoking just burned in my Pit Boss Pro Series Vertical, i made 2 loins already and some steaks. I see where the pan at the bottom is for water 😅 I thought it was a grease catcher so am I gonna mess it up by not putting water in it?

Awesome video... just got the same smoker. Quick question - do you empty out the pellets entirely after every cook? I've read that if you leave some in the hopper/auger between cooks, they can get moist and enlarge and cause problems. Just curious what you've found. Worried about it b/c we live in a humid area but cleaning out of all pellets every time sounds like a huge pain.

Need your advice. Can you roast 4x 3kg beef roasts all at the same time?

Looking at getting me one for fathers day. Like all the tips but have question on 1 tip. Was always taught best to cook at room temp. If meat cold the grain of meat is tighter and when start cooking will make meat tough.

Also, if you're like me and use an extension cord outside, it does matter what you use. You'll want to use an extension cord that is rated for outdoor use. The industry standard is SJTW. The best gauge I've found so far for my pit boss copperhead 5 is 12. I wouldn't go any more than 25 ft in wire length this way you'll avoid any unnecessary resistance. I was using a standard orange 16 gauge 50 foot extension cord I got at Wal-Mart and it was causing my screen to dim so much that it was almost not visible 1 hour into the smoke day or night. It was also causing some temperature swings up to 340 when I had it set to 250. Reduced power, poorer performance as it effects all electronics.

I have the PIT BOSS PRO SERIES 4-SERIES VERTICAL WOOD PELLET SMOKER from lowes and Love it. The main issue I have is my front door was bent when I got it and I thought it was no big deal as I got a good buy on it. I realized later after my return period that its preventing it from forming a good enough seal =/

Hey Mike. Just bought one of these today. I was wondering what you thought about placing it on a deck under some tall trees. Any issue with cooking under tall trees?

Great info, Mike. Are you using pellets from Pit Boss or another brand? I only see Pit Boss and Louisiana Grill pellets here in Canada. The selection of woods for pellets are poor so it seems like the competition blend is the best option.

Sam’s sell Bounty but the bale. Great video Buckeye. We must have got ours about the same time. I always foil line the after pan on each cook. On the window I start with hot water with Dawn and a well used, soft, 3 M scrubbing pad and finish with Windex Blue and paper towels. If the weather holds thinking of a pot roast his Sunday. Curious. Have you tried baking a potato in yet? I’ve doe eggs. They weren’t bad. Good video.

Can you pull the shelves out and hang summer sausage from the top to smoke?

I have the series 5 and your videos are extremely helpful especially for a beginner like me. So super beginner question for you. I Noticed you put foil on top of water pan in a couple videos. Do you have to refill water throughout smoke? I notice water is gone about every 90 min or so. If the foil is on top, that would need to be removed each time I refill water. Thank you!

Howdy. Love your videos. Can you tell me what the smoke is? I cannot find an answer that explains this? Thank you in advance.

Appreciate the tips!

I want to spray some flavor to the ribs in between cook, can I pause it open the door to do that?

Hi Mike! I just recently bought the same smoker and have been following a lot of your videos. One question, how do you clear out all the pellets, the manual mentioned clearing them out after every smoke so they don't get wet. I'm finding it difficult to remove them all, and the small door on the back removes a good majority of them, but definitely leaves a few too many.

Does the unit come with hocks to hang and smoke sausage?

Ahhh I just bought this and trying to put it together

Good advice

great info thx

Thanks for advice #4 0000 steerl whool works better than a razor and wont scratch the glass i clean bugs off my car windshield with it.

What did you do when the pit boss door broken??

What kinda skin your get with that water pan? Would anyone choose a vertical over a horizontal pellet?

Underated video.

Can you use a steamer to clean the smoker????

Great video, great tips. Just wondering, how does electric compare to charcoal/woodfire smokers, apart from the obvious (more labor, more effort with the woodfire ones)? Is there a huge difference in taste/smell? ***complete newbie in this field***

Where do you place the water tray above or below the temp probe

For the grease thats being stubborn mix up some Dawn dish liquid with water apply it wait maybe 1 minute grease runs off.

How do you like the iWeber? I'm looking at getting a probe for my Jumbo Joe Premium and my Pit Boss 5 Series Vertical. Great video!

What's the orange grease cleaner you are using?

Thanks Mike!

Have you smoked hanging sausage,and can you buy an attachment for cold smoking? thank you and happy smoking trails ahead.

What kind of vinegar do you use in your spritz bottle? And what is the water vinegar mix amount? If you don't mind me asking.

Follow up question. Probably a silly question. If I want to make 3 briskets at the same time, should all 3 briskets be done at the same time or will the briskets on top racks take longer?

Water boils at 212...but steam can get much hotter. The water pan acts as a heat diffuser, heat capacitor, as well as adding moisture (steam) to the air.

im thinking about getting one of these..should i ? Pro's and Cons please..thanks

Quality pellets are necessary to. I prefer Lumberjack pellets. They have a better burn in my opinion

Been watching the videos for a few months now and I am pretty convinced this is the smoker for me. I do have a few questions that you may have answered in other videos that I missed but I would like to know before I pull the trigger. As I am gonna be using the tax returns for this endeavor. 1st is can you run other brand pellets in this smoker if my local store doesn't always have pit boss brand? 2nd can you hang meats in this smoker like when making homemade summer sausage or whole trout? 3rd do you know If they make a Insulated blanket for extreme weather conditions? I live in the rocky mountains and it gets really cold and I am they guy in the backyard when it's a blizzard grilling brats hahaha. I do have a covered area like yours in the back to keep it from getting snowed on. Anyway thank you for the great content and thanks in advance for answering my questions.

Can i keep the thermometer that came with my pitboss in the meat the whole time during smoking process??

any tips for doing jerky just purchased a pit boss vertical trying it tonight, one question I did have was do you fill the water pan for jerky.

Not sure how the ash from pellets is when cleaning it out but an old trick for combustion fireplace doors is to clean the glass with a paste made of the old ash and water…. Rub on with paper or cloth then wipe clean

What if u want different flavor for different meat after u put ya 20kilo bag in how u change that

Is it risky keeping pellets in the vertical Pit Boss smoker hopper? It worries me that they will absorb moisture, and clog the auger.

Hey Mike! What is the orange cleaner you use?