The Pit Boss Navigator 3-series Digital Vertical Electric Pellet Smoker With Wi-Fi &Bluetooth Capability is designed for those who love to barbecue (and enjoy BBQ) from their own backyard. Fueled with 100% all-natural hardwood pellets so you can craft mouthwatering smoked food from one easy-to-use machine. Now outfitted with a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connected control board for even more convenience during your BBQ session. From adjusting your grill's temperature, to monitoring meat doneness, you can do it all with the Pit Boss Grills app. This smoker is equipped with our best features like 4 caster wheels for easy transportation, a high-temperature cabinet door seal, rapid igniter, easy ash management, hopper sight glass, and so much more. Backed by the Pit Boss best-in-class 5 Year warranty, so you can grill confidently for years to come.
After comparing several Pit Boss vertical grills, I chose the Navigator 3 vertical smoker to replace my Pit Boss model PBV4PS1. The Navigator is a smaller grill with 200 square feet less cooking space than the PBV4PS1, but it still has five conventional racks for cooking and room to add additional if necessary. Furthermore, the Navigator 3 Series vertical pellet smoker included various desirable features such as a side shelf, rapid fire ignitor, temperatures in 5-degree increments, and Bluetooth.
One aspect I was debating while attempting to choose my smoker was the VST Technology; however, I brought a smoke tube to fulfill that purpose.
My grill's burn-in process was simple, and there were no issues when it started up.
I would recommend that you do read the manual for startup procedures prior to using your grill. As a previous Pit Boss user, I did not initially prime my smoker and kept hearing a loud thump as the grill was priming—it has eventually subsided as I use the grill, but I sometimes hear the thump.
As many other reviews have mentioned, this grill's temperature varies. When I set my grill to 250 degrees, it initially rises to 260-265 degrees. However, after about 15 minutes or less, it returns to the specified temperature. Like other grills, when I open the door, the temperature drops to 20-30 degrees, but it quickly returns to the appropriate range and stays there.
Lessons learned before my first my first cook and from YouTube, I placed aluminum foil in my water pan as well as grease shield (aids in easier cleanup), a few pellets in the burn pot and turned the grill up to 300 degrees during the start-up before lowering it to my target cooking temperature. Supposed to assist maintain the temperature more consistent.
My first cook, Thanksgiving morning, the outside temperature was 28 degrees with a high of 38, so I had to set the grill at a higher temperature than I desired, which also meant cooking for a longer period of time. Regardless, the crisp winter air and delicious aroma of the smoker as I smoked my turkey, mac & cheese, collard greens, and green bean casserole made Thanksgiving even more enjoyable. Looking for warming blanket for many other winter smokes…
One of my personal drawbacks was having to adjust to a smaller grill over the PBV4PS1, as well as a smaller and shallower water pan—needless to say, I am happy with this smoker. One other drawback is that in order to operate the door’s bottom latch, the side shelf must be in the raised position. For my second cook of spare ribs, baked beans, meatloaf, and a small ham, the grill supported my cook, and everything turned out perfect. I am very much looking forward to many other smokes on the grill but without the smoke tube.. Milty. Ozark, MO. Thu Dec 18 2025
