Newbie, Questions about Pit Boss Blue Blazing Series 3 Analog Smoker

[Sirdude]

I decided to get a Pit Boss Blue Blazing Series 3 smoker because it was 65% off and I thought, what the heck, why not? I have people close to me that use pit boss pellet digital smokers and they seemed extremely simple to use. But Im having a difficult time learning my analog smoker.

It says to turn the temp all the way up to high until the blue light comes on and then I can turn the temp down to whatever I want. Well if I turn it anywhere except all the way up, the lights turns off, it seems like the smoker turns off and the heat dies.

Whenever I keep the light on and the knob turned all the way up, it will start out getting up to 340-350 and then it will die down to 250 and stay there for the rest of the smoke after the first hour. Obviously this is annoying and super inconvenient and I can’t control the temp. Not sure what to do, I didn’t buy the warranty for the smoker. I know I should probably just scrap this smoker and get a digital one but I’m trying to hold out that some of this is just user error.

 

[Esox07]

Yes, that is completely normal behavior for the Pit Boss PBV3A1.

On this analog electric smoker model, the blue indicator light on the control knob is directly tied to the internal thermostat and heating element:

• Blue Light ON: The heating element is actively receiving power and heating up the cabinet.
• Blue Light OFF: The smoker has reached the target temperature you set on the dial. The internal thermostat temporarly shuts off power to the heating element so it doesn't overheat.

What to Expect During a Cook​

As you smoke, the blue light will cycle on and off repeatedly.

1. When the cabinet drops a few degrees below your set temperature, the thermostat clicks back on (blue light turns on).
2. Once the heating element brings the temperature back up to your target, the thermostat shuts it back down (blue light turns off).