Camp Chef XXL WiFi Vertical Pellet Smoker - PGVXXLC

We tried ordering this in May. It was out of stock which wasn't a big deal. They had guessed it would be in stock in June or July. In July we call back to see the status and they told us it looks like it will be available in August. Again, no problem we understand there are delays with everything right now. They do a pre-authorization charge in July and everything is good. Come August we haven't heard anything so we call back again and are told October by one person and November by another. November rolls by and we hear nothing. So now it's been about 7 months of us waiting on this. Then randomly 2 weeks before Christmas they decide to charge us for the smoker which was over $800. Because we had no warning and no notice and it was so close to Christmas we not only get an overdraft charge from our bank but also from Camp Chef. Merry Christmas to us. We received the smoker and in the instructions it says there is a part called the Feed Gasket that the Hopper Tube goes through. We did not receive this part. 2 of the screws on the outside of the main part of the smoker were put in at an angle and stripped as they were put in so now they stick out halfway. This was something already done before I received the item. From the service to the product itself and having to wait as long as I did, this was a pretty terrible experience as a customer.

Great smoker that can hold a lot of meat. Especially love the PID thermometer controller, it's super accurate at keeping the smoker at the right temp within +/- 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit and we all know how important that is. The WiFi feature is nice but the Bluetooth phone interface loses connection and you have to pair with your phone often if you're farther than 25' or so. Not sure if that can be fixed via an app update or not. If you're not looking for a grill type smoker, this is the way to go especially if you want to smoke several pieces of meat at the same time. Only con is it's somewhat cumbersome to clean the inside. I had grease building up on the bottom of the smoker and had to scrap it out using a putty knife. The grease tray doesn't seem to catch it all and drip it into the bucket. Not sure if if you can spray the inside with a hose/power washer because there's not really any way to get rid of the water other than through the burner pull out hole where the pull our rod is. Definitely recommend if you're a seriously into smoking meats.

Had my xxl for 3 months and 8 smokes. Most amazing smoker ever. Set it and forget it. Slight learning curve but the more I use it the better the out come. Purchased 2 smoke tubes to get more smoke flavor. Ready to do my first brisket. .

As a novice smoker I was really worried about final products and a learning curve. After some initial cooks and glowing reviews from friends and family members, that anxious feeling is gone. The connectivity is so nice for someone who has no clue how long is long enough. The temperature stability of the PID is excellent and the smoke adjustment setting is very useful as the wife wants some smoke flavor but not to be smacked in the face by it. I have yet to push the capacity or cold smoke which may be in the cards for this weekend. The wait for the one I truly wanted without settling for another brand was well worth it.

Looked at a lot of vertical pellet smokers and narrowed it down to this one. I ordered it and it was back ordered but it arrived perfectly much earlier than the expected date. The packaging was great everything was in pristine shape no shipping damage, instructions were very simple and all of the hardware was labeled perfectly. Used it for the first time on a brisket turned out great! It was easy to use had a couple issues connecting with the app but those went away. I would definitely buy this one again!

They updated the software and now it is no longer useful.

They updated the software and now it is no longer useful.

I ordered the XXL online through outdoor living.com. The Smoker arrived via FEDEX and was damaged in several places - badly bent door, damaged hopper inlet, damage to the powder coating. I called Campchef's customer service, sent them pictures, and they offered me $150 refund if I could fix the damage myself or a complete exchange for a new one. The damage was too severe so I opted for a new one. The new smoker arrived in a few days with no damage. I packed up the old, FEDEX picked it up at no cost to me, and all is well. The. Smoker works great. As a novice, the learning curve is steep but I am getting great results. I love the simple ash clean out, drippings pickup and hopper emptying shoot. The app, temp probes, and accessories - great stuff. We just purchased the blanket for NE winter smoking - really heavy duty. Will try it out this week. I passed on Grill style smokers because they are just too small. Will get a Komodo grill this spring for searing, grilling, etc. For pure smoking, this is the real deal! Thank you Camp Chek.

I ordered this on December 12 as a Christmas present. Told that it would ship in 5 to 7 days. Only when I began to inquire I found out that it was backordered and not expected until March.

1 user found this review unhelpful

I bought the XXL about 6 months ago and have used it to cook over 500lbs of meat as I run a BBQ catering operation. From brisket, turkey, and low smoked salmon this smoker has been amazing and greatly exceeded my expectations. Love the amount of cooking space as it rivals any other pellet grill out there. I am hoping the folks at Camp Chef come out with a XXXL because I will be first in line to purchase.