Pellet smoker

[Justfishing]

I bought a pellet smoker a year ago. Before that I had a cheap vertical smoker. The racks were not very big so you couldnt do a a brisket and the temp control was so poor I didnt do ribs.

The good about the pellet smoker is ease of use, size and temperature control. The bad is the not great smoky flavor.

I try to keep the temperature as low as possible for as long as possible. Supposedly this increases the smoke output as well as gives more time to absorb smoke flavor. I also use a smoke tube. I have been using pitboss pellets. The fruit wood pellets are the least flavorful. Competition blend is better but not great.

I have recently tried peach paper instead of foil for wrapping. It does help maintain a better crust.

Are there better pellets that give more smoke flavor? What about using real wood chips in a small smoke box?

 

[4Waters]

I use 2 smoke tubes and cold smoke the brisket for an 1-1.25 hours before turning the smoker on and leave the meat in the smoker while it's coming up to temp.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Are there better pellets that give more smoke flavor? What about using real wood chips in a small smoke box?

I use these... https://bbcharcoal.com/product/championship-blend-wood-pellets/

I also use butcher paper vs anything else for wrapping and I don't necessarily do it the same as others.

 

[4Waters]

 

[wallnutz]

I bought a pellet smoker a year ago. Before that I had a cheap vertical smoker. The racks were not very big so you couldnt do a a brisket and the temp control was so poor I didnt do ribs.

The good about the pellet smoker is ease of use, size and temperature control. The bad is the not great smoky flavor.

I try to keep the temperature as low as possible for as long as possible. Supposedly this increases the smoke output as well as gives more time to absorb smoke flavor. I also use a smoke tube. I have been using pitboss pellets. The fruit wood pellets are the least flavorful. Competition blend is better but not great.

I have recently tried peach paper instead of foil for wrapping. It does help maintain a better crust.

Are there better pellets that give more smoke flavor? What about using real wood chips in a small smoke box?

B&B are good pellets. I like Camp Chef also and they are easily found. I don't care for the Traeger pellets, I think they leave an ashy taste.

 

[Mr. C]

View attachment 1060968

Okay, ignorance is bliss. lol
I assume you are just filing the the smoke tubes with pellets and they heat up as the smoker heats up and produce more smoke.

 

[4Waters]

Okay, ignorance is bliss. lol
I assume you are just filing the the smoke tubes with pellets and they heat up as the smoker heats up and produce more smoke.

No, here is a video. This guy sounds like Yogi the bear, I'd LMAO if he said Hey Hey Boo Boo.

I let it burn out and re-light it 2 more times, when it burns out the 3rd time I lay it down in the smoker with the meat and let it cold smoke then fire the smoker up leaving those in there for the duration of the cook.

 

[Justfishing]

Okay, ignorance is bliss. lol
I assume you are just filing the the smoke tubes with pellets and they heat up as the smoker heats up and produce more smoke.

You fill the smoke tube. Light it on the open end and the burn slowly travels from one end to the other.

 

[ltbaney1]

Smoke tube is a good option that i use every now and then. another is to lower the chimney cap if yours has one. i find if i drop my cap to just about 1/2" open it holds the smoke much better. i normally run my cap about 1-1/2" open after the first 2 hours with brisket.

 

[sintax]

Smoke tube is about all you can do with the saw dust smokers. It does help though.

It’s just the nature of those cookers. The pellet smokers provide the least smoke of all of the cookers, maybe a toss up between an electric vert smoker…

 

[VooDooChildZ28]

Buying my traeger earlier this year is one of my biggest regrets. It doesn’t get hot enough to grill a steak, and doesn’t produce enough smoke to be a smoker. Yes even with one of those tubes. Pellet grills are worthless for “smoking” , not designed for true bbq. Unsure how they became so popular, my electric smoker $200 decimates my $800 pellet grill.

 

[TBI]

Lumberjack CharHickory Pellets are pretty much all I use anymore

 

[Brokeboatin221]

I have had my GMG for 3yrs now and have noticed anything over 200 and it doesn’t smoke anything but 150-200 and I don’t have any issues. I do my pork low and slow and the flavor has never disappointed me. Hats off to the wood burners but I’m lazy

 

[TBI]

Buying my traeger earlier this year is one of my biggest regrets. It doesn’t get hot enough to grill a steak, and doesn’t produce enough smoke to be a smoker. Yes even with one of those tubes. Pellet grills are worthless for “smoking” , not designed for true bbq. Unsure how they became so popular, my electric smoker $200 decimates my $800 pellet grill.

I bought a Traeger a few years ago, it was the biggest pile of shit I've ever owned

 

[Outdrive1]

I’ve had a wood smoker for years. I probably used it once/twice a year. Usually for a prime rib or pork shoulder. Bought a Traeger. I use it twice a week sometimes more. We cook skin on bone in chicken breasts. Chicken wings. Pork chops. Salmon. Reverse sear porterhouse. I did cookies this week in it too. We don’t really use it like a traditional smoker. But it’s way easier than the grill, and the taste is better. If I need to smoke a shoulder or brisket, I’ll break out the old real smoker. For dinner during the week, the pellet smoker kicks ass.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Buying my traeger earlier this year is one of my biggest regrets. It doesn’t get hot enough to grill a steak, and doesn’t produce enough smoke to be a smoker. Yes even with one of those tubes. Pellet grills are worthless for “smoking” , not designed for true bbq. Unsure how they became so popular, my electric smoker $200 decimates my $800 pellet grill.

I'm not a Traeger person..I have the weber one and had to rebuild it fully with gen 2 parts provided by weber...but mine will easily hit 600 degrees... You should easily be able to cook a steak on a Traeger.. many of my friends and neighbors do it. I can also go down to around 160* for heavy smoke then I usually cruise around 225 on most things low and slow.

I don't have many complaints...you should reach out to Traeger.. I know I was really unhappy early on till they worked the kinks out of mine. I have 15 or so people coming over next Sunday for my ribs, brisket, and kalbi...

 

[Brokeboatin221]

I smoke my steaks at 150-200 for an hour and then turn it up to 475 and sear them. Never had a bad steak since.

 

[Cdog]

sell it to some newB and buy a green egg or an off set. You'll never get the smoke & flavor you're looking for with pellets.

 

[Ballyhoo]

Buying my traeger earlier this year is one of my biggest regrets. It doesn’t get hot enough to grill a steak, and doesn’t produce enough smoke to be a smoker. Yes even with one of those tubes. Pellet grills are worthless for “smoking” , not designed for true bbq. Unsure how they became so popular, my electric smoker $200 decimates my $800 pellet grill.

Marketing has made them popular and they sell them in Costco. Its also an ease of use for many folks - plug it in, turn it on and you are smoking. My friend bought one and I was really surprised how poorly made they are.

 

[Waterjunky]

If I really want to do a steak or tri-tip I run my egg. If you want smoke, you need a smoker. My smoker is a pellet smoker and it works well for its job. That said I have a pellet grill that I use by far the most and love it also. Just need to use the correct tool for the task at hand. As for an all in one the pellet grill is one of the best "universal" tools. You need to remember that something that tries to do everything probably excels at nothing.

The second common issue starts with the words "I bought a Trager...."

 

[mash on it]

Offset wood smoker, that I added a propane burner for consistency. Keeps temps at 225 all day long, add wood as needed, about every 45 minutes to an hour. I've been using Avocado wood and peach wood for pork and mesquite for grilling steaks. Easily gets to 650°F for steaks.

Just cooked a cast iron deep dish pizza the other night, used apricot wood for the smoke flavor, ~400°F for 20 minutes or so.

Dan'l

 

[btaco35]

Lumberjack CharHickory Pellets are pretty much all I use anymore

+1 noticeable difference with quality pellets.

Our Smoking Pellets - BBQ Lumberjack wood pellets for smoking

Smoking pellets are as important as the cut of meat you choose if you want the best flavor. Our smoking pellets are the best you can buy.

bbqlumberjack.com

 

[sintax]

sell it to some newB and buy a green egg or an off set. You'll never get the smoke & flavor you're looking for with pellets.

sad but true, esp once you've had Austin bbq. Its impossible to replicate on anything but an offset.

I did just put my deposit on an offset, so I'm super stoked on getting to master that, i've been primarily using an egg for the last 6+ years with killer results. I did recently pickup a PK Grill that i've be using to do most of my grilling, its much more efficient to run and easier to move around than the big ol egg. I'll debate selling the egg once the new offset is built and tested.

 

[ArizonaKevin]

sad but true, esp once you've had Austin bbq. Its impossible to replicate on anything but an offset.

I did just put my deposit on an offset, so I'm super stoked on getting to master that, i've been primarily using an egg for the last 6+ years with killer results. I did recently pickup a PK Grill that i've be using to do most of my grilling, its much more efficient to run and easier to move around than the big ol egg. I'll debate selling the egg once the new offset is built and tested.

What did you put a deposit on?

One of these would be really fun to play with if I had the time/money https://fatstacksmokers.com/product/172/

 

[sintax]

What did you put a deposit on?

One of these would be really fun to play with if I had the time/money https://fatstacksmokers.com/product/172/

I put a deposit on the smaller brother of that one... the 80 gal

90 Gallon Tank Smoker (Mark II) - FatStack Smokers

Email us at [email protected] to order and PLEASE LEAVE A PHONE NUMBER. The demand for a direct flow, 1/4" thick, tank style smoker was so loud, we figured somebody had to make one the right way. That somebody is us. We heard your request for the slide-out main rack, and increased the...

fatstacksmokers.com

 

[ArizonaKevin]

I put a deposit on the smaller brother of that one... the 80 gal

90 Gallon Tank Smoker (Mark II) - FatStack Smokers

Email us at [email protected] to order and PLEASE LEAVE A PHONE NUMBER. The demand for a direct flow, 1/4" thick, tank style smoker was so loud, we figured somebody had to make one the right way. That somebody is us. We heard your request for the slide-out main rack, and increased the...

fatstacksmokers.com

Awesome, you'll have to let us know how it works. The 80 would probably be a better fit for me as I don't plan on cooking any more than 2 briskets at once

 

[sintax]

Awesome, you'll have to let us know how it works. The 80 would probably be a better fit for me as I don't plan on cooking any more than 2 briskets at once

my thoughts exactly. The 80 will cook a TON more than my existing egg so i'm stoked on that.

Sounds like you can cook 4 small briskets or 3 large ones on the 80, and you still have the whole upper rack to work with. Thats way more than i'd ever need since I dont run a catering company!

I'm sure it'll take me some time to get used to it since every pit has its own quirks, but i'm very excited to try my hand at a real smoker.

 

[Brokeboatin221]

Offset wood smoker, that I added a propane burner for consistency. Keeps temps at 225 all day long, add wood as needed, about every 45 minutes to an hour. I've been using Avocado wood and peach wood for pork and mesquite for grilling steaks. Easily gets to 650°F for steaks.

Just cooked a cast iron deep dish pizza the other night, used apricot wood for the smoke flavor, ~400°F for 20 minutes or so.

Dan'l

Can you show some pics of your bbq

 

[mash on it]

Can you show some pics of your bbq

This one with a propane burner on the side box.

Dan'l

 

[Brokeboatin221]

Nice my neighbor has that one. Had to edit this but any actual pictures of your burner upgrade?

 

[Cdog]

sad but true, esp once you've had Austin bbq. Its impossible to replicate on anything but an offset.

I did just put my deposit on an offset, so I'm super stoked on getting to master that, i've been primarily using an egg for the last 6+ years with killer results. I did recently pickup a PK Grill that i've be using to do most of my grilling, its much more efficient to run and easier to move around than the big ol egg. I'll debate selling the egg once the new offset is built and tested.

I desperately want a Lang offset but would still keep my BGE’s. I have a L & XL. Used the L tonight for chicken kabobs. Good stuff!!

 

[500bbc]

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Great smoke flavor, simple and quick.
16# Turkey 1:45.