just cant get that smoke flavor!

ctc deezuk · Apr 20, 2016

been messing around with my GMG for about 6 months now. Ive used GMG brand pellets and tried all sorts of rubs, injections, soaking, etc.. Nothing seems to come up with that good smoke flavor and just tastes bland... I have thought about it and am wondering if I need to tighten down my vent atop the smoke stack, ya know to kind of suffocate the chamber?

Heres some stuff I have done... most of its juicy and has a great char, but lacks that kick...

http://i.imgur.com/Xl9IMYq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/N7uzYlC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/H4o3bN0.jpg

seenred · Apr 21, 2016

CTC DEEZUK said:
been messing around with my GMG for about 6 months now. Ive used GMG brand pellets and tried all sorts of rubs, injections, soaking, etc.. Nothing seems to come up with that good smoke flavor and just tastes bland... I have thought about it and am wondering if I need to tighten down my vent atop the smoke stack, ya know to kind of suffocate the chamber?

Heres some stuff I have done... most of its juicy and has a great char, but lacks that kick...

http://i.imgur.com/Xl9IMYq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/N7uzYlC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/H4o3bN0.jpg

Hello CTC Deezuk,

First off...looks like this is your first post...so welcome aboard!

This is a very common complaint from new pellet cooker owners. A pellet grill burns more cleanly than most other types of smokers, so the amount of smoke flavor in the final product is often more subtle. If it were me, I wouldn't mess with the air flow...that could have other less desirable effects on your cooker's performance. But there are other ways to increase the smoke flavor it produces.

The first is to try some kind of added smoke generating device. Most (including me) us an A-Maze-N Tube smoker to add extra smoke. Others use a Smoke Daddy or other smoke generating device. Another thing to try is different pellets...IMO, the pellets you burn do make a difference. I notice a heavier smoke flavor from CookinPellets 100% Hickory or B&B Mesquite pellets than any other pellets I've tried.

The bottom line is, because of the way a pellet cooker is designed, you'll never get the heavy smoke flavor that many people using charcoal or stick burning smokers get. Because of that, there are some folks who are never very happy with pellet smoking.

I hope that helps...

Red

ctc deezuk · Apr 21, 2016

Thank you!

Looks like I will be trying a different brand of pellets. If that doesn't help then I guess I'm just going to get out of the hobby.

Thanks!

SmokinAl · Apr 21, 2016

Try the Amazen tube.

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Al

essexsmoker · Apr 21, 2016

Pellet smokers give a subtle smoke flavour because you get constant thin blue smoke. This is good.

You'll notice that when it starts up you get quite thick smoke. This is due to the lower temp.

If you cook at a lower temp for a while you will get heavier smoke in the chamber.
Try a couple of hours at 185 or such like. Then try 3 hours if it's not smokey enough.

Just experiment.

I'd rather have the subtle smoke any day than the heavy acrid smoke you can get from other methods.

essexsmoker · Apr 21, 2016

Pellet smokers give a subtle smoke flavour because you get constant thin blue smoke. This is good.

You'll notice that when it starts up you get quite thick smoke. This is due to the lower temp.

If you cook at a lower temp for a while you will get heavier smoke in the chamber.
Try a couple of hours at 185 or such like. Then try 3 hours if it's not smokey enough.

Just experiment.

I'd rather have the subtle smoke any day than the heavy acrid smoke you can get from other methods.

HalfSmoked · Apr 21, 2016

Sorry can't help you with a pellet smoker but would like to welcome you to forum. Hope you get it worked out the guys here will try their best to help you as you can see.

chef jimmyj · Apr 21, 2016

Don't get out! A small investment in the AMNTS Tube and you got an easy to use Hot or Cold smoker and grill. You can't really get a Jack of all Trades like a Pellet Pooper and expect it to ALL styles of cooking well...JJ

ctc deezuk · Apr 24, 2016

I will give one of these tubes a try next time I smoke something.

Thanks!

seenred · Apr 24, 2016

CTC DEEZUK said:
I will give one of these tubes a try next time I smoke something.

Thanks!

Definitely try the tube...and also experiment with different pellet brands/flavors. Another tip that I forgot was covered by essexsmoker...your cooker will make more smoke at lower temps, so definitely experiment with running it between 180 and 225 for the first hour or 2 of your cook...then you can crank the temp up to finish cooking. This should give you more smoke flavor.

I strongly agree with JJ's advice...don't be too quick to give up on it! A pellet grill is a very versatile cooker, and with some experimenting, you may find the "sweet spot" and really like the food it puts out. I've been cooking on my pellet pusher for 3 years...and I'm very happy with it! I use it for both slow smoking and hot-n-fast grilling all the time!

Good luck!

Red

ctc deezuk · Dec 25, 2019

BUMP!

Have done dozens of smokes since this thread and still no flavor. I did 2 briskets and a butt yesterday. Started at 190 and worked my way up, smoke tube rolling and all..... different pellets(have tried 5 brands now)... ZERO smoke flavor....

ctc deezuk · Dec 25, 2019

gmc2003 · Dec 25, 2019

What did you use before the pellet pooper?

Chris

ctc deezuk · Dec 25, 2019

First smoker

RCAlan · Dec 25, 2019

ctc deezuk said:
BUMP!

Have done dozens of smokes since this thread and still no flavor. I did 2 briskets and a butt yesterday. Started at 190 and worked my way up, smoke tube rolling and all..... different pellets(have tried 5 brands now)... ZERO smoke flavor....

I was in the same situation as You... I gave just about device and brand of bbq pellets a try and still no real hardwood smoke flavor that I was looking for in my bbq from my pellet grill. Finally, I bought the Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Smoke Gen. Canister and it changed everything.. The Smoke generated from the SD Magnums P is real hardwood smoke and not pellet smoke... and the smoke production is completely independent from the pellet grills smoke. It’s like converting your pellet grill into a offset smoker. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review...ve_star&pageNumber=1&tag=smokingmeatforums-20
I posted a thread here with some great info and everything I did to get it dialed in. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...t-pro-pid-upgrade-for-my-pb-austin-xl.291288/
It’s a long read, but if you’re truly tired of the light Smoke flavor profile produced by your pellet grill, then read the entire tread. The SD Magnum P. will definitely solve your grills problem of the lack of real hardwood smoke flavor that you’re missing in your bbq. FYI... If You do decide to get one, it’s best to buy it directly from SmokeDaddyinc.com and not Amazon... I saved over $50.00 in shipping costs by buying directly from SD’s website. and Happy Holidays to You and yours.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

UGAsmokin · Dec 25, 2019

seenred said:
Hello CTC Deezuk,

First off...looks like this is your first post...so welcome aboard!

This is a very common complaint from new pellet cooker owners. A pellet grill burns more cleanly than most other types of smokers, so the amount of smoke flavor in the final product is often more subtle. If it were me, I wouldn't mess with the air flow...that could have other less desirable effects on your cooker's performance. But there are other ways to increase the smoke flavor it produces.

The first is to try some kind of added smoke generating device. Most (including me) us an A-Maze-N Tube smoker to add extra smoke. Others use a Smoke Daddy or other smoke generating device. Another thing to try is different pellets...IMO, the pellets you burn do make a difference. I notice a heavier smoke flavor from CookinPellets 100% Hickory or B&B Mesquite pellets than any other pellets I've tried.

The bottom line is, because of the way a pellet cooker is designed, you'll never get the heavy smoke flavor that many people using charcoal or stick burning smokers get. Because of that, there are some folks who are never very happy with pellet smoking.

I hope that helps...

Red

UGAsmokin · Dec 25, 2019

Count me in on those that don't like any other heat source other than charcoal/wood. If you enjoy smoking and enjoy the work involved the bark and taste of a good offset smoker just can't be beat. I'd recommend the reverse flow for temp control. No hot spots. Add a pan of water and you're set.

sweetride95 · Dec 26, 2019

Instead of trying to make your pellet grill something it isn't, I would pick up a Weber kettle and a Slow n Sear charcoal basket for it too. Take the time to learn that setup, and you can easily get any amount of smoke flavor your looking for. It's not "set and forget", but with practice gets pretty close.

sawhorseray · Dec 26, 2019

UGAsmokin said:
Count me in on those that don't like any other heat source other than charcoal/wood. If you enjoy smoking and enjoy the work involved the bark and taste of a good offset smoker just can't be beat. I'd recommend the reverse flow for temp control. No hot spots. Add a pan of water and you're set.

I agree 100%, sounds like ctc isn't going to be happy with anything short of a offset after trying tubes and different pellet brands. Maybe the Smoke Daddy Magnum P.I.G. Smoke Gen. Canister that RCAlan recommends will do the trick. I love my SQ36 offset and the hardwood smoke flavor it brings to meat. It is work to maintain heat control, but it's the kind of work you get to enjoy doing in your backyard while quaffing a barley pop or two. I wouldn't recommend rushing out and buying a offset before actually seeing what it takes to do a smoke on one, they aren't for everybody. Feeding the firebox every half hour looks easy enough, but when that porkbutt is getting into it's ninth hour not all folks will want to be investing that kind of time and attention. It's like just about anything else in life, you'll get out of it what you're will to put in. A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits. RAY

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