# How much smoke?



## John.U (May 2, 2021)

I'm using my Pit Boss Pro Series II 4 Series for the first time.  I've done the burn in.  I'm smoking a rack of ribs at 225 degrees.  There doesn't seem to be very much smoke.  I can see the inside of the smoker easily.  The ribs seem to be cooking nicely as I seen juices dripping.  How much smoke should there be, as a rule of thumb?

Thanks!


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## SmokingUPnorth (May 2, 2021)

When I had my pellet smoker I would start around 180* for an hour it produced a lot more smoke. After that I’d turn it to the temp I wanted. I always used a rule of thumb. If you smell smoke, then your smoking. You should just see a thin hard to see blue smoke trail coming out of your smoker. Also I used lumberjack pellets and they had more flavor than any others I’ve used.


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## smokerjim (May 2, 2021)

The higher the temp with pellet smokers the less smoke you'll get. Probably what your seeing is normal. I use a amnps tube in mine for extra smoke.


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## sandyut (May 2, 2021)

SmokingUPnorth said:


> When I had my pellet smoker I would start around 180* for an hour it produced a lot more smoke. After that I’d turn it to the temp I wanted. I always used a rule of thumb.


this is exactly what I do.


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## Dirty Steve (May 11, 2021)

I have the same model. I screw the cap down on top to try and trap more of the smoke in. Also I recently added a smoke tube. Depending on what I’m smoking I like to get more smoke flavor on and that really helps.


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## bill1 (May 11, 2021)

In a pellet grill,  lower temp helps--you can increase it later.  And I add variable resistance in line with the fan too, to slow down the flow so for a fixed temp, I'm doing more smoking of wood and less burning.   One poster here has claimed a pulse-width-modulated light dimmer will do the trick.  
And as noted you can add smoker tubes.  In my case it's a frying pan with pellets & chips in place of the factory heat diffuser.


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## Bearcarver (May 11, 2021)

John.U said:


> I'm using my Pit Boss Pro Series II 4 Series for the first time.  I've done the burn in.  I'm smoking a rack of ribs at 225 degrees.  There doesn't seem to be very much smoke.  I can see the inside of the smoker easily.  The ribs seem to be cooking nicely as I seen juices dripping.  How much smoke should there be, as a rule of thumb?
> 
> Thanks!



Tip: A Light "Thin" Smoke for Many Hours is always Great.
A Heavy "Thick" Smoke is Never good, no matter how long or short it is.

Bear


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## bill1 (May 12, 2021)

The nose knows.  How is your patio smelling?  Can you smell a little smoke?  Or is it like your kitchen, where the only smells are meat smells?  
Esp for beginners, it's best to start  conservative (ie follow the manufacturer's instructions) and season to taste afterwards.  Lowering the initial cook temperature, hence extending the cook time, is a tried and true trick for more smoke flavor, should you wish to go that route.  However many prefer a light smoke flavor.   
Modifying fan speed (per my prior post)  is pretty hardcore....sorry, that was pretty bad advice for where you are right now.


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