# Pellet Smokers - are these really concerns?



## illini40 (May 6, 2018)

Hello

I have been doing a lot of research on pellet smokers. I am really considering upgrading from my propane smoker for ease of use.

I keep seeing two "concerns" come up in regards to pellet smokers:

- Searing - lack of ability to sear a steak.
- Smoke - some experiences of too little smoke.

Are these valid concerns I should consider? Or, are they not that big of a deal?

For reference:
- Currently have a Masterbuilt propane smoke
- Have a Weber gas grill that I will absolutely keep. Assume that I would just use the grill if I were doing steaks?
- I am leaning towards a Traeger as I have two dealers near me that I want to support locally.

Let me know if I really need to worry about these two topics or not. I just want something easy to use that I do not have to babysit all day.

Thanks!


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## bdskelly (May 6, 2018)

Howdy illini 
It is true that most pellet smoker grills make better smokers than they do grills.  But when you think about it you couldn’t sear a steak on your Masterbuilt. Nope you used your trusty Weber for those steaks as you should!
Amount of smoke is a tricky question. Tastes vary widely on what is enough smoke.  Pellet smokers do produce a lighter smoke. But using pellets with stronger flavor such as hickory help overcome that.  Also some will use an a maze n tube smoker as a booster.  I have one but not felt it the need to use it. Lastly some units actually have a “high smoke mode” so you might consider one of those.  B


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## phathead69 (May 6, 2018)

bdskelly said:


> Howdy illini
> 
> Amount of smoke is a tricky question. Tastes vary widely on what is enough smoke.  B



Nailed it. While you may get several close on their opinion of the smoke taste is strong enough. I'm in a maintenance shop with a bunch of guys who will give honest opinion. I've learned when I take in Q to ask for smokiness level then tell them what iv used. Most guys are all over the place. Apple wood one time is great next not smokey enough. Cpl guys are very consistent and while they like the Q they always prefer when I use oak and hickory. Sorta like wife asking you what shade of white do you prefer, no answer is correct 999 out of 999.5 times.


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## ross77 (May 6, 2018)

They do produce a lighter smoke flavor.  Almost a cleaner flavor.  I'm coming from a WSM and a MES.  Like what was stated, it really depends on what your preference for smoke is.  In my RecTec I can't really taste smoke unless I use 100% hickory pellets.

You can sear if you use a sear kit (Grill Grates) but if you're keeping your gas grill there is no need.  

There are many other brands that are better than Traeger in my opinion.


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## BKING! (May 6, 2018)

Some pellet cookers can sear with direct heat and absolutely replace charcoal or gas grills but they cost more $$$. Pellet smokers produce a light subtle smoke flavor which I find just fine on fish, poultry, and ribs but I’d add a smoke tube for the thicker cuts of meat. You can always add smoke flavor. In other words don’t let smoke flavor be a concern. I would rather concern myself with cost (the pellet grills that can sear are quite pricy especially if you buy a top notch brand) and dependence on electricity. Power outages can complicate things. Also they do have the possibility of breaking down on you. On the other hand a stickburner or charcoal smoker/grill will never fail you rain or shine and tend to have a longer lifespan.


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## ravenclan (May 7, 2018)

bdskelly said:


> Howdy illini
> It is true that most pellet smoker grills make better smokers than they do grills.  But when you think about it you couldn’t sear a steak on your Masterbuilt. Nope you used your trusty Weber for those steaks as you should!
> Amount of smoke is a tricky question. Tastes vary widely on what is enough smoke.  Pellet smokers do produce a lighter smoke. But using pellets with stronger flavor such as hickory help overcome that.  Also some will use an a maze n tube smoker as a booster.  I have one but not felt it the need to use it. Lastly some units actually have a “high smoke mode” so you might consider one of those.  B



i agree with bskelly.

I have a PitBoss 700FB and i had to change the "P" setting from the factory set to get the smoke flavor i wanted.


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## Geebs (May 7, 2018)

I agree that both are concerns. I will smoke burgers and steaks on my Woodwind and then take them off and crank it up to 500 but its not going to get a great Sear. 

I also use the AMNTS to get more smoke flavor, but I enjoy enjoy smoking with lighter woods and the AMNTS allows me to get that extra flavor.


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## shipwama (May 10, 2018)

I had issues keeping consistent with my charcoal offset. I got a pellet smoker and now it's always consistent.
Love it


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## MJB05615 (May 12, 2018)

ravenclan said:


> i agree with bskelly.
> 
> I have a PitBoss 700FB and i had to change the "P" setting from the factory set to get the smoke flavor i wanted.
> View attachment 363052


I also have the pitboss 700fb for 6 months now.  I have changed the P setting all the way up to 7, mostly 6 though. I still am not getting enough smoke flavor. also using a smoke tube which i light an hour befor i light the smoker, i have covered the holes in the rear of the unit with washers and put gaskets around the lid edges.  also do not get any bark on meats. any suggestions would be very appreciated.


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## ross77 (May 12, 2018)

What pellets are you using?  I use Lumberjack 100% hickory. If you’re using a smoke tube and still not satisfied with the smoke flavor you may be out of luck.


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## shipwama (May 12, 2018)

I like the amount of smoke that I get when smoking at 215 on my GMG


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## MJB05615 (May 12, 2018)

ross77 said:


> What pellets are you using?
> I use Lumberjack 100% hickory. If you’re using a smoke tube and still not satisfied with the smoke flavor you may be out of luck.


Thanks for the reply.i am using 100% hickory no filler etc. the tube i put in same pellets.  light it with torch etc but should i light both ends of tube? i only light one end and it doesn't produce a lot of smoke, it makes some but not a lot.


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## ross77 (May 12, 2018)

One end should be fine. When I use a tube it’s too much smoke for me. People like different levels of smoke. You seem to like a heavy smoke flavor. Pellet smokers can’t really do that. 100% hickory at 180 to 250 with a tube is about as heavy as it gets with a pellet smoker.


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## MJB05615 (May 12, 2018)

ross77 said:


> One end should be fine. When I use a tube it’s too much smoke for me. People like different levels of smoke. You seem to like a heavy smoke flavor. Pellet smokers can’t really do that. 100% hickory at 180 to 250 with a tube is about as heavy as it gets with a pellet smoker.


That makes sense.
thanks


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## ross77 (May 12, 2018)

Just make sure the pellets are 100% hickory. Pit Boss hickory pellets are 40% hickory and 60% maple. 

Keeping the meat moist by misting or mopping will help as well.


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## MJB05615 (May 12, 2018)

ross77 said:


> Just make sure the pellets are 100% hickory. Pit Boss hickory pellets are 40% hickory and 60% maple.
> 
> Keeping the meat moist by misting or mopping will help as well.


I usually mop when making Brisket. But can try on Pork next time.

Never thought of that before.  What about Ribs? would it make any difference on the short cook time on Ribs? To mop them?


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## ross77 (May 12, 2018)

I spritz my ribs with apple juice every 30 min.


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## ravenclan (May 14, 2018)

MJB05615 said:


> I also have the pitboss 700fb for 6 months now.  I have changed the P setting all the way up to 7, mostly 6 though. I still am not getting enough smoke flavor. also using a smoke tube which i light an hour befor i light the smoker, i have covered the holes in the rear of the unit with washers and put gaskets around the lid edges.  also do not get any bark on meats. any suggestions would be very appreciated.



MJB05615,

you are turning down the smoke. P1 is the the high setting,"more smoke" and P7 is the low setting"least smoke"


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 14, 2018)

ross77 said:


> One end should be fine. When I use a tube it’s too much smoke for me. People like different levels of smoke. You seem to like a heavy smoke flavor. Pellet smokers can’t really do that. 100% hickory at 180 to 250 with a tube is about as heavy as it gets with a pellet smoker.


With a bolt-on canister smoke generator and a downdraft hood on a Traeger 34” you can produce too much smoke! Way too much in fact. I had to modify the downdraft hood to roll the smoke over quicker. Discovered this problem more specifically when I ran a cold smoke.

And we like a strong smoke flavor in our family. So, saying too much smoke is actually saying something.


ravenclan said:


> MJB05615,
> 
> you are turning down the smoke. P1 is the the high setting,"more smoke" and P7 is the low setting"least smoke"


Ya beat me to it.

I always ran my P-setting controllers at P-2 maybe P-3 on occasion for desired results in North Texas. I have a brand new in the box Elite GenI and a fairly well used Pro GenI on a shelf (P-setting controllers). I put the AGL GenII Pro on my daughter’s E75 22” (non P-setting controller). My Pro 34” has a Smoke Daddy PID controller. I have mixed feelings about PID’s but that’s for another thread.

*TO THE OP:
My personal experiences with adding smoke and direct sear using my latest Traeger iteration! This is the 3rd unit I have owned and always watching Craigslist for more.

*SMOKE FLAVOR:
I have 3 different supplemental smoke generators. I have a-maze-n’s 12-18” oval tube and their 5X8 maze. I also have Smoke Daddy Inc’s Big Kahuna cold smoke generator with the variable speed pump (this requires drilling trough the body of the unit). I have had to always smoke my briskets and whatnot on the ‘smoke setting’ for extended periods of very low temp to gain the amount of smoke flavor my family prefers. But my technique as a whole is lower and slower than most. Since adding all the supplemental smoke sources I can cook at whatever temp I wish year round with very little swing having the PID controller. With the supplemental smoke sources I achieve all the smoke and bark I desire. Too much in fact, resulting in a required tweak to the downdraft hood.

This is a picture of the smoke canister and the smoke tube running at the same time.







I snapped this picture when I was reloaded the chips in the canister.







This is the very first brisket with the current Traeger setup. Smoked a few weeks ago. In the first pic you’re also able to see the downdraft hood I have installed. I have tweaked the downdraft hood to turn the smoke over a little faster. It was a required tweak to do any cold smoking. A 1.125” hole drilled center on to the chimney.













*SEARING:
For searing and reverse sear steaks I have a drop-in sear station. This is Smoke Daddy Inc’s ‘universal direct sear station’ drop in. You remove all the internals and drop the station in positioned directly over the fire box. It is a universal setup that works on most center firepot designed pellet smoker.












When doing steaks for a reverse sear I slide my GrillGates off to the side and fire up the smoke tube. I have the controller on low smoke which does produce some heat. When the steaks hit 120 IT I remove them and max the temp on the grill for about 10–15 minutes and finish with a genuine true over a wood fire sear using the GrillGrates.








I hope this helps.

Pat


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## MJB05615 (May 14, 2018)

ravenclan said:


> MJB05615,
> 
> you are turning down the smoke. P1 is the the high setting,"more smoke" and P7 is the low setting"least smoke"


I reread the manual, and it says lower "P" setting results in higher temps and less smoke flavor, higher is more smoke flavor. i may misunderstand it.  I have not tried lowering the p setting, I am definitely gonna try doing that next week.
thanks for the suggestion I will let you know the results.
Thanks


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## MJB05615 (May 14, 2018)

MJB05615 said:


> I reread the manual, and it says lower "P" setting results in higher temps and less smoke flavor, higher is more smoke flavor. i may misunderstand it.  I have not tried lowering the p setting, I am definitely gonna try doing that next week.
> thanks for the suggestion I will let you know the results.
> Thanks


I copied this from the manual:
 MORE SMOKE FLAVOR, LESS HEAT  ( ↑ “P” SETTING / ↓ FUEL FEED ) When hot smoking – increasing the infusion of more natural wood flavor – increase the "P" setting to allow for longer cycles between auger feeds. This results in keeping a lower temperature output, which increases cook time (also known as low and slow ). This results in a deeper smoke ring and more smoke flavor. Care must be taken when using the higher "P" settings, such as P6 or P7, as this could result in the fire going out in the burn pot. 

• LESS SMOKE FLAVOR, MORE HEAT ( ↓ “P” SETTING / ↑ FUEL FEED ) A lower "P" setting will result in a higher grill temperature output and higher pellet consumption due to more frequent cycles.


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 14, 2018)

MJB05615 said:


> I reread the manual, and it says lower "P" setting results in higher temps and less smoke flavor, higher is more smoke flavor. i may misunderstand it.  I have not tried lowering the p setting, I am definitely gonna try doing that next week.
> thanks for the suggestion I will let you know the results.
> Thanks


HAHAHA...

It has been way too long since I had a Traeger controller with a P-setting. You’re exactly right. The longer interval between auger cycles SHOULD produce more smoke on the ‘smoke’ setting but shouldn’t affect any other temperature based setting. I was moving my P settings to achieve a desired temp running the time interval method as opposed to any logic based calculation where temperature was used to run the auger timing.

Here is a screen shot of the Traeger interval tables. Not exactly sure if these are exact for your controller. I suspect it is exactly the same!

Pat


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## MJB05615 (May 14, 2018)

[email protected] said:


> HAHAHA...
> 
> It has been way too long since I had a Traeger controller with a P-setting. You’re exactly right. The longer interval between auger cycles SHOULD produce more smoke on the ‘smoke’ setting but shouldn’t affect any other temperature based setting. I was moving my P settings to achieve a desired temp running the time interval method as opposed to any logic based calculation where temperatures was used to run the auger timing.
> 
> ...


it's very close to my pitboss.
thanks


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## bangstick (May 16, 2018)

Many an animal has met its demise on my Woodwind and no one has ever mentioned a "lack of smoke flavor." And as far as searing, the sear box on my Woodwind hits 900 degrees. If you can't sear on that, there's no hope.


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## ross77 (May 16, 2018)

That sear box is technically a gas grill attachment is it not?  So you’re not really searing using pellets. 

Smoke flavor is subjective. Some like more and some like less.


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## mincraig (May 17, 2018)

ravenclan said:


> MJB05615,
> 
> you are turning down the smoke. P1 is the the high setting,"more smoke" and P7 is the low setting"least smoke"


This is backwards. The lower the P setting the higher the heat. The higher the P setting the lower the heat and MORE smoke. YouTube P setting and you will get videos and graphs showing the difference..


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## mike243 (May 17, 2018)

Mine sears pretty good for 3 large Tbones


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## bangstick (May 17, 2018)

ross77 said:


> That sear box is technically a gas grill attachment is it not?  So you’re not really searing using pellets.
> 
> Smoke flavor is subjective. Some like more and some like less.



Nowhere does Camp Chef mention you're searing using the pellets. That's what the sear box is for. Hence the name.

A Woodwind is made up of the grill/smoker and the sear box. I own a Woodwind, not a Camp Chef grill/smoker AND a Camp Chef sear box or "gas grill."


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## ross77 (May 17, 2018)

bangstick said:


> Nowhere does Camp Chef mention you're searing using the pellets. That's what the sear box is for. Hence the name.
> 
> A Woodwind is made up of the grill/smoker and the sear box. I own a Woodwind, not a Camp Chef grill/smoker AND a Camp Chef sear box or "gas grill."



No I get it. The original complaint was that pellet smokers/grills can’t sear. You’re able to sear but you’re using an accessory to do it. Not the actual pellet grill. 

Pellet smokers/grills in general are not great at searing unless you expose the fire pot.


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## bangstick (May 17, 2018)

ross77 said:


> No I get it. The original complaint was that pellet smokers/grills can’t sear. You’re able to sear but you’re using an accessory to do it. Not the actual pellet grill.
> 
> Pellet smokers/grills in general are not great at searing unless you expose the fire pot.


The sear box is part of the Woodwind, not an accessory. Yes, some models can add a sear box after the fact but the Woodwind comes with it so it's not an accessory. It's part of my Woodwind. You can't buy a Woodwind without a sear box.

You're right, most pellet smokers/grills can't sear or at least don't do it very well....except for the Woodwind. That's why I believe the Woodwind is a game changer for pellet smokers/grills. There's very little it can't do and do well.


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## ross77 (May 17, 2018)

I wonder if I could bolt that onto my smoker?


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## bangstick (May 17, 2018)

Get a Woodwind and you wouldn't have to. ;)


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## ross77 (May 17, 2018)

bangstick said:


> Get a Woodwind and you wouldn't have to. ;)



Haha. Too late for that...


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 17, 2018)

ross77
 I actually have a drop-in direct sear station that will universally fit nearly any center pot pellet smoker! And I have a set of GrillGrates I use specifically for this purpose.

Not able to do a direct video upload and I do not load videos to tag here. I need to update my YouTube Channel and get after that. But you’re able to get the gist of the Gist of the setup.

Pat


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## ross77 (May 17, 2018)

Are those lava rocks?


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 17, 2018)

ross77 said:


> Are those lava rocks?


The pics all FUBARed on my last post!!!

It is a stainless steal square that tappers down over the firepot. The lava rocks are included in Smoke Daddy Inc’s kit. You remove all the guts and utilize the factory grate. I prefer GrillGrates so I got a 19.25” 4 piece set so I do not have to use the factory grate whenever I reverse sear or grill.

Pat


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 17, 2018)

ross77
 linky!

https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/the-universal-sear-daddy-pellet-grill-searing-station/


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## mincraig (May 19, 2018)

Shouldn't have to spend 125.00 more to sear a steak when you've spent 800 to 1000+ for the unit already. I have a Webber for that kettle.


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## mincraig (May 19, 2018)

The Woodwind sear box is propane isn't it ? You also need to buy a tank.. No thanks.


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 19, 2018)

mincraig said:


> Shouldn't have to spend 125.00 more to sear a steak when you've spent 800 to 1000+ for the unit already. I have a Webber for that kettle.


I would think the finish over the charcoal tastes great too. I recently added a Napoleon Apollo 300 to the patio. I may try finishing over the charcoal the next round of reverse seated steaks.

Pat


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## schlotz (May 19, 2018)

Interesting the OP hasn't chimed back in on his thread since starting it. 
Regarding sear:  the MAK 2 Star (w/new flame zone) grate temps can easily get over 650º which is MORE than plenty.
Smoke: there is plenty! You can add a smoker tube if you want but really not needed.


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 19, 2018)

schlotz said:


> Interesting the OP hasn't chimed back in on his thread since starting it.
> Regarding sear:  the MAK 2 Star (w/new flame zone) grate temps can easily get over 650º which is MORE than plenty.
> Smoke: there is plenty! You can add a smoker tube if you want but really not needed.


RIGHT!

There are a sundry of manufactures with drip pans with removable sections or slidenoff sections which has a somewhat direct sear capability from the firepot.

Already having Traeger’s and having owned three I was showing products available to convert almost any center firepot setup into a direct sear station.

I love a lot of what MAK has been offering.

Pat


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