Camp Chef DLX Pellet Smoker

[TexRay88]

Hello Y'all, I am new to this awesome and informative Forum, but have been smoking for years, using my New Braunfels offset smoker. I love the 15 year old smoker, but have just bought a Camp Chef DLX Pellet Smoker. I made this "upgrade" for ease and time saving. I just tried my first smoke using the Camp Chef Pellet Smoker and have mixed feelings! I smoked a couple of pork shoulders, with the intention of giving out Pulled Pork Gift Bags to my neighbors. My gift bags will include, 2 pounds of pulled pork, package of buns, bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce, jar of dill relish, and an onion. The meat is very juicy and tender. The bark is perfect, using some Memphis Dust Rub. BUT.....my BBQ lacked the robust smoky flavor that I am use to! I used Traeger Hickory Pellets, set on HIGH SMOKE setting, which runs about 225 temp.
Is this what I spent $550.00 for? I am reading about a smoking tube. Will this help bring out a more smoky flavor? Thanks for any comments or suggestions!

 

[motocrash]

Yep,that's the $550.Yes a tube or tray will help with your dilemma but still might not live up to your NB's degree of smokiness.

 

[TexRay88]

Thank you motocrash. I can hear that tune called Buyer's Remorse starting to play!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Nature of the Breast! Pellet Poopers are great Ovens, pretty good Grills but only marginal Smokers. The pellets just burn too efficiently to make heat and lots of smoke. In your offset you have a hot fire and a big ol' hunk of wood off to the side smothering and making lots of smoke. In a Pellet Grill you have a 1/4Cup of pellets making heat and maybe a teaspoon worth of pellets making a tiny bit of smoke. Big difference! The A-MAZE-N Tube gives a whole bunch of pellets dedicated to generating Smoke and no heat. The tube will get you a lot closer to what you are used to...JJ

 

[TexRay88]

Thank you! I am ordering a tube now!

 

[bregent]

First of all, start off by using a pellet that is 100% hickory. From the most trusted sources I've found, Traeger's hickory pellet are made from oak or alder, depending on where you are located, with flavoring oils added. Next, start off the first few hours of the cook at a lower temp - 175-180 if possible - for larger cuts. For smaller cuts like pork chops, I find I can run at 225 and get as much smoke flavor as I would want.

There's a big misconception that pellet grills don't produce as much smoke as other types of smokers. This is absolutely not the case - my Memphis puts out as much or more visible smoke that most offset smoker's I've seen. Same goes for other brands - take a look at youtube videos if your not sure. The issue is that the firepot is much smaller than a typical firebox, so the temperatures run MUCH hotter, which oxidizes the aromatic compounds in the smoke.

I have to respectfully disagree with JJ that pellet grills make marginal smokers. Not sure what he is basing that statement on. They don't produce a heavy smoke profile, but for folks that don't want heavy smoke that's not an issue. So for me and many others, including those coming from other types of rigs, they are great smokers. Folks that really like heavy smoke may be disappointed, but that doesn't make it a marginal smoker.

Hopefully you'll like the addition of the smoke tube. Personally I don't care for the flavor it imparts, but most folks are fine with it. And again, try 100% hickory at lower temps.

 

[TexRay88]

Thanks bregent, I had no idea that I was using pellets (Traeger) infused with oils! I would have never imagined that hickory pellets weren't exactly made with hickory wood! I chose to buy hickory for it's nice robust flavor, since it has always produced a full smokey flavor when used in chunks! Thanks for tips about lower temps=more smoke.

 

[ross77]

I agree with bregent. The Traeger pellets are likely blended with oak. Try Lumberjack 100% hickory if it’s available in your area.

But it is true the smoke profile will be different with a pellet smoker vs stick/electric/charcoal. Personally I like it better. I’ve done briskets with a pecan/oak pellet mix and they had a great smoke flavor.

 

[TexRay88]

Thanks......I will look for some 100% hickory pellets

 

[tbrtt1]

Use a better pellet and yes 100% hickory or mesquite will work better. Smoke it on as low a setting as you can for at least 3-4 hours for something like a butt. Add a tube or tray. I have an expandable tube from Amazen pellet smokers and it works well.

I smoke my butts and briskets at 170* for 4-6 hours and with a tube. I smoke em overnight so I’m not concerned with how long it takes. The smoke profile is good. I have a stick burner , 2 charcoal and an electric so my point of reference for smoke profile is rooted in reality. If you ( I don’t mean you specifically) have smoked on only a stick burner and ran hickory and is was not a clean fire then your smoke reference will be way off. You will think there is no smoke in the meat from a pellet smoker.

Also, the meat seems to be a tad smokier when I eat leftovers the next day or so. Maybe that’s just me.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Bregent, with all due respect to you...Compared to a, job specific, wood fired Smoker, which is what the OP is trying to duplicate, a pellet grill is marginal at best. Same can be said comparing a wood fired Santa Maria Grill or even a Charcoal fired Weber Kettle to a pellet grill. The Pellet grill will cook a steak but you will never get the hard sear, not just grill marks, and flavor that a dedicated grill can give. Granted, your Memphis Pellet Grill will do the job better than most but they also cost $2000 to $5000 . BIG difference compared to a Camp Chef DLX. There is a reason the saying, " Jack of all trades, Master of none, " has been in use over 500 years...JJ

 

[motocrash]

Thank you JJ

 

[TexRay88]

Use a better pellet and yes 100% hickory or mesquite will work better. Smoke it on as low a setting as you can for at least 3-4 hours for something like a butt. Add a tube or tray. I have an expandable tube from Amazen pellet smokers and it works well.

I smoke my butts and briskets at 170* for 4-6 hours and with a tube. I smoke em overnight so I’m not concerned with how long it takes. The smoke profile is good. I have a stick burner , 2 charcoal and an electric so my point of reference for smoke profile is rooted in reality. If you ( I don’t mean you specifically) have smoked on only a stick burner and ran hickory and is was not a clean fire then your smoke reference will be way off. You will think there is no smoke in the meat from a pellet smoker.

Also, the meat seems to be a tad smokier when I eat leftovers the next day or so. Maybe that’s just me.

Awesome tips! Thanks to all for helping me not to feel so bad about my purchase!
I will use better pellets, lower temps, a tube, and also lower my expectations!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Thank you JJ

You are welcome. I don't want to sound like I am against Pellet Grills. I have cooked on my brothers GMG Daniel Boone and made some tasty ribs.I am saving to purchase a KUMA Elite. But it is what it is, the hot fire in the burn cup burns off most of the smoke components that give the " smoked meat " flavor. Some of the flavor and most of the visible smoke comes from fat vaporizing on the grease pan and a little bit of wood smoke that is generated when the feeder adds fresh pellets. The smoke flavor is light and if that is what you want then the pellet grill is doing a great job. To match what I and my family likes from the NB Offset I started with and MES with Maze I use now, I know I will need to supplement with a Tube Smoke Generator...JJ

 

[chef jimmyj]

I smoke my butts and briskets at 170* for 4-6 hours and with a tube. I smoke em overnight so I’m not concerned with how long it takes

Just a Caution here...This is ok for Intact Meat but is very risky for Injected meat. There is a risk that the interior of the meat and any bacteria the needle pushed in will be in the Danger Zone too long and generate toxins that can make you sick... JJ

 

[troutman]

I have a Pitts & Spitts 2430 with a PID Pellet Pro that cost about $2500 all in. It's just about as good an example of a pellet cooker as you can find for its size and use (compares favorably with a Yoder YS640). Having said all that, I get little or no smoke above 200*. The smoke setting at about 180* does produce a little. The reason is the burner rod ignites the pellets very efficiently and the relatively high CFMs of the fan turn the combustion gases and draw in oxygen relatively quickly. In essence its a big, outdoor convection oven. The result is a very clean burn with little or no chance for smoke to accumulate.

Having said all that, it's still a wood burning oven and it cooks, at least in my opinion, wonderfully. The PID controller keeps the temperature inside the cooker to +- 3* of where you optimally want it to be so roasting a piece of meat is done very effectively. You get an almost mahogany sear on the outside. But again, there is not a strong charcoal or stick burner like smokiness to the meat. Yes the tube and the AMNPS tray do help but I find it to be a bit artificial and somewhat acrid.

I've talked to guys who own Rec Tecs, Yoders, Camp Chefs, Traegers and even MAKs who all pretty much agree with my statements above. That doesn't mean its a bad thing, but as was said, it is the nature of the beast. When I want smoky I do my stick burner cooks or revert to a WSM. It is what it is.

As to oil in pellets, I have never heard of such a thing. I use Lumberjack, it's 100% hardwood sawdust made from trees, not table legs. I also almost always use the 100% hickory type. Hickory gives you the best thermo burn of all the North American hardwoods, followed closely by the oaks.

 

[ross77]

For what it’s worth my RecTec has an “Extreme Smoke” setting that lets the pellets smolder a little by cycling the fan off. I feel like I get a decent amount of smoke flavor with that. And I do see blue smoke when I open the lid. I started with a WSM and then a MES. I would agree that the smoke flavor was stronger with the WSM. The MES was also more up front but acrid and not pleasing to me.

I reverse sear ribeyes occasionly on the RecTec and I can certainly taste the difference between those and steaks on a gas grill.

For me, the convienience of the pellet smoker outweighs the slightly lighter smoke profile. Tastes seem to vary for everyone though.

 

[bregent]

JJ, just curious, is it just the level of smoke, or are there other aspects to pellet grills that you find 'marginal' as a smoker?

Also, in my experience most of the visible smoke is coming from the pellets. I smoke bacon and fish all the time at low temps, there is nothing dripping on the pan at these temps and the grill is producing plenty of smoke. I've never been around a GMG, so they may be different in that regard.

 

[chef jimmyj]

The level of smoke. Compared to purpose designed Smokers that are specifically designed to generate smoke at the most common and recommended Cooking temps of 225 to 350°F, all Pellet Grills fall short. This is nothing new. The number one complaint of Pellet Grill websites is " Cooks great but does not generate enough smoke at 225 or higher. " Todd at A-MAZE-N has sold thousands of Tubes to pellet grill owners. If a Pellet Smoker/Grill makes only a little smoke at 225 and none above that, is it not marginal compared to the OP's Offset or other Smokers for that matter? I have been a Pro Chef over 20 years. I was trained in and practiced all aspects of cooking including baking. I can bake and decorate cakes, bake a variety of breads, pies, cookies and assorted pastry from around the world. Does that make me a Baker? Not according to industry standards. If you ask other professional Chef's and Baker's how I compare to professional Bakers, I would be considered, " Marginal at best..."
If a pellet grill makes very little smoke at 225 and none above that, my experience and thousands of posts on this and other smoking and pellet grill sites, what is responsible for the visible smoke seen in videos?
Do you smoke your Bacon and Fish at 225+? If so it can't be for very long as the fish would be overcooked and dry in just over 30 minutes and much of the Bacon fat would be rendered.
Most pellet grill manufactures have a Smoke setting that runs at around 180°F. Why have a Smoke setting if it is not a marginal smoker at any higher temps?
I noticed the Memphis website calls their equipment a Pellet Grill rather than a Smoker...JJ

 

[radio]

Interesting and informative thread! @chefjimmyj thanks for the insight as I have been waffling between a pellet "grill" or a gas fired smoker. I can use wood chips in the gas smoker for better smoke flavor, but the drawback is gas has less control compared to a pellet rig. The temp probe and auto "keep warm" when done mode is something I would like, but not available with gas smokers, at least in my price range.