Pellet Smokers & Smoke - Low vs High Temps

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MeatyOakerSmoker

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Hello

I read/heard in a few places that pellet smokers tend to lend more smoke when they are set at lower temps. Anyone find any truth to that? And what constitutes low vs high temps for getting smoke?

Thanks
Sam
 
My old Traeger considered 180 as the smoke setting. As the temp gets higher the smoke becomes less as the fan burns the pellets faster to achieve higher heat which means they smolder less.
 
As temps increase, smoke output decreases with pellet cookers as they are so efficient. I get good smoke from 180-270 with my Memphis Elite...above that smoke flavor drops off for me. Some, like MAK, tend to have good smoke flavor at higher temps from what I have heard.


Memphis Elite





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MeatyOakerSmoker said:
Hello

I read/heard in a few places that pellet smokers tend to lend more smoke when they are set at lower temps. Anyone find any truth to that? And what constitutes low vs high temps for getting smoke?

Thanks
Sam
Click to expand...

Even on my Mak I tend to smoke the first 2-4 hours, depending on projected cooking time, on the SMOKE setting, which is 180-200. The meat also will take more smoke flavour in the beginning if you put it on the smoker cold from the fridge and wet with whatever binder you use to stick the rub. Using these methods I’ve never lacked for smoke flavour on my pellet smoker.
 
Smoke on my Mak has a lot to do with fan speed as the fan goes continuously.
You get super heavy smoke on smoke setting, good smoke production up to 245 deg, light smoke production up to 295 deg, at 300+ its barely visible smoke but you can still smell the wood burning
 
gtsum said:
As temps increase, smoke output decreases with pellet cookers as they are so efficient. I get good smoke from 180-270 with my Memphis Elite...above that smoke flavor drops off for me. Some, like MAK, tend to have good smoke flavor at higher temps from what I have heard.


Memphis Elite





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Click to expand...

Not by much imo. I think Memphis grills smoke better than people give them credit for. Don’t they use a similar controller as the rectec grill? If so I don’t hear complaints from rectec owners.
 
hmm... this might explain why people are so into wifi for their pellet smokers. It seems starting off low and then kicking up the temp is pretty common. So I can see why having wifi to control that process is a thing. Also might help explain why mojobricks have a following. They just sit on top of the shield and smolder while the temp is controlled by the pellets.

I tend to stick to one temp on my other smokers, but of course they tend the overall have larger temp swings.
 
BKING! said:
Not by much imo. I think Memphis grills smoke better than people give them credit for. Don’t they use a similar controller as the rectec grill? If so I don’t hear complaints from rectec owners.
Click to expand...



I honestly don’t know? I do know that the temp control on the Memphis is extremely tight...much more so than my yoder was and much more so than my DC is.

The Memphis fan cycles on and off up til about 275. At 180-200 temps it cycles a lot (being off for 10-30 seconds at times) and then you get a minute or so of heavy smoke...then it cycles etc. at 250-275, it is more a steady stream of lighter smoke....if that makes sense


Memphis Elite





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I’ll give my two cents. I owned one of the original Oregon-Made Traeger BBQ 100s with the three speed controller, a newer Traeger with the thermostat controller, and a GMG Daniel Boone. The three speed always made the smokiest tasting meat with the biggest smoke rings. The newer Traeger was next, and the GMG was the least smoky. I believe this is because of the timed dump of the pellets with the older controller. I found that what I lost with the temp control on the 3 speed, I more than made up for with the flavor.
 
gtsum said:
I honestly don’t know? I do know that the temp control on the Memphis is extremely tight...much more so than my yoder was and much more so than my DC is.

The Memphis fan cycles on and off up til about 275. At 180-200 temps it cycles a lot (being off for 10-30 seconds at times) and then you get a minute or so of heavy smoke...then it cycles etc. at 250-275, it is more a steady stream of lighter smoke....if that makes sense


Memphis Elite





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Click to expand...

I’ve seen some videos of the Memphis in use doing exactly what you detailed. It seemed to put out plenty of smoke imo.
 
On my Assassin PG I get plenty of smoke at most any temp from 250 to 350. The Assassin doesn’t run the tight temps that most others run so every time the temp drops it will run up 10 to 15 degrees above set temp thus giving me more smoke throughout the cook. Those that complain about less smoke on their PGs are running pits that run 2 to 5 degrees difference throughout the whole cook. Just my thoughts.
 
Westx said:
On my Assassin PG I get plenty of smoke at most any temp from 250 to 350. The Assassin doesn’t run the tight temps that most others run so every time the temp drops it will run up 10 to 15 degrees above set temp thus giving me more smoke throughout the cook. Those that complain about less smoke on their PGs are running pits that run 2 to 5 degrees difference throughout the whole cook. Just my thoughts.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this.
 
The Fans on my Yoder are constant independent on set temp so the difference between low and high temps is governed by the size of the fire rather than the amount of airflow. Personally I haven't noticed any difference in smoke levels between 200 & 300 degree temps.
 
smokymtnjonny said:
I’ll give my two cents. I owned one of the original Oregon-Made Traeger BBQ 100s with the three speed controller, a newer Traeger with the thermostat controller, and a GMG Daniel Boone. The three speed always made the smokiest tasting meat with the biggest smoke rings. The newer Traeger was next, and the GMG was the least smoky. I believe this is because of the timed dump of the pellets with the older controller. I found that what I lost with the temp control on the 3 speed, I more than made up for with the flavor.
Click to expand...

Funny this is the Grilla Grill guys argument on why PIDs aren't necessary.
 
Smoke production is definitely related to the controller type. The old-style timed delivery gives you the most smoke. PID gives you the least smoke. My GMGs are very, very light on smoke. If you cook at 275° straight through, you'll barely get any smoke flavor.

My PG1000 is a completely different story. It's not PID, it runs X seconds when above the temp, and X seconds when below the temp. This gives me much more smoke than the GMGs, and this is with bargain-basement walmart pellets.

Here's a pic of it running now. It's really windy here, but I caught it for a moment when the wind switched directions. Temp is set at 275°. You see this amount of smoke or more, but it's pretty consistent.

mByiNvHl.jpg
 
I was so looking forward to the temp control. I never dreamed I would be giving up the flavor. Sometimes, less is more. I’d give anything to have my old BBQ 100 back.
 
I think There is more to it than just PID vs non PID. You can have tight temp control and lots of smoke. The key to tight temp control and lots of smoke is very controlled and precise airflow and auger feed while ensuring a steady smolder of the pellets. It obviously has do with the controller but some PID controllers are good for smoke production and some aren’t.

This is more controller vs controller rather than simply PID vs non PID. It would be smarter to compare controllers and its design among different companies rather than simply lumping all controllers into category A or B.

For instance Yoder is a built in house non PID and Mak is a built in house PID. GMG is a PID controller and they use the same controller for all their pits. Rec etc is PID and I hear no complaints with smoke flavor. There is little correlation in smoke production from my reading on different pellet pits. It all has to do with the design of the controller and that extends beyond PID or non PID especially when considering the more sophisticated controllers out there.
 
Last edited:
Ok, I'll give ya that...but I will say that I've yet to hear a lack of smoke complaint coming from people who have non-PID controller. :wink:
 
sleebus.jones said:
Ok, I'll give ya that...but I will say that I've yet to hear a lack of smoke complaint coming from people who have non-PID controller. :wink:
Click to expand...

That’s a good point. But some non PIDs have wide temp swings and some non PIDs like your pg1000 or the Yoder does not. Like I said controller vs controller:grin: and like most things in life you get what you pay for.
 
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