Pellet grills are among the most convenient and helpful ways to infuse your meat with the smoky, wood-fired taste. However, some people have struggled with this device when it doesn’t provide enough smoke for their meat.
How to get more smoke from pellet grills? To increase smoke in pellet grills, you can try out one of these practical solutions, including:
- Cook at a lower temperature for a longer time
- Experiment with various pellets.
- Do not remove the cover.
- Make sure the smoke is clear blue.
Let’s dig into this article! Sunset Bar and Grill will give you the most detailed explanation to solve your problem!
Why Is Your Pellet Grill Not Smoking?
Before finding out some of the best methods to improve the smoke of your pellet grill, let’s figure out some primary culprits causing your equipment to work improperly.
The Grill’s Temperature Is Too High.
The truth is that this appliance will emit more smoke when you use it at lower temperatures. However, you should be aware that the temperature depends on the food you intend to cook.
For instance, if you plan to cook a large lamb leg outdoors, the temperature should be low and slow, around 225°F. Nevertheless, if it’s a ribeye steak, you should sear hot and fast, at the maximum temperature, over 450°F.
The temp is extremely high
Your Firepot Has Become Filthy.
Your pellets will not burn if the firepot is unclean and loaded with debris. This causes your pellets to accumulate within the radiant heater surrounding the fire rod, preventing them from igniting correctly.
The Auger Is Stuck.
Wet pellets, the wrong size pellets, or too numerous pellets shoved into the auger might cause it to clog. If those pellets cannot reach the fire rod, they will not be able to light and produce smoke.
The Ventilation Is Inadequate.
Pellets require oxygen to burn, ignite, catch fire, or release smoke. There will be no smoke if there isn’t adequate air movement to the radiant heater.
The Fan Is Faulty.
Ensure the fan is working correctly because this is the central part to allow oxygen to enter the pellets and burn them. A malfunctioning fan can minimize the volume of airflow and the number and quality of the smoke.
Your Pellets Have Become Stale.
Pellets function best in pellet grills if they are fresh and dry. They don’t stay long if you keep them outside, particularly in the grill’s hopper.
The pellets need to be new and dry
How To Get More Smoke From Pellet Grill
Waiting any longer! Let’s jump into the best practical solutions to improve your smoke volume.
Cook At A Lower Temperature For A Longer Time
As mentioned above, you should cook your meat at a low temperature at a slow rate. In particular, good smoking should stop at 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s critical to lower the equipment down a few levels and heat your meat slowly. Most pellet grills feature temperature indicators that can be set, allowing you to adjust the temp and wait a few hours.
While attempting to cook the meat, keep the grill thermometer under 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, modify it to your desired temperature until it reaches 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, lowering the heat implies that the food will take longer to cook. Yet, it will undoubtedly assist you in achieving a smoky taste that will permeate the center of your meat.
Cook at a lower temp
Experiment With Various Pellets
There are many different types of scented wood pellets available. For example, you can consider applewood, charcoal, classic, and fruit varieties.
Fruit scents like apple and cherry will not remain long and often will taste similar to other types. The most common wood pellets for a smokey taste are hickory and mesquite.
Both of them have strong tastes that help your meat absorb more smoke. While mesquite is ideal for poultry and beef, hickory is the best choice for smoking pork.
The pellets listed below are indeed a handful of the best-rated ones. They will last for a long time, don’t create a lot of trash, and have fantastic flavors.
- CookinPellets Smoking Pellets: They are famous for their delicious taste. The downside is that they don’t have a variety of flavors.
- Bear Mountain BBQ Pellets: They maintain a constant temperature and don’t produce a lot of waste for you to struggle with. They also have a wide range of flavors to choose from and don’t use any fillers.
- Pit Boss 55436 BBQ Wood Pellets: They’re available in a wide range of tastes and a slew of exciting names, including competition, pitmaster, or fruitwood.
Do Not Remove The Cover
When smoking meat, waiting is the key to success, which means you shouldn’t remove the cover or lid in any circumstances.
You may produce more smoke and keep it longer with a steady low temperature. If possible, use a timer to set the exact time among checking duration.
One trick you should apply to preserve the flavor of meat after it has just been barbecued is not to cut the meat immediately.
After taking it off the pellet grill, you should use foil to wrap it and keep it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. This allows the smokey taste to remain and absorb the flesh, resulting in a delicious flavor.
Make Sure The Smoke Is Clear Blue
Because the temperature grows and falls, you will witness various types of smoke during the cooking process.
When the temperature of the equipment is from 500 to 600°F, it will produce white smoke with a burnt odor. Grilling your meat in this smoke will result in a bitter, burnt flavor.
Blue smoke will come in enormous white billows once the wood adequately sears off the moisture. It may contain some toxic chemicals, which cause harm to your food and health.
After this period, it will become abundant and clear blue, which is the most desired smoke for grilling meat. Add your meat and cook it for your outdoor BBQ.
The fire is clear and blue
FAQs
Does Food Taste Better On Pellet Grill?
The answer is always yes! If you have ever tried meat roasted on a pellet grill, you will surely agree that this steak is much more delicious than wood-fired equipment.
Pellets come in a variety of wood species, as previously mentioned. Each type produces a particular smoke, which imparts a distinct flavor to barbecued meat.
If you are looking for the best recipe to cook your meat on a pellet grill, you can watch this video:
Can I Add Wood Chips To A Pellet Smoker?
Adding wood chips to this equipment is not a wise decision. That’s because they may prevent the drill from working correctly and can cause harm to the quality of the grill.
Which Pellets Produce The Most Smoke?
It depends on the type of equipment you plan to use. The best pellets are hardwood ones because they provide a longer burn time than other types.
What’s more, specialists believe that the tastiest meat comes from an immaculate airflow operation. Pit Boss and Traeger are the two big names that dominate specialist ratings.
Barbecue grill outdoors
How Long Does A Pellet Grill Last?
Typically, this equipment with good quality can be good for between 6 and 10 years if used regularly. Less durable models may barely last two to three years.
However, if you maintain your device correctly and carefully, it can be in good condition for more than ten years.
In A Nutshell
To sum up, it’s not too complicated to master your BBQ when using a pellet grill. This article has eventually got to the bottom of your question: How to get more smoke from the pellet grill?
All in all, you can apply one of these solutions mentioned above to increase the smoke volume so that your meat will be fully smokey. If you have any further questions, you can ask us in the comment below.
Thanks for reading, and see you in the next post!
