Probably asking a noob question

[jshank]

I’ve had a lot of fluctuation in my pellet smoker. I use a comp blend from Pit Boss and wondering if pellet wood types burn at different temps? Example does Hickory burn at a lower or higher temp than Cherry? I’m trying to root cause this as I have replaced the main components in my Traeger. Thanks!

 

[old sarge]

Don't know if it applies to pellets but for wood in it's sort of natural state, here is a chart:

What Firewood Burns The Hottest? - Asheville NC - Environmental

So you're ready to light that fire, but not sure what firewood to use? Read this list from Environmental Chimney Services in Asheville NC. Call 828-243-0098

www.environmentalchimneyservice.com

 

[SmokinEdge]

This is the nature of the beast. Pellet grills are not designed to be slow cookers, they are designed as grills first and foremost. Can you slow and low? Yes. Can you bake bread like in an oven? Yes. Slow and low (250* and lower) can be done, but it’s trickier. The best thing you can do to stop, or at least, control temp swings is to apply insulation to the outside of the grill. You can buy insulated blankets made for your grill, or you can buy a cheap welding blanket from harbor freight, but insulate that grill. You can thank me later, because if you do this, it will be a game changer. Not perfect, but neither are pellets grills for slow cooking.

 

[old sarge]

Here is a video:

 

[mike243]

yes the type of wood will make a difference, try some 100% like lumber jack hickory it runs hotter than pit boss . higher temps= less pellet usage , btu ratings per pound might be found for heating pellets but not sure many cooking pellet makers will tell what there's is

 

[Buckeye1]

My Rec Tec has a PID controller and keeps the temp within about 5 degrees of set temp. The PID controllers are very accurate.

 

[WV_Crusader]

Go get some Lumber Jack 100% and never look back! Trust us LJ fans, you can’t beat them!!

 

[bregent]

Give us an idea of what you mean by fluctuation - how many degrees is it changing. Which model Traeger are you running?

 

[bregent]

Don't know if it applies to pellets but for wood in it's sort of natural state, here is a chart:

Yeah, it doesn't really apply. The chart you linked to lists BTU by cord (volume). Much of the reason soft woods have less BTU per cord is because they are less dense. But once you grind them into sawdust and compress into pellets, they have similar densities. In fact, softwood pellets often have more BTU per lb than hardwood pellets.

 

[sweetride95]

What traeger do you have?
Fluctuations of +/- 20 degrees will be pretty standard on a non-PID grill.
My traeger would run +/- 20 with an occasional 35 degree swing.
Always made great food though.

 

[schlotz]

I’ve had a lot of fluctuation in my pellet smoker. I use a comp blend from Pit Boss and wondering if pellet wood types burn at different temps? Example does Hickory burn at a lower or higher temp than Cherry? I’m trying to root cause this as I have replaced the main components in my Traeger. Thanks!

How about a bit more of the details? How big is the fluctuation? Are you basing that from a built-in thermometer (which are notoriously inaccurate) or from a calibrated third party thermometer measuring the grate temp? What prompted the need to replace parts? Which components were replaced?

 

[jshank]

How about a bit more of the details? How big is the fluctuation? Are you basing that from a built-in thermometer (which are notoriously inaccurate) or from a calibrated third party thermometer measuring the grate temp? What prompted the need to replace parts? Which components were replaced?

It’s about a 20 degree swing both negative and positive. I was just curious if it’s because of the pellets I run. Actually the thermopro grate probe reads just about the same as the digital reader on the hopper. I replaced the temp probe and the control unit and it seems to have dialed in from 20 to 15

 

[schlotz]

That is a very typical amount of swing which is not an issue and averages out. Nothing to be concerned about. BTW your oven has swings too. While some 100% wood based pellets will be hotter burners than others, the smoker levels the playing field as it is controlling the temp regardless of what wood is used by governing the rate at which the pellets are consumed to keep the temp at the set point. So the only measurable difference ends up being the amount of pellets used for a smoke.

 

[jshank]

That is a very typical amount of swing which is not an issue and averages out. Nothing to be concerned about. BTW your oven has swings too. While some 100% wood based pellets will be hotter burners than others, the smoker levels the playing field as it is controlling the temp regardless of what wood is used by governing the rate at which the pellets are consumed to keep the temp at the set point. So the only measurable difference ends up being the amount of pellets used for a smoke.

Thanks sir!

 

[bill1]

I'm with Schlotz. Kitchen oven manufacturers are shrewd enough to know better than to give you accurate, fast-response temperature probes like all the good grill companies give us! And the kitchen oven is just turning a filament on and off...that is MUCH more controllable than a burning wood fire! It's a marvel of modern control theory that these pellet machines do as good as they do.

What counts is the temperature of the meat. 20degF variation outside won't matter a bit.

Another reason thermal blankets help is that they make the temptation to open the lid harder to act upon! :-)

 

[Buckeye1]

Bill,
At what outside temp do you stop using a thermal blanket? I've read some people say over 40 degrees. I have a neighbor that keeps a blanket on year round.

 

[bill1]

The correct physics answer is: quit using a blanket when it's hotter outside than inside the smoker. :-)
Probably a better engineering answer is: quit using the blanket when the hassle outweighs the benefit. If it's so cold that your pellet grill seems to be running the auger nearly continuously, the benefits of the blanket are clearly present, so use one.

But, unlike electric-only smokers (running on a 120V/15A circuit), most pellet grills have Plenty Of Power to Spare for temps over 40F. (Heck, probably even 0 degF.) So I personally rather like the convenience of taking a peek now and then, moving the meat, spritzing a bit, adding more chips to my supplemental pan/tube, etc. So 40F for me is kind of the point at which I'd rather move my body inside the house and watch my smoker through the glass slider than do any of those warm-weather fun things! So I'd put on a blanket (or I'd probably use a cardboard box, but that's just me) and go inside where it's warm for me.

But if it's warm enough to "tend the fire" (good excuse for a cold beer!) it's warm enough to let the pellet auger just do it's thing. At something like 50-70F, the difference in your temp swings between no blanket or with, given a set point of ~200F, is going to be about 20 deg F vs 19degF, which I'd consider negligible, and having zero effect on food taste. (I believe the subject of temperature swings is widely overrated. If it's troublesome to someone, they should NEVER open the door/lid, and probably should have bought an electric smoker, not a wood-based one.)

Now the difference in pellet usage may be as much as a couple percent, so you might pay for the blanket in a few hundred smokes, but if you're really worried about pellet cost compared to the hassle of using a blanket, you probably bought the wrong smoking machine. And remember these pellet machines move a lot of air. On a BTU basis, a whole lot more thermal energy goes out the exhaust vents than what is convected away from the metal walls of the vessel.

Season to taste! --Bill

 

[schlotz]

bill1 gave you some good input and totally agree that if one is really worried about pellet consumption cost they shouldn't be using a pellet smoker.

IMO, use of a blanket seems to be a consideration for an extreme condition like -5ºƒ or worse. Even then, the smoker will still operate. Can't say I've done a lot of smokes in that temp range but I do smoke all winter here in Indiana and without the use of a blanket. Unless the OCD tendencies are particularly strong, my suggestion would be bypass the blanket.

 

[Buckeye1]

Thanks for the advice. Living in Wisconsin it gets pretty cold in the winter and gets into the 20's a lot at night in the spring. 40 to 50 degrees seems like a good place to not use a blanket.