Ash in my Camp Chef

[Big Grouch]

Camp Chef PG36 Wifi, new purchase. Among the reason I bought this was the removable ash cup. "Some" ash ends up in it, but I always end up vacuuming everything out anyway. It blows everywhere. Just did pork butts for 18 hours, almost 20 pounds of pellets, big mess. I understand the convection nature of pellet grills, I'm just wondering if this is excessive. I'm using Pit Boss or Lumber Jack pellets, half the cost of Camp Chef or Traeger pellets, is this causing me grief? This is a minor annoyance, just wondering if this just happens. Thank you for any words of wisdom.

 

[kruizer]

Some ash is always going to end up in the bottom of your smoker. That is normal.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Just did pork butts for 18 hours, almost 20 pounds of pellets, big mess.

Where would you like the ash from 20 pounds of pellets to go during the 18 hour cook? They can’t stay in the fire box. Just asking for a friend.

 

[bregent]

Big mess where?
Are you referring to ash in the bottom of the barrel, or in the food/cooking chamber?

You will always get some ash in the food area, but this usually decreases over time as the grill seasons and more ash tends to stick to the sides, lids, etc.
Regarding the ash cup, as I have mentioned many times it really is not much use. Yes, it is easy to clean out the firepot ash, but by the time enough ash collects in the firepot to be a problem, you need to vacuum out the barrel anyway. I didn't find it very useful.

 

[dubob]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! I've had my Woodwind 24 since Feb 1920 I've been saying that their pot cleanout feature is absolutely NOTHING but advertising hype since day one. Just like every other pellet pooper, you will need to vacuum the barrel out about every 2nd cook. It's the nature of the pellet pooper world. Easy ash clean out is absolute BS. But the CC works like a champ to produce some outstanding eats.

 

[Big Grouch]

So I guess I fell for the hype on this one "feature." I still like my Camp Chef, and my Traeger owning neighbor says he wishes he'd bought one too.
It sounds like this is something all pellet grills deal with, still easier than cleaning up the charcoal ash and water pan in my WSM. No opinions on if Traeger or Camp Chef pellets cause less ash? Lumber Jack and Pit Boss both had excellent reviews, no mention of excessive ash.
Thank you every one.

 

[Fueling Around]

I've burned Traeger, Lumberjack, Bear Mountain, and Smokehouse pellets in my cheap Masterbuilt pooper.
I haven't noticed enough difference in ash to pick a go to brand outside of the cheapest.
Most of the ash is blown out the vent, but some settles in the cook chamber.
I don't get much residue junk in the burn pot unless I do the shutdown after the auger has fed pellets that are raw or partially burned.

 

[Chasdev]

I like the ash dump feature on mine, it's very handy harvesting the unused pellets after a cook.
1st rule of pellet burning, always empty the auger after the cook.

 

[unclebubbas bbq]

It is unavoidable in a pellet cooker. It does help a little if you spray the interior of the cooker with oil but you still need to vacuum out the smoker after an average of 20-25 hours of use. That's when I change the foil out on my drip tray as well. Just consider it typical maintenance

 

[forktender]

I like the ash dump feature on mine, it's very handy harvesting the unused pellets after a cook.
1st rule of pellet burning, always empty the auger after the cook.

I've never once emptied my Camp Chef's auger, and I use my smoker maybe 2-3 times a week in the summer and the 2-3 times a month throughout the winter.

Why would anyone go through the hassle of tempting the auger after every smoke???

I vacuum out my smoker every 2nd or 3rd cook, you have to keep up on it!!!

 

[SmokinGame]

I have used Lumberjack, Camp Chef, Traeger, etc. pellets and am now using mostly Bear Mountain. All seem to have similar ash build up. Like others, I vacuum out mine after 3-4 cooks, somewhat dependent upon how long those cooks are.

For me the "ash cup" on my Camp Chef is used to collect pellets when emptying the auger. I empty my auger because 1) I am always switching up the pellets and 2) in our high humidity summers I don't want to take chance of pellets possibly swelling and clogging the auger.

 

[dubob]

I've never once emptied my Camp Chef's auger, and I use my smoker maybe 2-3 times a week in the summer and the 2-3 times a month throughout the winter.

Why would anyone go through the hassle of tempting the auger after every smoke??? Exactly - why would they? I certainly wouldn't.

I vacuum out my smoker every 2nd or 3rd cook, you have to keep up on it!!!

BINGO! We have a winner!

 

[forktender]

BINGO! We have a winner!

The only thing I can think of is it's a lot more humid where they live than out here in Cali.
I've never heard of pellets swelling in a C.C. auger, though.

I use mainly Lumberjack pellets, and I've never seen any more ash than other brands, even the cheap brand pellets produce about the same amount of ash in my Camp Chef.

 

[Fueling Around]

Buddy swears that Traeger pellets produce less ash. I've burned the same pellets and don't see any difference in my pooper.
I've only seen swelled pellets once.
It was a kicked to the curb unit my friends found.

It is unavoidable in a pellet cooker. It does help a little if you spray the interior of the cooker with oil but you still need to vacuum out the smoker after an average of 20-25 hours of use. That's when I change the foil out on my drip tray as well. Just consider it typical maintenance

The oil collected more ash for me. I scraped it off and all is well. Vacuum out the ash in the bottom of the cook chamber and the burn pot as needed.

 

[sandyut]

1st rule of pellet burning, always empty the auger after the cook.

Uh What? I have never heard this, I have never done this. if this was a "rule" or even recommended process, I would not have chose to use a pellet smoker - that sounds like a ridiculous PITA!

I just follow the instructions, turn off the pellet smoker when finished. When ready to smoke again, turn on and set to temp. and repeat. clean fire pot periodically. never had a problem in 3 years.