Lone Star Grillz Pellet Grill No smoke flavor

[Sirrichard33]

I received my Lone Star Grillz Pellet Grill March 7, 2025 and did the six-hour burn-in at 225°F with Traeger Competition Blend pellets. Smoke poured out the stack during burn-in — thought I was in good shape.

First real cook was salmon at 225°F. Pulled it at temp — absolutely no smoke flavor. Might as well have used the oven.

Called LSG. I was told Traeger pellets are weak, so I switched it up.

I have tried smoking 15 meals, tri-tip (with reverse sear), ribs, burgers, pork chops, chicken, more salmon — all under 250°F. All the meat was pulled at medium-to-medium rear. Chicken pulled at 180.

Tried every brand of pellet I could get my hands on: B&B, BBQr’s Delight, CookinPellets, Lumberjack, Traeger, and Smokin’ Pecan. All pellets were: Oak, Hickory, Mesquite and Pecan.

Ran several cooks with a 50/50 blend of wood chips and pellets.

Wood chips: Oak, Hickory, Mesquite.

From: B&B, Big Green Egg, Jack Daniel’s.

No smoke flavor. Period.

Doesn’t matter what I burn — the smoke just isn’t there.

Chris at LSG was somewhat helpful at first, but now he’s ghosted me.

Bottom line:

This grill cooks the meat, but I get more BBQ flavor from my Weber kettle and more smoke form my Cookshack Smokette electric cabinet.

If anyone has suggestions on how to fix this, I’m listening. Otherwise, this thing is headed for Craigslist.

 

[normanaj]

It's a pellet grill,it was never going to produce much smoke flavor.

Try starting your cooks at lower temps and bump the temp up over time,lower temps produce more smoke.You can also add something like an A-maze-n smoke tube which will give much more smoke.

 

[h8that4u]

I will put a block of Jealous Devil wood block on the cover over the burn pot to help, I got them at Home Depot.

 

[Fueling Around]

I don't know what you are expecting.
I have a cheapo pellet pooper and if I can keep the temps under 300° It will put some smoke flavor on what I'm cooking.
When I need it to act as more of a smoker I do as normanaj suggests and use a pellet tube.
Still not as good as a dedicated smoker.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Maybe Covid? Changed the senses?

 

[Trolly1]

I picked up a used Grilla Chimp a couple years ago and have experienced the same issue with lack of smoke and smoke flavor with my cooks. I’ve used many different brands of pellets with no real difference. For Easter, I smoked 2 butts and used Bear Mountain Butcher’s Blend pellets for the 1st time. I noticed that the smoker produced a nice amount of smoke throughout the entire cook. The butts finished with beautiful color & bark and had the best smoke profile I’ve ever achieved with the Chimp.

 

[Sirrichard33]

Thanks again for all the replies — I appreciate everyone taking the time to share their thoughts.
I've had meat off other pellet smokers that packed serious smoke flavor, and honestly, that's the only reason I'd even think about dropping $3,200 on one. I'm giving Jealous Devil wood a run tonight with some pork loin — we’ll see if it moves the needle.


That said, I'm extremely disappointed with this LSG. Before I bought it, I spoke directly with the team and was told I was getting something just a step down from a stick burner. In reality, it’s a step down from my 20-year-old Weber.


If a pellet grill can’t bring the deep smoke profile I’m chasing, where do I go next?
BBQ Galore mentioned the Big Green Egg — anyone here had solid results pulling real smoke flavor out of one, especially on brisket or Boston butt? Would like to hear some firsthand experiences.


For what it’s worth, I've been running a Cookshack cabinet smoker for about 10 years. It’s rock solid for smaller cuts, but it struggles with bigger meats — just doesn’t get the deep penetration I’m after.


Appreciate any advice from folks who've been down this road.

 

[Trolly1]

When I want the best smoke profile and results I use my Char Griller Gravity 980. While not quite as convenient as my Chimp (it’s not far off), it delivers results I think are fairly close to an offset. I think the Gravity 980 may have been discontinued but Masterbuilt’s Gravity series might be a good option for you.

The Best Gravity-Fed Smoker in [currentyear]: Superior to Pellet Grills?

This innovative grill design promises traditional charcoal flavor without needing to slave over your grill.

www.smokedbbqsource.com

 

[Quiganomics]

Not to bash pellet grills, they serve their purpose for ease to someone new to bbq, hell...that's what I started out on, but I'm yet to find a pellet grill that is able to produce a satisfactory amount of smoke flavor. That's from experience cooking on most the majors from ZGrills, RecTec, Traeger, Grilla, Pit Boss, and Campchef all the way up to Yoder rigs. Some are better than others, but can't match the flavor of wood and coal.

 

[Quiganomics]

When I want the best smoke profile and results I use my Char Griller Gravity 980. While not quite as convenient as my Chimp (it’s not far off), it delivers results I think are fairly close to an offset. I think the Gravity 980 may have been discontinued but Masterbuilt’s Gravity series might be a good option for you.

The Best Gravity-Fed Smoker in [currentyear]: Superior to Pellet Grills?

This innovative grill design promises traditional charcoal flavor without needing to slave over your grill.

www.smokedbbqsource.com

Second this. I recommend the CG 980 to anyone who tells me they're looking at pellet smokers. All the ease of a pellet grill and damn near the flavor of an offset. I'm honestly surprised the gravity smokers didn't catch on the way I thought they would.

 

[Smokin Okie]

When I want the best smoke profile and results I use my Char Griller Gravity 980. While not quite as convenient as my Chimp (it’s not far off), it delivers results I think are fairly close to an offset. I think the Gravity 980 may have been discontinued but Masterbuilt’s Gravity series might be a good option for you.

The Best Gravity-Fed Smoker in [currentyear]: Superior to Pellet Grills?

This innovative grill design promises traditional charcoal flavor without needing to slave over your grill.

www.smokedbbqsource.com

Just me, I don't understand why gravity feeds don't have the popularity of pellets.

And being someone whose never owned or cooked with a pellet smoker, this whole " no smoke flavor " thing is a conundrum. Some are very happy with their pellets, others not.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Just me, I don't understand why gravity feeds don't have the popularity of pellets.

And being someone whose never owned or cooked with a pellet smoker, this whole " no smoke flavor " thing is a conundrum. Some are very happy with their pellets, others not.

I'm in the exact same boat...

 

[Chasdev]

If you are addicted to stickburner meat flavor profile, do NOT buy a pellet spitter.
They are a good outdoor convection oven and do provice SOME smoke flavor but once your palate gets addicted to burning hardwood, it's game over folks.
Next best (and my favorite) is gravity charcoal cookers with hardwood added wherever you can stuff it in them.
Very close to stickburner flavor and almost as easy as a pellet burner.
My latest (and last) cheap offset smoker is up for sale now after 1.5 years of use.
I just can't drive one anymore, too much monkey business that comes with a cheap offset, and high quality oak is through the roof here, so last fall I smoked four packers in four weeks, sliced them up and they now reside in the deep freeze vac sealed in single person serving sizes.
Rumor has it that the top shelf offsets run with less time spent chasing temps but they are too rich for my blood and overpriced oak is still overpriced oak.

 

[chopsaw]

this whole " no smoke flavor " thing is a conundrum. Some are very happy with their pellets, others not.

Exactly . People are to quick to believe what they hear , or see on You Tube .
It's as much the cook as it is the grill / smoker . Just like anything else .
After using and learning mine , I get great results and perfect smoke profile .

If anyone has suggestions on how to fix this, I’m listening.

Start with being positive . I mean if you expect to be disappointed you probably will be .

I have no experience with that grill , so just went and looked at the design .
Not sure which one you have , But seeing the price point I get the disappointment !
I'd feel the same way .


I like B&B comp blend pellets or lumberJack . Another one I like is Papa's Premium . Any of the " Char " combinations seem to add some smoke flavor .

Instead of running at a lower set temp start to finish , try running in a " smoke " setting for the first few hours . Then bump temps up a little at a time , so you introduce fresh pellets throughout the smoke .
The combustion is where the smoke flavor comes from .
I can do mine in 5 degree adjustments . Starts around 200 , then I bump up to 275 / 300 over several hours , depending on what I'm cooking .

I don't need an extra smoke source , but a lot of guys use a tube . Might be worth a try .

Keep at it , and get it seasoned up . That should help some as well .
I went from an offset stick burner to an MES 30 . So I get the lack of or change in smoke flavor .
Give some of the suggestions a try and see if it improves .

 

[mike243]

Run it as low as it will go for a couple hours, spritz every 30-45 minutes for 3-5 hours, add a pellet tube and put some shag bark hickory bark in it with some pellets, i get decent flavor but not like a charcoal and wood chunks, wife can’t handle much smoke these dayand recently requested all her outdoor cooking come off the gas grill

 

[Up_In_Smoke]

Here's a couple of basic items:

1 - Clean the firepot completely.
2 - Remove any foil you may have put under the grates.
3 - Set the grill for 180 degrees.
4 - Open the stack all the way.
5 - After the grill is lit and temperature stable, start closing the stack.
6 - Did the amount of smoke seem to increase as you closed the stack??

My thinking is that maybe there was just too much airflow through the cooking chamber.
My Z Grill and my Traeger Pro 22 do better with the stack adjustments towards the closed side.

PS - Do this testing with an empty grill. Concentrate on maximum smoke before cooking.

 

[sandyut]

chopsaw nailed it. if I want heavier smoke flavor I start of Smoke mode or 180 for an hour or two then up it to the cook temp. I went from charcoal to pellet and have zero regrets. plenty of smoke flavor.

 

[texomakid]

I've come to the conclusion that smoke flavor/taste in a pellet grill is very dependent on individual palate. While I do taste and smell the smoke from my pellet grill it's not the same as a stick burner or chunks on charcoal. When I really notice it is with leftovers and when I open the container or foil where I've had the smoked meat in the fridge that light hint of smoke is the first thing I smell. I'd have to say I probably got a more pronounced smoke flavor & aroma with my old MES and my Bradley electric smokers than I do with my Yoder but I can tell you the quality & success with the Yoder has been exceptional.

With that being said, I'm in the market for a stick burner. Man can never have too many cookers!!!!

 

[schlotz]

Both David ( sandyut ) and Rich ( chopsaw ) nailed the process to maximize the effectiveness of a pellet smoker. As Chasdev mentioned if you are accustomed to the heavy smoke results from a stick burner then nothing short of that is going to satisfy you and for most, changing one's preference in taste isn't in the cards. This is where I personally drew the line when making a decision on purchasing a smoker. Heavily smoked meat I'm ok with once in a while but as a general rule I want to enjoy the taste of the protein I'm eating, building a flavor profile by adding smoke vs dominating or masking the meat flavor. From the above it sounds like you need to go with a good stick burner.

 

[okie sawbones]

I use Cookin comp pellets. I've tried most all of them. Jersey Devil is good also. In a bowl, I mix 50/50 hickory pellets and Lone Star hickory wood chips. I then fill my tube, light it with a torch, and pop it in my GMG pellet pooper. I usually cook ribs and butts at 275. I get plenty of smoke flavor.

I bought a Diamond King smoker box, but I have not gotten around to using it yet. Maybe someone can chime in.