Not enough smoke flavor using my Camp Chef pellet grill.

[bregent]

To me, a pellet smoker is almost exactly like those relatively new "instant pots" which combine the functions of a pressure cooker and a slow cooker into one device. Compared to a dedicated slow cooker, they lack features, size, and other functions. Compared to a pressure cooker, they are slow, don't do as good a job browning items before pressure cooking, and so on.

We're drifting off topic here, but I've owned pressure cookers for 40 years and bought a new stainless 6qt a few years ago. But I haven't touched it since my son brought home an Instant Pot. It's true that it doesn't reach as a high a pressure as a stove top PC (newer model IP now do reach 15PSI), but that only means about 10% in cook time. But it's easier to use due to the built in timer so I get more consistent results. And it browns just as well as my stove top PC. I don't use it much for slow cooking, but it has MORE features than my dedicated slow cooker.

So, if your goal is big-time smoke, lots of bark, and real BBQ flavor, you may be SOL with a pellet grill.

Pellet grills do not produce an up front, in your face, smoke profile. They do produce real BBQ flavor and lots of bark.

 

[forktender]

After spending the summer trying different things to get more of a smoke flavor on my food I have come to the conclusion that pellet ovens are just not for me.
The only reason I will continue to use it is it was a birthday present from my wife.
On long smokes I will start things on my UDS with a small basket of charcoal and wood. Once I burn through the small fuel load I will transfer the food over to the pellet oven to keep me and my little lady happy.

If any of you have found a way to get a stronger smoke flavor and a heavy bark-
(without using a ton of sugar) Burnt sugar flavor isn't what I would consider a good bark.
Please let me know how you are doing so, you just might save my marriage......LOL
A P/M would be great, because I still haven't figured out how to follow a thread on this new site.
Thank you.
Dan

 

[RCAlan]

If any of you have found a way to get a stronger smoke flavor and a heavy bark-
(without using a ton of sugar) Burnt sugar flavor isn't what I would consider a good bark.
Please let me know how you are doing so, you just might save my marriage......LOL

If you’re looking to add some true wood smoke flavor to your pellet grill, you might want to give this a look...
https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/the-heavy-d-stick-burning-heat-diffuser/
I haven’t tried it yet, just doing my research as well... There’s a video of it in the link as well... If anyone has any real info on this upgrade and not just empty opinions, please share...

PB Austin XL in SoCal and always... Semper Fi

 

[Herbert Miller]

I have a pellet smoker myself and am going through the same process of trying to get the deep smoke flavor I'm used to. I read lots of articles, posts, etc about pellet smokers not generating enough of a smoke flavor. On the other hand, there are quite of few competition teams using pellet smokers and winning major events so it must be possible to achieve the flavor we're looking for.

For my latest trial I tried this:

1. Initial cook at about 175 for a couple hours with AMZNPS. I am using bbqers delight pellets of 100% hickory in this the AMZN.
2. Using LumberJack pellets in the pellet hopper (only because bbqer delight pellets are a bit pricey).
3. After two hours bump the temperature up to about 275 to 300 for the rest of the cook.

This has given me a lot more smoke flavor than anything else I've tried, though admittedly still not quite there. Many of the competition teams are using something called MojoBricks and I may give that a try, but I currently don't see how that would be any better than the AMZN tray I use.

I'll keep you posted.

I am very dissatisfied with the amount of smoke I'm getting from my pellet grill and have tried the a-maze-n smoke maze. I have always had a problem keeping it lit!!! Anybody have any secrets?

 

[bregent]

I am very dissatisfied with the amount of smoke I'm getting from my pellet grill and have tried the a-maze-n smoke maze. I have always had a problem keeping it lit!!! Anybody have any secrets?

Depending on your pellet grill, mazes can be very hard to keep lit because the flame in the firepot consumes some of the oxygen. Try a tube instead - they require less O2 to stay lit.

 

[Jabiru]

I put my meat straight in from the fridge, keep grill low 160f for an hour or so Then put to the cooking temp I want.

The smoke profile etc etc are perfect to us. The flavour is like cooked over a super clean camping fire to everyone who has tasted our food.

Got a charcoal smoker, gasser and charcoal spit. All have a different taste.

 

[texomakid]

I too own a pellet grill/smoker/cooker and I can tell you my humble opinion it's probably the best cooking device I've ever owned so far.

IT WILL NOT MATCH SMOKING WITH A STICK BURNER OR A CHARCOAL SMOKER FOR THAT HEAVY SMOKE FLAVOR.

I can't speak for any other pellet cooker other than mine. There's smoke and it does produce smoke flavor. I actually enjoy the amount of smoke it puts out and I enjoy moving from one type of wood pellet to the next so I can experience those flavors and aromas. It's just not overpowering like you will get out of a Lang loaded with hickory or Pecan or a WSM with charcoal and wood chunks. If you're looking for a pellet cooker to reproduce that same "smoke" of the more traditional forms of smoke cookers then you will be disappointed. That's why so many folks own more than one type of cooker. After all, isn't cooking with various forms of smoke half the fun?

 

[dubob]

After all, isn't cooking with various forms of smoke half the fun?

Not for some of us!

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I too own a pellet grill/smoker/cooker and I can tell you my humble opinion it's probably the best cooking device I've ever owned so far.

IT WILL NOT MATCH SMOKING WITH A STICK BURNER OR A CHARCOAL SMOKER FOR THAT HEAVY SMOKE FLAVOR.

I can't speak for any other pellet cooker other than mine. There's smoke and it does produce smoke flavor. I actually enjoy the amount of smoke it puts out and I enjoy moving from one type of wood pellet to the next so I can experience those flavors and aromas. It's just not overpowering like you will get out of a Lang loaded with hickory or Pecan or a WSM with charcoal and wood chunks. If you're looking for a pellet cooker to reproduce that same "smoke" of the more traditional forms of smoke cookers then you will be disappointed. That's why so many folks own more than one type of cooker. After all, isn't cooking with various forms of smoke half the fun?

Certainly for me it is.

 

[Shootr]

I use a tube, and had to experiment a bit to find a spot that it liked and would stay lit - on my Camp Chef DLX it's on the top rack all the way against the back wall. As long as I don't load it the night before and let the pellets sponge up the overnight humidity (ugh, ask me how I know :-) ) it stays lit every time and gives me a good few hours of TBS.

 

[thesmokist]

I'd try some different pellets and pellet cookers put out less smoke at higher temps.