Pellet Smokers and Steak?

[amills1210]

I have both a propane grill and smoker. While both still work welll, I am looking to consolidate and upgrade to a single unit and it seems like the Pellet grills are the way to go. Easier to set and forget and they can smoke and BBQ.

My one question thought about pellet grills is say I want to grill a steak. Will the pellet grill give my steak, or anything else for that matter, a smoky flavor? From time to time we use our grill to cook food that obviously we dont want to smoke so I am just curious if going with a pellet grill will start to make everything we cook on it smoky.

Thanks

 

[retiredbadge]

I have a Traeger and when I smoke on it I add two Amazn tubes with the same pellets. I like a lot of smoke and I have worked hard to figure out how to make it Smokey.

I don’t think it would add much if any smoke at high temps, but I am still a newbie learning.

 

[Geebs]

You can smoke it to begin at a low temp and then turn up the grill to get somewhat of a sear. That’s what I do on my CC Woodwind. There is a hint of the smoke from the pellet but not a ton.

 

[ross77]

I feel like it adds some depth of flavor even at high heat. I usually reverse sear my steaks.

I use 100% hickory pellets for almost all my cooking. Blends have less flavor IMO.

 

[mike243]

I have cooked several steaks with mine,set for smoke maybe 20 minutes then sear it,cant sear a bunch at the same time but it works very well for me

 

[mike243]

3 tee bones

 

[mike243]

I would try to find a friend with 1 and try a cook out with a few different items to taste and make sure you like it,in E Tn if you are close ? :)

 

[bregent]

I would try to find a friend with 1 and try a cook out with a few different items to taste and make sure you like it,in E Tn if you are close ? :)

I agree, many folks that go from other smokers to pellet grills are disappointed in the relative lack of smoke flavor. It's best if you can try before you buy to make sure you'll be happy with one.

As for cooking steaks, food cooked at high temps will not get smoky. Some pellet grills have direct flame option that let you cook directly over an exposed flame. With others, you can crank them up so they get hot and cook on the grates or with Grill Grates or a similar setup. Be aware that if you smoke a large cut low and slow, you'll end up with a lot of grease in the pit - most will drain but there is always some left behind. If you then crank the grill up to a high temp, you'll get a lot of grease smoke which you need to let clear before you put food on.

My Memphis will get to 700F but I never go there for that reason. If I'm reverse searing, I'll smoke on the Memphis low and then sear on my gas grill.

 

[bangstick]

Reverse searing is the only way to go on steaks!!!

I'll smoke my steaks on my Woodiwnd until IT reaches 115 degrees. Then, as the steaks near completion, I'll fire up the sear box and set it on high. After about 10-12 minutes, it's at 900 degrees. Each steak get 30-45 seconds per side and then I pull them off and let them rest for about 15 minutes. They've come out perfect medium-rare every time. I love smoky flavor but I can't say my steaks have an excessively smoky flavor to them when cooked like this.

If you prefer a more-done steak, smoke until the IT is a little higher but stick with the 30-45 seconds per side during the sear. Also, thick steaks are a must when reverse searing. Something in the 1 3/4"-2" range. If doing fillets, I actually prefer 2"-2 1/2".

 

[Thebutscher]

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/who-says-you-cant-grill-on-a-traeger.275978/

I have both a propane grill and smoker. While both still work welll, I am looking to consolidate and upgrade to a single unit and it seems like the Pellet grills are the way to go. Easier to set and forget and they can smoke and BBQ.

My one question thought about pellet grills is say I want to grill a steak. Will the pellet grill give my steak, or anything else for that matter, a smoky flavor? From time to time we use our grill to cook food that obviously we dont want to smoke so I am just curious if going with a pellet grill will start to make everything we cook on it smoky.

Thanks