Pellet smokers have irregular cook temps

[BBQBakas]

The original idea behind moving from a wood smoker to a pellet smoker was that I could just set it and forget it. For long cooks it was a no-brainer to maintain that all important consistent temperature. As a backyard BBQer with small kids it's much easier for me to cook food when I'm not tending to the fire like when I got started smoking 10 years ago.

But on my last brisket I learned something (searching the forum I don't see many threads about it). Smokers don't always hold the temperature you set it at. Or, I should say cook temp irregularity varies from grill to grill. My first smoker was the Camp Chef DLX which was great but the auger broke and I gave it to a buddy who fixed it. Now he's really into smoking meat. It was an excuse to step up to a bigger smoker, so I got the GMG Daniel Boone with wifi and app. The Camp Chef seems to hold temperatures fine, but after a conversation with the GMG support team they told me their firmware needed to be updated (an update was available) because the old firmware had voltage surges. When voltage surges happened it spiked the heat by pushing too many pellets into the heater.

My last brisket was a 17 pounder that was cooked for the correct amount of time but it got way overcooked. I had put it in the smoker at 9pm thinking it would cook at 250° and be ready for wrapping in the morning. I got up the next morning and the temperature of the meat was much higher than it should have been at that point.

The point being is pellet smokers aren't as reliable as one might think. You still have to check your meat with a thermostat throughout the cook. When researching new pellet grills some reviews will mention how well the grill can hold the temperature you actually want. Not all pellet grills are the same.

 

[thirdeye]

We had a pellet cooker at a competition 2 years ago for the pork butts. It drifted from 240° to 290° but did hit 300° a couple of times. Another team member took the lead on the pork, but during a practice cook I did the biscuit test on his pellet cooker, so we at least knew how to rotate the butts.

 

[bregent]

That's right, all pellet grills have temp swings, and some have a displayed temperature that differs from the grate temp. Best to always verify with a thermometer. Neither are show stoppers unless the temp swings get too large. In any case, pellet grills tend to cook quite a bit faster than other smokers. My last brisket was also 17lbs and took about 12 hours at 225F.

I don't really worry about grate temps any more, since after testing it many times I've found the Memphis is always within a few degrees of setpoint. I do monitor it for overnight cooks in case of flameout - but that's never happened with this grill.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Learn your pit and how to manage it. I have a GMG Daniel Boone, a Yoder 640, and a 3x3x7 smokehouse. They all cook great, but they are all different in how I run them for desired outcome.

 

[thirdeye]

Remember when drums first came out, and everyone said they cook faster? That was because if the side mount thermometer read 250° the actual cooking temp at the grate was 300°. My first thermometer mod was installing a 12" stem TelTru so I can monitor the cooking temps in the middle of the pit.

 

[tallbm]

The original idea behind moving from a wood smoker to a pellet smoker was that I could just set it and forget it. For long cooks it was a no-brainer to maintain that all important consistent temperature. As a backyard BBQer with small kids it's much easier for me to cook food when I'm not tending to the fire like when I got started smoking 10 years ago.

But on my last brisket I learned something (searching the forum I don't see many threads about it). Smokers don't always hold the temperature you set it at. Or, I should say cook temp irregularity varies from grill to grill. My first smoker was the Camp Chef DLX which was great but the auger broke and I gave it to a buddy who fixed it. Now he's really into smoking meat. It was an excuse to step up to a bigger smoker, so I got the GMG Daniel Boone with wifi and app. The Camp Chef seems to hold temperatures fine, but after a conversation with the GMG support team they told me their firmware needed to be updated (an update was available) because the old firmware had voltage surges. When voltage surges happened it spiked the heat by pushing too many pellets into the heater.

My last brisket was a 17 pounder that was cooked for the correct amount of time but it got way overcooked. I had put it in the smoker at 9pm thinking it would cook at 250° and be ready for wrapping in the morning. I got up the next morning and the temperature of the meat was much higher than it should have been at that point.

The point being is pellet smokers aren't as reliable as one might think. You still have to check your meat with a thermostat throughout the cook. When researching new pellet grills some reviews will mention how well the grill can hold the temperature you actually want. Not all pellet grills are the same.

With any smoker it is a super good practice to get a good wireless dual probe (or more probes, as many as u can get) thermometer with alarms on it. Test it in boiling water to know if it is off from 212F in boiling water and make a note how off it is, if off at all.

Use 1 probe for the smoker at grate/meat level to measure the temp there (I measure in 3 spots across my entire rack/grate).
Another probe in the meat to know its IT.

This way you know if your smoker temp goes wild. Also with most meats you cook by internal temp (IT) OR you use the IT to tell you when to check for tenderness like on briskets and pork butts. Brisket and pork butt are done when tender and you check that by stabbing all over with something like a kabob skewer and when it goes in like butter ALL OVER then briskets are done. I check for brisket tenderness around 200F IT of the thickest, center most part of the FLAT muscle, never the point.

Whether you are smoking a brisket, ribs, or fish having the thermometer setup with alarms will let you know when the meal is done... or if in the middle of the night you had a pellet/fire flame up and you need to go handle it :)

I hope this info helps :)

 

[fullborebbq]

Pellet smoker temps swing mostly due to outside temps, wind speeds and a general lack of insulation on the unit itself. I built my own with a 1" insulated wall thickness and it holds temp 15 degrees +- even at 10 degrees ambient temps.

 

[TuckersBarbeque]

The original idea behind moving from a wood smoker to a pellet smoker was that I could just set it and forget it. For long cooks it was a no-brainer to maintain that all important consistent temperature.

That hasn't changed. It is still set and forget. Depending on your model, PID has come a long way and you need to do some work to know your tools like the bread/biscuit tests and multiple probes in various places test to know where your hot spots are, regardless of advertisements.

The point being is pellet smokers aren't as reliable as one might think. You still have to check your meat with a thermostat throughout the cook.

Not to be too crass, but it sounds like you were expecting to time cook a brisket. It went wrong when you assumed you could put it in at 9pm and have it ready for wrap on your morning schedule. That is not your equipment's fault because every piece of meat is different.
Maybe I misread your post, but it sounds like you think because you have a pellet smoker you wouldn't have to monitor the meat temp throughout the cook. Is that what you are saying?

 

[schlotz]

Rule #1, know your smoker and how it performs in different conditions. Not all pellet smokers are the same. Some actually perform quite well in the 'set it & leave it' mode. For those with a bit more OCD, plot out the temp swings if you must. BTW: your kitchen oven has temp swings too!

 

[BBQBakas]

That hasn't changed. It is still set and forget. Depending on your model, PID has come a long way and you need to do some work to know your tools like the bread/biscuit tests and multiple probes in various places test to know where your hot spots are, regardless of advertisements.


Not to be too crass, but it sounds like you were expecting to time cook a brisket. It went wrong when you assumed you could put it in at 9pm and have it ready for wrap on your morning schedule. That is not your equipment's fault because every piece of meat is different.
Maybe I misread your post, but it sounds like you think because you have a pellet smoker you wouldn't have to monitor the meat temp throughout the cook. Is that what you are saying?

No, you're right. In the old days with a wood smoker I would watch both chamber temp and meat temp. With the pellet grill I think I got lazy and just assumed the smoker would hold the temp for me. It was a good reminder that I need to do exactly what you said.

 

[bigfurmn]

Pretty sure that almost every post in the Pellet Grill area talks about temp swings. I have a MBE40 that I got as a gift a few years and that also did temp swings. When I got my Pit Boss grill I had more swings depending on the wind and outside temp, I am guessing due to less insulation. I recently upgraded my iGrill2 to an Inkbird WIFI 4 probe thermometer. I usually put two probes in the meat (depending on what I am cooking) and two on the grates to give me an idea what is going on around the meat.

 

[TuckersBarbeque]

No, you're right. In the old days with a wood smoker I would watch both chamber temp and meat temp. With the pellet grill I think I got lazy and just assumed the smoker would hold the temp for me. It was a good reminder that I need to do exactly what you said.

Yeah, when I got a RecTec I noticed a little more laziness too. I still keep my WSM and offset around to keep me in check!
Pellet grills are the definition of temp swings, the computer can't always account for pellet BTU and outside temp... it tries very hard, but over/under shoots are inevitable. In a windless 70 degree day, my pellet smoker maintains perfectly. In 40 degrees and windless, I get a lot more swings without the blanket on. It's the nature of the beast.

 

[bdawg]

I upgraded my Pitboss with a SmokeDaddy pid controller. It wasn't cheap, but the PID controller works a lot better at keeping temp steady. The problem with the stock temp controller is it works primarily based on time, not on the actual temps. The Smoke Daddy has better smarts in it.
Bottom line is it works for me.

 

[BBQBakas]

After all these years I realize how little I know...

 

[BBQBakas]

Pretty sure that almost every post in the Pellet Grill area talks about temp swings. I have a MBE40 that I got as a gift a few years and that also did temp swings. When I got my Pit Boss grill I had more swings depending on the wind and outside temp, I am guessing due to less insulation. I recently upgraded my iGrill2 to an Inkbird WIFI 4 probe thermometer. I usually put two probes in the meat (depending on what I am cooking) and two on the grates to give me an idea what is going on around the meat.

Good call. Just ordered new thermometers...

 

[WV_Crusader]

All great advice above and I agree, I have done various cuts and have woke up to it just getting to temp to be pulled to rest in a cooler at 6am! Trust me on this, make yourself a logbook for each cut of meat you do and temp outside, wind speed etc, it helps in the long run!

 

[Jabiru]

BBQBakas , I never use time mate, always the internal Temp of the Meats. Using time is a recipe for disaster I reckon. I have followed recipes where my meat weighs the same yet cooks in half the time.

If we cook a roast in my oven in the kitchen and cook the same weight Roast in my Dads Kitchen oven, the time it takes will be different. Every smoker/grill oven will cook a bit faster or slower, its the nature of cooking. Doesn't mean they are broken or dont work correctly.

Firmware upgrades are just part of it, software gets better, bugs fixed = Update = A better cooking tool.

 

[Fueling Around]

I don't remember who pointed it out that a pooper is basically a convection oven.
Cook times are much lower than compared to a traditional offset.
I use multiple probes both in meat and grill grate temps.
Irregular shaped meat require a flip.

 

[Khrakk]

My PB 4 generally holds within +/- 10 degree F of set point. Weather here in east texas has been pretty consistent.

My only issue is when running at the smoke setting I've experience a few flame outs. Afterwards, the flame pot filled with pellets, then were set off by the igniter. The resulting inside temperature was over 400 degrees. Had to sit there for a bit with the door open to bleed off extra heat. One tendency I've noted was this only happens on the next session after a long smoke. So I make sure to shop vac the flame pot after every smoke and i havent had this issue since.

I did not really think about a pellet smoker basically being like a convection oven. Makes total sense though. I had actually been using a pair of crisping pans in the bottom of my smoker. This (I think) slows some of the airflow and helps with clean up. The grease is caught in the crisping pan and the pan goes in the dishwasher. I no longer end up with grease in the bottom of smoker or water pan (that I typically dont use).

 

[sandyut]

interesting... I have read that some pellet smokers have temp swings. I think this is due to the type or quality if teh controller. I am no controller expert. But my Rec Tec does not have temp swings. it varies by a degree or two over hours of cooking.