Smoking with a pellet tube

[Jchoyos]

Hi all, I'm NEW to all this smoking things so please bare with me, I got myself a weber 22 in master touch for christmas and with that a pellet tube smoker... Bought some oklahoma joes hickory and apple pellets ( it was the cheapest here in my country, Colombia) so I have the following issues as I don't know what I'm doing wrong, excuse me if it is a little long...
At first I just had the hickory pellets, I filled the tube and followed directions... It created a HUGE cloud of white dense smoke when I had some salt (experimenting) on the weber, the smell was awful, like if something was burning, like sour or acrid, it wasn't good smelling at, thought it was just that hickory was a little more intense so I bought the apple pellets, just did a small experiment again and it does smell a little less than the other but it still smells like something is off, I don't know how to explain the smell, BUT it smells almost the same as the other... I was expecting to smell a little different as they are both different woods, can someone tell me what am i doing wrong? Why those huge clouds of white dense smoke as I know ot should be rather thin, and that smell.. I just want to be able to smoke things in my new grill and enjoy as I see everyone does.. thanks a lot and sorry for the long post

 

[SmokinEdge]

Lack of air flow would be my guess. Just for fun place the tube outside on a rack if possible and see how it burns there.
I have problems with my tube in my pellet cooker sometimes. So I place the tube on the edge of the grate near the opening because this is just off the edge of my diffuser plate where the air from the fan can get to the tube directly. This clears the smoke by giving the tube a good supply of air.

 

[chopsaw]

Using a kettle smoking meat you won't need the pellet tube if you can get wood chunks , or even chips . If you want to cold smoke you will need the tube .

 

[cmayna]

Where is the tube located? On the grill opposite the charcoal? I would fill the tube half way, turn it horizontally and shake it left to right so that the tube is only half filled when laying flat. Maybe even less than half.

But as suggested above, I also have a weber 22 grill and use big wood chunks on the charcoal.

 

[whistlepig]

Or maybe the pellets could be contaminated by moisture.

 

[WV_Crusader]

Can you post some pics or videos would be better of the tube and how you are starting it and using it?
This should give us a better idea on what ya have going on.
As for moisture in pellets, you can dry the pellets for a minute or two in the microwave in a glass pan just carefull they will be hotter than hell when you go to pull them out.

 

[Fueling Around]

I don't know if they coat for shipping, which is not likely.
It also does not need any oil sprayed to season the hard porcelain.

Have you done a hot charcoal fire in the kettle without food or a smoke tube?

I often use a pellet fueled smoke tube in my kettle. Always a thin blue smoke output.
Lack of air usually stops the tube. Never had a problem with damp pellets.

 

[Jchoyos]

Can you post some pics or videos would be better of the tube and how you are starting it and using it?
This should give us a better idea on what ya have going on.
As for moisture in pellets, you can dry the pellets for a minute or two in the microwave in a glass pan just carefull they will be hotter than hell when you go to pull them out.

Thanks! Here is a part of the video, I had the top vents mostly closed for a snap just because it was flooding my house with smoke, but they were fully open all the time, I don't know if you can see well the huge cloud of smoke there was, and it was like that all the time, not just that moment I closed the top vent, i couldn't upload it because it says it's too large

 

[Jchoyos]

Where is the tube located? On the grill opposite the charcoal? I would fill the tube half way, turn it horizontally and shake it left to right so that the tube is only half filled when laying flat. Maybe even less than half.

But as suggested above, I also have a weber 22 grill and use big wood chunks on the charcoal.

It was a cold smoke as I was just doing some salt to try it out, thanks for the tip about half.. I'll do that as this time i had it all the way to the top

 

[Jchoyos]

Using a kettle smoking meat you won't need the pellet tube if you can get wood chunks , or even chips . If you want to cold smoke you will need the tube .

I can get some chips, but they are like 10x more expensive than the pellets, and chunks I've looked but no where here has them, and amazon the ones on amazon doesn't ship here

 

[Jchoyos]

Or maybe the pellets could be contaminated by moisture.

Thanks for the reply, could they be like that even though I just opened the bag? They seemed really dry to the touch so I don't know

 

[cmayna]

You were doing a cold smoke? Wasn't mentioned in your first post. For a cold smoke in a close proximity grill like the Webber, I would first turn the pellets into dust and then fill the tube with less than half way up using the method I explained earlier. Maybe put the tube down below, next to one of the vents.

 

[Jchoyos]

Yes as it was just experimenting, so for hot smoking i do it that way and cold smoking I turn them into dust? How can I do that? Thanks again

 

[chopsaw]

I can get some chips, but they are like 10x more expensive than the pellets,

This is just an example of how I set mine up . For a longer hot smoke . You could , and I have spread the pellets on top of the charcoal .

I would think , if hot smoking you could light the tube and lay it in the open section of the snake . Either at charcoal level or on the cooking grate .

 

[Jchoyos]

This is just an example of how I set mine up . For a longer hot smoke . You could , and I have spread the pellets on top of the charcoal .
View attachment 478228
I would think , if hot smoking you could light the tube and lay it in the open section of the snake . Either at charcoal level or on the cooking grate .

Thanks! Does laying the pellets on top of the charcoal works well? Can I do the same thing if using a vortex for a quick smoke on some burgers/steak? Tia

 

[chopsaw]

Yeah . They burn up fast going directly in the heat source , but I have done it at the end of a cook . With the snake they will burn as the fire goes fast them . Still burn fast , but it does add something .
You should be able to get that tube burning though . Stay with it .

 

[cmayna]

Folks,
As the OP announced, this was a cold smoke.

 

[Fueling Around]

Thanks! Here is a part of the video, I had the top vents mostly closed for a snap just because it was flooding my house with smoke, but they were fully open all the time, I don't know if you can see well the huge cloud of smoke there was, and it was like that all the time, not just that moment I closed the top vent, i couldn't upload it because it says it's too large

I cold smoke using a pellet tube (appears the same as yours) and I don't get that much smoke. Yes, I get that much cloud after lifting the kettle cover, but it goes away.
I don't make dust from the pellets. Search dust and you will find the methods people use to wet and pulverize the pellets into a granular dust.
I do crush so there is more pellets and less air in the tube. Slows the burn and I close the bottom vents by 1/3 and the top vent by 1/4
My cold smokes are under 50° F or 10° C

You're in Columbia and in the summer season. What is your temperature?

 

[cmayna]

Just thinking..... a mailbox mod with it's exhaust tube up against the weber's lower vent.

 

[Fueling Around]

I think a great pellet tube ins. could help you with that, as it helped me

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