Smoke output disappointing

[JTolbert]

Yes sir I agree! I believe someone posted using a welding blanket or something of the sort to achieve just what you are saying.

 

[C. Keeper]

Just my theory, but If these pellet grills all use the same burn pot size, doesn't it make sense that each larger grill has to make the pot burn that much hotter to get the same drum temperatures? If so, the BFG would be the least smoky of the bunch.

Continuing with that theory (since colder weather is here), larger grill are working the pot harder and cold pits from colder air are making them work harder as well. If my theory is correct, insulation of some kind will help reduce the need for the burn pot to work as hard and possibly increase smoke output.

You made a valid argument for the RT-380X

 

[Gonefishin]

Just an FYI if you go the welding blanket route like I tried. The one I used was a thick black felt like material, easy to cut, holds okay with strong magnets.

Issue: I don't clean the outside that much especially in the winter,, so there is a sticky substance around some of the openings, like the lid. When cooking at high temps, like my 500 degree pizza cooks, the sticky crud softens and the felt blanket sticks to it.

After you peel it off a lot of the felt stays stuck to the lid, lime real stuck.

I no longer use the felt "winter" cover for high heat. High heat also seems to weaken the magnets although they recover when cool, weird.

 

[Hawkdoc]

BFG delivered. Put it together. Did burn in. Did seasoning cook with legs and thighs at 400 degrees went great no smoke from BFG but not expected at 400. Did burger and put them on at 180 expected a fair amount of smoke really none to speak of. Finished burgers at 450 great flavor. BFG awesome but lack of smoke is a bit disappointing. Read alot here and online...guess that's the norm here in recteq land lol

I have dealt with this for the last 2 years. It is a solid built piece of equipment but the ‘smoke’ is weak.
My solution is to fill 2 smoke tubes with pellets and place them on the heat defuser. That will generate about 1.5 to 2 hrs of smoke. Cant refill tho.
https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/the-heavy-d-stick-burning-heat-diffuser/. This is another solution.
When people ask I never recommend the BFG

 

[Bluepig]

BFG delivered. Put it together. Did burn in. Did seasoning cook with legs and thighs at 400 degrees went great no smoke from BFG but not expected at 400. Did burger and put them on at 180 expected a fair amount of smoke really none to speak of. Finished burgers at 450 great flavor. BFG awesome but lack of smoke is a bit disappointing. Read alot here and online...guess that's the norm here in recteq land lol

How wet (moisture content) are your pellets? Does your smoker sit outside without a cover? How humid is your environment?

 

[JTolbert]

How wet (moisture content) are your pellets? Does your smoker sit outside without a cover? How humid is your environment?pellets

How wet (moisture content) are your pellets? Does your smoker sit outside without a cover? How humid is your environment?

Pellets brand new rectec oak mix. BFG is in Garage all the time till used. That day it was a nice dry 60 degree day. I'll be experimenting with different pellets and I guess sounds like adding smoke tubez or a box I have for my weber charcoal and put it on the heat diffuser

 

[JTolbert]

I have dealt with this for the last 2 years. It is a solid built piece of equipment but the ‘smoke’ is weak.
My solution is to fill 2 smoke tubes with pellets and place them on the heat defuser. That will generate about 1.5 to 2 hrs of smoke. Cant refill tho.
https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/the-heavy-d-stick-burning-heat-diffuser/. This is another solution.
When people ask I never recommend the BFG

Ouch not necessarily the news I like to hear when that kind of money went into a pellet smoker but I'll just carry on and keep experimenting. I'm not going to do major mods to it and add generators and stuff. But the smoke tube I like

 

[Chief_USN_Ret]

Just my theory, but If these pellet grills all use the same burn pot size, doesn't it make sense that each larger grill has to make the pot burn that much hotter to get the same drum temperatures? If so, the BFG would be the least smoky of the bunch.

Continuing with that theory (since colder weather is here), larger grill are working the pot harder and cold pits from colder air are making them work harder as well. If my theory is correct, insulation of some kind will help reduce the need for the burn pot to work as hard and possibly increase smoke output.

Theoretically speaking you would be correct, however you aren't taking in to account the double wall design on the barrels, or the gauge of the steel itself.
I use mine all year around.

I live in Michigan, I know what cold is.
I have zero issue cranking it up or down or maintaining heat. All I use is a standard weather cover after I am done.

 

[DougD]

Unfortunately I came to the same conclusion about pellet grills the hard way too. I have the 1250 and was disappointed with the smoke flavor from it.

Might I suggest you also look at what brand of pellets you are using?
I have the Recteq 1070 and use Lumberjack Oak Pellets. Together they produce a TON of smoke.
More than any other grill/pellet combination I have owned.

 

[Chevys10zr2003]

Might I suggest you also look at what brand of pellets you are using?
I have the Recteq 1070 and use Lumberjack Oak Pellets. Together they produce a TON of smoke.
More than any other grill/pellet combination I have owned.

I have tried the Recteq pellets, 5 different Lumberjack pellets, including the 100% cherry and 100% hickory, a few different Bear Mountains, Cookinpellets, Pit Boss and a few other ones. Yes, there are some that are better than others but unfortunately it's just the nature of pellet grills that they don't produce that much smoke/flavor compared to other dedicated smokers. My friend has a Yoder 640, three friends with Traegers, one with Camp Chef, two with Pit Boss and they ALL have the same lacking smoke flavor as my 1250.

I still love my 1250 as a grill and oven but just not as a smoker. I now use one of my other smokers for short smokes and use the other smokers for the first 6 hours of long smokes and then transfer to my 1250 so I don't have to babysit it all day.

Thank you very much for the suggestion though!

 

[DougD]

but unfortunately it's just the nature of pellet grills that they don't produce that much smoke/flavor compared to other dedicated smokers. My friend has a Yoder 640, three friends with Traegers, one with Camp Chef, two with Pit Boss and they ALL have the same lacking smoke flavor as my 1250.

We'll just have to agree to disagree then. Ive had stick and pellet smokers.
When youre using a high quality pellet smoker and good quality pellets, and cooking at the right temp and for the right time, there isnt that much of a difference. Especially not with some of the aftermarket add ons such as smoke tubes or generators, as some have previously pointed out.

Sadly most of the models owned by your friends are mass marketed, but not what I would consider high quality smokers. Especially not the Traegers or CampChef. When I think high quality I'm looking at MAK, Cookshack, Pitts & Spitts, and yes Rec-Teq.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Theoretically speaking you would be correct, however you aren't taking in to account the double wall design on the barrels, or the gauge of the steel itself.
I use mine all year around.

I live in Michigan, I know what cold is.
I have zero issue cranking it up or down or maintaining heat. All I use is a standard weather cover after I am done.

I wasn't aware of a doublewall design Recteq. My 700 is a simple single wall of about .032"

 

[Gonefishin]

Just the lid on my 340.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I come from a 3000sqft smoke house, a New Braunsfel 5’ vertical stick burner, and a custom 300 gallon offset, and I can make any one of them create a smoke profile that would fool the average smokehound into thinking it was something it wasn’t. I enjoy the 700 because I don’t have to babysit it and it can be configured to output enough smoke to carry California’s carcinogen warning. I realize everyone has “old girlfriend syndrome“ memories (the last one was always the best but still became the ex) and realize you probably want to use a crutch with the Bull or similar smokers depending on the absorption rate and profile you are trying to achieve. If you want a heavy smoke flavor, start the first hour of your cook with mesquite, hickory, or similar “hard woods”, and the lowest temp you can achieve (~180F). If you are using low quality “el cheapo” pellets, good luck, you get what you pay for. Also, for those of you that believe in blends, I have found they don’t create the same profile that a straight, pure, pellet does, but they can be supplemented with a smoke tube that contains the aforementioned hardwoods in pellet or chip form. Then, take the temp up to the smoking range (225-240F) and let it ride. You will probably be surprised at what a difference it can make. If that doesn’t suffice, you can always get a smoke pig or similar device but in my experience, at some point you stop tasting the protein and only taste the smoke. I had an uncle that would complain about low smoke flavored meats as he was puffing on his unfiltered Camel and Winston cigarettes. ‘Nuff said about his tastebuds being properly calibrated, haha.

Just my opinion.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I have tried the Recteq pellets, 5 different Lumberjack pellets, including the 100% cherry and 100% hickory, a few different Bear Mountains, Cookinpellets, Pit Boss and a few other ones. Yes, there are some that are better than others but unfortunately it's just the nature of pellet grills that they don't produce that much smoke/flavor compared to other dedicated smokers. My friend has a Yoder 640, three friends with Traegers, one with Camp Chef, two with Pit Boss and they ALL have the same lacking smoke flavor as my 1250.

I still love my 1250 as a grill and oven but just not as a smoker. I now use one of my other smokers for short smokes and use the other smokers for the first 6 hours of long smokes and then transfer to my 1250 so I don't have to babysit it all day.

Thank you very much for the suggestion though!

What temp are you using to smoke at? and have you tried a smoke-tube a cheap way to add more smoke?

 

[Greg Jones]

After what I experienced yesterday, the ‘not enough smoke’ discussion also depends on what you are used to. I used to have a stick burner, switched to a BGE in 2004, then switched to my first recteq 3 years ago. Yesterday the wife and I ate ribs and brisket smoked on a stick burner. The brisket was stellar, then we tried the ribs and she got a funny look on here face. I thought she was going to comment on the tug in the bite as she prefers something closer to ‘fall off the bone’. Actually, she thought the smoke flavor was almost overwhelming, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. So hopefully in time, with perhaps the addition of a smoke tube, the pellet grill smoke level will come around for you.

 

[Chevys10zr2003]

What temp are you using to smoke at? and have you tried a smoke-tube a cheap way to add more smoke?

I have tried 225 the whole time, 180 for 3 hours and 225 the rest. The smoke tube helped a little. The cold smoke generator helped way more but still lacking some. I have noticed that the flavors are better on the top shelf than the bottom shelf.

I'm honestly kind of thinking that it may be because the drip pan is in the way so the smoke doesn't get to the food as much as it does in other styles of smokers.

 

[ToeJam]

Reading these posts I have to add my .02 cents. First thing is No more binders i.e. mustard, etc. to make seasonings adhere. Secondly, only a light application of kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper. All those layers will only prevent that wonderful smoke from penetrating the meat. Thirdly, for my smoke profile, I'll keep the temp down to Hi-Smoke to get my infusion of smoke, then turn it up to do the rest of the cooking process. One more thing - If I'm only cooking say - a boston butt, I'll put it at the end where the smoke stack is so the smoke is pulled over the meat before exiting out the stack.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I have tried 225 the whole time, 180 for 3 hours and 225 the rest. The smoke tube helped a little. The cold smoke generator helped way more but still lacking some. I have noticed that the flavors are better on the top shelf than the bottom shelf.

I'm honestly kind of thinking that it may be because the drip pan is in the way so the smoke doesn't get to the food as much as it does in other styles of smokers.

Its definitely a big change from stick burner to pellet..I think once you get jt down youll like it. I like heavy smoke myself....the smoke-tube made a difference, but Im thinking of adding a Smoke daddy big kahuna or the like ..smoke tube wise, if ya get it good and hot you can alternate some wood chips in the pellets. That may help also... Theres also a Smoke Daddy Heavy D" difusser if no one has mentioned it, that you can add wood chunks to. But remember to get it smoldering again before smoking temps.

 

[JTolbert]

Today was a totally different day, and in a good way! I did 2 racks of ribs one babyback and a st.louis style, on the BFG today using 3-2-1 method. I put 2 handfuls of pellets on the diffuser went to 250 to get those pellets going and smoking then down to 180 for the 3 hrs for the 3 hours there was plenty of smoke for me at least. I'll post some picks of the results. So happy after today. The BFG worked awesome all cook long!!! The only issue was the st.louis needed longer in foil maybe not fall off bone or clean pull at least. Definitely a learning curve today