Very Little Smoke

[WestcoastSteve]

I'm a Recteq newbie! I'm using my RT 700 for the first time. I'm grilling some whole chicken legs at 325 and there's just hardly any smoke - is this normal? I can BARELY see the smoke coming out of the smoke stack?

I've gone from a Smokette Smoker that used wood chunks and produced a TON of smoke.

Should I be concerned with the lack of smoke? It does smell GREAT!

Thoughts?

 

[Beach Bum]

You will see much less smoke on the higher temperatures. A smoke tube will help. For lower temperature cooks (180-275 range), you should see much more. You may still want a smoke tube depending on your preferences.

 

[WestcoastSteve]

You will see much less smoke on the higher temperatures. A smoke tube will help. For lower temperature cooks (180-275 range), you should see much more. You may still want a smoke tube depending on your preferences.

good to know, thank you!

 

[Cne7son]

Smoke tube helps. Can fill is with wood chips for better smoke. Tbh I hate how little pellets smokes. Try to stick to hardwood like hickory, oak and mesquite.

 

[rjay]

Recteq says you can put wood chips or chunks right on the heat deflector.
I haven't tried it myself, but I saw the video where they said that.

 

[C. Keeper]

Recteq says you can put wood chips or chunks right on the heat deflector.
I haven't tried it myself, but I saw the video where they said that.

Do you recall what video?

 

[NinoRT700]

Do you recall what video?

Only video I’ve seen say that was for the 1250

 

[C. Keeper]

Only video I’ve seen say that was for the 1250

That makes sense, thanks

 

[Mlmurrah]

I'm a Recteq newbie! I'm using my RT 700 for the first time. I'm grilling some whole chicken legs at 325 and there's just hardly any smoke - is this normal? I can BARELY see the smoke coming out of the smoke stack?

I've gone from a Smokette Smoker that used wood chunks and produced a TON of smoke.

Should I be concerned with the lack of smoke? It does smell GREAT! Too much

Thoughts?

Smoke comes from inefficient combustion. The higher the temp, the less the smoke. In any event the smoke should be a very light blue. Too much smoke will leave a bitter taste. I get plenty of smoke cooking brisket and ribs at 225 on my 700. As others have mentioned you can use a smoke tube for extra smoke.

 

[jfrosty27]

Enough smoke vs too much smoke is a matter of preference. My wife and I prefer a lighter smoke profile and the Bull delivers just the way we like it every time. As mentioned above there are a variety of ways to enhance the smoke. Try a couple of the suggestions and find the sweet spot for your taste. The experimenting is half the fun!

 

[chadinsc]

i have also seen a 700 video were they said it was ok to put pellets on the deflector long before the 1250 was announced. i have done it with pellets and couldn’t tell a difference. smoke tube with as much chunks as possible with the gaps filled in with pellets is the best i have found and gives a great boost in flavor but is not overpowering

 

[WestcoastSteve]

Thanks for all your feedback! All very good pieces of info. BTW, after posting my question I went ahead and grilled some whole chicken legs and they came out amazing - even with the little visible smoke. I might want just a little bit more smoke so next time I'll lower the temp and cook longer.

 

[Waterboy]

Thanks for all your feedback! All very good pieces of info. BTW, after posting my question I went ahead and grilled some whole chicken legs and they came out amazing - even with the little visible smoke. I might want just a little bit more smoke so next time I'll lower the temp and cook longer.

Lower temps will help with smoke flavor but be careful lowering the temps on chicken or you may end up with rubbery tough skin. If you go skinless then no problem with lower/longer.

 

[RedWng]

I start most cooks at 200 for an hour before upping the temp. That seems to get a good smoke profile to everything. Not as good as my offset but don't expect it to be.

 

[GLF35]

Ditto on what RedWng suggested!

 

[Snook]

Go with a smoke daddy big kahuna. You can’t beat the smoke. Much better then any smoke tube. Plus you can change wood types during the cook any time you want.

 

[Atxbbq]

Trick with the smoke tube is to use seasoned splits layered with charcoal and pelllets.