More Smoke From a Pellet Smoker

So I got a Pit Boss Series 4 vertical pellet smoker. It's the Lowes version of the Copperhead.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Pro-Series-4-Vertical-Wood-Pellet-Smoker/1000601259

I had to replace the control panel, one of the connectors had a loose pin, Pit Boss customer service is great, 7 days a week, long hours. After originally sending a new temp sensor that didn't fix the problem, they sent a new temp sensor and control panel.

Thanksgiving was my first cook on it. A deconstructed 22.6 pound turkey. Temperature control was great, even with pretty high winds and upper 40s.

After that long intro, here's my question. I thought the smoke flavor was too mild. I used Pit Boss competition blend pellets. I've seen smoke tubes or trays. Have any of you used them? Results? Recommended brands or styles?

 

Paging Dr. @RLHOK

 

I used this on my pellet smoker

A-MAZE-N AMNTS12PF Pellet Tube Smoker Prefilled with 100% Wood Pitmasters Choice BBQ Pellets 12"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DL0PETC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lQg6Db9HNTQ9Q


There are several pellet tubes and trays available. All of them work pretty well.

 

Did you find that the pellet smoker had a less smoky flavor? Without the tube that is.

 

It sort of depends on what I’m smoke and how long. If it’s something large and takes a while to smoke, it’s fine. If it’s something smaller and doesn’t take as long then I use the tube if I want it with more smoke flavor. I don’t really use the tube much any more.

 

I've had pretty good luck using Traeger pellets, mostly stuck with them because they're pretty cheap at Home Depot if you buy 4 bags. The flavor is solid, though I feel like the fire box design on my Louisiana grill is a little different than GMG/Traeger/Pit Boss/etc and helps get some extra smoke in there.

 

I’m also using a Louisiana Grill pellet smoker and I really like the design of the firebox. Especially with how well the auger is offset and protected from the flame to prevent any back-burning and ignition of the entire pellet hopper.

overall I’m fairly happy with the grill but I have had some problems maintaining the correct temperature. I only paid $300 for mine so I’m not too angry about it.

 

My wife hooked me up with one of the larger versions and it seems to keep temp very well. The preheat cycle sucks that it goes 75 degrees over temp and then have to wait for it to back down. I wonder if yours is trying to chase the temp over and over?

 

I have a smoke tube I got on Amazon. I have an older traeger, but I use mine for longer smokes or for meats that could use the extra smoke while controlling temp better than just using “smoke mode”. They will burn for a few hours. Highly recommend though...

 

LOL sorry I missed this.

I have very little experience with the pellet smokers, so unfortunately I cannot answer the question at hand.

 

The best “mod” you can do (for any smoker really) other than making sure it’s sealed properly is drop your exhaust tube down to the grate level. That forces smoke to completely fill the cooking chamber (and cover your meat) before it leaves the exhaust.

Next, try switching from a competition pellet (it’s a mild blend) to a single wood pellet.
Apple/cherry (or any fruit wood)-> mesquite->hickory. Increasing in “smokiness” flavor from left to right. Single wood pellets tend to be more expensive so load them first and get your meat to 170°F (your meat isn’t gonna take any smoke “flavor” beyond that temp) then just use the competition blend to get to desired temp (you’re just using it like an oven at that point).

though if you’re doing a bird or any other white meat i would avoid hickory (just my preference).

 

Try some pecan pellets or mesquite, I also liked the cherry. On my Traeger I cranked the lid on exhaust tube all the way down to where it’s barely open and I smoke at 180, not the smoke setting. I was told by Traeger the smoke setting is really just for startup, which is why you’ll see it fluctuate on temp a lot.

 

Thanks all for the good information. The smoke setting on this one ranges from 128 to 158, plenty of smoke but it does appear to be mainly for starting. I've got about 20 pounds of pellets in the hopper. I think I'll do some ribs with what I have and see how it goes. They turkey pieces only took 1.5 to 2 hours. If I don't like the amount of smoke on the ribs, go to hickory for the next thing. Smoke tube as last resort. Although the reviews for the tube as a cold smoker are pretty good.

 

Good deal, I started out with hickory because Traeger said it was pretty middle of the pack as far as smoke and good for everything. My wife and i didn’t think it was quite Smokey enough, Since then I use pretty much pecan exclusively

 

Hickory is pretty much my go to before now. Pit Boss said the competition blend is the most versatile. First time with a pellet smoker, so definitely some experimenting to do. What brand pecan?

 

RecTec for the pellets and the smoker and tube. Can't go wrong. I have a turkey pic floating around here somewhere that I cooked in it.

 

I have Traeger pellets right now but only because I needed some quick. Usually I goto Academy sports (forgot to check where you’re located) and get the B&B pellets for half the cost.

also that Traeger “gourmet” blend was pretty good from Costco. It’s maple hickory and cherry. But when you roll into academy and they’re doing a 2 for $15 deal you can’t beat that. I haven’t noticed any issue with how well they smoke either.

 

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/b-b-pecan-grill-fuel-pellets