Author Topic: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"  (Read 23869 times)

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Offline Hub

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PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #-1 on: February 06, 2013, 04:28:23 PM »
Pellet Cookers 101
Part Two – Getting a high return on your investment!


In Part One of this article, I covered the major “basics” of the pellet cooker world for those who might be considering a purchase of this relatively new outdoor cooking technology and wondering if it was a fit to their situations.  In this second installment I’ll deal with pellet cooking differences that are nice to know about in advance instead of learning from the school of hard knocks – the “states” of pellet burning.  Also, I’ll offer some advice on pellet cooking approaches that will help you enjoy pellet cooking as soon as possible and get the results you want, reliably.

Switching to pellets is a process, not an event . . .

Pellets are made of wood and burn to produce heat and smoke.  But, they do it somewhat differently than wood forms such as charcoal and logs.  Thus, the way you approach cooking your favorite backyard culinary creation may need some adaptation if you want the same or even better results.  It isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t take long to develop a “feel” but it can be frustrating if you (as I did) learn the ropes from making mistakes and then figuring out what went wrong.  Here are some nice things to know about:

Smoking, Baking, and Searing – the “states” of pelletry

In a pellet cooker, “smoking” occurs only at the lower end of the temperature range – roughly 180 to 275 degrees, more or less.  While some other cooker types like charcoalers and even stick burners can be induced to produce smoke at high temperatures using certain techniques, pellets just won’t smoke much above 300 degrees.  That’s because it takes sustained pellet input and oxygen augmentation to push the temperature up and there just isn’t much opportunity to “smolder” the pellets to produce smoke.  “Smoldering” is a controller phase wherein your cooker’s electronic “brain” piles in some pellets and lowers the air quotient or some other factor of combustion to induce them to smoke more and burn less (for a while).  If you watch a pellet cooker in smoke mode, it will typically cycle – you’ll hear the auger go on and off and you’ll see smoke for a while and then it will lessen or even disappear.  Some will run the fan at different speeds, stoking then smoldering.  This cycling produces lower temperatures in the cooking chamber but more smoke for flavoring the food.

When “baking” a pellet cooker’s controller times and feeds pellets and air to keep the chamber in the 300 up to 500 degree range, usually.  A quality controller will do this so well you’ll only see fluctuations if you have a recording electronic thermometer with a probe in the chamber.  The cooker’s controller reading often won’t change much because the fluctuations are quick and minimal.  This ability makes pellet cookers interesting venues for cooking breads, casseroles, desserts, pizzas and anything else you might ordinarily cook in your kitchen oven.  It’s also great for baking turkeys, big hunks of critters, and other things that do well “roasting”.  You might notice a very slight smoke flavor in this mode but it won’t be much because there are no smolder cycles going on.

Finally, many pellet cookers have the capability to reach searing temperatures (500 plus).  Pellet consumption in this mode is high because the controller is pushing lots of pellets, often, and the air flow is highest to create a “torch effect” that can be both seen and heard on many units.  There is no cycling to speak of and little smoke production.  This doesn’t mean there isn’t some “woody” flavor production, however.  When I use mesquite pellets (they’re pretty strong) I get some woodiness in steaks.  I also know that some folks who use their pellet cookers as pizza ovens at this temperature report some smoke flavoring, much like one might experience from a wood-fired brick pizza oven.

The above three “states” of pellet cooking are differences from other fuels and they are both advantages and disadvantages depending on what you’re cooking and how.  As a result some pellet cooking practices have developed to assure consistent and desired results.

Pellet Cooker “Approaches” useful for adapting recipes

1.    Different Temperatures, Different Times . . .

Probably the most common adaptation made by skilled pellet cooks is to modify their recipes and approaches to use two different temperatures at two different times or stages of the cook.  Perhaps the best example of this is roasting a turkey.  To get the “smoked turkey” effect, the cook will let the bird “bask” in low temperature smoke at a sub-300 degree setting before increasing the controller temperature for the final roasting.  Not only does this technique instill some smokiness in the meat, it also avoids the dreaded “rubber skin” that occurs on birds if they are cooked only at smoking temperatures.  Depending on how the individual recipe is constructed you’ll get either tender or crisp skin this way.

2.    “Finish” using another cooker or another fuel . . .

There are many reasons for this technique.  The cost of good cooking pellets is the reason why I do some of my finish cooking indoors, in my wall oven.  If all I need is heat why should I be producing it using expensive fuel?  Electricity is cheap!  When I’m cooking briskets and pork butts, particularly, I start the cook on pellets for the first few hours.  But, when I go into the foil portion of my recipe and all I’m doing is heating the food, I often move it to the oven.

Another reason for this method is taking advantage of the best possible temperatures and times via using two cookers (both might be pellet machines).  When I cook chicken in competition, I like to “crisp” the skin and that requires high heat.  Rather than remove the chicken and ramp up the pellet flow and temperature of the same cooker, I use two.  The first is set at smoking temperatures and does most of the work.  The second is at searing temperature and crisps the skin in just a few minutes of “finish” work.  Naturally, this could be done with a charcoal grill, too, but consistent temperature control is easier for me on a pellet cooker.

3.    “Reverse” searing . . .

If you like steaks chances are you’ll love this technique.  In the first step, the steak is “warmed” using the smoke setting of a pellet cooker.  Usually the temperature is set below 200 and the steak is left in the cooking chamber for 30 minutes to an hour.  Little to no actual “cooking” occurs but the meat gets a tasty infusion of smoke (I use either hickory of mesquite).  Next, the steak is finished by a quick sear either on another pellet cooker ramped up to top temperature or on a charcoaler or even a gasser that is standing by, red hot.  You can even do a reverse sear with only one pellet cooker –  “smoke” the steaks then wrap them in Saran and park them in the fridge temporarily while the cooker is boosted on up to searing temperatures (most units will get there in 30 minutes or less unless it is very cold outside).  This takes a little longer than the two cooker method but works just as well.

4.    Cold Smoking . . .

Some pellet cookers provide a drawer or other “indirectly heated” space in their physical structure that allows smoke to pass through but that does not receive or retain much heat.  Thus, delicate meats like fish and easily melted foods like cheese can be given an infusion of smoke using pellets as the source.  The spaces can also be used for smoking bacon and sausages.

Neither of my pellet cookers has this feature but I can cold smoke using a tray-shaped device I bought that uses either hardwood sawdust or crushed pellets, lit with a blowtorch and smoldered inside the cooking chamber.  It produces very little heat but gives a nice smokiness I like on crackers and nuts among other things.


Other Pellet Cooker Characteristics

Two more traits of pellet cookers need to be taken into account when “converting” recipes and approaches one might use on other fuels.  These vary in “intensity” from one pellet cooker to another but are always there:

Consistent, even temperatures . . .

The electronic controller in your pellet machine can induce an unexpected effect that often influences either how long you cook for a given recipe or possibly even the temperature you utilize.  Stated simply, the “tight” control (fewer and smaller temperature swings) means that the average temperature in a pellet cooker may be functionally higher than a cooker which is subject to more frequent or deeper temperature swings as it is adjusted or given more fuel during the course of a cook.  It isn’t unusual to find that your new pellet cooker will cook a given recipe in a significantly shorter period of time.  Thus, you’ll need to monitor doneness more closely each time you use the cooker until you know what your new cooking period is.  This might also involve moving to a slightly lower temperature in some cases.

A sub-set of this effect over the temperature/time continuum is, sometimes, more even temperatures over the cooking surface.  Most pellet cookers do have temperature variations depending on food placement, but they vary less than some other cookers.

Less “tending” during the cook . . .

This feature alone sells a lot of pellet cookers!  Again, because of the ability to store a relatively long time period’s worth of pellets in the bin, and the controller’s ability to feed the fuel reliably and consistently, pellet cookers require far less attention during the cook than many (but not all) cooker types.  The old joke among competition cooks is that you can tell the pellet folks easily from everyone else on Saturday morning – they’re the ones who look rested and refreshed from sleeping all night while their cookers did the work.  This “set it and forget it” factor is true in lots of cases but I’m not one who relies on it.

Although most pellet cookers have pellet storage bins and feed ramps that are deeply sloped to keep the pellets “going in” reliably based on gravity, pellet “dams” can occur.  This is due to the shape of pellets themselves – they are cylindrical, not round and their edges are square.  Thus, it is possible for a “clod” of them to get developed during the long cook that won’t slide properly down the chute and get fed into the auger.  This phenomenon is relatively rare but I’ve had it happen on both of my units (a Traeger and a Memphis).  So, I “tend” every couple of hours even though all I may do is just to open the pellet bin lid and make sure everything’s okay.

Another reason for “tending” even though you may be using one of the most reliable cooking devices around, is that the electricity sometimes fluctuates or goes out.  When this happens, most pellet cooker controllers either just shut off and don’t “re-set” or (worse) just keep feeding pellets (once the electricity is back) to a fire that’s already gone out because it was starved for new fuel for a while.  This is called a pellet “Jam”.  Jams can be cleared and the cooker re-started pretty quickly in most cases, but it isn’t going to happen if you’re asleep.  Electrical service at contests is notoriously unreliable and lots of pellet cooks use a deep cycle marine battery and an inverter instead – the units use very little “juice” after startup and a battery like this will run several of them for a long time.

A final reason I don’t leave my pellet cookers untended for long periods is just plain old common sense.  There’s a fire in there, and food cooking.  I trust the technology but I want to be “updated” from time to time.  Over the years I’ve found that I tend to “tend” about every two or three hours.  Seldom do I ever have to do anything.  Usually I just look, yawn, and walk away!

Conclusion

Is this everything you need to know in order to make a successful transition to pellet cookery?  No.  But, it is most of it.  Every cooker of every type has its own personality and quirks.  To me, that’s part of the fun of our hobby, whether we’re cooking in the backyard or in a contest. 

Pellet cookers are a wonderful invention and a practical use of technology that is not only fun to use but that produces delicious food – in the hands of a good and knowledgeable cook!  You, the cook, are still the most important factor.  Not the cooker, not the recipe, not the groceries.  You.

Final thought:  One of the most exciting and practical aspects of a forum like this one is that you can ask questions.  There are lots of experienced pellet cooks hanging out here and we’re as close as a PM or a reply to one of our posts.

Hub
Committed Pellethead & BBQ Writer
KCBS MCBJ & CTC
Ph.B.
Memphis Advantage
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Weber Performer
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Offline Sam3

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BRAVO!

I am a lot more comfortable jumping into a form of cooking that I have no prior experience with, thanks to this write up.
Thank you very much for posting this Hub.

What a great forum!

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Offline mikecorn.1

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PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2013, 05:36:52 PM »
Another nice write up. Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
MIKE
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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2013, 06:45:41 PM »
Very informative and a huge help to a pellet newb like me or for somebody on the fence wondering if they should take the plunge.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2013, 08:59:46 AM by smokeasaurus »
Got Smoke?

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Offline Keymaster

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2013, 07:52:08 PM »
I too appreciate your great details and knowledge of Pellet grills.  I also want to get a pellet grill/smoker but have yet to ever see one in action and you have answered a few questions I was unsure about. Thank you.

Offline muebe

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2013, 09:54:04 PM »
Fantastic write up Hub!
Member #22
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Offline squirtthecat

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2013, 09:55:54 PM »

Ditto.   Brilliant insight!

Offline TMB

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2013, 10:21:02 PM »
Lots of good info Hub thanks.   Will be reading and reading and reading this and the first part for days to get insite on pellet grills
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Offline ACW3

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2013, 10:31:11 AM »
Great write-up Hub!!  Being "somewhat experienced" with a pellet cooker, it reminds me that I had a lot of ground to cover when I started researching my pellet cooker.  I wish your article had been around then.

Art
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Offline IR2dum

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2013, 09:04:41 PM »
Hub, thanks for these articles. It's like you knew I was researching pellet grills for my next purchase. You have made my thought process easier for this decision. It's nice to know that I can lean on all of you great people on this forum for advice and guidance. Thanks again.

Offline DK117

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2013, 03:20:11 PM »
One thing that is implied but not expressly agreed upon is the lower smoking temperatures.  My Traeger Texas, at P4 or higher dependent upon ambient temps, can hold 130 degrees all day long.  This is amazing for salmon or jerky.  My Texas won't sear, that's what my gasser is for.  Layer in a tube smoker and you've got a heavy smoke option at the low end.  I also use this as my first step for reverse searing.  I'm not seeing a lot of agreement on this point, but it's the primary reason I haven't upgraded my Traeger, no other pellet cooker advertises smoke settings below 150 (GMG I think) let alone 200 for smoke, which I think gets you closer to baking.  There's a whole world of options between cold smoking (what 90 degress) and 225 baking.   I think this low end consistency is unique to Traeger.   I'm looking forward to feedback as, I'll reiterate ... with a gasser and a Texas, I have consistent options from 130 to 600+.  I don't think any single unit, including a FE can provide. 

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Offline bbqchef

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Major players
« Reply #10 on: March 12, 2013, 02:40:56 PM »
I'm doing an article on pellet poopers for the Fiery Foods SuperSite... whom do you guy consider the "major players" when it comes to pellet equipment?

Thanks!

Mike
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Offline Hub

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2013, 02:56:18 PM »
I'm hoping one of our manufacturer members will see this and perhaps have some actual industry figures on recent sales and market share.  I don't have any, just a "feel" based on what people own and talk about on the various forums.  My SWAG is that if you list Traeger, GMG, Hearthland/Memphis, MAK, Fast Eddy/Cookshack and Yoder ownership you've got the vast majority of market share.  What is interesting, however, is that several newer entrants appear to be having some success and it isn't unusual to run accross a brand I've not heard of before.  Rec Tec comes to mind as one of the new kids on the block and they seem quite dedicated to their effort.  Blaz'n comes to mind, as does Dansons and Royall, older companies with what I think is probably a small share.  Appologies to any left out -- this is top of mind stuff, not researched.

Hub
Committed Pellethead & BBQ Writer
KCBS MCBJ & CTC
Ph.B.
Memphis Advantage
NOS American-made Traeger 075
Weber Performer
NG Weber Spirit (warming oven)
PBC
NO SMOKE DETECTOR IN MY OUTDOOR KITCHEN

PoppyBill

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Re: PELLET COOKERS 101 -- PART TWO "Getting the most out of your machine"
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2013, 05:52:49 PM »
Another good one Hub. Your posts will have value for a long time! Thanks

Offline love2dive

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I am new to this forum and found your advice on the consideration of pellets grill/smoker very informative.  I currently own a WSM with a BBQ Guru temp controller.  It is not perfect.  Some days the temp fluctuate on the high side and some days it fluctuates on the low side.  So even with the temp controller, I still have to monitor the smoker and do minute adjustments here and there to keep the temp around 225 where I want it most of the time.  I love the WSM because it burns briquette and I can toss in different flavor woods to get that great smoky taste.  My WSM is quickly becoming too small for me, and that is why I'm starting to look around and see what else is out there that I could buy to replace my WSM.  Your post definitely gave me something to think about and decide if a pellet grill is right or not.