Not getting any smoke!

[Bryan3151]

Hey Guys (and Gals) - I use the term interchangeably,

I just bought a Camp Chef XXL Vertical Smoker and I'm just about to take the dang thing back. I've "smoked" cornish hens for Christmas, some thick pork chops, and burgers a few times trying to figure this thing out. I'm hardly getting any smoke out of it.

I chatted with the Camp Chef people and took their advice. I bought new pellets as the ones I was using could have gotten damp. I can hear the auger turning and pellets dropping into the burn chamber, but it is super slow and not many pellets drop. I hardly have any ash after a burn, seriously, like a couple of tablespoons maybe.

Here's what happens. I put fresh pellets in. Turn the smoker on. Set the menu to High Smoke and it starts up. I hear a few pellets drop in. After a few minutes I get some fair smoke. I guess most would call it "dirty smoke". When the startup time is done I set the temp. For this example I'll say 250 degress but I've been playing with different temperatures. I hear the fan running. In fact it always runs the entire time I'm smoking which seems odd to me but I'm brand new to this. The thing will run up about 50 degrees above my setting so...around 300 degrees in our example. It frequently stays pretty high above the set temp but that's a battle for another. I just want some smoke now. After this it may or may not drop into range for quite awhile but the thing gives me no smoke.

I'll admit that I'm new to smoking the right way...thin blue line of smoke and all that but please don't misunderstand. I get that, but this thing will cook for as long as I leave it alone but almost nonexistent smoke. It may generate some fairly heavy smoke for a couple of minutes during that time but, for the most part I see nothing coming out of it. Nothing at all. No dirty smoke. No thin blue line. Nothing in between the two extremes. I might as well put my stuff in the oven.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 

[teesquare]

Smoke production is the product of inefficient combustion. Pellet grills in general are designed for efficient combustion. Even some with a "smoke mode" don't produce a lot of smoke. So - 2 things:

1.The intensity of "smokiness" as for the flavor/aroma of a cooked product is VERY subjective. But if you ever have comments about how smoky your BBQ is...chances are you have conditioned yourself to liking creosote flavor as your indicator  "good". It is common....Smokiness should be a supporting role...not the primary flavor of your BBQ. That allows your seasonings and sauces to play a role as well - and you can balance that as you like.

2. The absolute best way to add smoke profile to your BBQ is to use an Amazen Smoker tube. These are available at Lowe's and other box stores. Fill it with pellets - light it with a torch and place it in any grill or even a cardboard box turned upside down - with a low intake hole cut in the box, and one on top as a vent. I have cold smoked Salmon on a wire rack like this - and it is phenomenal.

[Bryan3151]

Thanks so much for the reply and I'll definitely look into the Amazen Smoker Tube. I have no doubt that my frame of reference is food smoked in tons of dirty smoke but, dang, it's a pellet SMOKER. Shouldn't I be getting some kinda smoke out of it? I get zero!

[pmillen]

I think that the sweetest smoke is produced by a fire that’s burning freely and not being smothered by a lack of oxygen.  That’s a pellet pit or a stick burner.  The best flavor comes from very light, hardly visible, smoke.  If I can see it, it's light blue.

Many pit styles controll pit temperature by choking down the air flow to the fire.  That creates at least a bit of smoldering and smoke that’s a bit tainted by undesirable components.  This is the stronger, smokier smoke.  I suspect that it’s your flavor preference.

I also suspect that hanging around the pit, inhaling the smoke smells, desensitizes you to the smoke flavor when it’s time to eat.  Do other people you’re serving taste more smoke flavor than you do?  Do you taste more smoke flavor when you warm leftovers?

I think you have only two choices if you want to continue your search for stronger smoke flavor; (1) add an ancillary smoke generator to your pellet pit or (2) switch to a pit that gives you more control over the amount of smoke you generate (i.e., a drum, a kamado or one of the newer gravity feed units).

Good luck in your search for a pit that meets your needs.

[Bryan3151]

I appreciate both of the replies a bunch.

Today we bought a Master Built vertical charcoal smoker. Since we'll be running a business with our smoke the downside is 12 pounds of charcoal every burn and the expense of that.

Here is the difference I see between the Master Built Charcoal and the Camp Chef Pellet and I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the temp control on the CC. With the Master Built when it comes to temperature the fan turns off so the wood chunks I mix in the charcoal smolder until the fan needs to turn back on the boost the temp again. With the CC the fans blow the ENTIRE time so it usually gets about 50 degrees, or more, over the set temp and it never generates smoke. I'm thinking the fan should be kicking of like with the MB.

Does that sound logical?

[Jaxon]

Hey, Bryan, did you buy the MB Gravity-fed smoker?  I have one (the 560) and I can get a really good smoke flavor when I use it.

[pmillen]

Today we bought a Master Built vertical charcoal smoker.

I think that's a very nice cabinet smoker even though it's single-wall construction to meet homeowners' willingness to pay levels.  I kinda wonder about the lack of a gasket on the cabinet door and an owner's ability to keep the door glass clean.

[Bryan3151]

No, it's charcoal not a pellet smoker.

Going back to the issue of using 12 pounds of charcoal every burn for a minute, we only plan on smoking burgers and if I smoke them as low as 250 it should only take a couple of hours at most. I shouldn't need that much charcoal do you think?

Pmillen, the glass isn't functional to the smoking process anyway is it?

[pmillen]

Pmillen, the glass isn't functional to the smoking process anyway is it?

You're right.  I know that in my brain (the logical part).  But the part that sometimes is a greater influence would not tolerate smokey glass.  My OCD self would be required to maintain it spotlessly clear.  It would nag me.

[Bryan3151]

409 cleaned my glass up yesterday but it took some elbow grease!

[pmillen]

409 cleaned my glass up yesterday but it took some elbow grease!

Spray paint the glass with high temperature black paint and forget the urge to clean it.