Pro 780 No smoke

[CrazyLefty]

Are the pellets burning away? If they're burning away then there must be smoke. When I first got my Traeger, there was WAY less smoke than i thought there would be, being used to charcoal and wood smokers, and an old Bradley smoker. Turns out it burns at just the right temp to extract the smoke from the wood without burning it, so you get the flavor without the negatives.

 

[Finnthedoodle]

I had the same complaints, tried all kinds of pellets etc. In my experience, incorporating some time for a low temp part of the cook cycle is key to getting more smoke flavour. For example, if you would typically cook something at 275F, run it at 180 for part of the cooking cycle, then increase temp later.

 

[EverettSmoke]

I purchased a new Pro 780 and I’m very disappointed. No smoke “EVER”!!! The only time any smoke has came out of this grill was during the seasoning. I’ve tried every setting from 160 to 250 and not one puff of smoke. I set out on the patio yesterday for 8 hours doing a smoked rib recipe on the Traeger app. Nothing! Even the app says use the super smoke or smoke setting. Ha! The 780 doesn’t have these settings. I feel like I threw a $1000 dollars in the trash. Funny thing is that the cheaper models around $700 have a smoke setting and the more expensive $1500 to $2000 Models have super smoke but if you spend $1000, nope, you’re out of luck.

I hear you. I am not very happy with my purchase either. If you just bought it, you may be able to return it. A few people here told me to buy a smoker for my "smoker". Good luck on the return.

 

[Honestbridge]

I purchased a new Pro 780 and I’m very disappointed. No smoke “EVER”!!! The only time any smoke has came out of this grill was during the seasoning. I’ve tried every setting from 160 to 250 and not one puff of smoke. I set out on the patio yesterday for 8 hours doing a smoked rib recipe on the Traeger app. Nothing! Even the app says use the super smoke or smoke setting. Ha! The 780 doesn’t have these settings. I feel like I threw a $1000 dollars in the trash. Funny thing is that the cheaper models around $700 have a smoke setting and the more expensive $1500 to $2000 Models have super smoke but if you spend $1000, nope, you’re out of luck.

Need to break it in. I thought the same thing for a couple months but after it seasoned and when the temp is under ~250 it’s smokes pretty good. Not like a log but enough!

 

[mullhaupt]

Ive had my 780 a year I think now, had the pro34 before that, like 780 better but I found out I get good smoke at 160-185 so I always start there, if you think it always smokes it does not . normally once every 5 -10 minutes you get a good shot, smells good, I have a few smokers and not even my stick smoker smokes all the time just when you add the wood but when hard wood burns it last along time with minimal smoke, if it had constant smoke your food would suck and I think the rule has been that the first 4 hours the meat takes in smoke then it seals

 

[dkmoody]

Amazing.

I just have to comment that the ideas, suggestions, and experiences here - even when I don't have a problem - is outstanding.

Thanks everyone for chiming in with lots of view points. Learning while lurking...

(Seattle where the air is like BBQ without the meat)

 

[kc-Griller]

I purchased a new Pro 780 and I’m very disappointed. No smoke “EVER”!!! The only time any smoke has came out of this grill was during the seasoning. I’ve tried every setting from 160 to 250 and not one puff of smoke. I set out on the patio yesterday for 8 hours doing a smoked rib recipe on the Traeger app. Nothing! Even the app says use the super smoke or smoke setting. Ha! The 780 doesn’t have these settings. I feel like I threw a $1000 dollars in the trash. Funny thing is that the cheaper models around $700 have a smoke setting and the more expensive $1500 to $2000 Models have super smoke but if you spend $1000, nope, you’re out of luck.

I see that this is an older post, but just wanted to agree, and vent my frustration. I paid a great deal of money for what is essentially just an outdoor oven. I purchased a pro 780 a few months ago, and there is simply zero smoke flavor in the meat. Very disappointing. I've cooked briskets, ribs, butts, chuck roasts, etc, from 4 hrs to 14 hrs., and still no smoke. Lesson learned for me!

Smoke rings are actually meaningless, and have nothing to do with flavor. They are simply a reaction between the myoglobin in the meat and the nitric oxide/carbon monoxide produced in wood fires. Any charcoal grill will produce a smoke ring.

I've read on other forums that Traeger's pellets are at the bottom of the heap, as far as cooking/flavor quality goes. I haven't tried any other brands, but I suspect I would get the same results. The only positives are that they do hold temperature well, and the wifi tech is handy if you're away from home during a cook.

Have you found anything that helps, or did you give up on your quest for more smoke?

Cheers

 

[John S.]

Try adding a Smoke tube, they are fairly inexpensive and you can use wood chips to enhance the some...

 

[kc-Griller]

Try adding a Smoke tube, they are fairly inexpensive and you can use wood chips to enhance the some...

I've looked into this, and would like to give it a go, but according to Traeger, it will void my warranty. Might have to try it though, just to get some flavor. Thanks!

 

[n_maher]

Nonsense to it voiding the warranty unless it starts a fire in your grill and damages it although how Traeger would prove that vs. a grease fire or something similar is beyond me. Attached is a pic of how I run mine.

That said, I use a supplemental smoke device (one of the amazin products I think) and have no issue with the flavor produced by the grill. It's not as heavy a smoke as a stick burner but it's also much easier to operate. I don't have the luxury of babysitting a fire for 14 hours at this stage of my life, maybe some day I will but for now my Traeger does exactly what I want and need it to.

 

[kc-Griller]

Nonsense to it voiding the warranty unless it starts a fire in your grill and damages it although how Traeger would prove that vs. a grease fire or something similar is beyond me. Attached is a pic of how I run mine.

That said, I use a supplemental smoke device (one of the amazin products I think) and have no issue with the flavor produced by the grill. It's not as heavy a smoke as a stick burner but it's also much easier to operate. I don't have the luxury of babysitting a fire for 14 hours at this stage of my life, maybe some day I will but for now my Traeger does exactly what I want and need it to.

Yeah, I don't quite understand why it voids the warranty. Doesn't make sense to me either. I still may just take a chance and look into it. Here's a screenshot of my chat with a Traeger rep.

 

[Murphy's Law]

I'm not sure a "traditional smoker" has heavy bellowing smoke, either! I watch a good bit of the Mad Scientists channel and he talks a lot about "thin blue smoke" just like we do in Traeger land.

 

[JamesB]

I'm not sure a "traditional smoker" has heavy bellowing smoke, either! I watch a good bit of the Mad Scientists channel and he talks a lot about "thin blue smoke" just like we do in Traeger land.

You are 100% correct. I never let my offset billow white smoke (well, maybe I did once ). To much white smoke will make whatever you’re cooking so bitter you can’t eat it.

 

[CMTiger]

I'm not sure a "traditional smoker" has heavy bellowing smoke, either! I watch a good bit of the Mad Scientists channel and he talks a lot about "thin blue smoke" just like we do in Traeger land.

I believe clean smoke is how he refers to it. He mentions a lot of people mistake thick bellowing smoke as what you want including him early on.....after all if a little smoke is good a lot of smoke is better, right?

 

[CMTiger]

I'm a novice, but I think a lot of times people are looking for a charcoal taste of of a wood burning pellet grill. It's not the wood flavor they aren't getting but the charcoal. That's not necessarily the case here......just a thought.