Help! Sear on steak, brown skin on poultry

[Charlie D]

This is my first pellet grill, Traeger Pro 780. I have been grilling and smoking with charcoal for many years. Decided to try a Traeger out of curiosity because I had heard so many people praise them. First thing I did was a brisket, took much longer than expected, but turned out very good. Next I did some nice 2" thick ribeyes. Not so good, did the reverse sear, but really could not get a good sear even when I cranked it up to 500. Next did a comparison smoke with some small, 5lb, chickens. Set this one at 250, took forever to get 160 at the breast and the skin was still pale and soft, On the weber kettle and also the water smoker, nice brown, slightly crispy skin and done quicker. All same marinade, buttermilk and salt, and size chickens. What gives? How do I get to sear steaks when grilling and browned crisp poulty skin when smoking? Thanks!

 

[Shedd]

I’ve had my pro 780 a couple years and never really tried to sear anything and I’ve never cooked over 350 on it either. I’ve read that some catch fire from high temps but I do smoke a lot of spatchcock chickens. I cook at 235 which fluctuates from 200 to 250 so not a bad variation. But I move them at around 140 to the oven after brushing them with melted butter until they hit temp. I get some smoke, moist chicken with crispy skin. However most of the time I’m making pulled chicken so I just continue on the Traeger, sling pulls off good, lol. I use an extendable smoke tube and two modified smoke boxes and get a decent smoke.

 

[primeone]

Welcome @Charlie D

Some members have had better results using grill grates to get good sear marks on steaks:

I'm not sure if this is the correct model, but something to possible do more research on:

Traeger Grills BAC772 ModiFIRE Sear Grate Grill Accessory​

I smoke chicken thighs and turkey pretty often, even more than brisket, and they always turn out great. The newer Ironwoods seem to produce more smoke, so I cook at a higher temperature but still get good results.

Here’s a smoked turkey breast I did on Friday: I cooked it at 275°F, wrapped it after 2 hours, and let it go for another hour.