Temperature consistently 25+ degrees low

[CMTiger]

Yes I saw the prices on the Yoder’s. Just debating if it’s worth the price. I’m just really disappointed that the Traeger is so far off on the temp. I cooked a whole chicken tonight and manipulated the temp and it was still low (About 35 degrees lower than what was displayed). The chicken did get cooked faster than usual. I guess that is what happens when you are closer to the actual temp you are supposed to be at. I know the Yoder is going to be twice as expensive but I think they come with the fireboard tech installed? Going to go check them out tomorrow. I’m really surprised that Costco would stand behind a model that seems to have the same issue. At least their returns are easy. Thanks for the reply

If you want to spend that much.....or make peace with doing so.....then go for it. I haven’t used one but it’s by all accounts going to be a better product than your Costco Traeger

 

[Ron S.]

I have new Pro 575 delivered by Mothers Day 2021. My first cook was a 7 lb brisket. Should have been 12 hours or so using the Traeger recipe and temperature recommendations. 21 hours later on Monday at 5 in the morning as I was leaving for work, it hit 203 degrees.
Disappointing having left overs for supper that day.

I bought an oven thermometer and calibrated it with my home oven and it was spot on. I set my grill to 225 and the oven thermometer read 170 after more than an hour. This explained the long cook time.

I consulted Traeger and we did a video conference. They had me take out all the racks and baffles then light the grill so they could see the fire pot. I used brand new back of hickory pellets. I set the temp at 250 the fire pit looked good while lit. The temperature on the Grill digital readout fluctuated by 60+/- degrees. Traeger says this should only be +/- 15 degrees.

They sent me a new thermocouple which I installed yesterday. Today the temperature reading is more consistent and within their tolerance. But the internal temperature using my oven thermometer is 50-60 degree cooler. Set at 250, read 190 inside. Set at 300, read 250. Set at 350, read 300 and so on.

Cooking a 3 lb chuck roast now for beef tacos later today. Set Grill on 300 and internal in 250 degrees. Going on 4 hours and meat temp is 155 so it seems to be a more accurate cook time wise.

I am not sure why the temps are so off but I now will set 50 degrees hotter for my cooks. This is not right. Was thinking of getting the grill blanket to keep the heat in but will consult Traeger again and see what they say.

Update on temp problem. I called Traeger and they said that the controller needs to be replaced. New one is on the way but I am skeptical that this will work as I have read that others had the same issue and never was corrected.
Cooked 2 racks of baby bac ribs this past sunday and set at 290 to get internal temp of 225. Came out great and on time!

 

[jemmyducks]

25 degrees low. This is borne out by comparison with my calibrated Thermoworks thermometer and by the extended cook times required when setting the grill to the recommended levels in Traeger's own recipes. When 225 is really 200, a 4-5 hour anticipated cook time can easily take 6 hours or more. Chatting with a Traeger rep was fruitless. Traeger refuses to accept as evidence the readings of products that are known to be reliable: like the Thermoworks family of thermometers.

The grill should have a setting for the main thermostat to offset the reported temperature (as they have for the probe). It's incomprehensible to me that the main thermostat has no such adjustment. Speaking of the probe, that, too, was off (by about 7 degrees, compared to my Thermoworks probe. But in this case I was able to fix it by calibrating with an ice water bath.

Guess I'll just have to subtract 25 from whatever the grill reports.

 

[jemmyducks]

I was just reading some cooking advice on the Thermoworks site. This caught my attention:

"Whether you’re working with a pellet smoker or a kamado-style cooker, keeping your temp in the prime zone for smoke is important. At the very least, you need to be monitoring the temperature with an air probe. Using a dual-channel thermometer like Smoke X2™ to watch your pit temp is a great standard operating procedure, even with a pellet smoker (The temps of which are often off by about 25°F [14°C]). " Thermoworks

 

[RayClem]

Many folks here recommend the use of Fireboard thermometer to monitor their grill. I get it; they are great; but they are expensive. Having a device that will plot the temperature of your oven chamber and the internal temperature of the cook is nice, but far from necessary.

There are a lot of less expensive options for monitoring temperature. One is to install a standard analog grill thermometer in the lid of your grill. I got one with a large dial that I can view from several feet away. As long as it reads accurately, that will work.

There are also some reasonably priced remote thermometers. Some like ThermoPro and Inkbird are reasonably well known brands.

I have been using a cheap Chinese brand called Tudoccy that has served me well throughout the summer. It has four probes. It has a unit mounted at the grill and a remote unit I use in the house, but it does not connect to my cell phone. I do not do unattended cooks, so for me that is not a problem. I checked the calibration and found it to be accurate. I know the unit will fail one day and I might decide to upgrade to a better unit. The point is that you do not have to spend a couple of hundred dollars to get accurate temperature measurements that will allow you to set your cook temperature properly and cook your protein to the right internal temperature for your desired degree of doneness.

I normally cook my meat on the top grate of my Ironwood. I place one of my temp probes at the top grate level, but not touching either the grate or the meat. When doing a cook, the temp probe and the analog grill thermometer, which also is just above the top grate, will agree within a few degrees. However, my Traeger RTD thermocouple will be different. In my case, I set the controller at 230 F to achieve a cook temp of 225F. I set the controller at 325F to achieve a cook temp of 300F. I set the controller at 450F to achieve a cook temp of 400F. That is how my specific Ironwood operates. It is likely that your specific grill will behave differently. Get to know how your grill operates and adjust it accordingly.

 

[jemmyducks]

Inaccurate thermostat or no, however, I have to say I really love this wood pellet cooking. And although the grill gives the wrong temperature, it's pretty good at maintaining that temperature. As long as I can still subtract by 25, I'm going to keep this grill.

 

[Murphy's Law]

Inaccurate thermostat or no, however, I have to say I really love this wood pellet cooking. And although the grill gives the wrong temperature, it's pretty good at maintaining that temperature. As long as I can still subtract by 25, I'm going to keep this grill.

Once you understand the offset then it’s pretty seamless to just adjust for the cook! And you are right, the temp difference is always the same so that makes it easy!

 

[SmokerBoy]

Hello everyone. I have a Traeger Silverton 620, purchased from Costco about a month and a half ago. Since I purchased it, I noticed the actual temperature inside the grill is 25-30, and sometimes 50 degrees LOWER than what the controller/grill is set to/thinks it’s at. This is NOT a temperature fluctuation. It actually holds temp very well, just 25-30 degrees lower than what it is set to. Traeger sent me a new thermocouple, but the issue persisted. They then sent me a new controller, but the issue persists. I just got off the phone with them, and they say that the grill is functioning properly and there’s nothing else they can do. Is this normal for this model, or Traegers in general? Should I return this unit and look for something else? Or just plan to set the grill 25-30 degrees higher than what I need to? Thanks in advance for any input, advice, or opinions!

I have a Century 885 purchased in December 2021 and it's temperature readings are way off. At ambient temperatures it appears to be right on but as the desired temperature setting is raised the variance in the grill gets farther off. If my grill is set to 350 I'm getting at best 300. If I set to 500 I'm getting 400. Traeger documents admit that they may be off by as much as 25. So I'd consider yours to be within their tolerances. When I see Traeger advertise their grill as a great pizza oven I roll my eyes.

 

[RayClem]

I have a Century 885 purchased in December 2021 and it's temperature readings are way off. At ambient temperatures it appears to be right on but as the desired temperature setting is raised the variance in the grill gets farther off. If my grill is set to 350 I'm getting at best 300. If I set to 500 I'm getting 400. Traeger documents admit that they may be off by as much as 25. So I'd consider yours to be within their tolerances. When I see Traeger advertise their grill as a great pizza oven I roll my eyes.

I have an IW885. It is great for baking frozen pizzas. I set the controller at 450F to achieve a temp of 400F at grate level. I place the frozen pizza on a perforated pizza pan and place it on the top rack. I cook it until beautifully browned top and bottom.

 

[JPSBBQ]

It is truly a miracle that people are able to create breathtaking food off these devices given the monumental obstacles. Heck people are winning professional BBQ contests and have done so for years. It’s not the arrow that ruins a meal, it’s the shooter. I won’t use the real analogy to avoid PC controversy. BBQ is not baking is more of a dance between science and art. You have to be present and able to adjust to the current conditions. Cooking proteins is a wildly changing process. Every cut is unique. A recipe is a rough guide. Keep learning, get the proper tools and continue to gain experience. Enjoy!

 

[Slimpicker]

A recipe is a rough guide. Keep learning, get the proper tools and continue to gain experience. Enjoy!

 

[RonM]

Well, when you think about it, you're better off getting a remote thermometer anyway. Even if the Traeger probe works perfectly, the only way to read it (with non-wifi models) is to walk up to the smoker and push that little button. With a remote, you can sit on the porch or in your living room and monitor the temperature.