Temperature Control in a new Pro 575

[MidwestSmoker]

New member here and new to pellet grilling. Got my Pro 575 last Friday and did my first cook yesterday. I tried to pick something easy to begin and so I cooked country ribs more or less following Matt Pittman's recipe.

Country Style Ribs

Country Style Ribs are a BBQ classic I grew up on. They are not actually ribs at all, but rather strips cut out of the pork butt or loin. They are an inexpensive, yet tasty cut!

www.meatchurch.com

He does the whole thing at 350 degrees, but I tried to smoke the ribs more initially by cooking it at 180 degrees and then ramping up later. Here is the problem: the grill would not stay at 180, it stabilized at 205. When I lowered the temperature to 165 it stabilized at 190. I played a little with temperatures above 200 and it got better. Above 300 it stabilized within 5 degrees. Seems like the grill does low temperature control poorly but is fine at higher temperatures. Is this normal?

Based on what I read in this forum I understand that the temperature reading may not be accurate. I ordered the FireBoard 2 and it will arrive on Tuesday. What I am talking about here is not the actual temperature, but temperature control based on what the Traeger probe is reading.

The country ribs turned out phenomenal, despite all the temperature variability!

 

[rbuxton]

Try covering the temp sensor with a piece of foil. Worked for me. Temp was stable at high and low settings.

Not what I paid for but that's what I did. I may resign myself to buying a Fireboard but, again, this is not what I expect for the cost of a Traeger grill.

Does anyone at Traeger read the posted complaints about their product? That is, anyone with the will to make it so their product works as advertised?

 

[Slimpicker]

Does anyone at Traeger read the posted complaints about their product? That is, anyone with the will to make it so their product works as advertised?

Petition Traeger Meat Probe Fix

FIX THE DAMN MEAT PROBE

www.ipetitions.com

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Try covering the temp sensor with a piece of foil. Worked for me. Temp was stable at high and low settings.

I'll try that in my next cook. Thanks.

 

[Walleye Hunter]

The hotter it is outside, the harder it is for the grill to hold a low temp and mine does low 200's for a minimum on hot days. That's besides the fact that the temp reading is inaccurate and you need something else to monitor your temps. I use a fireboard.

 

[RemE]

The grill does have a minimum pellet feed rate to keep the fire lit. If the outside temps are warm, plus any direct sun, lack of wind etc. The grill might not be able to shed excess heat at low temp settings. Then the controller hits the lowest pellet feed but that minimum fire is still too much heat.

The only fix would be an adjustable exhaust that you could crank up.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

OK, that might explain it. It has been almost 90 degrees here the last couple of days. And it is a black grill in the sunlight ..............

Now that I know that this might be the case I'll try to adjust during cooks. For long cooks, if I start the night before at a lower temperature when it is a little cooler outside and then shift to higher temps when it is hot the next day might work.

Thanks for the help Walleye and RemE. Walleye, I assume you are also in the Great Lakes region?!

 

[Timmy]

This summer I bought a portable canopy to put up over the grills to keep the sun off of them, and me!

 

[Walleye Hunter]

I'm in SE PA I just like a good walleye.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

This summer I bought a portable canopy to put up over the grills to keep the sun off of them, and me!

The accessories are never ending! Just ordered the FireBoard with holder and extra probes, the pellet caddy, Thermoworks probe spools, front shelf, .........

I'll wait a little before getting a canopy!

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I'm in SE PA I just like a good walleye.

You should come here to go fishing!

 

[Walleye Hunter]

You should come here to go fishing!

It would take much to lure me thatta way.