Temperature reading way off

[TF_Guest]

When I set my traeger to smoke, it seems to read in the low 300’s and when I let it rise it will read high 400’s but the internal is nowhere near that.

 

[RayClem]

It would be helpful to the community if you would alter your profile to include the specific model Trager you are using.

It was my understanding that the "smoke" setting should be fairly low in temperature, much lower than 300F.

It is not at all unusual for the chamber temperature of Traeger grill to differ from the temperature setting on the controller. For my Ironwood 885, I set the controller at 230F to achieve a temperature of 225F just above the top grate. If I want 300F, I set the controller of 325F. If I want 400F, I have to set the controller to 450F, a 50 degree difference. If you want smoke, keep the temperature below 225F.

Some folks see the chamber temperature higher than setpoint. It is not consistent from grill to grill, even among grill of the same model.

What thermometer are you using to measure temperature?

The internal meat probe for most Traeger grill does not have a good reputation for accuracy. Many forum members rely on a 3rd party thermometers. There are some very expensive ones with lots of bells and whistles, but you do not have to spend a lot of money to improve the performance of your Traeger. If you plan to do a lot of cooking, then a more expensive thermometer might be worth it.