Time to get serious about a new smoker.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Same. I have this problem in the winter, not in the spring/summer/fall.

So when it starts to get cold...I don't keep any pellets in the hopper. That fixes the issue. It has to do something with the weight of the pellets on the auger when it's cold.

I start the Traeger up with about 2" of pellets I the hopper....once it gets going I fill it halfway and monitor. No longer having any issues.

Yes, exactly. It is only a cold weather problem for me.

[mtnbiker]

Same. I have this problem in the winter, not in the spring/summer/fall.

So when it starts to get cold...I don't keep any pellets in the hopper. That fixes the issue. It has to do something with the weight of the pellets on the auger when it's cold.

I start the Traeger up with about 2" of pellets I the hopper....once it gets going I fill it halfway and monitor. No longer having any issues.

Interesting. I almost always scoop all the pellets out of the hopper after a cook, so that if I want to use different pellets on a subsequent cook, it's easy, and I don't have to remember what's already in there. I basically don't have anything in the hopper - just what's already in the auger - when I start up the smoker.

I cooked a couple of pork shoulders Saturday night, and the smoker didn't squeal when I started it up this time. So it comes and goes.

[Jarid in Cedar]

WD-40

[All-American]

WD-40

Delicious!

[Green Monstah]

Update on the YS1500. I think I just had a patience issue (shocker?!). Due to the heavy steel and size of the chamber, after about 75 minutes of pre-heat, the temperature guages on the hatch were only about 15-20 degrees cooler than the digital temp (estimated temperature in the middle of the bottom grate), which makes sense.

I have a semi-big smoke this weekend that I auctioned off last year for a fundraiser. two briskets and four racks of ribs. I feel like ribs lose some of that awesome flavor when FTC'd, but in this instance, I don't really have a choice due to drop off (an hour away). Wish me luck!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Update on the YS1500. I think I just had a patience issue (shocker?!). Due to the heavy steel and size of the chamber, after about 75 minutes of pre-heat, the temperature guages on the hatch were only about 15-20 degrees cooler than the digital temp (estimated temperature in the middle of the bottom grate), which makes sense.

I have a semi-big smoke this weekend that I auctioned off last year for a fundraiser. two briskets and four racks of ribs. I feel like ribs lose some of that awesome flavor when FTC'd, but in this instance, I don't really have a choice due to drop off (an hour away). Wish me luck!

I have noticed the same thing. Ribs are best straight off the smoker.

[CJF]

I have noticed the same thing. Ribs are best straight off the smoker.

I agree also. I thinks it’s hard to get better restaurant ribs than what you can do at home. I think that’s the first thing that jumped out at me when I first got into smoking. The initial shock of eating restaurant ribs after eating my own was shocking.

GM, one thing I might try to do is pull them off smoker about 15 minutes earlier than you normally would. They’ll keep cooking while wrapped and hopefully will avoid mushy ribs. Just a thought.

[Green Monstah]

Okay gang, for Memorial Day I am smoking 4 briskets (9-10 pounds) and four pork shoulders (8-9 pounds). If it were you, how much additional time would you add to the overall smoke time due to volume of meat?

[Pelado]

Okay gang, for Memorial Day I am smoking 4 briskets (9-10 pounds) and four pork shoulders (8-9 pounds). If it were you, how much additional time would you add to the overall smoke time due to volume of meat?

Start smoking them now.

[LA Ute]

Hello, everyone. This is a grilling post only! My family gave me a Traeger Timberline 850 for Father's Day, and I'm a newbie to pellet grills. (I got rid of the Big Green Egg -- too much work.) I'm hoping someone here has some insights.

Here's my question. I'm taking baby steps and plan to cook a whole chicken tonight. The recipe I have says, "Preheat your grill on 'smoke' for 4-5 minutes with the lid open. Set the temperature to high, and close the lid and preheat for an additional 10-15 minutes until it reaches 450 degrees." The recipe is for earlier Traeger models; the Timberline 850 has a Super Smoke option that doesn't work above 225 degrees. So what do I do? Skip the "smoke" portion of the recipe and simply cook at 450? Or is there another option? Thanks for any ideas.

[mtnbiker]

The 'smoke' portion of the warm-up is only to get the pellets lit and clear out start-up smoke. Then you heat up to operating temp. Don't over-think it.

[LA Ute]

The 'smoke' portion of the warm-up is only to get the pellets lit and clear out start-up smoke. Then you heat up to operating temp. Don't over-think it.

Thanks for helping a newbie out.

[LA Ute]

Time to get serious about a new smoker.

The 'smoke' portion of the warm-up is only to get the pellets lit and clear out start-up smoke. Then you heat up to operating temp. Don't over-think it.

Got this response on a meat smoker forum:

The recipe you’re seeing is from a old cookbook or original Traeger recipe. The old elite controllers always started with the lid open for 4 minutes then close the lid and set the temperature on the grill. When you do a chicken on high it’s a roasted chicken, not smoked. It’s actually quite good that way. Your new grill you can just turn it on and set the temperature that you want. Skip the step with lid open.

Traeger Timberline owners....

[BigFatMeanie]

Trouble in grill paradise:

On July 16, Traeger Pellet Grills, which is listed as a limited liability company out of Delaware but has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, against Joseph Traeger, Brian Traeger and Mark Traeger. The complaint accuses Joe and Brian Traeger of breaching a contract and “trying to sell their brand and likeness twice, to the detriment of the company they founded and the employees that work there.”

https://www.ksl.com/article/46636448...der-competitor

[Bo Diddley]

Proud of the missus right now. I gave her a run-through on how to use the pellet smoker, and she smoked a couple of chickens for dinner. I forgot how delicious and juicy freshly smoked chicken is.