Not really, I just grabbed one off Amazon for like $12. I don't think it really matters.
Pellet Grills
- Thread starter AgronAlum
- Start date
Not really, I just grabbed one off Amazon for like $12. I don't think it really matters.
How much does it affect your total cook time? If one 8-9 lb. shoulder takes me 9 hours, how much time would 3 or 4 add? I've only ever done 2 at once and it didn't change timing up that much.
I bought a Smoke Chef at Fleet Farm probably 3 years agofor $249 and it has 1F selection dial. They are out there and mine works great for smoking & doing frozen pizza
Really not much but I will check IT on all to see if one has a lower temp than the other. I just did three a couple of weeks ago that averaged 8.5 lbs and they took about 10 hours so I just turned the temp down to 150 for three more hours, then wrapped up and in a cooler. Had to travel 2 hours for a family gathering and all I needed was a fork to pull apart. Like I said the Thermo Pen is great to use. I did some beef filets the other night on the Weber. Seared each side for 4 minutes and then to the to the unlit side of the grill to finish with indirect heat for about 5 minutes as I wanted to get to around 120 for medium rare. I should have pulled a couple minutes soon as I pulled them off at 125. I could tell they went a tad over medium rare but still they were tender enough to pull apart with a fork.
I'd hate to see these guys get hurt... Here you go.
What is the P-Setting?
The P-setting only impacts temperatures when you are using the SMOKE setting on the grill. If cooking at any other set point besides SMOKE, the P-setting has no impact on temperature. To determine whether a particular grill has P-settings, you can go to the manual for that unit and look at the image of the control board. It will say “P” SET on the control board.
The default P-setting is P-4. On this setting, while using the SMOKE setting, the grill will feed pellets for 18 seconds and pause for 115 seconds. In most instances, you will want to keep the P-setting on the default.
Raising the P-setting to P-5, P-6, or P-7 increases the pause time for the auger. It will lower the temperature of the SMOKE setting and can create more smoke since the pellets will smolder longer before another batch of pellets feeds in and the fire reignites. BE CAUTIOUS: raising the P-setting too high can cause the fire to die out completely. The pellets will continue to feed but with no flame the pellets will pile up in the firepot. On a grill that has the igniter relighting feature, this would most likely cause a large fire when the igniter comes back on.
Lowering the P-setting to P-3, P-2, P-1, or P-0 will decrease the pause time for the auger and raise the temperature in the SMOKE setting. Lowering the P-setting can also minimize temperature swings in the SMOKE setting.
I bought a Thermapen MK4 on sale for 75 and I kind of hate it lol. It works great for big pieces of meat and slow cooks but I hate it for high heat cooking. It measures so precisely at the tip that if I don't get it perfectly centered I get false high readings. My 20 dollar instant-reads seem to give me a truer average on steaks and such.
I read this has been addressed. They sent out new control boards for free to people that requested them. Mine came with the updated board (can select in 10 degree increments up to 300). Evidently the boards that had the issue were 25 degree increments.
I’ve had a Louisiana Grills 900 for about 6 years now and absolutely love it. The key with any pellet grill, I’ve found is to set your start temp a little high and let it settle there for at least 20 minutes, then turn it to the desired set point, especially on low cooks. I always start at least at 350 and let it settle there. Make sure you temp probe is clean, put your meat on and then set your cooking temp.
The nature of the design of a pellet grill is a given that temps will fluctuate quite a bit during cooking. So, if I want to cook at 225, I usually set at 215. I’d rather be low than high. So when the thermostat says to dump in pellets, it doesn’t jump to 270 when the fire kicks in.
I use a Thermoworks Smoke while I cook. It has multiple meat probes, plus a grill probe to monitor temps. So I always know the exact temp of the grill. It took a couple cooks, but I’ve learned exactly where to set my grill, to give me the optimal range for cooking at the temp I want. Best thing about the LG is the it has a grate you can open above the fire for direct searing. So I cook every thing low and slow until I hit the temp to rest, open the grate and sear, then pull off. Their customer service is top notch as well.
I have 3 grills I currently use, depending on what I’m cooking and they all get used at least once a week. A classic Weber kettle charcoal grill, the LG and a Blackstone 28” griddle with two sideburners.They all produce great food.
The nature of the design of a pellet grill is a given that temps will fluctuate quite a bit during cooking. So, if I want to cook at 225, I usually set at 215. I’d rather be low than high. So when the thermostat says to dump in pellets, it doesn’t jump to 270 when the fire kicks in.
I use a Thermoworks Smoke while I cook. It has multiple meat probes, plus a grill probe to monitor temps. So I always know the exact temp of the grill. It took a couple cooks, but I’ve learned exactly where to set my grill, to give me the optimal range for cooking at the temp I want. Best thing about the LG is the it has a grate you can open above the fire for direct searing. So I cook every thing low and slow until I hit the temp to rest, open the grate and sear, then pull off. Their customer service is top notch as well.
I have 3 grills I currently use, depending on what I’m cooking and they all get used at least once a week. A classic Weber kettle charcoal grill, the LG and a Blackstone 28” griddle with two sideburners.They all produce great food.
This is the gist of it. But you'll have to look for the instructions of your particular controller to see how it affects you. For example, my 3 year old Traeger has P-0 to P-5. It doesn't go to P-7. But the premise is the same. The higher the setting, the longer the pause between running pellets into the fire pit. It's based on timing only. This means you have to manually compensate for ambient temperature fluctuations. You'd need more pellets in 20F than in 90F weather, so you'd use a lower p-setting in winter.
HOWEVER, I don't believe most of the newer controller units have this setting. Many newer controllers are PID. Which stands for Proportional, Integral, Derivative. Basically, it's a smarter controller that looks at more than just "is temp below or above the set point" to determine if it needs to feed pellets. It takes more variables into account and does a better job keeping a more consistent temperature. However, many people seem to think it actually produces less smoke.
Here's some more information: https://www.pelheat.com/pellet-grills-smokers-pid-controllers.html
Nice. I have a charcoal barrel with an offset box, a straight-up charcoal grill that I rig up for indirect heat, and my next purchase is going to be a Blackstone flat top. Those things are slick.
I love the Blackstone, the only thing I’m not crazy about with it is that it does take some prep before you shut it down. A light scrape, clean, then a last coat of oil. It is fun to cook on though. You can get a lot of food going on those things.
Bump! 
The Weber gas grill I've been using since 2006 finally died last week.
Over the weekend, we decided to upgrade and bought a Traeger Pro 34. It's getting delivered today.
Is there anything special I need to do before first use?
The Weber gas grill I've been using since 2006 finally died last week.
Over the weekend, we decided to upgrade and bought a Traeger Pro 34. It's getting delivered today.
Is there anything special I need to do before first use?
Green Mountain is digital and has 5 degree increments. Remote control. Lots of good pellet grills. Traeger is good. Overpriced IMO. Rec Tec is supposed to be pretty good. For price Pit Boss is decent.
My buddy has a treager but he can't sear with it so he uses a weber ultimate to cook burgers and steaks. The treager does have great flavor but its not like a pit barbecue taste.
Just follow the directions for the initial burn off before any cooking. Doesn't take long.Bump!
The Weber gas grill I've been using since 2006 finally died last week.
Over the weekend, we decided to upgrade and bought a Traeger Pro 34. It's getting delivered today.
Is there anything special I need to do before first use?
I'm sure it's already listed, but both my brother in-laws have Pit Boss's and they love them. Traegers are hyped up and overpriced as you are paying for the name. Other than the internet/wifi controls, which may be your must/kicker that is the slight downfall of Pitboss.
I love our Traeger. The only thing I'd do different would be to get something you can leave out during the rain - not every day, but on a day or overnight cook. Trying to find weather that cooperates with a weekend cook is so hit or miss. Our back yard slopes too much into a green space that it would cost too much to create a covered gazebo type thing.
80% of it's learning the art/skill, only 20% is the smoker itself... in my opinion. As long as you can hold a steady temp, everything else is quality of life or warranty/longevity related.
When I got the Traeger 2 years ago, it was the best for App control which was important to me to go alongside my Thermoworks Signals. I'm sure others have better Apps than they did back then.