Smoke Daddy on Traeger --Pressure Issues

OccamsTacKnife

New member
Hi everyone, Merry Christmas! I'm new to the forum. I'm Jeff, and I've been cooking BBQ for about 20 years. I got a Traeger last summer, and I've liked it, but I've found the depth of smoke flavor to be lacking in comparison to the stick burners I've used. I've heard great reviews feom people who have added a Smoke Daddy to the Traeger. As luck would have it, my girlfriend got me a Smoke Daddy for Christmas!

I started cooking a turkey this morning. I started out with just the Smoke Daddy going for a couple of hours. The smoke output was great! When I turned the Traeger on to start cooking, it seems the air pressure from the Traeger's fan prevents the Smoke from the Smoke Daddy from entering the cooking chamber. I have it mounted on the back side of the pellet chamber, as low as I could get it, which is about 2 inches below the cooking grate. Has anyone had similar issues, and if so, are there any placement tips or tricks that can solve this?

Thanks, and I look forward to being a part of the community!
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Im a little nervous with a turkey on a smoker with just the smoke daddy...what was the pit temp when you were doing that...might be a food safety issue
 

TentHunter

Moderator
First, welcome to the forum!

Pit temp while just with the Smoke Daddy was about 34 degrees :)

If that's the case, then you should be OK. Your pit temp was the similar to refrigerator temps.

BUT... Big Poppa brings up a very good concern. Cold-smoking meat that hasn't been cured with nitrites or nitrates, when the weather isn't cold creates a MAJOR food safety issue. It creates the perfect conditions for C. Botulinum to thrive, and Botulism can sure ruin your day!


I'm not sure what to tell you about the Smoke Daddy. You may need to have a little more venting to allow for the extra pressure created by the smoke daddy, but that's just a guess.
 

OccamsTacKnife

New member
First, welcome to the forum!



If that's the case, then you should be OK. Your pit temp was the similar to refrigerator temps.

BUT... Big Poppa brings up a very good concern. Cold-smoking meat that hasn't been cured with nitrites or nitrates, when the weather isn't cold creates a MAJOR food safety issue. It creates the perfect conditions for C. Botulinum to thrive, and Botulism can sure ruin your day!


I'm not sure what to tell you about the Smoke Daddy. You may need to have a little more venting to allow for the extra pressure created by the smoke daddy, but that's just a guess.

Yeah, I'm big on food safety. My brother and I used to cook competition, and that's an integral part for sure.

The problem isn't with the Smoke Daddy creating pressure, but the opposite-- the fan inside the Traeger prevents smoke from the Smoke Daddy from entering the cooking chamber. I'm not sure venting the chamber would solve this problem. I may try to move the input to slightly above the grate. With my luck that may avoid most of the direct air movement from the fan.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Gosh please take this in the right way...Full disclosure I am not a fan of the smoke daddy flavor. But a pellet cooker is light on smoke pretty much whatever you do...you can get an amazn tube but I find that I accept the pellet cooker for what it is and cook accordingly...if I need more smoke my drum works great
 

scooter

Moderator
I added a smoke daddy to my 2 Star to help with cooks less than 3 hours or cooks over 300F. These are the two pellet cooking scenarios where smoke flavor from a pellet cooker are at their lightest. I never had any issues with back pressure nor did my neighbor down the street (He also had a 2 Star w/smoke daddy). Sounds like your air pump is not powerful enough. I'd check with the smoke daddy company and ask for their recommendation.
I have a new 2015 2 Star (The smoke daddy is on my 2009 2 Star). I haven't added a SD to my new 2 Star. I just bought the small amazn tube and am trying it out today on some ribs.
 
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