New Traeger Jr. (BBQ055).
So far, I've cooked two whole chickens (at 40 min/lb) and one turkey breast (at 1 hr/lb) using Traeger hickory pellets. Plenty of smoke was generated. Meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful except that it had practically no smoke flavor -- just a hint. The same types cooked the same way on my old Brinkman dome-top were rich in smoke flavor.
I theorize that the Traeger Jr. fan is the same one as used in the larger models, so it's moving the air/smoke through the smoking chamber at a higher velocity. This would mean that the smoke wouldn't linger as long and just blow by the meat. The Jr. also doesn't have a flue -- just two large slots at the rear top. I've thought of partially blocking the slots (like using a damper) but wonder if back pressure might disrupt the fire.
Any experience/ideas?
So far, I've cooked two whole chickens (at 40 min/lb) and one turkey breast (at 1 hr/lb) using Traeger hickory pellets. Plenty of smoke was generated. Meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful except that it had practically no smoke flavor -- just a hint. The same types cooked the same way on my old Brinkman dome-top were rich in smoke flavor.
I theorize that the Traeger Jr. fan is the same one as used in the larger models, so it's moving the air/smoke through the smoking chamber at a higher velocity. This would mean that the smoke wouldn't linger as long and just blow by the meat. The Jr. also doesn't have a flue -- just two large slots at the rear top. I've thought of partially blocking the slots (like using a damper) but wonder if back pressure might disrupt the fire.
Any experience/ideas?