Wind affect on Camp Chef SmokePro DLX

[claysdaddy]

Hello, my name is Dave and I'm new to pellet grills. I've been smoking meat for many years on my WSM but thought I'd get the Camp Chef because of the ease. I did my first rib cook last weekend and there was hardly any smoke flavor. When I cleaned the grill I noticed that the dust was all over the bottom of it. The only thing I can figure is because it was a rather windy day the dust blew out of the burn chamber and no fire could be achieved. Am I on the right track with my thinking? If so, is this a common issue?


Thank you

 

[TentHunter]

First, welcome to the forum!

Now on to your questions:

Ash/Dust:

The dust you saw on the bottom of your grill is normal. It's nothing more than residual ash from your cook, and EVERY pellet grill has it. Enjoy the fact that there is so little compared to the ash that's typically left over after using charcoal.

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Smoke Flavor:

The issue here is twofold.

First, the big thing you need to realize about pellet smokers is they are very efficient and clean burning, so you will get a much cleaner, lighter, smoke profile. Even then not all pellet smokers are created equal. Some (like a MAK) are known to give a better smoke flavor than others. There are also ways to improve your smoke profile.

Second, chances are, coming off of a WSM you are used to a much heavier smoke flavor, especially if you were using the Minion method with your charcoal resulting in a much heavier smoke profile (too smoky for some peoples' taste).



Here are some things that affect the level of smoke flavor from a pellet grill:

1) Smoking/Grilling Temperature: Lower temps = more smoke. Hotter temps = less smoke.

For ribs, pork shoulders, brisket, etc. where you want a heavier smoke flavor:

• DON'T pre-heat the grill! Put the meat on the grill first, and THEN turn the grill on. This takes advantage of the warm-up smoke, plus the longer you can keep the meat surface below 140° the more chance your meat will have to absorb smoke.
• Run the grill in smoke mode for an hour or so before you bump the temp up to your cooking temp. As long as the temp is above 165° you are above danger zone temps, so it is safe!


2) Brand/Type of pellet:

• Oak pellets will give a good overall non-distinct smoke.
• Hickory flavored pellets will give a slightly heavier, warmer, bacony flavor.
• Most fruit woods will give a lighter sweeter smelling smoke profile.
• Apple is the exception. Apple can give a heavier, perfumier, smell and flavor. That's why I like using Apple for smoking my bacon. It gives a very deep smoke profile. I actually ruined some cold-smoked paprika recently trying to use apple instead of my normal hickory.

Apple and Hickory make a really great blend!

• Mesquite - Gives a strong, almost peppery flavor which can easy overwhelm, so be careful using mesquite pellets straight. Try mixing some mesquite with other flavors to boost them.


3) Downdraft Baffle:

Many pellet grills employ a chimney that is mounted near the top of the grill on one side or the back. This allows much of the smoke to just escape out the top instead of getting down to the food! Many guys end up adding a third-party downdraft baffle to combat this issue. You may need to add one of these.



Adding Additional Smoke:

There are a few devices out there that can help boost the smoke profile.

• The Smoke Daddy is one. They seem to work well, HOWEVER they do require some modifications to your grill which could affect warranty.

• A-Maze-N Pellet smokers & Smokin Wedgie - These are perforated stainless steel containers which hold pellets. You light the pellets with a torch and they slowly burn the pellets (much like the minion method for charcoal), and allow you to add additional smoke while using your grill, or cold smoke items such as cured meats and cheese.

These items work very well, but do require airflow or they will snuff themselves out.

Big Poppa Smokers (the forum sponsor) carries the A-Maze-N pellet smoker/tubes (I own two of them):

A-Maze-N Products Accessories | Big Poppa Smoker


Hope this helps!

 

[claysdaddy]

Thank you TentHunter, very helpful. I will play with it some more.