Traeger is well known for the delicious smoky flavor it imparts to your food. It uses different wood pellets to create smokes of different flavors as per your need or cooking. But sometimes, it produces a lot of smoke that ruins the flavor of your food. If you have the same problem with your grill and want to know Why Is My Traeger Smoking So Much, read the complete article to know the facts and possibilities due to which your grill is doing so. A detailed comparison between Traeger Scout Vs Ranger will help you to get a portable Traeger dream grill. It is important to resolve this issue as it will destroy the flavor of your food and prevent your grill from achieving higher temperatures.
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There are certain possibilities due to which your grill is doing so. Your grill may do this when you’ve selected the setting of smoke through your controller or you’ve used low-quality pellet woods.
The intensity of smoke greatly depends upon the quality of wood pellets.
If you are using good quality wood pellets then you can get great flavored fumes but if you’re using low-quality wood pellets there are chances that you’ll get bad flavored smoke or too intense smoke that can damage your food.
If you’ve checked both of these possibilities and the quality of your wood pellets is good along with the good setting, then there might be some other possibilities of this unusual smoke and these are:
If your grill is not on a plain surface then it may cause intense fumes due to the uneven distribution of wood pellets to the firepot. Placing it on a surface that is not leveled properly will cause the pellets in the hoper to dislocate from their position which will ultimately cause the uneven distribution of wood pellets.
This issue is most commonly caused when the fan is not working properly. It may not be working properly due to any agent that is stuck in its way.
Check the fan, if it is not working properly, try moving it with the help of a wooden rod. But don’t do this step before shutting down your grill. If it starts working then you won’t get any issue after this but if it is still not working.
It may be due to the reason that you’ve changed your fan and have installed it upside down. It will cause the air to flow from the firepot to the hopper instead of blowing the air into the firepot.
You need to check the airflow by removing grill grates, drip tray, and heat baffle. Just turn on your grill after removing all these parts and place a piece of paper near the firepot to see if the air is coming towards the firepot. If it is not, then replace the fan upside down.
When the drip tray is filled with the drippings of oil or food fats then it starts clogging in the drip tube due to which the remaining drippings fall into the firepot or on the heating source due to which uneven smoke is produced.
To avoid this, you need to clean your grill thoroughly so that no food drippings or fats fall on the heating source directly. Cleaning it after every cooking is recommended while the ones who use it 2-3 times a day for cooking, clean it after every 4th or 5th cooking.
If the wood pellets that you’re using to cook your food are wet or have caught moisture they can cause this issue frequently. Moisturized or wet pellets when burned in a firepot produce a lot of smoke and prevent the temperature from rising. So make sure that the pellets you’re using are completely dry and moisture-free.
Does Traeger still smoke at 225?
Yes, Traeger smoked at 225℉ as it can give you the smoky taste at low temperatures of 165-225℉. But if you want it to be intense and super you can select the super smoke mode that is available in most of the Traegers. There is also an option to minimize the smoke while you’re cooking to restrain your grill from producing smoke. This feature allows you to cook your food that doesn’t require smoke while cooking.
How long does 20lbs of Traeger pellets last?
The long-lasting ability of the pellets only depends on the temperature at which you’re cooking your food and the quality of wood pellets. If you’ve set the extremely high temperature setting to cook your food it may last up to 6-8 hours but if you’re using a low temperature setting to cook your food it may last for more than 20 hours. But the quality of woods also matters, if you’re using good quality wood pellets then you can get the same cooking time as mentioned above but if you’re using low-quality woods, it will decrease further.
Can I use my Traeger in the rain?
Yes, you can use your Traeger in rain but it is not recommended to use your grill in such conditions. Although your grill can withstand most of the weather conditions, cooking in this situation can destroy the taste of your food. You’ll also see some abnormalities while cooking in this weather condition such as extra smoke and low temperature. So try cooking under a shade while it is raining or snowing outside.
Although Traeger is a great grill for almost every cooking it still can malfunction if not treated properly. If your grill is also malfunctioning, you can repair it by yourself, most of the time. After reading this article you already know Why Is My Traeger Smoking So Much and you can resolve this issue of your grill easily. If you still cannot solve this issue try contacting the customer support of Traeger or get your grill checked by a professional for a good repair. Don’t try to repair it by yourself if you’re not a professional as you may end up increasing the cost of repair.
