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First Pellet Cook

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    First Pellet Cook

    So I am babysitter for my son-in-law’s Traeger while they look for a house. Fired it up yesterday for the first time. Decided on ribs, since they are fairly forgiving. Cleaned out the grill since it had sat for a while unused. Used Traeger signature blend pellets. On their recommendation I set the temp to 275, and let it warm up. Are all Traeger temp controls this whacked? This thing went up to 319, down to 205, and then sort of settled in. Put two racks of St Louis ribs on there, and began the wait. The temp kept fluctuating like crazy. I put my thermoworks calibrated probe near the Traeger probe, and occasionally got a match and sometimes was off over 50 degrees! Temps would drop, and the grill started belching smoke like it was trying to burn 10 pounds of pellets at once.

    I ended up taking the controller down to 225. Still got big temp fluctuations. How big a factor is the wind? It was quite warm and breezy yesterday. I ended up taking them off too early. I thought I was passing the bend test, but maybe not. My wife and daughter thought they were a bit too chewy. I’m thinking maybe another 30 minutes might have helped. The ribs were okay, not great.

    Today is warm, but not windy. Temperature seems a lot more steady. I guess a windy day was not a good time for a first cook on a new grill!😬😬

    P.S. I still don’t like where Traeger has their temp probe. Also it’s about 7” long. Where exactly is the sensor??
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Thunder77; November 6, 2022, 09:45 AM.

    #2
    Looking at that foil job, there's a chance that slightly interfered. That thermocouple is in a fairly standard location for a center burn firepot, but I agree it's massive. I would guess the sensor is at the tip.

    Massive temp swings are fairly normal on older and/or cheaper pellet grills, and Traeger grills are far from the best performing on the lower teir models.

    I would suggest any problems with the ribs were either the ribs themselves or the cooking time. Until you get to know the cooker I would probe test ribs.

    PS I'm glad to see you put your thermoworks next to the thermocouple. Lots of people put their 3rd party probe on the grate then complain the grill isn't running at the temp the thermocouple says it is
    Last edited by ItsAllGoneToTheDogs; November 6, 2022, 10:26 AM.

    Comment


    • bbqLuv
      bbqLuv commented
      Editing a comment
      The cap is to keep the rain out. Plus, you need good air flow during shutdown to prevent burn-back in the pellet feed.

      I found that out the hard way on my first Cabela's pellet grill. I thought by closing the cap I would help control more smoke in the cooking chamber. But that is not how they are designed.

    • ItsAllGoneToTheDogs
      ItsAllGoneToTheDogs commented
      Editing a comment
      bbqLuv I know what it's for, I believe most brands now have a fixed cap because owners were adjusting them like you found out and causing problems

    • bbqLuv
      bbqLuv commented
      Editing a comment
      ItsAllGoneToTheDogs Thank you kind sir.

    #3
    Temperature swings help with smoke flavor. Also, if the pellets absorb moisture that will cause temp swings too.
    The Ribs look really nice. I would not turn them down.
    I am a pellet head myself. Although I bought the Timberline 850, lesser pellet grills turn out great food too.
    At a friend's house, I cooked a spatchcock chicken and ribs the next day in an entry-level Pit Boss pellet grill. Both turned out really well. I was surprised--to tell the truth--the Pit Boss performed. I did miss no WIFI for monitoring the cooks.

    Comment


    • Thunder77
      Thunder77 commented
      Editing a comment
      I thought the ribs were pretty decent. I can see how some would like the fat a little bit more rendered. My wife is all about the sauce, believe it or not. 🤷

    #4
    Very similar to things ItsAllGoneToTheDogs mentioned.

    I’ve had a couple Traegers with controllers like that. They’re kind of notorious for swings, but can be dialed in. Strong winds can be challenging on any grill, but especially thinner single wall pellet grills. That foil is definitely not helping as it’s messing up airflow. Foiled drip pans need to be wrapped tightly so air can flow as the grill was designed. If it’s not already, the stack cap should always be at least a 2 finger gap, better about as high as it can be set. That controller likely has a P-setting that can be adjusted. If I’m remembering correctly, setting it to P-0 helps when running temps between at 225 and up. On smoke settings, you probably need it in the P-2 to P-3 range.

    That all being said, you should be able to get it to stay +/-25° from set point. Many pellet grills will overshoot start up then settle back in, I’ve only had a couple that don’t.

    Comment


      #5
      That controller is pretty useless. I finally go so fed up with mine that I returned it and bought a RecTec. More expensive and newer Traeger's have a better controller.

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