Not getting enough smoke from your pellet grill? Try these 5 easy solutions to get back to smoking delicious food in no time.
How a Pellet Grill Makes Smoke
Before you can understand all the reasons you might not be getting enough smoke out of your pellet grill, you should understand the basics of how a pellet grill works, and HOW it makes smoke.
Pellet grills, such as Pit Boss, Traeger or ZGrills brands, work by conveniently feeding wood pellets that you have bought to a firepot via an auger mechanism.
This auger moves automatically to control the flow of pellets based on temperature you set when you start the pellet grill.
Much like a wood stove or oven, the smoke is a by product of the pellets being burned in the fire pot, which also creates your heat.
So if you aren't getting enough smoke, the problem usually lies with the pellets themselves, and/or how they are being burned with regards to temperature and airflow.
What Kind of Smoke Pellet Grills Make
Start-up "White Smoke"
In addition, not all smoke created by a pellet grill is equal.
When you first start up a pellet grill it is normal to get lots and lots of thick white smoke as the fire rods goes through the process of heating up.
Until the firerod is hot enough, it is only going to smolder the pellets rather than burn them cleanly, hence the thick, copious amounts of white smoke created.
Now, some people like to throw cold meat on during the startup time to help add extra smoky flavor and go after that coveted smoke ring on their meat.
Another hack is to cold smoke cheese with this smoke before the grill has a chance to heat up and melt the cheese.
But understand, you would not want to smoke with this type of smoke the whole time.
Your meat would taste like an ashtray after about an hour of being exposed to this thick "dirty" white smoke.
A little goes a long way.
Cooking "Blue Smoke"
Once the firerod has gotten hot enough, it will burn the pellets more "cleanly" and the smoke produced will be thinner, bluer, and more wispy.
This is the prized "blue smoke" coveted by BBQ elites and competition smokers the world over.
This is where the magic the happens and is the type of smoke you want when you are cooking a large cut of meat for hours upon hours while enjoying a drink from the cooler under your hardtop gazebo.
However, this smoke can be hard to see at times, much harder to see than the thick startup white smoke.
Many beginner smokers mistake this for their pellet grill not producing enough smoke. But understand, this is the type of smoke you WANT when cooking your meat.
Rather WATCH than READ?
Check out this video on the Mad Backyard YouTube Channel: 5 Ways to Get More Smoke from your Pellet Grill.
Reasons a Pellet Grill May Not Produce Enough Smoke
Now that we understand how a pellet grill works, how it makes smoke, and also what kind of smoke we are looking for, let's look at some reasons you may still not be getting the amount of smoke you want.
Your Temperature is Too High
Pellet grills actually produce more smoke at lower "low and slow" temperatures than they do when cooking at higher "hot and fast" temperatures
This is just a fact of thermodynamics and how wood burns.
Think about how when you are starting a campfire. It smolders and smokes like crazy until the fire gets hot enough to burn the logs cleanly.
This isn't to say you SHOULD turn the temperature down to get more smoke; it all depends what you are cooking.
A large leg of lamb is going to be smoked low and slow at maybe 225°F while a ribeye steak is going to be seared hot and fast at the highest possible temperature of at least 450°F or higher.
Just don't expect the grill to produce as much smoke when cooking the steak. The pellets are being burned clean and FAST and not producing much smoke rather than smoldering like they do at lower temperatures.
Your Pellets are Old, Cheap, or Have Absorbed Moisture
Pellets for pellet grills work best when they are dry and relatively fresh. Pellets don't last very long if stored outdoors, especially in the hopper of your grill.
They absorb moisture and don't burn as well, and if they absorb enough can even rot and mold or jam your auger.
Always store your pellets indoors in an airtight container. We love this 20 lb. pellet bucket because it has a mesh insert that allows you to remove the sawdust from your pellets.
We keep each type of pellet in its own bucket.
- Store up to 20 pounds of hardwood pellets in the heavy-duty plastic pellet bucket.
- Weatherproof, airtight lid protects pellets from the elements, keeping them fresh and dry
- Wire-mesh filter separates wood dust from the pellets for a clean burn
- Heavy-duty plastic scoop to easily transfer pell
Make sure to empty the unused pellets from your grill and hopper after you are done cooking.
Your Auger is Jammed
Sometimes the auger can get jammed if there are wet pellets, the wrong sized pellets, or just too many pellets crammed in there.
If the pellets can't get to the firerod, they can't burn and make smoke. On some models, this is accompanied with an error that may come up in the middle of the cook.
Take a minute to remove the heat shield and see whether the pellets have all piled up and clogged around the auger or firerod.
Brand of Pellets
Sometimes, it just comes down to using poor quality pellets. After all, the smoke comes from the pellets right?
Many off brand and cheap pellets are full of more fillers than wood, which will not create as high quality smoke. Check the % wood on the bag of pellets you are buying.
We are particular fans of Bear Mountain Premium All-Natural Hardwood Pellets
- Low Moisture for the Perfect Smoke
- Use with all Outdoor Pellet, Gas, or Electric Grills and Smokers
- A perfect balance of smooth, smoky flavors that blends well with almost anything
Always make sure to buy high quality pellets that are compatible with your pellet grill .
Your Firepot is Dirty
If your fire pot is dirty and full of ash, it won't ignite the pellets as well. This can also cause your pellets to pile up inside the fire pot around the firerod and not ignite properly.
You will likely also get an error if this happens.
Make sure to clean out the ash in the firepot from the last cook before loading your hopper and starting up your pellet grill.
Many models of Pit Boss Pellet Grills have an easy release feature so you can easily remove the firepot to dump it and clean it out. On some grills, like ZGrills, you'll have to use a mini shop vac to vacuum out the ash left in the firepot.
- POWERFUL PERFORMANCE: The Shop-Vac 1.5 Gallon 2.0 Peak HP Hang On Wet Dry Vacuum is great for quick wet or dry pick up jobs in your home, garage, workshop or vehicle. Also converts into a powerful blower.
- PORTABLE & EASY TO STORE: Shop-vac vacuum cleaners have handles on top for easy lifting. Wall-mounted design, hanging on the wall for convenient and unclutter stora
Poor Ventilation
Pellets need oxygen to ignite, burn, smolder, and produce smoke. If for any reason you are not getting enough airflow to the firepot, you either won't get any smoke or will only get thick dirty white smoke.
A Fan is Not Working
Check that your fans are operating properly, as these help deliver oxygen to the pellets and ignite them. You can put your hand over the COOL firepot when you first start up the grill to see if you feel air flowing.
A broken fan can limit how much airflow you get and the amount and quality of your smoke.
Clogged Vents
Check any vents on your pellet grill that they are opened and not clogged either as this will limit airflow and smoke production as well.
Exhaust Tube
The cap on top of the exhaust tube on your pellet grill can be raised or lowered to adjust the amount of air flow and smoke you're producing. We like to keep the cap down when smoking at low temperatures.
We raise it up when cooking at higher temperatures like 350°F or higher.
Final Thoughts on Pellet Grills Not Making Enough Smoke
We hope these 5 solutions will help you maximize the amount of smoke you get from your pellet grill.
Keep in mind that pellet grills are designed for convenience and ease of use and will never give as much smoke flavor as other smokers that use wood logs or charcoal to generate smoke, like the Weber Smokey Mountain.
If you find you're still not getting enough smoke from your pellet grill, consider adding a smoker tube or smoker box to augment the amount of smoke.
Check out our YouTube video where we show How to Light a Pellet Tube Smoker!
More Pellet Grill Resources
Ultimate Guide to How Pellet Grills Work
How to Start a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
How to Season a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
How to Remove the Pit Boss Safety Grid
How to Empty the Pit Boss Hopper and Auger
How to Fix Temperature Problems on a Pit Boss
Looking for Pellet Grill Recipes?
Glad you asked! Check out some of our favorite things to smoke in a pellet grill:
Pit Boss Pulled Pork
Traeger Pulled Pork
Pork Loin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Baby Back Ribs on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Smoked Chicken Legs on a Traeger
Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Breasts
Crispy Skin Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Wings
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