Increasing Smoke Flavor?

[Mark.B]

Hey all! I've done several cooks on my Smokefire with the last one being ribs. Before my Smokefire, I used my WSM or kettle which gave them a really great smoke flavor. The Smokefire results are a faint taste of smoke. I've tried cooking at a lower temp to start, 250 degrees, along with a smoke tube filled with pellets. I still can't seem to get it to the level of my charcoal cookers. Has anyone found a tried and true method to enhance the smoke flavor on the Smokefire? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MrPhilGrillTX]

What brand of pellets are you using?

 

[Mark.B]

What brand of pellets are you using?

Weber Hickory Pellets

 

[JpsBBQ]

Smokefire puts out great smoke compared to other pellet smokers. Might not be quite as much as WSM, but close. Some of what you are likely missing is the charcoal itself. Truth be told, most of the time it’s “dirty” smoke people have come accustomed to. Pellet cookers produce a cleaner blue smoke that is often lost on a pallet that is accustomed to white billowing smoke. Most people I know that complain about lack of smoke come from stick burners. They almost all use a smoke tube in addition to the regular smoke produced by the pellet grill. Many of them experience an adjustment in their pallet after some time eating clean smoked foods.

Good luck and happy smoking!

 

[bbqking]

In my experience, I you are not going to achieve the same flavor or smoke that you can get on a kettle or wsm. #1. Wood pellets may be made out of wood, but are pellets. Much milder smoke flavor. The only suggestion I have is maybe get a smoker box and add real wood chips? Maybe stick it in the bottom to get the real wood flavor. I like the more intense flavor real wood gives, some do not like that. like it.

 

[MrPhilGrillTX]

The other thing I've noticed is that the pellets that I've looked at tend to be a blend of woods. "Hickory" is really hickory and oak and maybe others. Since most of them were blended with oak, I'm assuming it is to get a better burn/heat out of the pellets. That will change the flavor profile also.

I've heard of some brands that have a pure pellet, but I don't recall what they were.

 

[Mark.B]

The other thing I've noticed is that the pellets that I've looked at tend to be a blend of woods. "Hickory" is really hickory and oak and maybe others. Since most of them were blended with oak, I'm assuming it is to get a better burn/heat out of the pellets. That will change the flavor profile also.

I've heard of some brands that have a pure pellet, but I don't recall what they were.

Good to know about the “pure” pellets. I’ll look around for those. I’ve heard Green Mountain Pellets are good. Wondering if anyone has experience using them? Thx.

 

[bbqking]

Pit boss makes a “charcoal” flavor. Looks like grey charcoal pellets. I didn’t really notice that it had a charcoal style taste. Honestly I just use Weber’s competition blend. I’m happy with that. It is a mix.

 

[Cannukque]

Lumberjack has pure hickory, apple, cherry.

 

[Wismokes]

I like to mix a little lumberjack cherry with their char hickory and it gets a better smoke flavor. Still won’t be the same as the kettle or wsm but it is closer

 

[Bluesmoke]

I have found that if you put the ribs on the top rack you get a little more smoke on them.
However I agree the Weber competition blend works well for me and have had no complaints about the food not having a smoke flavor.

 

[catpowered]

Smokefire puts out great smoke compared to other pellet smokers. Might not be quite as much as WSM, but close. Some of what you are likely missing is the charcoal itself. Truth be told, most of the time it’s “dirty” smoke people have come accustomed to. Pellet cookers produce a cleaner blue smoke that is often lost on a pallet that is accustomed to white billowing smoke. Most people I know that complain about lack of smoke come from stick burners. They almost all use a smoke tube in addition to the regular smoke produced by the pellet grill. Many of them experience an adjustment in their pallet after some time eating clean smoked foods.

Good luck and happy smoking!

You hit that on the head. I’ve had a hard time adjusting until I finally got rid of my smoke fire. I should say I parked it and I refuse to use it. I’ve got a weber some charcoal and let me tell you that sucker is worth it. It does a great job. Also with my smoke fire when using it exclusively used Weber pellets only wants choosing to use B&B. The B&B caused a lot of ash build up way more than the Weber pellets..

 

[uk_brewer]

Hey all! I've done several cooks on my Smokefire with the last one being ribs. Before my Smokefire, I used my WSM or kettle which gave them a really great smoke flavor. The Smokefire results are a faint taste of smoke. I've tried cooking at a lower temp to start, 250 degrees, along with a smoke tube filled with pellets. I still can't seem to get it to the level of my charcoal cookers. Has anyone found a tried and true method to enhance the smoke flavor on the Smokefire? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

This 100% any food I’ve had from a wsm is acrid. Smokefire def more clean like the flavor I get from my bge.

Smokefire puts out great smoke compared to other pellet smokers. Might not be quite as much as WSM, but close. Some of what you are likely missing is the charcoal itself. Truth be told, most of the time it’s “dirty” smoke people have come accustomed to. Pellet cookers produce a cleaner blue smoke that is often lost on a pallet that is accustomed to white billowing smoke. Most people I know that complain about lack of smoke come from stick burners. They almost all use a smoke tube in addition to the regular smoke produced by the pellet grill. Many of them experience an adjustment in their pallet after some time eating clean smoked foods.

Good luck and happy smoking!

This 100% any food I’ve had from a wsm is acrid definitely not a clean burn. The smokefire def more clean like the flavor I get from my bge.

 

[KevinD]

As most of you know you have to be careful when using other brands of pellets. The Weber pellets are smaller than most and the larger pellets will give you issues.

 

[buzz84]

Hey all! I've done several cooks on my Smokefire with the last one being ribs. Before my Smokefire, I used my WSM or kettle which gave them a really great smoke flavor. The Smokefire results are a faint taste of smoke. I've tried cooking at a lower temp to start, 250 degrees, along with a smoke tube filled with pellets. I still can't seem to get it to the level of my charcoal cookers. Has anyone found a tried and true method to enhance the smoke flavor on the Smokefire? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

There’s no way you’re going to get the smoke flavor that you do in a charcoal/wood smoker with pellet smokers. I’ve got 13 smokers. pellet, gravity feed, Weber kettle and there isn’t any way to get as much smoke flavor as you can with the charcoal/wood smoker. sometimes I will start off with one of my stick burners up to 165 and then finish off on the pellet smoker.