Looking for advice

[Daddy]

Daddy

New member​

I have the pro 575 that I bought used. I have no issues with this smoker other than I can’t seem to generate a deep bark or a deep smoke ring. I absolutely love toying around with smoking on this unit. I really enjoy it. I’ve tried numerous brands and flavors of pellets with non standing out as the best. They all yield the same results (in my opinion). I am seriously considering buying the Yoder 640ys. I do not have anything derogatory to say about traeger at all. I love this smoker. In your guys’ opinion, am I over thinking this? I see, and want, the results that we all see on website videos and such. I have tried everything that I know to achieve the deep (TEXAS) bark and smoke ring. I consider myself novice in the smoking world and am turning to every source of advice I can find. I have done the spritz method on some cooks and other cooks have not. I don’t see a difference. I ALWAYS wrap and ONLY cook by temperature, not time.
So enough rambling on here. I hope I’ve provided enough information for everyone. I greatly appreciate everyone’s opinions!
Thank you in advance and I am eager to hear from you all.

 

[RustyJake]

I have both an IW650 and a Yoder 640ys. I wasn't unhappy with the Traeger, but it was my first pellet grill. I quickly found that it was too small for some of the cooks I was doing. I realized I was always cooking extra food to portion and freeze for use later when smoking would be inconvenient for me. So the larger size was something I felt I needed. It wasn't because of a perceived lack of smoke or being unhappy with the performance of the IW650. Even having the Yoder, I still have the Traeger. Albeit, it only seems to get use one or two times a year. I almost always use the Yoder, and my ceramic egg Kamado Grill. They both offer differences in cooks that can suite whatever I am trying to achieve.
Had I purchased a larger Traeger from the beginning, I more than likely would be without the Yoder, and only thinking of one when the Traeger died.
The Yoder burns through more pellets than the Traeger, but there is a size difference as well as the heavier metal to heat up. I can see a bit more smoke produced at higher temps on the Yoder, but that is negligible and really a non-factor. The part that sets it apart for me is cleanups. The Yoder has access to the firepot, so cleaning after a cook is as simple as opening the access door and dumping the firepot into the bottom of the smoker. I had to remove the drip tray and clean the firepot each time on the Traeger, not a huge inconvenience, but when you don't have to do it, you really appreciate how quickly you can get back to cooking.
If you have any questions about the Yoder, feel free to ask.
In my opinion, unless you are dissatisfied with something about your Traeger or require more space, maybe wait until the Traeger starts acting up?
But if you need more room, or looking for a solid build, then there are a few other options along with the Yoder. Lone Star grillz makes another, all built in the US with the FireBoard controller. This one looks to produce the most smoke from a pellet grill

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But, they are still pellets and not like having a real wood fire, regardless of the grill you select.
It's all in what "you" want in a grill.

 

[RayClem]

Developing a smoke ring is largely dependent upon the temperature at which you cook and the time cooking before wrapping. I do not cook brisket as it is too much meat for my wife and I to eat. But I do cook smaller cuts of meat like a beef roast or pork butt.

What temperature did you use for the cook? Also how did you measure the cook temperature? It is well known that the temperature shown on the controller panel is often inaccurate. I tend to cook between 200-225F measured by a 3rd party thermometer. I will allow the meat to reach an internal temp of 165F before wrapping. I get a pretty good smoke ring.

Once you wrap the meat, you can increase the cook temperature to 250-300F as the meat will not absorb smoke once wrapped. Cook until the internal temp is between 200- 205F as measured by a 3rd party thermometer (not the Traeger probe).

What do you use for wrapping? Aluminum foil seals more tightly and traps more moisture than butcher paper. It you want to enhance the bark, use butcher wrap. If you want to maximize juiciness, use foil. For pork butts, I use foil as I want the pulled pork to be juicy.

Also, if you like heavy smoke, you might want to use a smoke tube. There are several good threads on use of smoke tubes to enhance the depth of smoke flavor. I am fine without them.

 

[Daddy]

I always cook by temperature that I use both my FireBoard 2 probes and my MEATER +. I also use 2 smoke tubes. I also have, but do not use with the 2 smoke tubes, the Smokai magnum. The smokai does not work well with the lid not cracked, which in my opinion kind of defeats the purpose. Maybe not, I don’t know. I consider myself in the “novice” bracket. Maybe I’m over trying and over thinking this. Tips for creating a dealer bark are appreciated! A full packer is WAY too much meat for my home as well. How about ideas for injecting?? I’m looking for something to put a great flavor in a pork butt. I’m also ready to brine a hunk of meat for pastrami. Any and all suggestions are certainly appreciated!!

 

[RayClem]

It sounds like you are well beyond the novice bracket, well into the advanced stage. Since you are already using smoke tubes and the Smokai magnum, you should be generating a lot of smoke.

The general consensus seems to be that a pellet grill, no matter the brand, will never achieve the same smoke ring and bark as an offset smoker. Since I am too lazy to tend an offset smoker, I can neither confirm nor deny that notion. There are those here who might want to chime in on the bark issue.

 

[RustyJake]

For pastrami, consider a dry equilibrium brine
Post in thread 'Corned beef brining help' https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/corned-beef-brining-help.2548/post-47945