No smoke flavor in turkey

Gr82ba10acVol

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Jan 1, 2024
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Location
Knoxville, TN
Grill
575 Pro
New member here and new traeger owner. I purchased a Traeger Pro 575 a few weeks ago. I smoked a turkey for Christmas. It cooked fine, but there wasn't much of a smoke flavor. I butterflied the turkey and brined it for 3 days with kosher salt and baking powder. I cooked it over Traeger turkey blend pellets, first at 185, then 250, and I finished it off at 325 for about the last 30 minutes. I pulled the turkey when it reached 150 degrees.

Did I do something wrong? Would it help if I lowered the cover for the smokestack so it is closer to the smokestack opening?
 
Welcome to the world of pellet grills. You'll never get the type of smoke flavor that you'd get from a more traditional style of smoker. Some members on here use smoke tubes in their cooks. I've never tried one. Really depends on your preferences. You can also try a different pellet flavorr. I used the turkey blend pellets this past Thanksgiving as well and wasn't impressed. They smelled nice when I was cooking - maybe a Sage or Rosemary scent? - but didn't leave much behind in the food. Mesquite or Hickory might get you a little closer to what you're looking for.
 
Welcome to the world of pellet grills. You'll never get the type of smoke flavor that you'd get from a more traditional style of smoker. Some members on here use smoke tubes in their cooks. I've never tried one. Really depends on your preferences. You can also try a different pellet flavorr. I used the turkey blend pellets this past Thanksgiving as well and wasn't impressed. They smelled nice when I was cooking - maybe a Sage or Rosemary scent? - but didn't leave much behind in the food. Mesquite or Hickory might get you a little closer to what you're looking for.
I am a newbie, what is a smoke tube?
 
I am a newbie, what is a smoke tube?
On top of the Home Screen click the magnifying glass, “search feature”. Enter “smoke tubes” into it. You’ll find some good information on it. I had a good friend that gave me a new 780 with the condition I would try it and not give up until I’ve honestly given it a fare shot. Ohh how I hated it, I had a green egg for many years and loved it, didn’t have any issues and great smoke flavor. Fast forward, I love my traeger, I get really good results from a smoke tube and two smoke boxes I modified. You can see my post on them as well as closing the top of the stack down too. I rarely use my egg anymore, the Traeger is so damn simple. I cook a lot of butts and ribs helping some buddies out in their food business. I set it and go to bed without keeping any device beside my bed or getting up checking on it too. No complaints about the smoke flavors either. I personally haven’t “tasted” any difference in pellets, I use Costco brand and sometimes catch some on a good sale. I don’t even look at the type of woods, I have a relative in the timber business, the types of wood on a bag include others than listed. That’s why I depend heavily on my smoke tubes. Don’t give up, experiment and it’ll make a difference. Let us know us know how thing progress!
 
Please remember that poultry has a high likelihood of salmonella contamination. Cooking your turkey to an internal temperature of 150F might not be high enough to kill any salmonella that might be present. The recommendation of the FDA and food safety specialists is that turkey and chicken and ground meats should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. I hope nobody gets sick. I had food poisoning many years ago and it was not fun.

Beef, lamb and pork that are larger cuts are less likely to have bacterial contamination. Thus, they can be cooked to a lower temperature.

Be safe and enjoy your Traeger.

When you stated the cooking temperatures, were you reporting what the controller panel indicated or did you measure the temperature independently? The Traeger RTD controller probe and the internal meat probe are frequently inaccurate. Never rely on those measurements.
 
Smoke tubes are the bomb. It's pretty much a must if you have a pellet grill. I know some grills have super smoke, not sure how effective of a setting it is. My 575 doesnt do super smoke so the smoke tubes save the day. Too much heat will decrease the effectiveness of the smoke, so low and slow it till the very end before cranking it to up to crisp up the skin.
 
One more thing on the smoke tubes. Use wood chips, not pellets. I'll put in a handful of the wood chips, then a small amount of pellets to fill in. Then I tap the tube on something solid to compress the mixture, then repeat with the wood chips and pellets until the tube is full. After you light the tube, let it burn for 5 minutes before placing it in the Traeger. Good luck.
 
One more thing on the smoke tubes. Use wood chips, not pellets. I'll put in a handful of the wood chips, then a small amount of pellets to fill in. Then I tap the tube on something solid to compress the mixture, then repeat with the wood chips and pellets until the tube is full. After you light the tube, let it burn for 5 minutes before placing it in the Traeger. Good luck.
I layer mine starting with a few pellets in the bottom, chips, chunks, pellets, chips, chunks then topping with pellets. I cut my wood chunks on my bandsaw to smaller cube pieces about an inch square and fill in voids with pellets. I stand the tube up, light the pellets on top until flaming. I let them burn a few minutes, blow the flame out and carry the tube upright holding from bottom section (not hot) and gently lean and lay it inside traeger. Works perfectly every time and will burn a long time.
 
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