Pro 780 No smoke

Ransom B

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Pro 780
I purchased a new Pro 780 and I’m very disappointed. No smoke “EVER”!!! The only time any smoke has came out of this grill was during the seasoning. I’ve tried every setting from 160 to 250 and not one puff of smoke. I set out on the patio yesterday for 8 hours doing a smoked rib recipe on the Traeger app. Nothing! Even the app says use the super smoke or smoke setting. Ha! The 780 doesn’t have these settings. I feel like I threw a $1000 dollars in the trash. Funny thing is that the cheaper models around $700 have a smoke setting and the more expensive $1500 to $2000 Models have super smoke but if you spend $1000, nope, you’re out of luck.
 
It is there but thinner that you imagine. You only have to see a brisket with the red line around the outside to see that it works. If the taste is not sufficient then i suggest you get a smoke tube which you fill with pellets, light it and put it in the Traeger, then you will see smoke.
 
I purchased a new Pro 780 and I’m very disappointed. No smoke “EVER”!!! The only time any smoke has came out of this grill was during the seasoning. I’ve tried every setting from 160 to 250 and not one puff of smoke. I set out on the patio yesterday for 8 hours doing a smoked rib recipe on the Traeger app. Nothing! Even the app says use the super smoke or smoke setting. Ha! The 780 doesn’t have these settings. I feel like I threw a $1000 dollars in the trash. Funny thing is that the cheaper models around $700 have a smoke setting and the more expensive $1500 to $2000 Models have super smoke but if you spend $1000, nope, you’re out of luck.
What pellets are you using? Hickory, Mesquite, Oak give more smoke. I'm getting smoke, even with Super Smoke off.
 
Traeger brand Mesquite pellets. I’ve been doing a brisket since 7:00 this morning. Zero smoke all day.
 
Traeger brand Mesquite pellets. I’ve been doing a brisket since 7:00 this morning. Zero smoke all day.
What is your outside temperature and humidity? I bet that's a factor.

You are cooking on a wood fire, your brisket will have a smoke ring. If the smoke flavor is too light, cook longer and lower temp, or add more smoke with a pellet tube or smoke generator.

It has been discussed here a bunch, pellet grills give a lighter smoke flavor compared to stick or charcoal. Side-by-side cooks revealed that the Traeger flavor held its own.

Let us know how it comes out! I used Matt Pittman's 24hour low and slow "Weekday Brisket" recipe and it tasted great and looked good.
 
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Traeger brand Mesquite pellets. I’ve been doing a brisket since 7:00 this morning. Zero smoke all day.
Ok show a picture of the cut brisket when finished.
You will see in the image below of my Montreal smoked meat that the ring is very evident.
 

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What is your outside temperature and humidity? I bet that's a factor.

You are cooking on a wood fire, your brisket will have a smoke ring. If the smoke flavor is too light, cook longer and lower temp, or add more smoke with a pellet tube or smoke generator.

It has been discussed here a bunch, pellet grills give a lighter smoke flavor compared to stick or charcoal. Side-by-side cooks revealed that the Traeger flavor held its own.

Let us know how it comes out! I used Matt Pittman's 24hour low and slow "Weekday Brisket" recipe and it tasted great and looked good.
I know it will have a smoke ring. The ribs I cooked yesterday did. It just doesn’t have that rich smoked flavor I’ve tasted from the Traeger’s my friends have. Theirs actually have smoke coming out of the stack and around the lid. The 780 I have doesn’t produce any visible smoke anywhere at any time.
The temp here is in the mid to high 80’s today with around 10% humidity.
 
On our PRO 780, the only time(s) we have had visible smoke was during the initial burn-in, when the excess oils applied to the internals at the factory were burned off, or after we've done a deep cleaning (this only lasts a short time) ... otherwise, we get the nearly invisible blue smoke coming out of the stack continually as we're smoking/grilling/cooking ...


Personally, not a fan of the white smoke as that tends to impart a more bitter smokey taste on the proteins, but recognize that varies for everyones taste buds ...
 
On our PRO 780, the only time(s) we have had visible smoke was during the initial burn-in, when the excess oils applied to the internals at the factory were burned off, or after we've done a deep cleaning (this only lasts a short time) ... otherwise, we get the nearly invisible blue smoke coming out of the stack continually as we're smoking/grilling/cooking ...


Personally, not a fan of the white smoke as that tends to impart a more bitter smokey taste on the proteins, but recognize that varies for everyones taste buds ...
I don’t even have the nearly invisible blue smoke you speak of.
 
So a Traeger 780 grill won’t smoke in a dryer climate? Bummer.
I was watching YouTube videos today where they were complaining that Traeger’s won’t sear a steak either. I haven’t done steaks yet so I don’t know if this is true.
 
10% humidity is very dry, I would try a pan of water in the grill, it might help.

Dry air just means less visible smoke with ANY grill. You are still cooking with a wood fire. Lower the temp and add some time. One expert suggested not to exceed 225F when smoking brisket.

My last cook was at 190F overnight.
 
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