SLOW cooking time

[Mccubbee]

We have purchased our second Traeger and find that the smoking feature is great but to use it for cooking steak isn’t. It comes up to temperature fine but actual cooking time is very, very slow. It is almost like it is not maintaining temperature. There is an initial flame after the smoke is established. Then the flame and sound of the blower cuts back (after getting to cooking temp) and does not come back. We have cleaned everything well. We have never had any cooker take soooo long to cook a steak. Ideas, please?

 

[RayClem]

Welcomd to the forum.

If you are new to Traeger cooking, be aware that the Traeger RTD thermocouple reading that goes to the controller is notoriously inaccurate. Once you learn how your specific grill operates, you can adjust for this, but new owners are often frustrated.

The first thing you need to do is obtain an independent thermometer that you can calibrate so you know it is accurate within a few degrees. I drilled a hole through the lid of my Ironwood smoker and installed an analog dial thermometer similar to the one I had in my old gas grill. You can also purchase wired and/or wireless probes that can be placed near the cook, but do not let the probe tough either the protein or the grill grate as that will affect the temperature. These can be either inexpensive or expensive depending upon your budget and preferences. Using the 3rd party thermometer as a reference, set the controller to achieve the proper cook temperature. Just as an example, If I want to cook at 225F, I set my controller at 235F. However, if I want to cook at 400F, I have to set the controller at 450F. However, your grill might be different. Learn how yours operates. Many people here recommend Fireboard and Meater thermometers, but they are expensive and it is not necessary to to spend that much if you cannot afford to do so. The cook temperature does not need to be exact, so even a less expensive thermometer might be good enough.

Also, be sure to get a good instant read thermometer to check the internal protein temperature. You need something that reads in less than 3 seconds and provides and accuracy of 1 degree F or less. Even a few degrees of internal temperature difference can make a huge difference in the quality of your cook. You do not want your medium-rare steak to end up medium-well, or vice versa.

One highly recommended brand is Thermoworks Thermapen One. It is the choice of professional chefs who use it daily as is fast, accurate and durable. However, if your are only doing occasional weekend cooks, spending $95 for one might not be justified. I am currently using a ThermoPro TP620 which was $50 at the time I purchased it, but now is on sale for $40. It gives accurate readings in 2-3 seconds. Be careful purchasing bargain models as some can take as much as 10 seconds to give a stable reading. That can be incredibly frustrating while trying to probe multiple pieces of meat. I had several of these thermometers from the past and found they were too slow. The longer the grill lid is open, the more heat is lost.

 

[midwest]

What temp was your grill set to? Cooking on a Traeger set at 400 degrees will take no longer than any other grill at 400 degrees assuming the temp is accurate. When you said the “smoking feature” above were you talking about smoking in general or the “super smoke” feature some models have. The super smoke is at low temps.

 

[caper11]

We have purchased our second Traeger and find that the smoking feature is great but to use it for cooking steak isn’t. It comes up to temperature fine but actual cooking time is very, very slow. It is almost like it is not maintaining temperature. There is an initial flame after the smoke is established. Then the flame and sound of the blower cuts back (after getting to cooking temp) and does not come back. We have cleaned everything well. We have never had any cooker take soooo long to cook a steak. Ideas, please?

What model grill is it?