"Smoke" Temperature Question

[BA_Ga]

I just bought a Pro 34 and have gone through the seasoning process. The Owner's Manual states that setting the thermostat to "Smoke" provides a temperature of 165°F. When I turn the system on and leave the thermostat set to "Smoke", the temperature runs from about 170° to 200°. I need to be able to run the unit at the 165° as specified. I understand the specification on temperature regulation is +/-15°, but it's going way too high on the "Smoke" setting.

Help?

 

[CampWhatnot]

Welcome! I beleive the pro 34 has a knob type controller. The temps will vary and won't stay at 165 the entire cook. Don't get hung up on the fact that it doesn't keep the temp at exactly 165 all the time. I never smoke at that low of a temp. I smoke between 180 and 225 but ultimately I smoke at 225, 95% of the time when using pellets, charchol, lump or hardwood. I have a buddy with the pro 22 and it varies (most will vary) but it produces great food! Don't get too hung up on what temps it may swing to. Keep in mind as well that the RTD in the smoker may not read the same as another thermometer probe your using as well. Smoking isn't an exact science and temps will move around at times depending on ambient temps and other factors like how full the cooking grates are as it will impede the air flow and stuff. If it is producing good food enjoy it.

 

[BA_Ga]

I'm well aware of the 'normal' smoking temperatures. I do most of my smoking low and slow at 225°. Some items might vary from that.

The Traeger manual states that the "Smoke" position can be used to "hold" food at 165°. Now, I understand with the normal thermostat range the temperature could vary +/-15°, so that should mean 150° to 180°, If I wanted a higher range, I'd use a higher range.

Is there a calibration process for the Pro 34 controller. I haven't run across anything yet.

 

[CampWhatnot]

Fair enough! Not sure about a calibration for that controller or not. I will ask my buddy later today if he knows as he owns a pro 22 which I beleive has the same controller.

 

[BA_Ga]

Well, after more research - a fair amount of reading - I found the following in the Traeger website FAQs:

"Generally, if the grill is running hot on the smoke setting it is because the lid was not left open long enough when the grill was started. We generally recommend leaving the lid open for at least 10 minutes when firing up the grill to allow the startup fuel to burn off before shutting the lid."

When I started my Traeger today for some beef jerky, it seems to be holding in the expected "Smoke" range so far.

 

[bfletcher]

I'm happy for you that you're getting it worked out. Left to my own devices I would have thought pellets would continue to drop to compensate for the heat loss resulting from the open door and would have closed it and waited for a couple "cycles" for the temp to stabilize. Fortunately, there's a detailed FAQ section to help with folks like myself whose thought process is not the right approach, lol.