Tailgater smoke setting?

[Jcol5787]

Hello
Just purchased this pellet grill. After doing some digging on the internet it appears that this model has had a recent update from a knob based controller to a fully digital controller. The paper manual that came with my unit shows the digital controller however the instructions provided will not work for the initial firing step. Phoned Traeger and sorted out the confusion. They also sent me the correct manual which turned out to be wrong. They sent me the manual for the knob based model. I think I have sorted out most of my questions but I did note several references to putting the grill in the Smoke mode. I see there is a smoke position with the knob based unit. There doesn't seem to be a Smoke settings with the digital controller. Does anyone know if it's just based on setting the temp to the smoke range or is there a setting with the controller that I am missing? Sorry about the lengthy post.

 

[Jcol5787]

Well I've been using the Tailgater almost daily and am very happy with it. Never did find a dedicated smoke setting but it produces lots of smoke between 180 and 225 which is fine. I also come to understand the reasons behind temperature fluctuations that others have reported. All in all I'm very happy with the performance of this grill.

 

[DR06]

Well I've been using the Tailgater almost daily and am very happy with it. Never did find a dedicated smoke setting but it produces lots of smoke between 180 and 225 which is fine. I also come to understand the reasons behind temperature fluctuations that others have reported. All in all I'm very happy with the performance of this grill.

What are the reasons for the fluctuations?

 

[wood is good]

I replaced the knob control with the digital. Just turn it on. It will flash 165....hit ignite. This is your smoke setting.

 

[RayClem]

Since the Tailgater is designed to be portable, it only weights 60 pounds vs the stationary grill that weight from 100 lbs up to nearly 300 lbs. The Tailgater is not going to have as much metal and insulation as some of the stationary grills. The metal acts as a heat sink to keep temperatures stable. The Ironwood has double side walls to retain heat. The Timberline is fully insulated. Those grills should maintain a more uniform temperature.

Being insulated is not always an advantage if you are trying to maintain low temperatures.