Why Is My Camp Chef Pellet Grill Not Smoking? – Causes And Solutions

Camp chef pellet grill not smoking
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BBQ, steak, grilled meat – ahhhh….

Mouthwatering treats nobody wants to miss.

What takes the flavor of the meat to the next level is the wood-fire flavor.

For that, you need a wood pellet grill on which you can grill meat whenever you like from the comfort of your home.

A lot of brands offer wood pellet grills, among which Camp Chef is one commonly known brand.

Nobody can master the use of Camp chef from day one.

You may experience some minor issues, such as Camp chef not smoking in the beginning, but once you master the techniques, you are good to go.

So, don’t panic if you face the issue of your camp chef pellet grill not smoking.

If your Camp Chef grill not smoking, then it is because of moist pellets or raw material used in pellets.

So, store the pellets precisely and use dry pellets for your grill. Always use good quality pellets for your grill.

You can also use smoke generator or pellet tube if you are not getting enough smoke from your grill.

Make sure you are using right smoke setting on your Camp Chef.

We are here with the reasons and solutions to help you out and get your machine cooking what you like to eat.

 

What Temp Is High Smoke On Camp Chef?

In pellet smokers, you can adjust the chimney cap to allow more or less smoke out.

This mechanism also makes a difference in the smoke flavor.

  • An average of 220℉ is maintained when the setting is at the High Smoke.

This can swing between 200 – 240 degrees.

From the Hi-Smoke setting, you get not only a great smokey flavor but also beautiful smoke rings which we all appreciate.

  • On the other hand, on a Low Smoke setting, about an average of 160℉ temperature is maintained.

It is perfect for cooking jerky, cool smoking fish, and others at this temperature.

 

Why Is My Camp Chef Pellet Grill Not Smoking?

There could be many reasons why your pellet grill is not producing enough smoke or smoke at all.

Here are some that you can figure out on your own.

 

Look for the smoke setting

For smoking, you have to remember that the lower the temperature at which the pellets are burning, the more smoke they produce.

On the flip side, the higher the burning temperature is, the lesser smoke it produces.

So, on the Camp Chef pellet grill, use the setting labeled as “smoke” instead of going for a dedicated temperature.

It will fodder pellets into the burning chamber at the slowest possible rate to keep a fire going at a lower temperature, producing more smoke.

In simple words, the smoke setting lets the temperature drop farther below the setpoint, and at this point, it puts more pellets in to get it back up.

This fall in temperature and then the larger load of pellets generates more smoke at the price of more temperature swing.

Some people also use this at the beginning of their cooking process to get a lot of smoke to penetrate the meat.

After that, they turn up the temp a bit later to cook the food.

 

 Wood pellet problems

There are things you might be doing that are not letting your pellet grill smoke, such as:

  • Not replacing the wood pellets regularly.
  • Leaving the wood pellets in the grill hopper.
  • The Pellet material ratio is not correct, so it does not create much smoke.
  • Moisture gets into the pellets.
  • Condensation of wood pellets in case it is stored in an airtight container.
  • Using low-quality or old pallets.

 

Technical or heating issues

Your pellet grill can have some sort of technical issue that a technician can figure out and fix. Problems related to heating or wiring are among common reasons why a pellet grill does not produce enough or no smoke at all.

If you are facing any technical issue, you can contact Camp Chef customer support.

 

How To Fix My Camp Chef That Is Not Smoking?

If your camp chef is not smoking enough, don’t worry. Try the following solutions.

Use smoke generator

If you are already using a stronger flavored wood and are smoking at a lower temperature, then there are two things you can do to get that smoke vapor happening.

All you have to do is get an extra smoke system, either a pellet tube or smoke generator.

Both of these are used as a way to pump or burn more pellets or sawdust into your pellet grill.

If you love a deeper, darker heavy smoke flavor, a bit darker wood ‘thin blue smoke happening,’ remember that it is not the smoke itself that has a flavor; it’s the smoke vapor.

It is a group of gases that are present during the combustion process.

When the wood chunks are combusting cleanly, they produce very light visible smoke, but what is flavoring the food effectively is the smoke vapor.

So, don’t worry if you don’t see enough smoke.

Keep in mind that the wood-burning in the pellet grill is always clean-burning compared to gas, electric, or charcoal smokers.

Pellet material

Another thing that should be addressed is the pallets as it plays a significant role in how much smoke is produced.

To ensure the maximum smoke and flavor, you must use high-quality pellets that are without wood fillers.

Pellet materials matter a lot as some mixtures just do not create much smoke.

This does have a lot to do with the density of the wood.

For instance, the wood from an apple doesn’t smoke as much as the wood of a hickory tree. So, if you are worried about producing visible smoke, try using pellets mixtures that can produce more smoke.

How you keep your pellets also affects the amount of smoke.

If moisture gets into the pellets, they are ruined.

Because of this, you may think that keeping pellets in an airtight container is best for them, but no, pellets still need some air, or they might condense.

Thus, keep them in a dry place.

Is Your Camp Chef Running Out Of Pellets While Cooking? Then Head Over Here.

Camp Chef High Smoke Vs. 225?

When cooking any type of meat, tiny details can make or break it.

The high smoke setting in Camp chef increases swings, allowing the pellets to fume more which stimulates more smoke around the general setpoint.

You can use Camp Chef high setting to get temperatures up to 500˚F, which is conditional on the ambient temperatures.

On the other side, the actual temperature setpoint, which is 225, regulates the temperature to setpoint (the temperature at which a zone is controlled) more closely.

It depends on your choice, whichever you want to use, as both work great to give you excellent flavor.

 

Final Thoughts

Now don’t worry if your Camp Chef pellet grill is not smoking.

You can fix this issue by above mentioned ways.

Pellets are the main fuel for pellet grill that generates smoke.

The thin blue smoke or white smoke totally depends upon the pellets used.

So, store pellets properly and always use dry pellets for your grill.

If you are not getting enough smoke from your Camp Chef you can use smoke generator to get sufficient smoke.

 

 

 

References:

https://pelletgrillsmoker.com/issues-problems-with-pellet-grill-smokers-troubleshooting-tips/

https://www.reddit.com/r/pelletgrills/comments/c31kof/what_is_the_smoke_setting_on_camp_chef_for/

https://grillagrills.com/smoke/

 

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