Charcoal briquettes can ruin the taste of your meat in most cases.
That’s why seasoned barbecue chefs are selective with the pellets they use.
They opt for hardwoods or pellets of natural charcoal.
However, no company optimizes this experience better than Traeger.
Traeger Grills came into the barbeque landscape in the mid-1900s.
To this day, they remain to be the best-selling pellet grills in the market.
These pellet grills run on electricity and offer accurate, digital temperatures to help you make the best BBQ food!
The hopper must be filled with the pellets and the burn chamber must be ignited by a metal rod.
You can then use the dial to get whatever temperature you desire.
In this article, we’ll focus on the magic you can make with the smoke setting and the 180-degree one!
Traeger pellet grills are a hefty investment.
The Pro Series 22 Electric Wood Pellet Grill by Traeger is one of the most popular and highly regarded grills by its users.
We’ll take a look at the details later.
First, let’s learn the prime differences between the two settings.
Table of Contents
- Traeger Smoke Setting
- Traeger 180 Degree Setting
- Will My Traeger Smoke at 180?
- What Does the Smoke Setting Do on a Traeger?
- What Temperature is the Smoke Setting on Traeger Grills?
- How Long Does a Traeger Smoke Setting Last?
- Comparison of Traeger Smoke Setting vs 180 Degree Setting
- Can I Leave My Traeger on Smoke Setting?
- How Do I Get More Smoke from My Traeger?
- Conclusion
Traeger Smoke Setting
The Smoke Setting on Traeger is what gives your meat the smoky flavor.
Of course, you need the right ingredients also.
Nothing adds more bite to the meat more than a sprinkle of paprika and a dash of olive oil.
Traeger Wood Pellet Grill also comes with a Super Smoke Setting.
You get to utilize 100% of hardwood smoke.
Imagine the flavor of your meat!
The result is perfectly tender pieces of meat that fall apart with a little poke.
The technology for this setting involves precise fan control.
This allows the grill to deliver the maximum amount of smoke.
The temperature can vary from 165 to 225 degrees.
So be careful while you’re working with this!
In certain situations, your grill might not be smoking.
This is the result of too much smoke.
You need to cool your grill down before starting again.
Try getting rid of the leftover pellets too.
Otherwise, you’ll be confronted with endless black smoke.
Traeger 180 Degree Setting
The Traeger 180 Degree Setting is perhaps the lowest cooking temperature.
You can use the Smoke Setting to get this too.
However, the temperature varies as your meal gets smoked.
In this case, the temperature remains constant.
You might ask, why cook at such low temperatures, to begin with?
Well, fatty cuts of meat are harder to tenderize.
They need to be broken down.
That can only be achieved when it’s been cooked in low temperatures for a long time.
So, if you have briskets or ribs to smoke, this setting is what you’re looking for!
Yes, 180 Degree Fahrenheit Setting is pretty low for slow cooking.
Look at it this way.
Your guests are running late and your pork meat has already reached the desired internal temperature.
How do you stop it from overcooking?
With the 180 Degree Setting, of course!
You can hold your food at a safe temperature without burning it.
So, this setting is handy for those friends that always run late.
Recommended Articles for You:
An Ultimate Guide to Learn How to Properly Set Traeger Meat Thermometer
Is Your Traeger Grill Smoking Too Much? Here are 6 Easy Tips to Prevent Over Smoking
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Will My Traeger Smoke at 180?
If you set your internal temperature that way, then yes.
The temperature in the Smoke Setting varies from 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Always remember what the temperature is going to be.
The internal temperature of the meat won’t go above that.
While 180 degrees is fine for poultry, it’s best to increase it for fatty slabs of meat.
Cuts of meat like brisket or ribs taste best when the internal temperature is around 200 degrees.
What Does the Smoke Setting Do on a Traeger?
The Traeger Smoke Setting regulates heat in your meals while you’re smoking your food.
This pellet-style grill operates like an oven with its precise temperature level.
It dispenses the pellets consistently to maintain the desired cooking temperature.
Also, dd you know you can use the Smoke Setting to cook more than just the meat?
With Traeger Grills, you can also cook smoked cheese and other cold smoked foods.
The Smoke Setting can be adjusted to 150 degrees to accommodate them.
These low temperatures can help incorporate smokier flavor into your meals.
Smoked infused dishes are always a plus in parties!
What Temperature is the Smoke Setting on Traeger Grills?
The temperature in the Smoke Setting is around 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is ideal when you want to hold your food inside the grill while the flavor is being infused.
You have to be careful with one thing though.
You shouldn’t move the grill around while it’s in the smoke setting.
If you do that, then thick smoke appears and that just ruins the mood!
How Long Does a Traeger Smoke Setting Last?
Most Traeger models like the Traeger Portable Grill Ranger and the Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill come with the Smoke Setting.
They create smoke within a certain range of temperature.
It’s ideal for infusing various flavors into your dishes.
Before getting started, we recommend you to keep the lid open for ten minutes or so.
This will get rid of startup fuel.
Comparison of Traeger Smoke Setting vs 180 Degree Setting
The crucial difference between the two settings comes in the form of varying temperatures.
In the Smoke Setting, the temperature fluctuates from 180 to 200 degrees.
It’s consistent with the other one.
The Smoke Setting is used to set up the grill.
This produces a thick, white smoke which is used to infuse flavor into the food.
The 180 Degree Setting just regulates heat to ensure everything is cooked properly!
On the other hand, the 180 Degree Setting is used for slow cooking.
Any fatty meats that require long hours to tenderize can be cooked in this setting.
If your meal is cooked before the guests arise, the 180 Degree Setting will save your day.
This allows you to hold the meat without burning or overcooking it.
You cannot smoke cheese, fish, or jerky in the 180 Degree Setting.
By adjusting the temperature in the Traeger Smoke Setting, you can cook numerous items at 150 degrees Fahrenheit too.
Can I Leave My Traeger on Smoke Setting?
When you leave your Traeger on smoke setting for a while, then your Traeger might produce too much of smoke.
This happens when you don’t allow your grill to cool down after using the Cooking Mood.
We recommend not taking this route!
It’s safer to turn off the Smoke Setting once you’re done preparing your meal.
Otherwise, the air moves through the auger and creates a black smoke.
This ruins your meals and that’s an absolute bummer!
How Do I Get More Smoke from My Traeger?
If your Traeger is not producing a sufficient amount of smoke for you, then add a cold smoke generator into the mix.
Drill a hole in the side of your grill and insert a cold smoker tube.
This should create additional smoke without emitting extra heat.
Cold smoke generator provides an easy and safe route to get more smoke in your grill.
Click Here to Get Lizzq Premium Cold Smoke Generator for Traeger.
Now, what do you do when there’s too much smoke?
An excessive amount can ruin your meals.
This is more prevalent in the Cooking Mode where the Traeger Grill uses higher temperatures.
The pellets are already on the burner.
When you constantly shift between two different types of foods, unwanted smoke appears.
This is because it cools down and is suddenly prompted to heat up again. A thick, black smoke emerges as a result.
The easiest way to resolve this issue is to just turn off the grill.
Use the Shutdown Cycle Setting to do so.
Allow the Traeger Grill to cool down for a bit.
You can then turn on Smoke Setting and get back to cooking!
Conclusion
In order to cook your meat and other food items on your Traeger grill, you need to know how to properly adjust smoke setting.
I hope, by now you must have learned the difference between the Traeger Smoke Setting and the 180 Degree Setting.
Now you know exactly how to use each mode to create the best meals for your family and friends.
With this knowledge at your disposal, you can now cook different foods properly as per their temperature requirements.
Good Luck!
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-pellet-grill/
https://www.smokedbbqsource.com/traeger-grill-reviews/
https://www.madbackyard.com/traeger-difference-between-the-smoke-and-180-degree-settings/
https://www.hunker.com/13408373/smoke-adjustments-to-a-traeger-smoker-grill
https://www.reddit.com/r/Traeger/comments/bymj63/difference_between_smoke_and_180_degree_setting/
https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/confused-regarding-smoke-versus-180-degrees.1059/
