Creating Smoke for Flavor: A Beginner's Journey with Smoking Foods

Smoking foods is an age-old culinary technique that enhances flavor through the infusion of smoke, which serves as a powerful flavor enhancer and preservative.

As of the date of this post, I'm coming up on two years with my first smoker, a Traeger Pro 575. We use the smoker at least once a week from late spring to early fall and at least once a month otherwise.

Where's the smoke? After the first few uses, I noticed there wasn't much smoke. In browsing a few social media platforms, many have asked the same or referred to it as a problem. Without smoke, this is the lack of a primary feature.

Newer and other Traeger smokers have a "Super Smoke" feature, which creates smoke. However, I don't have this feature, so I don't know the level of smoke it produces. So, with the model I have, how do I get more smoke?

As mentioned, many who've had the same problem resorted to using a smoke tube. The smoke tube is a metal mesh tube that you fill with pellets (the same as the ones used for the smoker) and burn.

About My Tube

I've been using the smoke tube for about the same time I've had the smoker, and it works great. Here is a link to the smoke tube I use, which comes with some accessories. https://amzn.to/4iTupMJ

I own two of them in case I need to use a second after the first is done. For the second tube, I have heavy-duty aluminum foil pushed down into it, filling the bottom half, then I fill the tube halfway with pellets, halving the smoke time and pellet use.

Here is a video of the smoke tube in use on my smoker.

Pellets

What pellets do I use in the smoke tube? What's used in the smoker (hopper) for cooking doesn't make a difference with the smoke flavor. However, what I use in the smoke tube affects the smoke flavor.

The previous statements are my opinion, though, based on my experience.

There's a debate on the quality of the pellets of many manufacturers. Discussions, reviews, and opinions are available on many social media sites, but many can be seen on YouTube.

I'm not going into the debate on quality, though; I recommend doing your research. I do use Traeger, Bear Mountain, and some Pit Boss pellets.

There's been mention of the purity of Traeger pellets, but I've found no information on whether they are less pure than any other brand. Here's a link from Traeger about their pellets. https://support.traeger.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407213095451-Traeger-Pellets

Tips & Recommendations

After having used the smoke tube for almost two years, here are some tips and recommendations.

• Use a chef's butane torch to light the pellets in the tube. I have two of these: my bar (smoking drinks) and fireplace. I'll get a third for just the smoker. https://amzn.to/3G9ZPjg

• Leave at least a 1/2 inch below the top when filling the smoke tube. This allows space for when the tube is laid on its side.

• Don't place the smoke tube close to the smoker's temperature probe or any other probe. I usually put mine on the opposite side. You can see that in the video above.

• With the Pro 575 that I have, don't place the smoke tube length-wise on the far back or front edges. This is where the heat generally comes to the cooking area and will set fire to the whole smoke tube. I learned this the hard way.

• Depending on use, clean them. They do get food and grease dripped on them, and the ones I have are dishwasher-safe.

• Get two smoke tubes. I previously mentioned this.

Summary

As you can see, the smoke tubes improved my smoking experience and my enjoyment of smoking and food flavor. I hope my experience helps you and adds a positive experience to your smoking.