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[reubenray]

I have had this smoker for about 6 weeks and after several short smokes and an extra long one today I am disappointed.  Everything I have done on the PP36 I did on my GMG DB at the same temperature, but each time it took quite a bit longer to get it done.  I did a 6+ pounder beef dino ribs today.  This should have taken 9 to 10 hours.  It took 12 hours.  I put an Inkjet probe in the smoker to monitor the temperature and it was 7 to 10 cooler than the set temperature.  But should this affect the smoke that much?  I had two probes in the meat.  One was an Inkjet and the other one was the SB PP36 probe.  These stayed within a few degrees of each other.  Could it be that the PP36 size is affecting how long something takes?  At this point I plan on using my GMG DB for my thanksgiving turkey because I know how long it will take compared to who knows with the PP36.  Also could a raised grate affect this?  On the GMG DB I use a raised grated on just about everything.  It is 2 to 3 inches above the main grate.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Have you let the grill get up to set temp before putting food in it?  How frequently are you opening the grill lid during these cooks?  Have you tested the temp on the grill grate level versus a second grate level at multiple points on the grill at the same set temp after grill says it hit set temp?

Trying to get some more information to see if I can add anything else to be able to help you.

[reubenray]

Have you let the grill get up to set temp before putting food in it?  How frequently are you opening the grill lid during these cooks?  Have you tested the temp on the grill grate level versus a second grate level at multiple points on the grill at the same set temp after grill says it hit set temp?

Trying to get some more information to see if I can add anything else to be able to help you.

Prior to this post I sent an email to SmokinBrothers about this.  Ryan (SB) called me to discuss this.  His key comment was the SB smokers don't work the same as GMG or even Traeger.  This smoker tends to keep a steady temperature where the GMG fluturates more.  He assured me that once I learn this smoker I would be very satisfied with it.

To answer your questions I did wait until the temperature was at the temperature set and I did not open it for three hours and this is when I started to spritz them each hour.  I did not check the temperature at different levels and locations.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I am guessing the spritzing may have lead to some extended time.  If the unit is significantly bigger than your GMG, it most likely will take longer to get back up to temp. If you opened it every hour at some point, it probably took 15-30 minutes to get back to set temp and then 30 minutes later it got opened again and dropped temp.  That is one of my hypothesis.

[BigDave83]

A couple things just from my experience with my GMG DC. I know mine runs hotter than the set temp, how much no clue. But things just cook quicker in it, now it could be that it us just the size is small, but the controller should regulate that.

The other thing is you mentioned cooking 2" or so above the grate on the GMG, I think that the heat is probably a bit higher a couple inches above, because of the way the heat is blown up the front and back of the barrel, as it comes up it will kind of arch in or even swirl down from the top more than just coming up and hitting the food on the regular grate 90° from the front and back. This is only my opinion of how I see things working, Smokin Bros, kind of hit on this with the pieces they made for using the grill grates, it pretty much caught the hot air coming up the front and rear of the barrel and directed it 90° sending it across the grill grates. I am not sure if they still have them or not.

I would cook on the SB a few more times and check temps to set temps , then adjust my cooking temp, or ask if there is a way to go in and calibrate it so it is closer.  Are they still using the Savannah Stoker controller on the premiers?

[Canadian John]

 
 Not all pits cook the same. Our home ovens differ as well. Adaptation is the key. A slightly higher or lower temperature setting usually does it.

 As far as smoke goes, how the fire burns pretty well dictates the variance in smoke output. Some controllers are able to achieve a most even heat output resulting in an more efficient burn (little smoke), while

 other controllers tend to vary pellet delivery generating more smoke.

 The electronics magic in most of the controllers can be deceiving. The true grate temperatures are masked for a reason.. Remember the old days

when we complained about temperature swings ? They are almost unheard of now-days.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I would add that amount of visible smoke seen when cooking does not always reflect on the amount tasted which is a follow up to John's thoughts on the temp swings from controllers and how they generate more or less visible smoke.

[reubenray]

A couple things just from my experience with my GMG DC. I know mine runs hotter than the set temp, how much no clue. But things just cook quicker in it, now it could be that it us just the size is small, but the controller should regulate that.

The other thing is you mentioned cooking 2" or so above the grate on the GMG, I think that the heat is probably a bit higher a couple inches above, because of the way the heat is blown up the front and back of the barrel, as it comes up it will kind of arch in or even swirl down from the top more than just coming up and hitting the food on the regular grate 90° from the front and back. This is only my opinion of how I see things working, Smokin Bros, kind of hit on this with the pieces they made for using the grill grates, it pretty much caught the hot air coming up the front and rear of the barrel and directed it 90° sending it across the grill grates. I am not sure if they still have them or not.

I would cook on the SB a few more times and check temps to set temps , then adjust my cooking temp, or ask if there is a way to go in and calibrate it so it is closer.  Are they still using the Savannah Stoker controller on the premiers?

I am pretty sure my GMG DB ran hot also.  This is why I built the raised grate.  I may try it in the SB PP36.  SB now use their own controller.  They still have the attachments for grilling.

[glitchy]

The best thing to do is learn the cooker and adapt to it. Do the dreaded biscuit or toast test. Despite some hating it, it is a good indicator of heat distribution across the grill surface. Additionally, or instead, line up 4-6 probes across the grate and run the smoker for a few hours changing the temps every hour or two and then reviewing the results. How much do they vary from left to right? If you are seeing significant differences in times for all cooks (of very similar sized/shaped comparisons), you're cooking at different temperatures despite what the controllers say on the two grills.

Every pellet grill is different, just like every model of any time of smoker is a little different. Ideally, there would be 3-4 probes in a pellet grill sitting a couple inches above the grate to and the controller would work on averages of them. However, they'd be in the way all the time and probably get frequently broken by the users, so grill companies use 1 probe usually either all the way to the hopper side or dead center in the very back to estimate the whole pit. The best solution is to use your Inkbird and put a grate probe a few inches away from your food, then adjust the pit accordingly to get the temp you want to cook at. Does it matter if you need to set the controller to 240 to get 225 by the food as long as you know? I'm also guessing that this discrepancy will stay pretty consistent over time and across temperatures unless you have large amounts of food in the cooker changing airflow. However, if your GMG was likely consistently hot, your expectations might take a while to reset. I'm also curious for learning purposes what raising a grate will improve? If you adjust the controller to get your desired grate level temp wouldn't the end result be the same? I've cooked via my Fireboard for years, I even adjust my MAK controller to get the Fireboard grate at the temp I want (though the MAK is usually very close unless it's really windy and/or cold, or I have a lot of food in it).

I'm also curious for more information regarding the comment about smoke output? I've reread your original post several times and can't find what the concern is, just the question of whether something would affect smoke? Are you feeling the Smokin Brothers imparts less or more smoke flavor than the GMG? If so, like others mentioned the newer controllers that hold tight temps often do have a milder smoke profile. If you're using different pellets, they could be affecting it too.