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[Woody]

I've probably cooked three pork shoulders, five briskets, a few baby backs, chicken, salmon, and some burgers on my new Memphis Pro.  Just wondering if most of you start most of your longer cooks at 180 degrees or so for smoke flavor, then ramp the temp up?  I've not done this but I will be experimenting with it soon.   I'm liking my briskets cooked at 275 lately so the next one I do I'll plan on starting it low for more smoke then bumping it up.  I wonder if you all think that makes a noticeable flavor difference...

[Bar-B-Lew]

some may call this blasphemy, but I only cook on my Elite at 250 or 275 unless it is jerky then it is set as low as it goes at 180

[Jimsbarbecue]

Very rarely do we start @ 180 anymore. Just like Bar-B-Lew straight to the cook temp.

[Woody]

I have gone right to 225-275 but now I'm wondering if I'm missing out.  Gtsum2, do you think that your butts were better because of extra flavor profile or other reasons?

[triplebq]

I start my Briskets and Butts @ 180 usually for around 8 hours. I tend to start cooking around 10 PM and then at 6 AM or so I turn up the pit.

[Canadian John]

 For what it's worth; I get plenty of smoke (smoke ring) cooking at 220º to 250º on my Pro. I just set it and forget it.   For jerky, as the others, I smoke At 180º.

[hughver]

I start my Briskets and Butts @ 180 usually for around 8 hours. I tend to start cooking around 10 PM and then at 6 AM or so I turn up the pit.

Ditto, 160-180* to IT of 140* then 225* to IT of 160*. 250* after foil.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Like Canadian John, I don't think the extra time is worth any perceived extra smoke so I just cook from start to finish at the same temp.

[TLK]

I usually start at 200 and then bump to 225 for the duration of the cook

[smokin soon]

Since I installed an Ortech in my trusty old traeger 070 I can smoke at 140 with no big temp swings verified with my Tappeque.
No more letting my meat get up to room temp, strait to grill from fridge. Never could do that with the Traeger controller.
It does really help getting a better smoke profile no matter what pellets you use.

[LowSlowJoe]

I'll chime in here...   I was over at Woody's place yesterday, there to bring him some pellets, but spent a lot of time talking to him.   

  I was telling him that on my pellet grills ( not Memphis ones ), I generally run around 250F these days, rarely go bellow 225F unless it's for jerky, and do bump up towards 275F.

  So, anyway, we got to talking about how he's not getting much smoke out of his Memphis, he fired it up for me, set to 180F ( or maybe 150F, not 100% sure ).   Wow, I've never seen a pellet grill produce less smoke. Even as it was starting, there was virtually no smoke coming out of  it.   I went around and put my nose right up to the area where smoke/heat comes out, and I could not really smell any smoke.   I'm honestly perplexed by this.

   I had advised that there's likely a 'sweet spot', a certain temperature range that might produce more smoke than other temperature ranges.

   I believe the pellets he was using were from me, I had previously brought him some 100% Oak and 100% Cherry both from Smoke Ring BBQ, and he also had some 100% Hickory from LumberJack.   I don't know what pellets he actually had in there yesterday.   The pellets I brought him yesterday were all 100% Hickory from Smoke Ring, but I know he wasn't using those yet.       I probably should take him some 100% Mesquite, just to see what those pellets would do in his Memphis.     
 
   I generally don't follow the Memphis threads much, always afraid I'll get that urge to buy one, and I know my pocketbook can't really afford one.   But I am now extremely curious what it does take to get some smoke rolling out of his grill.

[Bar-B-Lew]

gtsum2 is comfortable with the smoke profile on his Memphis and sold his Yoder which some same is the closest a pellet grill gets to a stick burner profile.

Here is a pic of mine.  Looks like it was getting up to the 250° set temp.


I will try to take some pics this weekend when I have jerky on it at 180° to see the smoke.

[LowSlowJoe]

gtsum2 is comfortable with the smoke profile on his Memphis and sold his Yoder which some same is the closest a pellet grill gets to a stick burner profile.

Here is a pic of mine.  Looks like it was getting up to the 250° set temp.


I will try to take some pics this weekend when I have jerky on it at 180° to see the smoke.

Not sure if it makes any difference, but Woody's has the new controller...     ( as does gtsum2's ) 

I know I've seen video of Bently's putting out some good smoke too... 

[ZCZ]

The longer you go on the cook at 180 the more it will produce smoke I believe.  Another reason is the Memphis grills are some of the most efficient for burning pellets so they save on pellet cost. Less pellets burned, less smoke.  How does the food taste is probably the real test.

I only use 180 for doing jerky and smoked salmon.  Mine does not smoke much either but they both come out with smoke flavor.

Z

[glitchy]

I know this probably sounds crazy, but I wonder what affect the stainless body might have on the visibility of the smoke at times (not questioning LSJ and Woody standing right by it looking specifically for it though). Most other pits are black and many are funneling all the smoke to a 3" smoke stack instead of spreading it across a 2-3 foot long slot too. I feel like there's a ton less smoke visible from my Memphis than the Traegers and GMGs I've had previously. However, when I'm smoking food that I'm tending to more, my clothes smell just as smokey as they did when cooking the same foods on the other. I love my Pro and the food seems to taste the same as my old grills.