Flame out, please talk me down!

[Mark.B]

Updated my firmware\software to the latest and tried a rib cook. Started it at 215 degrees manually. It was going fine for about 45 minutes and then dropped like a rock to 165 and below. I was away eating lunch, so from my phone tried to turn up the temp to 250 degrees in hopes of recovery. Nope. It finally lost connection. When I got home it was still running\on, but fire had gone out. No error on the display. I took off the ribs and put them in the oven for a bit. I ended up digging out all the pellets, removing the burn pot, auger, etc.. In all, it took me an hour to get it clean again. Started it at 275 and ran the rest of the cook that way. It worked, but so frustrated. This thing does not like to run at lower temps and the smokeboost has caused the same issue. I’m thinking of ridding myself of it, but still debating. Seems Weber will never fix this issue completely. If others have solved it, please let me know. I’ve like this grill, but damn, this gets old fixing thIngs 90 degree weather. Pellets were Lumberjack. I’ve heard lay offs are coming for Weber and they have a new CEO. Customer service is hard to get in touch with now. I don’t like where Weber is going these days. They’ve been my favorite company for years!

 

[JpsBBQ]

Good riddance to the CEO. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that’s a positive for the company and the consumers.

Not sure what to say. I have zero issues. I’ve used smoke boost but find I really don’t need it so I rarely activate it or cook below 225. Actually, I rarely go below 250 and often cook at 275 and above. The only times I cook at 225 or lower is when trying to stretch out a cook for timing purposes. I never have issue with smoke profile on the Smokefire. I find it dramatically superior to other pellet cookers.

Having said that, it should work as designed and if not, that’s obviously disappointing for you. Hard to say since I have never experienced any issue after the initial stuff in early 2020. I will say that your pellets and their moisture content and such can also be huge factors. Do you store them in an airtight container? How were they handled at the store? Not saying that’s the problem, but I am always suspicious given a small change in the moisture content can have drastic consequences for the performance.

I’m sure I speak for everyone when I wish you luck in resolving your whoas. I just love mine and cannot image getting rid of it under any circumstances.

 

[Mark.B]

Hmmm, guess you‘re one of the lucky ones. Gonna see what Weber says. i stored the pellets in a screw lid 5 gallon bucket so don’t think that’s it. By the way, do you do anything special to add smoke flavor when cooking at high temps?

 

[JpsBBQ]

Hmmm, guess your one of the lucky ones. Gonna see what Weber says. i stored the pellets in a screw lid 5 gallon bucket so don’t think that’s it. By the way, do you do anything special to add smoke flavor when cooking at high temps?

High temps are those above 350. I use the Weber pellets and cook between 225 - 275 with most 250-275. The smoke profile and ring is awesome.

Many people are accustomed to “dirty smoke” flavor and cannot possibly get enough smoke. This is usually borne out of poorly managed wood or charcoal fires for years. In fact I did a prime rib on my Smokefire at 225 to get the edge to edge medium rare results. It was way too Smokey for me. I’ll do them on my Traeger timberline from now on as the Traeger’s are far less Smokey. I have to get above 300 to reduce the smoke profile and even then there is definitely a mild smoke similar to a Traeger at low temps. I don’t want everything real Smokey. Certain things I like a clean flavor or a hint of smoke. Fish, most poultry, beef tenderloin and prime rib etc. you can pour the smoke pretty good to butts, brisket, and ribs. I get great flavor even off the grilled foods at higher temps. Not smoked Per se but a hint of smoke.

All I know is based upon my use of many brands of pellet cookers the Smokefire is waaay heavier smoke than anything else I’ve used. Not even close.

 

[Mark.B]

High temps are those above 350. I use the Weber pellets and cook between 225 - 275 with most 250-275. The smoke profile and ring is awesome. View attachment 5719View attachment 5720

Many people are accustomed to “dirty smoke” flavor and cannot possibly get enough smoke. This is usually borne out of poorly managed wood or charcoal fires for years. In fact I did a prime rib on my Smokefire at 225 to get the edge to edge medium rare results. It was way too Smokey for me. I’ll do them on my Traeger timberline from now on as the Traeger’s are far less Smokey. I have to get above 300 to reduce the smoke profile and even then there is definitely a mild smoke similar to a Traeger at low temps. I don’t want everything real Smokey. Certain things I like a clean flavor or a hint of smoke. Fish, most poultry, beef tenderloin and prime rib etc. you can pour the smoke pretty good to butts, brisket, and ribs. I get great flavor even off the grilled foods at higher temps. Not smoked Per se but a hint of smoke.

All I know is based upon my use of many brands of pellet cookers the Smokefire is waaay heavier smoke than anything else I’ve used. Not even close.

 

[Mark.B]

Agree there! I think smoke flavor is very individual. I like more, but come from using a WSM. Hopefully I can work with Weber to get a resolution As I don’t feel I can cook under 250 and keep it working. What brand\flavor of pellets do you use?

 

[Goneincognito]

Do you still have the finger guard installed?

 

[JpsBBQ]

Agree there! I think smoke flavor is very individual. I like more, but come from using a WSM. Hopefully I can work with Weber to get a resolution As I don’t feel I can cook under 250 and keep it working. What brand\flavor of pellets do you use?

I like and use the Weber pellets. Often the blend ones but also will use hickory and cherry. I often mix those two when I’m out of the blend. I love what cherry does to my ribs. You’ll find what works for you. I’m just not a real low and slow kinda guy. I’m hotter and faster but I will sometimes start it down lower but rarely below 225. For me it’s just not necessary to achieve the results I prefer.

 

[JpsBBQ]

I’ll add that the WSM puts out some great bbq. You can definitely get tons of smoke if you want. Not sure you’ll ever get that much in a pellet grill without a smoke tube or some other smoke generator in addition to your main fire.

 

[Mark.B]

Do you still have the finger guard installed?

I do. Have people found that removing that fixes the issue when smoking at 250 or lower for a bit?

 

[Mark.B]

I like and use the Weber pellets. Often the blend ones but also will use hickory and cherry. I often mix those two when I’m out of the blend. I love what cherry does to my ribs. You’ll find what works for you. I’m just not a real low and slow kinda guy. I’m hotter and faster but I will sometimes start it down lower but rarely below 225. For me it’s just not necessary to achieve the results I prefer.

I may have to go back to Weber pellets. I think I read somewhere that Weber is Lumberjack rebranded. Lumberjack is quite a bit cheaper in my area.

 

[Goneincognito]

I do. Have people found that removing that fixes the issue when smoking at 250 or lower for a bit?

Take that out and you should be good to go.
I have 300+ cooks on my EX4 and have never had an issue with flame outs or pellet voids (which is the main cause of them).

I may have to go back to Weber pellets. I think I read somewhere that Weber is Lumberjack rebranded. Lumberjack is quite a bit cheaper in my area.

The company (GRLE) that makes Lumberjack also make Weber and Cabela's pellets at their Hayward, WI plant.
It is the only plant in the world that is set up to produce a pellet of that diameter.

 

[JpsBBQ]

I may have to go back to Weber pellets. I think I read somewhere that Weber is Lumberjack rebranded. Lumberjack is quite a bit cheaper in my area.

They very well may be the manufacturer. I don’t know for sure.

The wire guard removal is a must. Do as @Goneincognito suggests and remove that component. That wire guard is by far the worst piece of design engineering on the Smokefire. Removing it will make a world of difference.

 

[Mark.B]

Take that out and you should be good to go.
I have 300+ cooks on my EX4 and have never had an issue with flame outs or pellet voids (which is the main cause of them).

The company (GRLE) that makes Lumberjack also make Weber and Cabela's pellets at their Hayward, WI plant.
It is the only plant in the world that is set up to produce a pellet of that diameter.

Awesome! Thx for the info!

 

[TimA]

I do. Have people found that removing that fixes the issue when smoking at 250 or lower for a bit?

No. People convince themselves that’s the problem. Who knows why. It’s not.

Did it run fine before updating?