Display model Platinum Laredo

[Ches Smith]

Bought this yesterday and tried to cook a Boston butt. Got a deal ($425) but no manual or grease bucket. Halfway thru cook I noticed smoke coming from pellet hopper, lots of smoke. I figured it was clogged up so I hit the "prime" button. It seemed to help, but I don't know how to prevent it from happening again; any suggestions?

 

[David21]

Bought this yesterday and tried to cook a Boston butt. Got a deal ($425) but no manual or grease bucket. Halfway thru cook I noticed smoke coming from pellet hopper, lots of smoke. I figured it was clogged up so I hit the "prime" button. It seemed to help, but I don't know how to prevent it from happening again; any suggestions?

I have had this problem as well. I pulled the auger out and used a shop vac to clean the feeder tube. Mine had a lot of debris and old pellet dust buildup. This seemed to help it feed smoother. (Being you had a floor model, was it possibly used?)
I also think this model is prone to burn back problems…but that’s just my 2 cents.

 

[Ches Smith]

Thanks for your reply-
Gave up on the smoker...I got very little smoke flavor when I did the butt, and even with a chicken it wasn't good at all. had some veggies on with the chicken- again, not worth $425. I guess there's a reason you don't see pellet smokers on the competition circuit, at least i haven't seen one. Going back to real wood and charcoal...no shortcuts to good BBQ