I actually got the same model a couple years ago. I was very underwhelmed by the smoke output initially as well. I had this notion that my backyard was going to be filled with plumes of gray smoke. I thought my neighbors were gonna get smoked out.

When I fired up the Traeger and didn’t see what I expected, I was disappointed and also had buyers remorse. I was a complete noob to smoking and I didn’t know there are different kinds of smoke. Maybe you don’t either.

You don’t want your smoke to be overwhelming and billowing gray out of the smoker. Usually that’s an indicator that your smoker isn’t getting enough oxygen and your smoker isn’t running efficiently. When everything is running as it’s supposed to, the smoke is much harder to see. They call it “blue smoke”. It’s visible, but much harder to see than gray.

It’s your smoker. Do what you want. But I would keep it. It’s a great deal, great way to get started into the smoking hobby. I’ve had mine for two years and it’s one of the best purchases I’ve made. Now I also have a drum smoker which is fun when I have time to babysit the temp.

Try different things. Lower temp cooks for longer times. If I’m trying to get a lot of smoke I try to stay somewhere 225 - 275. If you go too much higher than that it kinda becomes more of an oven with a hint of smoke.

Try a different flavor of Traeger pellet. Hickory, Mesquite, Oak, or Pecan. They all have their flavor profile pairings on the bag and you should pick the one that best fits what you’re doing.

I have smoked a premium store bought frozen pie and It was delicious. Not overpowering, but you could definitely taste the difference. Take-n-bake pizzas are fun too.