- Mar 23, 2017
- 33
- 28
Always been a griller, on natural gas. Easy, quick, and leaves the heat outdoors, where it belongs. I know
Parents watching infomercials one night saw the Traeger pellet fed smoker, and felt I should have one, so they got me one for my birthday (wow!).
I live in the Southwestern US desert (Tucson Az) and we have basically 360 days a year of weather that is okay to cook outside, even something that might take 13 hours.
As an instant gratification type, and not a planner, I felt I was destined for failure, and this thing would sit idle.
However that is totally not the case. I have had it for 2 months, and started with a red wine marinated tri tip (needed to do a better job of slicing it), then a pork butt for pulled pork (not all of it got hot enough to pull, but remains were great for green chili stew). I still used my gas grill for steaks, but then tried a couple flat iron steaks smoked then brought up the heat to grill them. Success! Then came smoke pork chops with an apple brine. I didn't rinse well enough and they were salty, and too thin, but enjoyable. Pork ribs (rub, smoke, then tented with apple juice), more pork ribs (salt and pepper, BBQ at 225), roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions for roasted salsa. A whole chicken after a wet brine, chicken quarters with a rub, and finally a brisket.
4 big batches of jerky, a coffee and cola marinade, teriyaki, and a beer and chili pepper one.
The brisket was a full 15 pound flat and point. I trimmed the cap fat and the big chunk on the point, and used a Texas style rub 6 hours prior to starting it. I put it on cap side down on "smoke" 160 for 3 hours, mopping it with beer and worcester. I then put the heat up to 225 and let it go for 5 hours. When I checked the temp, it was 175, I didn't expect that, it was 3 am, for a noon(ish) lunch. I then put it in foil and let it go until it was at 201 degrees in the flat under the point (it was 202 in the rest of the flat) which was another 3 hours. I left it foiled and wrapped it in towels and put it in a cooler. The sides (cream corn, beans made with smoked pork from the smoked butt, cheesy hashbrowns) also went in the cooler.
It was amazing, but learned a few things. I probably would not foil wrap it again, and not start it so early. I also didn't cut it exactly across the grain (probably about 20 degrees off), so it was tough to cut with a fork, but was very tender and pulled apart easily. I also couldn't cut it thin enough to really enjoy it, once it was cold the next day, so 1/8 inch slices in a pan then on a bun was actually better than freshly cut still hot the day before.
I have stuck with the Traeger pellets so far, Hickory (for almost everything), Mesquite (seems okay for shorter smokes), Apple (for pork), "gourmet" which I think is Maple, Hickory, and Cherry (for most everything again), Cherry (next ribs are getting this, and chicken). I did get some B&B Hickory pellets at Walmart to try out. Like Traeger, they are a base wood (Oak) with whatever type specified as the rest. I am using Home Depot buckets with the easy to remove lids and can really only store them outside.
I still am trying to accessorize, I have a remote thermometer but it doesn't have temperatures that go high enough for the briskets and pork roasts (so at 170 it says done and beeps), so I want a bluetooth one for my phone. I need to get the upper rack that Traeger offers, and a way to make a stand for another rack for jerky.
Parents watching infomercials one night saw the Traeger pellet fed smoker, and felt I should have one, so they got me one for my birthday (wow!).
I live in the Southwestern US desert (Tucson Az) and we have basically 360 days a year of weather that is okay to cook outside, even something that might take 13 hours.
As an instant gratification type, and not a planner, I felt I was destined for failure, and this thing would sit idle.
However that is totally not the case. I have had it for 2 months, and started with a red wine marinated tri tip (needed to do a better job of slicing it), then a pork butt for pulled pork (not all of it got hot enough to pull, but remains were great for green chili stew). I still used my gas grill for steaks, but then tried a couple flat iron steaks smoked then brought up the heat to grill them. Success! Then came smoke pork chops with an apple brine. I didn't rinse well enough and they were salty, and too thin, but enjoyable. Pork ribs (rub, smoke, then tented with apple juice), more pork ribs (salt and pepper, BBQ at 225), roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions for roasted salsa. A whole chicken after a wet brine, chicken quarters with a rub, and finally a brisket.
4 big batches of jerky, a coffee and cola marinade, teriyaki, and a beer and chili pepper one.
The brisket was a full 15 pound flat and point. I trimmed the cap fat and the big chunk on the point, and used a Texas style rub 6 hours prior to starting it. I put it on cap side down on "smoke" 160 for 3 hours, mopping it with beer and worcester. I then put the heat up to 225 and let it go for 5 hours. When I checked the temp, it was 175, I didn't expect that, it was 3 am, for a noon(ish) lunch. I then put it in foil and let it go until it was at 201 degrees in the flat under the point (it was 202 in the rest of the flat) which was another 3 hours. I left it foiled and wrapped it in towels and put it in a cooler. The sides (cream corn, beans made with smoked pork from the smoked butt, cheesy hashbrowns) also went in the cooler.
It was amazing, but learned a few things. I probably would not foil wrap it again, and not start it so early. I also didn't cut it exactly across the grain (probably about 20 degrees off), so it was tough to cut with a fork, but was very tender and pulled apart easily. I also couldn't cut it thin enough to really enjoy it, once it was cold the next day, so 1/8 inch slices in a pan then on a bun was actually better than freshly cut still hot the day before.
I have stuck with the Traeger pellets so far, Hickory (for almost everything), Mesquite (seems okay for shorter smokes), Apple (for pork), "gourmet" which I think is Maple, Hickory, and Cherry (for most everything again), Cherry (next ribs are getting this, and chicken). I did get some B&B Hickory pellets at Walmart to try out. Like Traeger, they are a base wood (Oak) with whatever type specified as the rest. I am using Home Depot buckets with the easy to remove lids and can really only store them outside.
I still am trying to accessorize, I have a remote thermometer but it doesn't have temperatures that go high enough for the briskets and pork roasts (so at 170 it says done and beeps), so I want a bluetooth one for my phone. I need to get the upper rack that Traeger offers, and a way to make a stand for another rack for jerky.
