So I got a smoker

Love my Treager! Best steaks I’ve had are back straps with a rub, 200° till internal hits 120° and then do a reverse sear on a pan or griddle.
 
Father in law just bought me a Traeger 575 pro this past weekend while they were out visiting. I love smoking anything, chicken, steaks, beef, pork everything. It’s a fun way to cook. I do have a pit barrel as well which is way more labor intensive so it’s nice to have something I can fire up quickly and set the temp and walk away. Bluetooth is fancy but a part of me feels like I’m cheating on the pit barrel and old school way of smoking lol. I’ll keep doing both because the flavor of the pit barrel is insane but it will be less now.
Here’s a picture of the first meal that got smoked.
IMG_7621.jpeg
 
Mike D Texas said:
What pellets do you use?

I regularly smoke pork and chicken at temps up to 275° and get good smoke and bark. Example of a recent pork butt.

45f65df261b2e7896975bf93e0beb62f.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

  • Brisket: hickory, oak, pecan
  • Pork: hickory
  • Chix: hickory, apple, alder
  • Turkey: hickory, apple, alder, cherry (cherry makes a really dark bird)
  • Steaks/burgers: mix in a little mesquite with hickory. Add the charcoal ones to give char flavor.
  • Salmon: Alder

  • In looking at the list, what jumps out is I tend to like hickory, and usually give that a go when I smoke something new except for fish.
  • I'd like to try oak on steaks/burgers.
  • I tend to not mix and avoid 100% mesquite. It burns hot and to me it gives a creosote flavor.
  • I typically cook at 275 and get the smoke I want.
  • Lately, I have been doing boneless, skinless chicken breasts at ~250 for ~2-2.5 hrs with good results. Olive oil, salt, pepper.
  • I typically just use salt and pepper except for pork butt which I add mustard powder and paprika mostly for color.
  • I found Aaron Franklin and Amazingribs.com great places to start.
 
Last edited:
It's our kernel staff Christmas Dinner tonight. I've had a whole, 15lb turkey in the Pit Boss at 240⁰ since 9am. It should be a perfect 165⁰ internal by 6pm!
First turkey I've done & I have to say, it smells amazing!
 
chizelhead said:
  • Brisket: hickory, oak, pecan
  • Pork: hickory
  • Chix: hickory, apple, alder
  • Turkey: hickory, apple, alder, cherry (cherry makes a really dark bird)
  • Steaks/burgers: mix in a little mesquite with hickory. Add the charcoal ones to give char flavor.
  • Salmon: Alder

  • In looking at the list, what jumps out is I tend to like hickory, and usually give that a go when I smoke something new except for fish.
  • I'd like to try oak on steaks/burgers.
  • I tend to not mix and avoid 100% mesquite. It burns hot and to me it gives a creosote flavor.
  • I typically cook at 275 and get the smoke I want.
  • Lately, I have been doing boneless, skinless chicken breasts at ~250 for ~2-2.5 hrs with good results. Olive oil, salt, pepper.
  • I typically just use salt and pepper except for pork butt which I add mustard powder and paprika mostly for color.
  • I found Aaron Franklin and Amazingribs.com great places to start.
Click to expand...

Meant to quote the OP again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro lol
 
like everyone has stated above, the pellet smokers cook up some tasty food

Christmas Eve I’ll be doing a 12lb prime rib
I make a wet rub with olive oil, and a bunch of fresh herbs puréed, salt, and pepper. The rub gets put in 24 hours ahead of time. Then smoke with hickory pellets for probably 3-4 hours at 250(until the meats around 120. Broil the prime rib to sear the outsidefor 5 minutes or should bring the temp up to 125-130. Then pull out cover with foil for 10 minutes or so. Should be a nice even medium rare from the outside crust to the center. I’ve been doing this for 12-15 years, very tuff to beat this if you like prime rib

Christmas Day is a 21lb turkey
It will go in a brine Sunday morning made with apple juice, salt, pepper, orange peels, rosemary,garlic, thyme, and sage. After soaking 24 hours I’ll pull it out, rinse, put on a homemade dry rub and butter. smoke with hickory. I’ll throw in the oven on broil to sear outside. Then I’ll throw in the oven on broil to sear outside. The brine really makes every cut juicy and flavorful. Even the breast meat has juices coming out when you cut it, and lots of flavor
 
The pellet grills are the easy button for smoking and/or grilling. Not going to give you offset results or sear as hot as BGE/etc - but far quicker learning curve.
 

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If you guys really want to add flavor to your different types of meat try injecting it then smoking. A whole new world. I use the same ham cure I use commercially to inject turkeys. The breast meat is fantastic and I prefer it over the dark when it’s been injected first.
 
Got a 8 pound prime rib on the pit boss right now. Cook low till it hits 120 then open the fire plate crank it to 550 and sear it.
 
SWOHTR said:
Highly recommend making your own bacon, too. Did it a few weeks ago, comes out to about $4/lb.
Click to expand...
Same here. $3.49/lb belly at Costco, some other minor costs for cure, spices, vac seal bags and about $4 a pound, but better than anything you can buy at that price. Plus I can regulate the sodium content. I have made a lot of friends giving bacon away.
 
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