Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the suggestions. I have a Tri-Tip I am going to try today with some Apple and Mesquite.
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Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the suggestions. I have a Tri-Tip I am going to try today with some Apple and Mesquite.
Let us know how it turns out.
For all you traeger owners using your smokers in the cold weather. Get one of these. http://store.cyberweld.com/panfelwelbla.html
greatly reduces the amount of pellets used as it keeps the heat in.
For pellets, I have decided the traeger brand is my least favorite. Cookingpellets.com has great stuff. BBQ'rs delight are also fantastic. Have had good luck with bear mountain as well and Costco used to have them.
For best results with any flavor, start your cooking with a clean firepot. The quality and quantity of smoke produced is greatly effected by the firepot. A pot full of ash causes poor smoke.
I have had my traeger for 3 years and have burned a LOT of pellets.
Finally pulled the trigger on the Pit Barrel Cooker....in between a grill and a smoker. Gets to temp quickly,holds it for a long time....chicken in two hours...moist...brisket tomorrow.
I just bought a GMG Davy Crockett. I had to think about it because it's relatively small (200 sq in) but it's a wood pellet and highly portable. At the end of the day, I figured I was better off smoking in smaller quantities anyway and this is something I can load in the truck and carry easily. I still want to build the Alton Brown-style terracotta smoker but this will get me going sooner with fewer excuses for delay ...
We're on smoker #2. The spouse was iffy on getting the first one (cousin lives in a duplex with no room) till she started using it. We then sold the cousins traeger to another member and invested in this unit. The wife has declared it HERS. Turkey smoked sat (apple / hickory mix) was phenomenal .
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...7282/cat101724
SW is running $50 off. it's as good as the traeger with some extra perks for the price point. We're using a HF welding blanket, that link looks like a good deal.
We build our own, bigger is the way to go as once you master smoking then you keep adding more. 2,3 turkeys, salmon, pork shoulders whole pigs, blah blah.
I used to be a dealer for GMG. I have a few left that I use on occasion and they work pretty good. That Davy Crockett is pretty bad ass! Did you get the WiFi one? I have moved up to a Klose Smoker and love it. Requires a lot more time and work though, But that is what beer is for!Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha_Shooter
For anybody interested I still have an in at GMG.
My sisters and I bought my dad a masterbuilt propane smoker for Chistmas. I hope it's good because I can't wait for the tasty concoctions he can dream up on a grill, only smoked now when the donks play!
Any chance of you getting a deal on the WiFi retrofit kit w/remote? Have a Daniel Boone I wouldn't mind upgrading but not at $189 + $10 shipping!Quote:
Originally Posted by To Bear Arms
I thought about the Wifi after reading some reviews (my first reaction was, "really? Wifi to do SMOKING?!?!?!? WTF, is this some yuppy thing?") but the dealer didn't have any in stock and I wanted to use the smoker for our Troop Christmas party in a couple weeks so I took a non-Wifi one he had in stock.Quote:
Originally Posted by To Bear Arms
The Davy Crockett seems a little small but at first but I think it's adequate until I start feeling like feeding the whole block. I may have to cut a rack of ribs in half to get it in there but that doesn't bother me.
we cook on off hours, or there's a line outside & the phone's a ringing. I just send pictures and tell them it was delicious. One does want to show off their culinary skills to amaze friends and influence enemies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha_Shooter
That's a ... smokin' deal!
(I had to!)
Did you replace the wife's Ranger with that 6 wheeled doohickey in the back there?
Oh SNAP! I was kidding and figured that was a picture from the seller's ad. I DID see the suburban. Nice trucks.
I bet he did!
He was also sitting on HBar's lap. There was more than a smile "ear-ear"Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
Hmmm ... not a good sign. Inaugural smoke (1 rack of pork ribs and a tri-tip roast) and it quit about 3 hours in ... looks like the pellet feeder jammed up. I tried to clear the jam and relight but guess my dinner is going to be late.
I have to quit reading this thread. [Rant2]
I'm on the edge of buying a Smokey Mountain locker smoker. The propane/wood chip combo was interesting. Good reviews. Yada yada yada...
Now I check in and all is blown to Hell.
The GMG Daniel Boone pellet grill looks like it is now what I'm looking for. Smoker/grill combo with a short heat-up time. Good real estate, height, heat, etc. Doesn't require 100% attention. Needs bigger wheels though. Might be hitting up To Bear Arms in the not too distant future.
I still like smokers like HBAR's new ride.
I don't want to fill the yard with multiple implements of cookery. Well, I would like to but... [flamethrower]
http://greenmountaingrills.com/wp-co.../01/DB_blk.jpg
Looked at this unit BUT having the chimney on the side over the shelf , knocked it out of the picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ah Pook
We have this unit, as you can see they are still offering $50 OFF when you order on line. They drop ship to the closest SW in your area. it comes with the side shelf & temp probe.
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...7282/cat101724
The wife bought me a Traeger as a surprise last month. Been using it three times a week. I cooked our Thanksgiving turkey in it, too. De-boned and brined it. Awesome!
12:30 @ what temp? we run 350 - 425 for whole chickens, 325 for turkey.Quote:
Originally Posted by HBARleatherneck
Cabelas Branded Smokers Are Made By Camp Chef...All The Features Of Your Sub $800 Pellet Smokers For A Bit Less Coin....All Made In China At Tha Price Point Tho...
The chimney can always be re-directed. The heat shield redirects the heat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo
Nothing is off the shelf at this point.
For those using traegers, you kinda have to tend to the pellet hopper when doing long smokes. The pellets will form a hole and not feed. The pellets form a funnel shape in the hopper and the auger no longer gets pellets. You have to move the pellets around to avoid the funnel effect. A way to minimize this is to keep the hopper as full as possible. I have had my traeger for over 3 years and love the thing. I fabbed up a hopper extention and sloped sides so I don't get the failure to feed pellet funnel anymore.
You might end up with a drier chicken than usual. Bump it up to 325 min, next time. Whoel birds after tonights @ 325 will be done at 425 as a rfew recipes suggest. This way the skin isn't rubbery, bird isn't dry eyc.Quote:
Originally Posted by HBARleatherneck
We found once you do temps over 350, those pellets go fast. This new unit is a deeper hopper with shallower sides, so they drop fairly steady. Something to consider is adding a baffle to the hopper.Quote:
Originally Posted by colorider
Learned the hard way with some chicken wings not to use lower temps. The meat wasn't dry, but the skin was so rubbery that even the grill on high had a hard time trying to crisp it. And my grill will bury the needles past 650.Quote:
Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo
Anyone who has done whole birds either turkey or chicken, is spatchcocking something you have tried or do you leave it as is? I thought maybe getting it flat and getting the rub under the skin and on the flattened inside areas would have an advantage, along with plenty of exposed meat to get smoke flavor into would help.
not yet. do an olive oil rub . wrap tips of wings & legs with thick cut bacon, once bird has OO, use dry rub of choice. Also do a beer can bird. But use lemonage with few cloves of split garlic instead. Same OO / dry rub.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave
For breast & thigh OO & lemon juice mix soaking pics for 5 - 10 min tops. Then dry rub of choice. I downloaded a chicken & sausage gumbo recipe today. will post it once i figure what file it went to.
Haven't tried wrapping any birds with bacon, seems like a waste of bacon to me. I wrap the end pieces that burn with aluminum foil about half way through though. With beer can chicken I just go with a pale ale, some smashed cloves of garlic and rough chopped rosemary and thyme after rubbing the bird with canola oil then topped with salt and garlic powder. Gives a nice crispy skin with good seasoning.
Been a few years since I made gumbo, would love to see what you found.
Bringing this one back up.
Lots of "flavor" pellets around. What, if any, are closer to charcoal or low flavor?
apple or hickory. Not over powering flavors , accent the meats (poultry, pork, lamb, mixed meats/brats) you know it was smoked. Good smoke ring yet not one of those things where the smoking diminished the flavor of the meal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ah Pook
I like the GMG fruit wood pellets but their Gold mix is pretty good too. Good smoke rings but they complement the flavor of the meat rather than overpower it.
I'm gonna need some lessons on smoking meats. Tried a chuck roast with mesquite wood. Had it around 250 for 4 hours. Still raw in the middle, and way too much smoke flavor. This was in a charcoal grill/smoker.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...psk2d5hwt5.jpg
The left side is propane, the right side is charcoal/wood.
4 hrs isn't close to time, depending on temp. You need to wrap a few bricks and place them around the base of the cooker. Too much smoke flavor is too much wood used. Try more charcoal and wood sparingly. The wood / smoke is secondary to maintaining heat with charcoal, propane or electric.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmg8550
Grab one of these they are great and do not leave fibers over the grill like a fiberglass blanket would. I picked up the 3x3.
http://store.cyberweld.com/panfelwelbla.html
IF you had a wind break, the temp would maintain more consistent over the cook time. For the winter our's is on the deck and have a 8x6 canvas for wind break AND to minimize possible fire. The real reason i have it is to keep the spouses concerns about fire down, as the grill inst suggest a good 3' + from any combustible material, like a wood deck.
Since this thread is back up I have a question. Any of you guys have a Green Mountain Grill? I currently have a Traeger lil Tex and love it but I want to upgrade to a larger size. I have no problems with the Traeger but have ran into a few of these GMG's lately and I really like some of the features that they offer. Just wondering if anyone has one that could give some feed back.
I like the gmg stuff, but for the price the cabelas branded grills are made by camp chef....
The camp chef has a few extras for $150 - 200 lower than a traeger. Check SW on line, they usually do a $50 off any item (excluding firearms) over $200. That brings the CC down after $$ They also do in store 5% discount for .mil prior & current + LE / FDQuote:
Originally Posted by wyome
This is the one for the money.
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...7282/cat101724
This is cheaper BUT doesn't have a "chimney" you can adjust for winter / summer cooking. It has a few vents cut in the back of the wall. So you're unable to restrict cold air coming in.
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/i...er_35504_2.jpg
SW is offering a free cover with the Traeger. Also check costco. Yes it's pricey, but comes with a 3 yr warranty, cover and storage cabinet. Actually a good deal, if you're wanting to step up.
http://www.costco.com/Traeger-Centur...100110121.html
Mesquite is one of the strongest woods for flavoring meat. If you're not careful, it can be downright bitter.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmg8550
The other concern is that "smoking" is not necessarily "cooking" depending on temps.
I like apple wood for milder flavors. I also hear alder is a good subtle wood across the board, but I've not used it.
The green mountain is great. I smoked a pork shoulder through the snow last night with no problems. The controller is way better. It is all digital with 5 degree increments. I believe a thicker gauge steel is used on the green mountain. Only down side it is a PIA to clean. I got mine at rocky mountain stove in Lakewood. There is also a great bbq shop in lakewood where i get all my pellets. Its called routts or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lars
20th and Youngsfield. Great BBQ shop.
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