Tips for a Traeger (and pellet) rookie

jOUhn

jOUhn

New member
Hello all...

My Traeger is coming in tomorrow. I took off work so I could meet the FedEx guy when he drops it off so that I can start playing with it tomorrow asap. I've got some ribs and chicken to throw on hopefully.

I'd appreciate any tips, tricks, wisdom and other insight you experts may have for me! This will be my 4th grill (of a different variety). I have a gas, a charcoal, and an offset smoker. This will be my first pellet grill so I'm totally a newbie.

I bought a Traeger based off a few recommendations from friends and family but it looks like GMG or Mak may be more preferred here. I'm hoping the Traegers treats me well though!

Cheers
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
Nothing wrong with a Traeger. It's a good entry level pellet cooker. I learned on a Lil Tex then upgraded to the MAK.
If you already have an offset then I'd say you're not a rookie. You'll be able to transfer your flavor profiles from the offset to your pellet cooker with the biggest difference being you'll get more sleep while your pellet cooker is working hard for you.
 
S

So Cal Smoker

New member
Welcome to the forum John. Congrats on the new cooker. You're in for some great food and lot's of fun. The folks here are all very helpful and willing to answer just about any question you have. Good luck and good smoking.
 
D

dconder1

New member
Welcome jOUhn. I'm a fellow Traeger owner. I have a Tex and Lil Tex. I love them. Like the others said they are a great entry level and for me, I'm not sure I would ever need more. They are super easy to learn and run. Welcome to the addictive world of pellet smoking.
 
jOUhn

jOUhn

New member
scooter said:
Nothing wrong with a Traeger. It's a good entry level pellet cooker. I learned on a Lil Tex then upgraded to the MAK.
If you already have an offset then I'd say you're not a rookie. You'll be able to transfer your flavor profiles from the offset to your pellet cooker with the biggest difference being you'll get more sleep while your pellet cooker is working hard for you.
Click to expand...

Exactly why I bought it!! Question... I have a deck (trex decking w/ wood rails and awning) - is the Traeger safe to stay on the deck? Or should I keep it in the yard away from anything?
 
jOUhn

jOUhn

New member
So Cal & DConder - thanks for the nice welcome. I look forward to hanging out at the site. If the Fedex guy gets here soon enough I will post some pics of my first meal on it tonight.
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
I have my MAK on the black rubber Traeger mat I bought with my Lil Tex sitting on my redwood deck. As long as you don't modify your Traeger it should be perfectly safe on a grill mat. The mat is primarily to protect the deck against grease spills.
Take lots of pics and get into detail about your seasoning and cooking process. We love details here. On PS.com everyone's experiences provide education for the rest of us.
 
T

tbone

New member
Hey welcome to the forum. As a fellow Traeger owner, I'm more than sure you'll be happy with your choice.

We may all have different cookers, but one of the things we all have in common is the rubs offered up by our host. There's none better than (IMHO) Money, Happy Endings, and the seasoned garlic salt. Unbelievable!

Looking forward to seeing some of your recipes.........tbone
 
M

mokenT

New member
Hi welcome
I just bought a Ltl tex deluxe about 2 weeks ago. when you set up you will have to burn it
in on high about 45 min
it come with a receipe book
good luck i'm enjoying mine!!
 
jOUhn

jOUhn

New member
mokenT said:
Hi welcome
I just bought a Ltl tex deluxe about 2 weeks ago. when you set up you will have to burn it
in on high about 45 min
it come with a receipe book
good luck i'm enjoying mine!!
Click to expand...

Just burned my in last night but not yet cooked on it. Hoping the boss lets us go home early today, might have to throw the chicken and ribs on! Or pizza - saw a You Tube video of a guy making pizza and it looks like the best thing EVER.
 
jOUhn

jOUhn

New member
My 16 month old was sick (gotta love double ear infections and the flu at the same time) so I got to stay home today with a sick baby. So... I used the time to use the Traeger some more.

IMG-20121128-00697.jpg


For lunch, I made a pizza. Pre-made dough (Freschetta thin crust) w/ Fire Roasted Tomato pizza sauce, oregano, mozz cheese, pepperoni, oregano, mozz cheese, pepp, oregano. AWESOME!! But I need to make my dough from scratch in the future.

IMG-20121128-00696.jpg


After dinner, I put a pork shoulder on. It was the only one at the store and kinda small (~3 lbs). Only put Famous Dave's pre-made rub on it, and let her sit on the grill for about 5 hours.

IMG-20121128-00706.jpg
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
You can buy fresh pizza dough at your former favorite pizza parlor. Mine sells me enough for 2 Lg pizzas for $6 and it's fresh, like made that day. Some stores carry it also but the dough from my former favorite place is better than anything I've purchased in a store.
Homemade is really good also, just takes time.
 
M

mokenT

New member
Pizza

jOUhn said:
Just burned my in last night but not yet cooked on it. Hoping the boss lets us go home early today, might have to throw the chicken and ribs on! Or pizza - saw a You Tube video of a guy making pizza and it looks like the best thing EVER.
Click to expand...

Something I Tryed
Was cooking a store Pizza:cool:
I Like a deluxe
So i just cooked on high 400 and 25min (just what the box said)
and it was great!!
MokenT
Opps looks like you beat me to the box pizza
Anyway it was great
 
Last edited:
jOUhn

jOUhn

New member
We live pretty close to a Papa Murphys so I think that might be the best of both worlds - made from scratch ingredients, pre-made, but I still get to cook it on the Traeger.
 
TrickyDick

TrickyDick

New member
Congrats on your grill! Hopefully mine will be here soon as well!
If you are serious about making your own pizza dough, I recommend looking at this webpage called the Jeff varasano pizza page. And from there he recommends a book by Ed wood called classic sourdoughs.
I am trying to perfect my dough recipe from the above info, would post some pics, but I'm technically challenged at the moment.
 
Lothar1974

Lothar1974

New member
I have had a Lil' Tex for about 6 years and love it. I get my dough from Trader Joes. I preheat on high for 40 ish minutes with a pizza stone. I use a Super Peel to put it on and take it off, works amazingly. Better than delivery! Congrats and good luck!!
 
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