New Traeger Owner

[Newtra]

Hi all, John from Jersey here. My brand new Ironwood 885 got delivered yesterday and I couldn't be more excited! I have a couple stupid basic questions to start. I already seasoned my grill, and I plan on using it today for burgers and dogs.

- To use it for grilling, as opposed to smoking, do I simply turn it on, set the temp to 400ish, and just grill when it reaches temp? Any special settings it needs to go on to grill?

-I've read that pellet smokers don't create lots of smoke, I read about smoke tubes. What's the consensus on them? Worth getting one?

-Does everyone really only use Traeger brand pellets? If not, what other brands should I be looking at?

-Is it OK to leave pellets in the hopper in between uses? Will they get funky?

I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions, thanks for the help guys, I appreciate any help I can get.

<John>

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I will give you my opinions, but others may somewhat different views.

- To use it for grilling, as opposed to smoking, do I simply turn it on, set the temp to 400ish, and just grill when it reaches temp? Any special settings it needs to go on to grill?

Yes. Note that pellet grills excel in their smoking function. They can grill but not as well as a charcoal or gas grill. So they will take a little longer to reach higher temps.

-I've read that pellet smokers don't create lots of smoke, I read about smoke tubes. What's the consensus on them? Worth getting one?

Yes. Smoke tubes are highly recommended. Pellets burn extremely cleanly compared to wood so may not have as much smoke flavor.

-Does everyone really only use Traeger brand pellets? If not, what other brands should I be looking at?

This is related to the smoke tube question. In my view the brand of pellets do not matter as much. All of them work on the Traeger. Try several and see what you like best.

-Is it OK to leave pellets in the hopper in between uses? Will they get funky?

Since you are in NJ, I think it should be fine if you are using it regularly. If you are not using it for long periods (or if you live in a humid climate), you should empty the hopper and keep the pellets in sealed container. Moisture can degrade them and cause auger jams.

This is not something that you asked, but you should know this. Traeger temperature probes are not very reliable. We strongly recommend you get a 3rd party probes for the pit and for the meats. It will save you a lot of frustration.

 

[Newtra]

I will give you my opinions, but others may somewhat different views.

Yes. Note that pellet grills excel in their smoking function. They can grill but not as well as a charcoal or gas grill. So they will take a little longer to reach higher temps.

Yes. Smoke tubes are highly recommended. Pellets burn extremely cleanly compared to wood so may not have as much smoke flavor.

This is related to the smoke tube question. In my view the brand of pellets do not matter as much. All of them work on the Traeger. Try several and see what you like best.

Since you are in NJ, I think it should be fine if you are using it regularly. If you are not using it for long periods (or if you live in a humid climate), you should empty the hopper and keep the pellets in sealed container. Moisture can degrade them and cause auger jams.

This is not something that you asked, but you should know this. Traeger temperature probes are not very reliable. We strongly recommend you get a 3rd party probes for the pit and for the meats. It will save you a lot of frustration.

Thanks so much for all that info, it's a GREAT help. I actually own a bluetooth thermo-pro probe that I used with my old electric smoker, would that be sufficient? And as far as the pellets question, I should have been more clear, I meant is it OK to use other brands of pellets in the actual grill hopper, not the smoke tube. Thanks again so much for the quick, and informative reply. It was a huge help!

<John>

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I actually own a bluetooth thermo-pro probe that I used with my old electric smoker, would that be sufficient?

Yes, that should work!

And as far as the pellets question, I should have been more clear, I meant is it OK to use other brands of pellets in the actual grill hopper, not the smoke tube.

Yes! Traeger of course wants you to buy their pellets, but that is NOT necessary. My preferred brand is Bear Mountain which you can get at Lowe's.

 

[rixer]

You can grill burgers and dogs with the Traeger. I do it all the time. For those things I set the Traeger on 440 to get it to 400 degrees. (Yes, it's off by that much at high temps.) Works fine like that for me. Thicker meats, I'll cook lower and slower.
There's a learning curve with these pellet grills but you can do so much with them.
Enjoy!!

 

[RayClem]

For hot dogs, brats, and burgers, you want to get the grill up to around 400 F. If you will read postings on the calibration of the Traeger RTD thermocouple and internal meat probe, you will find that many here do not trust their Traeger temperature readings. There can be a significant discrepancy at higher temperatures. I have an IW885 and set my controller temp to 450 F to achieve a temp of 400F measured at grate level using an independent thermometer of known accuracy. I monitor the grate temp throughout the entire cook. For larger proteins like roasts, an independent internal meat probe is great. For things like chicken and steaks get a decent instant read thermometer. While many folks here use rather expensive Fireboard, Meater, and Thermapen devices, it is not necessary to spend that much money if you are a weekend pitmaster. If you are cooking several times a week, then the added expense might be justified.

Please be aware that a higher temperatures, you will get almost no smoke flavor. The fire burns quite clean at that temperature and the cook time is too short to impact the meat flavor. For that reason, I usually use my gas grill when cooking hot dogs as it is just easier.

If you want to get smoke flavor, you need to cook "low and slow". That means running a grate level temperature below 250F. Many here recommend smoking at 225 F. At that temperature, it will take several hours to complete the cook, depending upon the size of the protein being cooked. That allows time for the smoke to penetrate the outside of the meat creating the characteristic smoke ring.

You have to be careful cooking smaller pieces of meat at a low temperature as there is a tendency to end up with dry, tough meat. The first time I tried cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I ended up with chicken jerky. I now select large, bone-in, split chicken breasts. They turn out nice and juicy.

In the spring, we got lots of rain, so I removed the pellets from my grill after every cook. Once summer arrived, and I was using the grill 2-3 times a week, I just left the pellets in the hopper. When cool weather arrives in a few weeks, I will probably remove the pellets unless I know I will be using the grill again in a few days.

 

[Newtra]

Thanks everyone above ^ for the replies! Man this is a helpful site!

 

[overnightbbqryan]

I always grill at 500 degrees. Chicken, hotdogs, burgers. They always come out perfect.

I usually use Cabelas pellets. They’re only $10 for 20 lbs and found at Bass Pro. Tons of versions/flavors including Garlic and Beer blend but I prefer their competition blend. Last week I picked up a 40 lb bag of Costco brand pellets and made a choice brisket that came out excellent. However, I usually use Jack Daniels pellets if I’m doing beef ribs. In my opinion, it helps with bark and flavor.

I leave my hopper full but my Traeger stays in the garage when it’s not being used.

 

[overnightbbqryan]

One of the most important things to know is that the grill needs to be vacuumed and cleaned quite regularly to avoid flare ups. If you’re cooking something with a high fat content like burgers, Picanha, etc then you’re going to have grease and running a pellet grill at 400-500 deg means an ember could ignite the grease. Most people on this forum have probably had fires inside the Traeger…..

 

[Newtra]

One of the most important things to know is that the grill needs to be vacuumed and cleaned quite regularly to avoid flare ups. If you’re cooking something with a high fat contact like burgers, Picanha, etc then you’re going to have grease and running a pellet grill at 400-500 deg means an ember could ignite the grease. Most people on this forum have probably had fires inside the Traeger…..

Thanks for that heads up. In the event of a fire inside of the grill, what's the best course of action? Hit it with the hose?

 

[overnightbbqryan]

People always say to not hit a grease fire with water but whenever I’ve had a fire I have no issues getting it under control with a standard bottle of water nearby.

Also worth noting that the fire increases with the lid open (oxygen) so I usually splash in some water from the bottle and close the lid and it goes out quickly. If the fire is really raging the grill will sense heat outside of range and shut itself down.

 

[RayClem]

I HATE cleaning grease out of my grill. I try to most of my cooks on the top rack of my IW885 and place a half-sheet baking pan in the bottom rack underneath the cook to catch the drippings. I know that may not be possible on smaller grills if you need the entire cooking area. It is much easier to clean the baking pan than the inside of the grill. If you line the pan with foil, cleanup is even easier.

 

[splinervision]

Use whatever pellets you want. I've used too many different pellet brands to count. I really like some of the Jack Daniels pellets made from the barrels. Great flavor. I find those at Academy most of the time.

I also use a smoke tube whenever possible. I have a smaller one I use for 1-2 hour cooks and a larger one that goes for up to 4 hours for longer smokes.

I use mine like an oven. Since it can hold any temp up to 450ish (mine is an older one, doesn't quite reach 500) I cook anything I would normally cook in an oven, including pizza. It all tastes better in a Traeger. If you don't have a 'smoker' recipe for something but you've done it in an oven... do it the same way. Just use the Traeger. Think of it as a wood-fired oven.

Our favorite thing is chicken. Bone-in, or boneless. . thighs, wings, breasts, etc. At temps between 375-400ish even the skin gets crispy enough to eat unlike lower temp smokers where it turns to rubber. I can fill mine with wings, kick it up on 375 and usually in an hour or less they are done. Pre-heating is quick and easy. It's the only smoker I've ever owned I have time to use during the week. I can walk in at 5pm, pre-heat, prep the food, toss it on and in an hour or less it's done.

Drawbacks are no grill marks to speak of. I keep a gas grill as well for when I want a burger with grill marks. You can get them on a Traeger but you have to move the burgers to unused portions of the grate to keep the marks going. However, I make some killer turkey burgers on the Trager. Even the kids love them.

Steaks.. they are good on the Traeger but better on the grill. However, I have smoked thick steaks on the Trager until they are close to the temp I want, then mark them on the grill and finish.

Enjoy your Traeger, you're going to love it!

 

[Bob K]

I have one. Love it. It is closer to the set temperature than my last one. they're right. It's difficult to get any sear on a burger or dog. If you want to use it for that and get any smoke flavor, try putting dogs/burgers on the Traeger on lowest setting and also set on super smoke -- and put a smoke tube in there with them. So you won't cook very much but you'll get some "just smoke" time. Then take them off, turn the temp up high and grill them then. It's an awesome smoker though and is amazing for real smoke cooks. Enjoy!

 

[Mdes2015]

Hi all, John from Jersey here. My brand new Ironwood 885 got delivered yesterday and I couldn't be more excited! I have a couple stupid basic questions to start. I already seasoned my grill, and I plan on using it today for burgers and dogs.

- To use it for grilling, as opposed to smoking, do I simply turn it on, set the temp to 400ish, and just grill when it reaches temp? Any special settings it needs to go on to grill?

-I've read that pellet smokers don't create lots of smoke, I read about smoke tubes. What's the consensus on them? Worth getting one?

-Does everyone really only use Traeger brand pellets? If not, what other brands should I be looking at?

-Is it OK to leave pellets in the hopper in between uses? Will they get funky?

I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions, thanks for the help guys, I appreciate any help I can get.

<John>

No question is stupid . Very good question . You don’t have to get a smoke tube it’s personal preference . With the super smoke it’s not needed in my opinion. Som people want lots of smoke taste for some reason they get enough . Look at the receips on the app and traeger Facebook page join it .