New Traeger Owner

[Neohio99]

The higher the temperature setpoint, the less smoke you will get as the fire burns cleaner. You do not want thick white smoke as that can produce a bitter, acrid taste in the meat. You want a thin, blue smoke from a clean fire.

The Traeger uses wood pellets that will never produce the same smoke flavor as a stick of wood. However, you will get more smoke from the Traeger if you keep the temperature below 225 F. On cooler days, you might be able to run the grill even lower, but on a hot summer day, that will be difficult. Anything much above 225 F is going to produce minimal smoke flavor. However, that can be an advantage if you are cooking something like a cake and do not want it to smell smoky.

Thank you, most of the recipes have Temps around 225 and higher. But learned something I didn't know about Temps. Lower temps make sense, and will start getting cuts of meet that are not that fat.


THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[Neohio99]

The Pro series (my Pro 575 and your Pro 780) do not have the super smoke setting and you cannot just add it. Also, you do not have to use Traeger pellets. I recommend you try different brands and the settle on what you like best.

There are numerous threads on this forum discussing smoke tubes. Do a search (use the search bar on the top right corner) and you will find them. Here is an example: https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/smoke-tubes.2593/

Also, Slimpicker in this forum put out a short video showing how to use a smoke tube:

Thank YOU

I really like the smoke flavor. Am kind of pissed I didn't get the smaller one that has more smoke.

 

[JPSBBQ]

Thank you, most of the recipes have Temps around 225 and higher. But learned something I didn't know about Temps. Lower temps make sense, and will start getting cuts of meet that are not that fat.


THANK YOU!!!!!

I wholeheartedly agree that as a general rule lower temps on any pellet cooker will produce more smoke and increase the time the food is in the smoke. I just cannot get behind this infatuation with temps below 225. It’s simply a waste of time and is only useful for purposes of timing. Say you want to intentionally drag out a cook because your guest are coming at a particular time and the cook is running ahead of schedule. I find you simply over render the fat in the meat resulting in a drier product. A drier product that took twice as long as it could have to produce. This thinking is born out of the old days when people were cooking terrible cuts and grades over poorly regulated devices and had to be real careful not to destroy their product. Those days are long gone. Todays product selection and cooking apparatus are first world. Obviously this is just an opinion. There are better ways IMHO. Hey, figuring out what works for you is a very personal journey and part of the fun. I have a buddy who cooked 225 and lower for years and only recently has converted. I just kept my mouth shut and figured he’d eventually get there. He did. Now I’ll shut my mouth again. Enjoy the journey, it’s a fun one.

 

[RayClem]

Thank you, most of the recipes have Temps around 225 and higher. But learned something I didn't know about Temps. Lower temps make sense, and will start getting cuts of meet that are not that fat.


THANK YOU!!!!!

There is a saying in the culinary world that "fat is flavor". So be careful of getting protein that is too lean. If you do use a lean meat, you need to add fat.

Here are some examples:

It is difficult cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts without them drying out as they are quite lean. I find that it is much easier to cook split chicken breasts with bone and skin. If you use the boneless, skinless version, be sure to add some fat.

A pork shoulder has a lot of fat, both as a fat cap and internal marbling. Normally, such cuts are cooked to 205 F +/_ to allow all the fat to render and the cartilage to be broken down to gelatin. The pork can be sliced, chopped/minced, or pulled apart as you see fit.

Beef tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef as it is a muscle that gets little use. However, it has little intermuscular fat and has less beefy flavor than some other cuts. Basting in melted butter adds flavor.

Yesterday, I cooked a beef rib eye roast. It looks a lot like tenderloin as it has little fat. However, this cut comes from a large muscle in the hind leg of the cow. It is a muscle that is regularly used for moving around an animal that can weigh up to 1400#. Thus, it is a tough cut of meat. If cooked properly and carved thinly, it can be very tasty. I smoked it at 225 F until I reached an internal temperature of 140F. If you like your roast beef more on the rare side, you can stop at an even lower temperature. I then took the roast to a large skillet to which I had added 1/2 stick of butter and a few tablespoons of olive oil (fat is flavor). I browned the meat on all sides and then wrapped it in foil, a bath towel, and then placed it in an insulated cooler to rest for several hours. The rest allows the fat and juices to be absorbed into the meat. The meat was still warm when I sliced it. It turned out great.