Pretty sure I suck at Traeger! ;)

[RustyJake]

Looking for probe ideas?
@Squirkle913 just posted this link from Amazon
Thread 'Inkbird IBBQ-4T On Sale at Amazon for $50!!!' https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/inkbird-ibbq-4t-on-sale-at-amazon-for-50.3638/

 

[Squirkle913]

Looking for probe ideas?
@Squirkle913 just posted this link from Amazon
Thread 'Inkbird IBBQ-4T On Sale at Amazon for $50!!!' https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/inkbird-ibbq-4t-on-sale-at-amazon-for-50.3638/

Yep! That's me! I grabbed the deal and posted it in case anyone else was looking. Thanks for pointing it out! Crazy deal!

 

[RustyJake]

Yep! That's me! I grabbed the deal and posted it in case anyone else was looking. Thanks for pointing it out! Crazy deal!

It is a great price!
I think there's quite a few on here using that one. The deal you posted may appeal to others in the same situation and have been watching this topic on here
Thanks for sharing it with us

 

[Dcgunman]

No body is perfect in this crazy world we live in. And Traeger is definitely not a perfect grill. I thought it was suppose to be a great grill before I purchased my C885. But come to find out it’s an okay smoker that needs some fine tuning by myself to get my meat to taste right. A learning experience for sure. For all those who think the T is a piece of crap? Oh well. There wrong. But it ain’t perfect either.

 

[Lbeberdick]

Hi, all!

I'm a new Traeger owner and wow, I must really be missing something because my food sure isn't turning out right. I follow the instructions to the letter and am getting the following results:
Grill: 575 Pro
Pellets Signature

Try 1: Turkey breast. Dry rub. No bark formed. Super tough, almost jerky-like exterior. Gross
Try 2: Whole chicken. Tried basting this time. A little better but still super tough exterior without it browning much. Pretty juicy but not very appetizing looking and certainly not like the YouTube videos.
Try 3: Pork butt: Tasty but non bark whatsoever. Hard dry crust.
Try 4: Tri tip: 225 until internal temp was 130. The thing looked raw like it hadn't even been cooked. Quite chewy to try to eat. Pretty frustrated at this point.

Clearly I am the problem here. Many folks are posting good dinners. I'm wondering if there is something super obvious I'm doing wrong here since the same thing keeps happening to me (jerky-like exteriors with no bark, primarily that look gross and don't taste very good). I would love any suggestions you all might have and am happy to review any prior posts, threads or videos if someone would be willing to point me in the right direction.

Thanks so much in advance.

Denise
Utah.

You will, should say, I have never gotten "BARK" on a chicken. I can produce a very tasty smoked Chicken. Requires brining overnight. My smoker produces its best smoke between 170 and 200. Smoke it there (5 LB roaster) until Traeger thermometer gets to 135. Remove bird increase temp to 450, roast bird to 160 internal, but verify with thermo pen, my probe is notorious for being off. Trager specks allow a 20 degree temp differential and call it accurate. So spend a year cooking, and get a thermoworks SMOKE OR similar, to monitor smoker temp and food temp.

But, I will say L O N G smokes like pork butt and brisket can produce some bark. The real clue is DO YOU HAVE A SMOKE Ring?

Pellet smokers/grills are a huge compromise from real smoked meat and convenience.

Good luck.