Traeger Virgin

you guys are not making my decision easy; I've been eyeing up sales on pit boss; camp chef; and green mountain pellets, just cant figure out which one yet...
Camp chef is just as good but longer lasting construction. Use the money you saved to buy an insulated grill blanket
 
This thread made me fire up the traeger the other day. Tri tip's are great because the ends are medium for those people while you can still do your middle medium rare.

Season it pretty heavily however you want. Let it rest on the counter for 1-2 hours (very important).

Set the traeger to 425 ish (which is the hot setting on mine). About 30-40 minutes, I flipped it once halfway through.

I pulled it out the second the internal temp hit 119. Usually I pull it at 115. Make a tin foil tent over it and let it rest for 10 minutes. Finishes
around a perfect 130 +/-. Easy to adjust your preferred done-ness. I haven't experimented with the fancy searing or reverse searing. I'm
curious about that.

View attachment 118446View attachment 118447

Let me know the next time you're firing it up. I'm thinking about getting a Traeger and should really sample the food before diving in ;) Dang that looks good!
 
i got a GMG and getting a light dust in the grilling area, not a great start with GMG, although customer service has been dece, we'll see what they have for a solution. from what i gather, this isn't normal for other pellet grills..
 
Nice. I haven't even had time to season mine yet. Dang work and elk hunting get in the way. Can't wait to use it. mtmuley
 
This damn thread has me on another traeger kick. Tonight's fare:

Muley backstrap from the buck I shot Wednesday. Dash of olive oil, garlic salt, garlic powder, black pepper and crushed red pepper.
Let it rest on the counter for 60-90 minutes.

About 30 minutes on the traeger at 225F. Don't quote me on the time, I didn't set a timer. More importantly pay attention to the internal temp.

IMG_2804.jpgIMG_2810.jpgIMG_2811.jpg

I pulled it at 112F internal temp.

Then I seared all sides in butter on the stove. I got the pan/butter as hot as it would go. Then tin foil tent again, and rest for 10 minutes. Not sure if the sear made
a difference or not, but the flavor was excellent regardless.
 
This damn thread has me on another traeger kick. Tonight's fare:

Muley backstrap from the buck I shot Wednesday. Dash of olive oil, garlic salt, garlic powder, black pepper and crushed red pepper.
Let it rest on the counter for 60-90 minutes.

About 30 minutes on the traeger at 225F. Don't quote me on the time, I didn't set a timer. More importantly pay attention to the internal temp.

View attachment 118544View attachment 118545View attachment 118546

I pulled it at 112F internal temp.

Then I seared all sides in butter on the stove. I got the pan/butter as hot as it would go. Then tin foil tent again, and rest for 10 minutes. Not sure if the sear made
a difference or not, but the flavor was excellent regardless.
trying this one tonight :)
 
tw- wow, spot on, VERY good, Ihave to be honest, this may have been the best backstrap I've had; kids and wife loved it too; going to try something similar with a rolled up deer brisket piece tonight
 
tw- wow, spot on, VERY good, Ihave to be honest, this may have been the best backstrap I've had; kids and wife loved it too; going to try something similar with a rolled up deer brisket piece tonight

Pics or it didn't happen!

That's awesome. From my understanding, the 3 most important things are seasoning the meat quickly (something about the salt), then getting the raw meat up to room temp and then not overcooking.
I don't know the science behind any of it, but it works. Glad you liked it.
 
I would suggest getting the traeger app and looking over recipes in there. It makes it easy to look at what meat you have and get a lot of recipe options. My traeger changed the way my wife looks at whole turkey as well as chicken legs. I have made some of the best jerky I have ever had on there as well
 
I've been going through the thread, probably shouldn't have since I don't have a traeger. I don't have time to fire up the smoker tonight, but I'll post a picture since you all have been making me hungry.

Moose backstrap is thawed....
 
Carolina Sweet pulled antelope.

I've alway ground this “calf” cut as it is full of connective tissue, but after trying shanks, I now save it.



68709084-C121-4AA8-92EC-FD59A3E7C057.jpeg

Seasoned with a Tub’s meat rub.
FC907BEC-8428-429E-B774-82682B24002F.jpeg

Smoked for 1 hour then added BBQ sauce and 2 cups of water. Tinfoil lid and 4 hours at 325.
B9F9628C-18B3-42C5-98C7-12113265E0BF.jpeg

Pulled with a fork and Carolina Sweet sauce added.
E7FC53B2-0BF6-4920-B800-6062947E076B.jpeg

Got 4 out of 4 from the family. Only thing to change for next time is to drain the liquid before pulling it and add it back as needed. Leaving it in made the buns get soggy to quick.
 
A couple things for your Traeger.
  1. Use the wide foil on the drip tray and change every few cooks
  2. Clean the fire box regularly-a little dedicated shopvac works best for me
  3. Remote monitor thermometer for the meats
  4. Check the pellets to see if they are real wood, or an oil infused composite
  5. The Winter blanket works, but it won't be like cooking in summer. It won't get as hot as it would in temps above 50°
 
So far, I have only done the recommended seasoning of the grill. Elk hunting and work keeping me busy. The whole antelope shoulders in my freezer are calling.. mtmuley
 
Back
Top