Giving up on my Traeger

[richtee]

Just that I can't taste it from here?

 

[cajun_1]

I just bought a Traeger and have no plans of using their pellets. Mostly alder with oil flavoring. I have a Green Mountain & Bear Mountain dealer near me locally. I have already purchased a bag of Green Mountain pellets, 25# bag for less that the 20# bag from Traeger.

 

[coyote-1]

Any time I hear/see the word convenience associated with cooking, I steer clear.

Cooking is all about investing energy, thought, time and creativity (dare I say love?). Certainly we can take steps to make the processes easier, but good results still require real effort.

 

[capt dan]

Coyote-1, I couldn't agree more. Sometimes the best things in life take alot of effort and work.

Richtee, me think he called you a drunk!!!

Good to see ya buddy...........well I mean, I can't see ya from here but.............uh, well ya know!

 

[tomthegrillguy]

General,

I've never had a problem getting the smoke ring or the smoke flavor.

What temp are you using? With the MED and HIGH settings (on a 3 position), you won't get as much smoke as on the SMOKE, (you probably already know that).

I know the Traeger's aren't smoke HEAVY - have you tried cooking on the Traeger and at the same time cooking another piece of meat in the oven (or gas grill) and comparing the two (as far as smokey-ness) - perhaps you're just "desensitized to the smoke"?

Just a thought. . .

 

[walle]

GZ,
I don't have a Traeger, but after seeing the design, I created "Walle", which is a converted Stokematic Coal Stoker which uses the same bin/auger process.

I did a double take on the COST of BBQ pellets, so here's what I did... My neighbor has a rack of dried oak 2x4's that he had grand hopes of selling. I went down to the local equipment rental and rented a wood chipper. I was amazed at how fine it chopped the 2x4's. My rental shop even let me run a board through to test to see if it was fine enough to be taken in by the auger.

Here (Western Slope Colorado), I have to pay about a $1/# for pellets. I figured I chipped enough oak with the two hour rental (5, 32 gal trash cans and every empty bucket in my shed) to come out way ahead.

Anyway, something to try because using the oak as my base fuel to cook and then adding in my flavor about every hour with larger chunks right into the fire produces a very good flavor.

Might try that
Below is "walle"

 

[americanidle]

I agree with you! I actually used to see smoke come out of my Traeger but now I get nothing on the smoke setting.  Definitely ready to move on and buy a different one.  Customer Service basically told me everything 'is fine' and that I should see smoke.  Condescending much?

 

[sctdg35]

I could be wrong but it seems like it cost's a lot to cook on a pellet smoker . You might want to look into going charcoal . There is a very non costly kamado grill called a Chargriller Akorn . I have one . I also have a MES with the Masterbuilt cold smoker attachment and the AMNPS (AMNPS is a PITA to keep lit) . I have an offset which I have had for years(hard to control temperature) and a Weber Genesis ,which with the side smoker attachment I have been fairly successful getting to smoke .My absolute easiest to use and best results unit is the Akorn . You can get one for under $300 .Not ceramic but insulated so you have the same properties of heat retention as a ceramic .Temp control is a breeze and if a bear wants to turn it over it won't crack LOL. Use the same load of charcoal about three or four times .Did a 10 hour brisket Sunday and have enough charcoal left over for about another two or three cooks. Cheap to buy,cheap to run ,excellent smoke and excellent all around results without the cost . JUST SAYING. Oh yeah it is so easy to use you can have "One Bourbon, One Scotch ,One Beer"

 

[Dutch]

WOW-talk about an old thread being brought back to life! :biggrin: