"Tinman" wrote in message
...
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:

"Tinman" wrote in message
This has me puzzled since most everyone I know who has a Traeger loves
the flavor. And it's not that it is terrible to me or anything. Indeed
if I use a rub or other flavoring agents the "lumber" taste isn't nearly
as evident.

I've never had anything cooked on a Traeger, but it is common with
electric and some gas smokers to have that lumber flavor. The wood is
just not heated enough to get the same clean smoke you get from a real
flame. I've had some from gas smokers that were virtually
indistinguishable from wood fired cookers, I've had it from others that
had that lumber taste you speak of.

I'm going to buy one last batch of pellets and see how it goes.

What I find interesting is that most, if not all, Traeger's rubs contain
smoke flavoring. Indeed one friend who recommended Traeger uses the
chicken rub on most everything. It contains smoke flavoring. I don't quite
understand why a wood-fueled cooker, with a seemingly abundance of smoke,
would need the help of added smoke flavoring... unless it's to cover
something up g.

Guess I must be the only Traeger owner not overwhelmed by the brand. Was
never happy with the cheapo 3-position switch either, the solution to
which costs $180 (a "digital" thermostat controller that *begins* at 225
degrees). For nearly the price of just that thermostat I can buy a WSM.

For the record chicken seems to impart that lumber taste the most. Yea I
suppose chicken ain't real Q, but I have had decent chicken cooked on a
smoker before--and it didn't taste like a 2x4.


--
Mike

The only Traeger rub that I have with Liquid Smoke is the Salmon Shake. The
Prime Rib and Pork and Poultry do not show it. Shorter cook time on salmon?

The "Smoke" setting on both the 3-position and digital is a timed feed. It
is "set" so that the fire is not flaming when the new pellets are
introduced - thus the smoke before ignition.

The newer digitals start at 180 (I have had mine two years)

Yes, there is a difference of temps by location: coldest on LH side, hottest
in center (over the burn pot), cooler on RH side. Put your thickest portions
in the center, thin to the end.

John

wrote:

"Tinman" wrote
Guess I must be the only Traeger owner not overwhelmed by the brand.
Was never happy with the cheapo 3-position switch either, the
solution to which costs $180 (a "digital" thermostat controller that
*begins* at 225 degrees). For nearly the price of just that
thermostat I can buy a WSM.

I just bought my Traeger 075 a couple of months ago. Bought the digital
thermostat after an overnight cook resulted in a cold smoker next morning,
with no fire.

I did some expensive steaks on it just a few nights ago. I have to say I'm
not overwhelmed by the brand, either. Next time I do a steak, it'll be on a
grill - either my Weber or my gas grill with some wood chips for the smoke.
The Traeger just doesn't get hot enough to sear a steak for me.


The newer digitals start at 180 (I have had mine two years)

Well, I just bought mine, and it starts at 225. I'm thinking it's the old
ones that start at 180, but I don't know.

Yes, there is a difference of temps by location: coldest on LH side,
hottest in center (over the burn pot), cooler on RH side. Put your
thickest portions in the center, thin to the end.

I've definitely noticed this as well. But, it seems to be only a difference
of about ten degrees or so, at least on my Texas model.


--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

wrote:
"Tinman" wrote in message

I'm going to buy one last batch of pellets and see how it goes.

What I find interesting is that most, if not all, Traeger's rubs contain
smoke flavoring. Indeed one friend who recommended Traeger uses the
chicken rub on most everything. It contains smoke flavoring. I don't
quite understand why a wood-fueled cooker, with a seemingly abundance of
smoke, would need the help of added smoke flavoring... unless it's to
cover something up g.

Guess I must be the only Traeger owner not overwhelmed by the brand. Was
never happy with the cheapo 3-position switch either, the solution to
which costs $180 (a "digital" thermostat controller that *begins* at 225
degrees). For nearly the price of just that thermostat I can buy a WSM.

For the record chicken seems to impart that lumber taste the most. Yea I
suppose chicken ain't real Q, but I have had decent chicken cooked on a
smoker before--and it didn't taste like a 2x4.



The only Traeger rub that I have with Liquid Smoke is the Salmon Shake.

Yea the shakes don't seem to have much of the smoke flavoring. Even the
salmon shake I have contains no smoke. Think I bought it (salmon shake)
about 1.5 years ago.


The Prime Rib and Pork and Poultry do not show it. Shorter cook time on
salmon?

Of the Traeger rubs I have purchased--chicken, BBQ, sweet, and beef--only
the beef doesn't contain smoke (and I mistakenly though it did too--haven't
really used it much). Gonna avoid the "smoke added" stuff in the future.
(See below, about the ribs I cooked yesterday.)



The "Smoke" setting on both the 3-position and digital is a timed feed. It
is "set" so that the fire is not flaming when the new pellets are
introduced - thus the smoke before ignition.

Thanks but I know what each setting does on the three-position switch. I
just don't find it offers the granularity that the grill needs. What I was
complaining about was having to fork over another $180 for the thermostat.



The newer digitals start at 180 (I have had mine two years)

The photo on Traeger's Website starts at 225 degrees. When I called I
couldn't get a straight answer on exactly where it's supposed to start nor
could I get the guy to understand that "Smoke" on the thermostat thingy is
not the same as a temperature setting). If the new units do start at 180 I
might be more interested. Right now, in 100-110 degree temps, "Smoke"
setting is 225-250 degrees.

Ironically, yesterday I cooked the best spareribs I have ever made on the
Traeger (or ever, for that matter). I had been waiting on a shipment of
pellets, and I was running quite low. So I decided to cook a few racks of
ribs to burn off any remaining pellets. Didn't even think much about it.

All I did was apply a conservative amount of Pork and Poultry Shake to the
ribs--nothing else, not even S&P, were added. I wasn't sure I had enough
pellets to finish the job, so figured I'd do the best I could. Fired the
Traeger up on Medium based on a reply from Edwin, thinking it might be too
hot (I didn't care).

Turns out Medium was only around 250 degrees--and seemed to hold that temp
steadier than "Smoke." For reference, we hit 115 degrees here yesterday (the
Traeger isn't in the sun--otherwise it hits 200 without fire). When the fat
started to render the temp increased to about 275, but not much higher. Not
quite sure how the fat increased the temp as it wasn't flaring up in any
way.

Anyway, not expecting much I cooked 'em for 4 hours. Turned it down to smoke
for another 45 minutes and then wrapped 'em in foil. While removing them
from the grill I already could tell these were "done," if not a bit
overdone. I still had enough pellets to go for another two hours.

I snuck a few ribs out for tasting. For starters, they had *zero* "lumber"
flavor. Not a trace. Better yet, they didn't have even a hint of the
"bacon-like" flavor that seemed to haunt my prior ribs (my "successful"
ribs). Without a single drop of added sauce or seasoning they tasted
great--very much like the ribs I've had in decent (to me) BBQ joints. Now my
ribs were not trimmed at all and the "untrimmed" parts seemed a bit overdone
and crusty (yet tasty).

A few hours later--at dinner--they were even better. The "crusty" bits had
softened up nicely. Everything else truly and literally fell off the bone.

I think I had been over-salting ribs. Even when using nothing but S&P the
salt was just too much. I think, perhaps, this is what added some of that
bacon-like flavor.

As for the "lumber" flavor, I don't know if it was gone due to cooking over
a slightly higher heat (yet using much more fuel) or the different type of
meat. The more I think about it, the more it seems chicken has been the meat
to bring out that unwanted flavor--and I wonder how many times I'd used a
rub with smoke already in it. Regardless, I won't cook chicken (or perhaps
ribs) on Smoke as much.

Finally, the pellets that I'm getting (today) are the S&W variety. On one
hand I hope they are of better quality. On the other I fear I've changed a
variable at the *exact moment* I've gotten the best Q I have ever cooked.
Either way it does seem the Traeger is certainly capable of fantastic BBQ. I
only hope I can do it again!



--
Mike

"EZ" wrote:
wrote:

"Tinman" wrote
Guess I must be the only Traeger owner not overwhelmed by the brand.
Was never happy with the cheapo 3-position switch either, the
solution to which costs $180 (a "digital" thermostat controller that
*begins* at 225 degrees). For nearly the price of just that
thermostat I can buy a WSM.

I just bought my Traeger 075 a couple of months ago. Bought the digital
thermostat after an overnight cook resulted in a cold smoker next morning,
with no fire.

Indeed I read about that incident. Fortunately haven't had it happen to me
yet, at least not accidentally. Did have an incident once where I had to
leave the house while a few butts were on the Traeger, about halfway done.
Told teenage daughter to essentially leave the grill alone, but showed her
where to safely turn it off should "disaster strike." Came home hours later
to a cold grill. Apparently "smoke" was disaster enough for her and she
killed it, along with the butts.

As for your incident, I wonder what would have happened if, as luck would
have it, your electrical power *did* go out--and then back on--some time
after the Traeger lost its fire. Seems there could have been a crap load of
pellets firing up at once, should that unlikely scenario occur.



I did some expensive steaks on it just a few nights ago. I have to say I'm
not overwhelmed by the brand, either. Next time I do a steak, it'll be on
a grill - either my Weber or my gas grill with some wood chips for the
smoke. The Traeger just doesn't get hot enough to sear a steak for me.

Yep, I went through the "try to grill a steak" phase when I first got my
Traeger too (it is called a "grill" after-all g). And indeed I can get
mine very hot in the summer heat, especially in the sun (when the internal
temperature is above 160 degrees before turning the grill on).

But in the end I realized it was the wrong tool for the job.

I've got a TEC series CB grill now and its on the TEC burner for any steal I
cook these days. If anything, might try searing a steak and then finishing
on the Traeger for more smoke flavor.

In case you missed it, I have posted about a great experience I had with my
Traeger, just yesterday. In a nutshell, I cooked the best BBQ spareribs I've
ever done. Fantastic.

I think, for the most part, I'm going to stick to basic BBQ stuff on the
Traeger (perhaps not too much chicken either).


--
Mike

Tinman wrote:

As for your incident, I wonder what would have happened if, as luck
would have it, your electrical power *did* go out--and then back
on--some time after the Traeger lost its fire. Seems there could have
been a crap load of pellets firing up at once, should that unlikely
scenario occur.

Well, I'm betting the pellets would stop with the electricity, then when the
power came back on, hopefully the glow plug would fire up for its 4 minutes
and gracefully ignite the pellets as the augur fed them. If not, well,
there'd be what I found that morning - a crapload of pellets that stupid ol'
me fired up by power-cycling the Traeger.

I've got a TEC series CB grill now and its on the TEC burner for any
steal I cook these days. If anything, might try searing a steak and
then finishing on the Traeger for more smoke flavor.

I'm thinking that just might be the ticket. Except for having to get two
pieces of outdoor cooking equipment uncovered, heated up, cleaned-up
afterwards, etc. Ah, but I bet the result is worth it!


--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

Tinman wrote:
Ironically, yesterday I cooked the best spareribs I have ever made on
the Traeger (or ever, for that matter).

Good deal! I'll be doing another three racks tonight for company that's
suddenly coming over. Today's our company picnic, so I just ate a cold
hamburger with cold baked beans and slightly cool potato salad. I'm ready
for some decent fare.

This will be my third time doing ribs on my Traeger. Each time, they taste a
bit better. I'm still holding out for the great ribs my Texas offset cooker
can do. Of course, that thing requires constant attention just to keep the
temperature constant. But the results are truly amazing.

So, tonight, I'll put a different rub on each rack. One will get plain old
Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Another will get Mesquite Seasoning. And a third
will get Kenrick's (local meat market) Rib Rub-my personal favorite. We'll
sit around, drink beer while the barbecue gets done, swap stories, eat too
much, go to bed late, sleep in tomorrow. It's a tough job, but we're happy
to do it!


--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

"EZ" wrote:
Tinman wrote:

As for your incident, I wonder what would have happened if, as luck
would have it, your electrical power *did* go out--and then back
on--some time after the Traeger lost its fire. Seems there could have
been a crap load of pellets firing up at once, should that unlikely
scenario occur.

Well, I'm betting the pellets would stop with the electricity, then when
the power came back on, hopefully the glow plug would fire up for its 4
minutes and gracefully ignite the pellets as the augur fed them.

I was thinking about the fire going out (on its own), but not the
electricity. Four hours later the power does go out, then comes back on,
starting the fire again (this time with a boat load of pellets to burn!).


If not, well, there'd be what I found that morning - a crapload of pellets
that stupid ol' me fired up by power-cycling the Traeger.


Aha, so it did happen after-all (but at least not unattended). I was
concerned that burning such a large number of pellets might be a problem.
Guess it's better than a similar situation occurring with gas...


I've got a TEC series CB grill now and its on the TEC burner for any
steal I cook these days. If anything, might try searing a steak and
then finishing on the Traeger for more smoke flavor.

I'm thinking that just might be the ticket. Except for having to get two
pieces of outdoor cooking equipment uncovered, heated up, cleaned-up
afterwards, etc. Ah, but I bet the result is worth it!

You betcha. The thing with steaks is that they are damned expensive to
practice on these days. And when you screw it up it's done. Most of my
"bad Q" was still pretty darned good, even if as leftovers (your lost-fire
incident duly noted).

I almost tried the sear-then-smoke, or perhaps smoke-then-sear, technique a
few weeks ago with some very nice thickly-cut aged filets. But in the end I
chickened out--no pun!!!--and seared 'em on the red-hot TEC burner,
finishing on low on a regular gas burner. One of these days...


--
Mike

"Denny Wheeler" wrote in message
IIRC, Traegers can go quite high, using either the middle or high
setting on the 3-way switch.
From Traeger's site:
SETTING TEMP AUGER TIMING PELLET CONSUMPTION
High 425 - 450 F Always On 2 lbs/hr
Medium 300 - 325 F On 2 Min, Off 2 1 lb/hr
Smoke 180 - 220 F On 1 Min, Off 3 1/2 lb/hr

Be interesting to see how chicken came out at either of the higher
temps.

OK, that on/off cycle may contribute to the "lumber" smell. It may not get
hot enough for a clean burn of the pellets. Just like using wood that
smolders.

Denny Wheeler wrote:
IIRC, Traegers can go quite high, using either the middle or high
setting on the 3-way switch.
From Traeger's site:
SETTING TEMP AUGER TIMING PELLET CONSUMPTION
High 425 - 450 F Always On 2 lbs/hr
Medium 300 - 325 F On 2 Min, Off 2 1 lb/hr
Smoke 180 - 220 F On 1 Min, Off 3 1/2 lb/hr

Yeah, but that's not even close to what the grate temp is on a gas grill
using direct heat right above the fire. Or on a Weber, for that matter. All
Traeger's use indirect heat. There's a solid chunk of U-shaped steel right
above the firebox to deflect the heat. And above that is a long, sloped
chunk of steel nearly as long and wide as the grill itself, to further keep
the heat away from the grates. The heat that does get there mostly gets
there around those two pieces of steel, reflecting off the insides of the
cooker. Yes, there's *some* heat right in the middle of the cooker that's
radiating off the firebox through those two pieces of steel, but it's barely
enough to make light grill marks.

Tonight I did a few Omaha Steak hamburger patties. That's about the only
meat I haven't done so far on it. I had to fire up the Traeger for a solid
15-20 minutes to get it above 400 degrees F. The patties were partially
frozen, but it still took 20 minutes to get them up to 160 degrees internal.
That's 40 minutes to get a hamburger! On my gas grill, warmup time would be
5 minutes and cook time would be less than 10.

So, yes, color me a Traeger owner who is not as enamoured of his Traeger as
many other Traeger afficianados are. Don't get me wrong - I have had
excellent slow-smoked barbecue off the Traeger. And chicken and fish are
great - very flavorful, moist and just smoky enough to be interesting. And
never burned! But as a grill for steaks and burgers, it just doesn't get hot
enough.

So, while I cook on the Traeger more than any other of my six pieces of
outdoor equipment, I think I'll be reverting to the actual grills for
burgers and steaks.


--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

Digital thermostat reads 32 all the time now€¦ Even while cooking on high heat. I bought a new RTD and replaced it but the issue was not solved the grill is either on high or smoke when I turn the knob regardless of the temperature