Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Looking damn good!

 

Never used a Camp Chef but I have Traeger and love it. Just don't use their pellets.

 

What pellets do you use and why don't you use theirs?

Later.

 

. Looks like it was figured out. Fat fingers small screen typing syndrome. That or autocorrect. But what the duck do I know...

 

I use Lumberjack, I don't use their pellet's because they have very little flavor to them. Lumberjack are super high quality and provide you with flavor not just heat.

 

Offset smoker... any of you have / use one? Best brand and model for under $1500? Are the good ones really any better than just a WSM aside from capacity?

Asking for a friend, maybe.

 

if i were to do it again, id get a traeger and never look back...

 

CookingPellets 100% hickory are very good (in addition to Lumberjack). If you have Amazon Prime they shop free.

Read the first review (its mine). It'll tell you why you should stay away from Traeger pellets.

$34 CookinPellets 40H BBQ pellets, Brown

https://www.amazon.com/CookinPellet...1510182074&sr=8-2&keywords=cookingpellets.com

 

The reason Traeger pellets dont have much flavor is because they use alot of Alder as filler in most of their bags. For example, a bag of Traeger Mesquite pellets might be 40% mesquite and 60% alder with mesquite flavored oils mixed in. Lumberjack makes our private label pellets for us, they have a few 100% bags like Maple, Hickory, Cherry and Beech and on the woods where they have to blend in something extra to tone down the profile they use oak, generally in a 60/40 ratio.

Traeger has taken a few notes and they do have a few higher quality blends available that are Alder free. Their Texas Beef, Big Game and Turkey pellets are 100% listed hardwoods with no Alder or oils added.

@mntnbikerbw as far as your grill selection goes Traeger would hands down be my recommendation. Currently they are $100 off the Pro Series grills for Black Friday, with free shipping and 100lbs of lumberjack pellets. Let me know if you want one

 

I rocked a char griller duo with side fire box for years. I had that thing dialed in after some mods and churned out some great q. Definitely on the cheap end of the scale and it only died because of a grease fire

Years of BBQ on charcoal side and decided to grill something with charcoal... Flames ensued.

 

I have a Chargriller pellet pooper from Lowe's. Entry level priced but works well. Just saw Lowe's has them on sale. Can't beat $350!

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Char-Griller-Wood-Fire-Pro-580-sq-in-Pellet-Grill/4437209

 

I smoked a ham last weekend. Test run to see if my family may want it for the holidays. My mom then asked what about smoking a turkey. I said it's not hard, just different temps. Check the grocery ad today; buy a ham, get $14 towards a turkey.

 

I will never make another ham in the oven again. I did one last year for my family, and we all loved it. Have done 5-6 since then.

 

What type of wood and chips do you use? I smoke my turkey with pecan chips on my BGE. Turns out great.

 

I smoke with pecan.

 

Our grocery store (Hy-Vee) once again has buy a turkey get the ham for free. And normally will do it around Christmas time again.

Usually rotisserie the turkey on the Kettle although did use the Genesis rotisserie once on Christmas at well below zero. Ham used to smoke on kettle until the WSM. With traditional hickory don't want to do too much smoke though it gets strong fast. Butcher shop in town sells bags of pecan hulls but feel they were pretty mild almost like alder for smoking fish. But they may work for a ham too.

Considering getting the 22" WSM and Cajun Bandit rotisserie for the 22" WSM to do direct heat roti. Seeing how I got sent the 55 gal. rib hanging rack and diffuser plate instead of the 30 gal. ones. And they both fit the 18" and 22" WSM respectively. Afraid 18" rotisserie will not work well with a turkey and on a large bird will not fit at all.

 

Do you soak the pecan hulls in water over night?

 

I did not and only used them once. Normally use chunks unless the gasser then will use chips in the smoker box. But don't use the gasser much been out of propane for about 6 months now LOL. With winter coming up will use it a bit more.