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Patience to heat up? It's like 15 minutes to light the charcoal and let it warm up - not really much different than the length of time you should probably be letting your gas or any other grill heat up before cooking on it. Looks like you'll be having a good time with your Traeger though. Should've picked up a couple big slabs of meat while you were at Costco to start testing your smoker
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Ya can't wait to test it out. I have always wanted to do a brisket. But lately some racks of ribs sounds so good. Maybe a nice dry rub and some brown sugar and honey? I haven't had a chance to look at they cook book they send you. I picked up some hickory chips for it (the guy said for red meats its a good flavor). Also picked up this "gourmet" bag of pellets that only Costco sells which is a mix of woods like maple, hickory, and cherry (he said it's good flavor for white meats). This thing really opens the doors for all sorts of cooking.
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Well, mostly for smoking. I mean you can do lots of meats on it and such, but aren't they basically just for low/slow cooks? I wouldn't expect you'd ever heat this up for burgers/brats/hotdogs, or probably not even for a grilled steak?
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No steaks, hotdogs, burgers etc. work just fine on a Treager. I think you just kinda cook them different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeizOTPHDvYI am considering picking up a meat probe (inset Beavis laugh here). The guy said something about an Igrill? I guess it sends a message to your smart phone? I see amazon sells all sorts of them though that all do the same.
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Might be waiting awhile I don't see many sale on Treagers. I saw Amazon had one last week. The reason I went with mine is it was decent deal with the cover. That thing is $50 bucks by itself.
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iGrill is a Weber thing - it's Bluetooth, so range isn't going to be terrific. I'd just look at a wireless probe or a direct insert one if you don't use it often. I have a weber wireless one (not the iGrill) but the batteries die in it quickly. I got in on the kickstarter for the Loki WiFi meat thermometer. Basically a lot like the iGrill, but it is WiFi so theoretically could monitor long cooks from further away or maybe even across WAN not just close enough for Bluetooth connection. https://www.lokiproducts.com/
I hope the traeger works out for you with all grilling. I suspect you'll still use gas for most fast cooks though - indirect heat sucks for burgers and such compared to a quick grill. Especially since most won't take smoke. I always use gas for those types of cooks, charcoal at high heat for steak and then low slow charcoal with wood chips for most things that I'd ever consider doing on a Traeger
I hope the traeger works out for you with all grilling. I suspect you'll still use gas for most fast cooks though - indirect heat sucks for burgers and such compared to a quick grill. Especially since most won't take smoke. I always use gas for those types of cooks, charcoal at high heat for steak and then low slow charcoal with wood chips for most things that I'd ever consider doing on a Traeger
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Ya I will still have my other for a backup. It will be nicer for me to cook things now for more people. That is what stared me looking in the first place. The second upper try is a nice feature to. A lot of room. I have heard of people making jerky on these things as well. Quite a few recipes out there.http://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/beef/peppered-beef-jerky
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Well just got it assembled. Wasn't to bad I would say 20-30 minutes till completion. It even came with a screwdriver in the package. The grill cover is top notch and even covers the chimney pipe. Now I have to wait. Been pouring rain here.
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I forgot to mention I like how strong the gauge of steel is. It's not thin. The cheaper version used thinner steel. This is way stronger, well built and it it like a hammed powder coat. It's made to last.
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Thinking about getting a Treager folding shelf for mine now.
https://www.traegergrills.com/shop/accessories/folding-shelf/BAC362.html
https://www.traegergrills.com/shop/accessories/folding-shelf/BAC362.html
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Busy at work for me today, but I thought I would give an update on my grill. So last night Was my first night cooking on it. It didn't quite go as plan as it was my fault for not letting it pre-heat. So it took a little longer than normal. I tried fresh water salmon, two chicken breasts and some hotdogs. Here is what I found. First like I said it takes about 5-10 to preheat. Don't just toss the food on then turn it one. Second I thought the salmon turn out great. The chicken my wife bought way to think so it took longer. I mean these pieces were about 6 inches thick, way to much. But let me tell you the thing that impressed me was the flavor of the hotdogs. Dam they were good, you could taste the smoke flavor in them, It really penetrated them. Well live and learn from the first time.
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You could say the chicken was too thick, or you could say that you didn't cook it correctly, or you could say you didn't properly cut it for the cook you were planning to do..Doesn't this thing only burn pellets? Will it go to 500+ degrees?
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You had quite the mix of foods for the first grilling attempt. That makes things a bit more interesting as you have to account for the different cooking times for the different meats. I would get some chicken quarters next and do a nice slow cook. Give yourself time. Think hours not minutes.
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Yes only pellets (not the wood stove kind). I had it on high for the break in period. It got to 440 I think I saw was the high on the display. It has a safety thing in it in case it hits 550 it will shut itself down.
This isn't a microwave?
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Shuts down at 550 eh... Definitely meant for low/slow cooks. I'd imagine you go through a lot of the pellets to cook at those higher temps for much time. I'd use your gas grill for them hotdogs or anytime you want to cook over 250-300. Smoking hotdogs I guess is an experiment and something to do, not worth the time/money to mess with them every time.