More thoughts on Pellet Smoker Cooking

Most people who go from a wood, (stick burner) smoker to a pellet smoker find it does not give them the smoke flavor they were used to. Some of them add a smoke daddy, a small smoke generator for additional smoke. I went from water smokers to my Traeger so the smoke flavor I get is right for me. Hickory, mesquite, & cherry are some of the stronger flavor pellets. Most of the other wood is milder & I don’t see much difference in their flavor. I think most people will agree that a thin blue smoke is better than white smoke. Too much white smoke will give a more acrid taste. On a pellet smoker you get the most smoke flavor between 160 & 180 deg.
Some meat cuts that are suited to low & slow cooking are Pork butts & shoulders, pork ribs, beef briskets, and beef chuck roasts.
I find that most poultry, pork loins, and meaty beef roast are better cooked from 250 to 350 deg. You don’t get as much smoke taste but I think it is a unique flavor you get from being cooked over a wood fire. I brine most all poultry, unless marinated, and pork loins before smoking, this insures you get a good moist meat.
Even though the Traeger will get to 500 deg on a hot day, I find it takes too long & you burn up a lot of pellets to sear a steak & do a 10 min. cook. For steaks I use my Weber Q100. Although I do like hamburgers done on the Traeger, 300 deg for ½ hour, turning half way through. Those grill marks are pretty, but when you get it on a bun with all the fixins I don’t think you could tell if it had grill marks or not!
Last summer I tried about everything on my Traeger, pulled pork, beef brisket, pork ribs, braised pork belly, corn bread in a cast iron skillet, chili w/cornbread & cheese topping, pizza, beans, brats, sausage, mush, fish, meatloaf, potatoes, corn on the cob, veggies, jalapeno poppers, boudin balls and even cured my own bacon & smoked it.
Most all the meat I get from my local butcher less than ½ mile away. I also bought my smoker from him. He makes some of the best fresh brats around, at least 6 types. I also know I am getting fresh local meat. Some people are not that fortunate & must buy from large chain groceries. If you buy any meats in cryopaks & it does not say fresh but says packed in a solution, it contains salt. I would recommend soaking in water for a period to remove some & don’t use salt based seasoning or rubs.
My favorite cooks are pulled pork & pork ribs. For new years day I always have to have my pork & kraut for good luck, I do up some kind of pork roast or ribs, add sauerkraut & onions. Then my wife usually makes some knopfles, drop noodles to add near the end & serve over mashed potatoes. I did manage to do it on my Traeger this year. I did a rack of baby back ribs & some bratwurst, then added all to a large foil roast pan on the smoker & had the best New Years meal ever.