• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Pellet Smokers

Bay Arean said:
That’s the thing: you are getting an incredibly even cooking temp and that is what can be elusive with charcoal smokers. Since I live on the last hill of the Berkeley hills, it’s windy about 370 days a year up here. I have a hell of a time keeping smoking temp even and its so goddam important that it’s probably the single biggest positive about Tragers and other controlled-fuel feed appliances.

I never heard the easy bake oven crack but I get that people invested tremendous life energy into using their various smoking contraptions. It’s kinda funny but that is not a reason not to get a Traeger if you want to start cooking everything right away. I still have adventures with different types of meats trying to get it right and am not always successful.
Click to expand...

I live in the Altamont, I suffer similarly. Seal the ever-lovin' hell out of your smoker, baffle the air intake to keep air pressure down, and put a jacket (welding blanket) on it to help get consistency. I've only sealed mine and it's decent at maintaining the temps I want. I need to re-do the firebox seal on mine, I've just noticed it starting to leak.


 
I also like the idea of the nicer ones having WiFi and built in temp probes that I don't need to worry about if the battery is charged.

Otherwise I can just point a Wyze camera at the temp probe ;)
 
cheez said:
I live in the Altamont, I suffer similarly. Seal the ever-lovin' hell out of your smoker, baffle the air intake to keep air pressure down, and put a jacket (welding blanket) on it to help get consistency. I've only sealed mine and it's decent at maintaining the temps I want. I need to re-do the firebox seal on mine, I've just noticed it starting to leak.
]
Click to expand...

I noticed my BIL now has some kind of blanket over his Traeger smoker. It seems sort of ridiculous to buy something then have to buy something else to make it work right...And he does not live in a cold windy area like us, rather up in Potter Valley. They get some afternoon wind but not like here.

But yeah, I have tried different ways to minimize that like you mentioned, short of blanket.
 
Last edited:
I don't recommend the base line smoker from Traeger the auger kept jamming even with Traeger brand pellets. I had to drive it back to Costco they accepted it no questions asked (they didn't even remove the cover could have been 3 badgers people in a BBQ suit).

I hear the higher end / larger ones are fine.

I'd get a Yoder if money and space were no object.
 
kingmoochr said:
Go to Costco business center and buy a small prime packer. If you like beef it's really not that hard. I suggest splitting the point and flat so you can cook them as needed. The rest is just as important as the cook. In a towel in a cooler for at least 2 hours.
Click to expand...

So far my issue is a brisket is huge and I live with my wife and 7 year old son. So I want to make sure I know it's going to come out right because if/when I do one, I am inviting people over. I am not doing a brisket till I have several more mouths to feed but I don't want to invite people over for it until I am confident I can crush it. Maybe I am wrong but reheated brisket doesn't sound so appetizing. So with all the different cooks I have done I am studying the behavior of the smoker. I am also slowly building up all the tools and peripheral items I need to do it right. But when I finally do give it a try I will get one from either Costco or Chef Store.
 
I have been gas grilling for many years. My peeps surprised me on Christmas Eve with this Traeger Silverton 620 Pellet Smoker from Costco. It’s a perfect size. It has a Wi-Fi app that works beautifully as somebody mentioned. You can set cook temperature and probe temperature alarm on the smoker or the app.

YhnwDMg.jpg


It is fantastic. On Christmas Day we had smoked filet mignon that melted in your mouth. Yes, it looks a little different than grilled, but tastes better.

3ZgIin0.jpg


I have since been smoking on this thing one to three times a week with great success.

Some other early examples shown below.

Yoshidas salmon

lClZ4Dk.jpg


Pork loin roast

JQAE0UH.jpg


St. Louis Style ribs, this has become a favorite

d0F3Evr.jpg


937noRe.jpg


mOOnNPq.jpg


Filet mignon pizza with leftover smoked filet mignon. We smoke a pizza every weekend now.

IIH95s3.jpg


IeBswiq.jpg


I clean this thing out every 3 to 5 smokes depending on how long they were. It takes maybe 10 minutes. I have used many different pellets, Hickory, Costco blend, Apple, and really have zero preference. My taste buds aren’t that precise to notice whole lot of difference. So I have resorted to purchasing the cheapest ones I can find which became this week Costco is selling a non-Traeger brand 40 pound bags for $13.

I have put up a few very nonprofessional smoking videos on my YouTube channel if you want to check it out.
 
ejv said:
So far my issue is a brisket is huge and I live with my wife and 7 year old son. So I want to make sure I know it's going to come out right because if/when I do one, I am inviting people over. I am not doing a brisket till I have several more mouths to feed but I don't want to invite people over for it until I am confident I can crush it. Maybe I am wrong but reheated brisket doesn't sound so appetizing. So with all the different cooks I have done I am studying the behavior of the smoker. I am also slowly building up all the tools and peripheral items I need to do it right. But when I finally do give it a try I will get one from either Costco or Chef Store.
Click to expand...

Oh hell no you didn't say reheated brisket isn't good...... You slice that shit thin stack it high on some bread with some pepper jack and it makes the best damn day after sandwiches...
 
ejv said:
So far my issue is a brisket is huge and I live with my wife and 7 year old son. So I want to make sure I know it's going to come out right because if/when I do one, I am inviting people over. I am not doing a brisket till I have several more mouths to feed but I don't want to invite people over for it until I am confident I can crush it. Maybe I am wrong but reheated brisket doesn't sound so appetizing. So with all the different cooks I have done I am studying the behavior of the smoker. I am also slowly building up all the tools and peripheral items I need to do it right. But when I finally do give it a try I will get one from either Costco or Chef Store.
Click to expand...

Seriously, brisket is easy. The final couple of hours in the cooler is what does it. Whats great is you can leave it in the cooler for 3-4 hours and it'll still come out steaming hot and melt in your mouth. Fill the cooler with as many towels or blanket as you can to act as insulation.
The cooking breaks down all the long chain proteins so it does well reheated and even frozen, defrosted and reheated.
 
kpke said:
I have been gas grilling for many years. My peeps surprised me on Christmas Eve with this Traeger Silverton 620 Pellet Smoker from Costco.
Click to expand...

Beautiful post and pix. I am officially interested.

Editing in: then I looked it up and started reading reviews. They are selling a device in 2021 that insists on 2G to have the Wifi functionality. Seems like a fair amount come damaged to and often have electrical problems.. Officially skeered off for a while. Back to Analysis Paralysis

https://www.costco.com/traeger-silverton-620-pellet-grill.product.100506764.html
 
Last edited:
ejv said:
So far my issue is a brisket is huge and I live with my wife and 7 year old son. So I want to make sure I know it's going to come out right because if/when I do one, I am inviting people over. I am not doing a brisket till I have several more mouths to feed but I don't want to invite people over for it until I am confident I can crush it. Maybe I am wrong but reheated brisket doesn't sound so appetizing. So with all the different cooks I have done I am studying the behavior of the smoker. I am also slowly building up all the tools and peripheral items I need to do it right. But when I finally do give it a try I will get one from either Costco or Chef Store.
Click to expand...

If you're gonna bbq, a vacuum sealer is basically mandatory. Vac seal and freeze. Reheat in hot water bath. It'll taste 99% equal.
 
HappyHighwayman said:
I don't recommend the base line smoker from Traeger the auger kept jamming even with Traeger brand pellets. I had to drive it back to Costco they accepted it no questions asked (they didn't even remove the cover could have been 3 badgers people in a BBQ suit).

I hear the higher end / larger ones are fine.
Click to expand...

It's almost always a moisture issue. People leave their smokers outside, uncovered, and moisture easily gets into the auger tunnel as well as the hopper box. The lower-end models make that even easier as there is less surface area covering them and the metal tends to be thinner. I even had that problem on our Lil' Tex Elite for a while until I finally just got a good cover for it. Now I just clean the auger tunnel out and sharpen the auger once a year. No problems since.
 
I bought my Traeger in 2015 as a Costco floor model and it's still going strong. I rarely have problems, but when I do, it's generally the firebox going out for one reason or another. Some grills have easy access to the firebox, but on mine, it's a real hassle to get to. For longer cooks, I always keep a grill probe.

I also find a pellet grill isn't as smokey as a traditional smoker, so I generally supplement extra smoke with an Amazen smoke tube.

https://amazenproducts.com/smokers/
 
Keep in mind that regardless of what kind of smoker you're using, the meat can only absorb smoke until it reaches approximately 160-170 degrees. After that, it's all fluff.
 
Kornholio said:
It's almost always a moisture issue. People leave their smokers outside, uncovered, and moisture easily gets into the auger tunnel as well as the hopper box. The lower-end models make that even easier as there is less surface area covering them and the metal tends to be thinner. I even had that problem on our Lil' Tex Elite for a while until I finally just got a good cover for it. Now I just clean the auger tunnel out and sharpen the auger once a year. No problems since.
Click to expand...

+1 on the moisture. I always empty out the hopper between cooks and I keep my pellets in lidded 5-gallon buckets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top