UNBOXING: Beast Armor, Heat-Resistant, High-Strength Gloves by Grill Beast

1 Comment December 3, 2017 Editor

Basics: Made in China. Brand is Grill Beast, based in Louisiana. Rated up to 662F.

REVIEW: Code 3 Spices Grunt Rub Gets the Job Done!

OPEN THREAD: What are the best wood pellets to use for a Traeger or pellet grill?

Leave a comment November 24, 2017 Editor

One of the most common questions in online forums and groups of pellet grill owners is “What kinds of pellets are out there?” Many questions seem to reflect negative things they’ve heard about “other brands,” and murmurs of possible additives, binders, oils, fillers or scents in some pellets. Sounds gross, right?

TALK BACK: What are your favorite pellets, and how do you store them? (Leave us a reply at bottom of the post!)

Then there is brand loyalty. Many owners swear by their grill manufacturer’s own brand. We can understand that. After all, why make a change or branch out when you’ve got a good thing going? Others state concern with warnings on their grills that using any other pellets will “void the manufacturer warranty.”

Full disclosure, we are no wood pellet experts, but we plan to get better acquainted ourselves! And we’d like to invite you to join us. Over the next few months, we plan to order and review the Best Sellers in Grilling Wood Pellets on Amazon.

For reference, as of today, here’s the #1 Best Seller in the category:

CookinPellets Perfect Mix Smoking Pellets (40 Lbs. Bag)

See the full Best Sellers in Grilling Wood Pellets list.

We’ll also be trying out the #1 New Release (as of today) in the category (and a brand with significant buzz among pellet grill owners):

Lumber Jack Smoker Pellets (120 Lbs.)

Final thought: Many of us pay a lot of attention to labels on food. So why not take a closer look at the labels of our wood pellets? We want to hear from you! Have a favorite brand of grill or smoker wood pellets? Learned something we should share with readers? Leave a comment or Contact Us.

Editor’s Note: Post contains affiliate links.

Traeger Grill Thanksgiving Turkey Review

REVIEW: Traeger Turkey Pellets Blend

2 Comments November 20, 2017 Editor

If you’re entrusted with cooking the bird on Thanksgiving, you’re probably looking for a risk-free, no-fuss tried and true recipe. Have a reoccurring nightmare about dry turkey, or sweet dreams about crispy, herb-crusted turkey legs?

If you’re on a wood pellet grill, this Traeger Turkey Pellets Blend might be for you:

We did a 20-pound test bird this weekend, and were cooking for 16 people. It was your typical friends-giving feast (with no less than 4 other Traeger-owners coming, NO PRESSURE!).

Again, we were looking for an easy, but proven, method and recipe. After skimming a dozen articles on spatchcocking, brining, injecting, rubbing, etc — we said: “Meh, nothing exotic.”

That’s when we turned to the wisdom of the Traeger Grills family. We had two bags delivered from a Traeger Instagram contest (“BBQ Hero of the Week”) over the summer.

The results were nothing short of amazing. “Best turkey I’ve ever had,” raved one friend. “OMG, moist, zesty, and great smoke flavor,” commented another. “Got to try that for our family Thanksgiving now, ” said one of our Traeger brethren.

Now, most everything that comes off the Traeger at our house is good. But that’s “most” not all. Not ashamed to admit we have a few hiccups every now and again. So these were pretty strong endorsements. What’s the secret? We followed Traeger’s included Smoked Bourbon & Orange Brined Turkey recipe to a T. Here are the basics (minus the booze):

Brine overnight (bag comes inside the pellets bag, fish it out!)

Pat dry, apply rub (again, included in the bag)

Put turkey directly on the grate (we put in a disposable roasting pan)

Set Traeger to smoke for 2 hours (for us, 180F)

Turn up to 350F for 2-3 hours (or until internal temp reaches 165F)

WHERE TO BUY?

You can pick up the Traeger Turkey Pellets Blend at your local dealer, or order from Amazon. If you HURRY, you select one-day or two-day shipping for Prime members, to still get in time for Thanksgiving.

Watch our mid-cook Facebook LIVE video from TraegerFanatics.com for some laughs:

Editor’s Note: This post contains affiliate links.

VIDEO: Meathead’s Buying Guide to Thermometers

2 Comments November 12, 2017 Editor

From Meathead at AmazingRibs.com:

Meathead does a great job over-viewing the various types of thermometers. Now here are some of the best-sellers and most highly-rated among BBQ enthusiasts:

ThermoPro TP03A – Instant Read Thermometer. A high precision sensor gives you accurate readings within 4-7 seconds. Stainless steel probe is easy to clean, and folds for convenient storage. Five-year warranty. Price range: $.

Lavatools Javelin – Instant Read Thermometer. For about twice the cost as the TP03A, you can get this ultra-fast sensor probe (3-4 seconds). Display is nice and big for easy reading. An integrated magnet allows for easy storage on your fridge or grill. Lifetime warranty. Price range: $$.

ThermoPro TP08 – Dual Probe Wireless Thermometer. We own this unit, and have found it well-suited to monitoring our wood pellet and gas grills alike. One probe monitors the meat, the other monitors the grill temp. Alarm and receiver both alert you to when temp has been reached. Up to 300 feet range. Lifetime Sensor Probe Warranty. Price range: $$.

ThermoPro TP20 – Dual Probe Wireless Thermometer. Simple and easy to use. Main difference from the TP08, are a Meat and Taste button that give you pre-programmed internal temps. Takes the guess work out of cooking any meat. Lifetime Sensor Probe Warranty. Price range: $$.

Tappecue – Meat Thermometer with Wifi. Comes with a phone app to monitor temps that’s available on all Apple, as well as Android products. You can get alerts when the meat or chamber goes above or below a min/max temp. Four meat probes mean you can keep track of multiple cooks at once! One year limited warranty. Price range: $$$.