oak

 

A friend of mine and I are cooking for a large group this Friday. Chicken and steak. I know that some types of woods burn hotter than others. And with the weather turning cooler that night was wondering if any Treager experts out there could recomend the right type of pellets to keep the temp on the hotter side? Thanks

Traegers burn the same with all pellets, there is a Feedback circuit to maintain the temp so more or less pellets get used but the temp stays constant.

 

only if ya got the digi thermostat! The manual, will very quite a bit with wood types

 

My experience has been "Alder" burns the hottest. :twocents:

 

Copied from the Traeger Outlet Store website:

One of the ways to select which 'flavor' of pellet to purchase is to group the wood pellets into three catagories: Soft, Medium, Hard.

Soft woods have loosely woven fibers, causing the pellet to burn cooler with more smoke. Alder and Apple wood are softer wood pellets.

Hard woods have tightly woven figers, causing the pellet to burn hot with very little smoke. Oak and Cherry wood are harder wood pellets.

Medium woods are somewhere in between the two.
Soft wood pellets are generally used for cooking poultry and fish - softer meats with a delicate flavor.

Hard wood pellets are generally used for firmer meats, steaks and beef roasts.

The medium wood pellets are an all purpose wood pellet - generally used by Owners who use one or two types of wood pellets for all their cooking. At the Big Belly Deli, we use Hickory, Pecan, or the last bag that broke.


Hickory is a medium wood perfect for grilling steaks, burgers or chicken quarters.
Mesquite is a medium wood more aromatic than hickory, and excellent for grilling burgers and steaks.
Pecan is a medium-hard wood, very versatile, and a good choice for long, slow cooking pork, beef, or poultry and grilling as well.
Apple & Alder pellets are soft woods, burn cooler and have more moisture in the wood than other pellets. These pellets are used for slow cooking fish and large poultry, such as turkey.
Onion & Garlic pellets are flavored pellets that have the associated flavor blended in with alder wood. Use sparingly, mixed in with other pellets to add extra flavor for certain foods.
Maple pellets have a lightly-smokey aroma, and are excellent for cold smoking cheeses, grilling vegetables and small poultry.
Cherry and Oak pellets are a hard woods and burn at hotter temperatures. Excellent for searing steaks and flash cooking fresh fish.
Grapevine is a very hard wood. Distinct aroma, versatile and can get very hot for searing and flash cooking.

 

Thanks Boatdog. That's a great rundown! :flowered:

 

Another thing to consider:

If you have a newer grill and it didn't come with a digital thermostat, such as a Lil' Tex, there is a rod in the center of the auger that will restrict the flow of pellets and keep it from being too hot. This can be modified by taking out the center rod with a hacksaw and is necessary if you want to use a digital thermostat and get temps up to 450 and above. If you have this and need detailed instructions on how to do this process, feel free to call me anytime.

Ron

 

Hey Iwish,

Can I install a 185 or 225 digital thermostat into a Lil Tex Junior (055)?

And also, maybe you could PM me with a price quote for a couple dozen bags of assorted pellets (Mesquite, Hickory, Alder, Apple). :flowered:

Thanks!

 

Boatdog,

You can infact install a digital thermostat on a Jr. If you haven't bought one yet please don't just yet. I can give you details if you are interested. PM sent for pellets...

Ron

 

Now that you have established proper cooking temperature what time do you want all of us to show up Friday Jaws? Are you serving beer? I have a little bag of Doritos I can bring.

 

Keizer Eagles with our good friend Phil G. My old next door neighbor! How I got roped into it I'll never know! assout: Oh! Bring the tater salad! I'll buy ya a beer. (BUD LITE?)

 

Wishin, be nice to the guy and bring your own beer. I just want to know the address and a time to show up.

 

I have the Big tex and would like to install a digi thermostat.Does treager still have the reconditioning program?

 

You could install a digital thermostat on your Big Tex no problem. As far as the reconditioning program, that has been gone for a couple of years now. If you are looking at fixing the paint peeling problem I would strongly suggest calling a powdercoating company and having them blast it and powdercoat it with your choice of colors.

I still have some of the digital thermostats in the original 180 version as well as the newer 225 versions. If you are in need, let me know and I'd be glad to ship one to you.

Ron