Hardcore newby

[Good bye propane smoker]

I’ve had a Traeger 650 for about 2 months and have cooked maybe 25 times. It’s clear I’m serious about Traegering. This thing has worked flawlessly from day one. These are my observations. It’s hard to mess up ribs but there is a steep learning curve from the 3-2-1 Traeger video. Choosing the right rubs and sauces makes a huge difference. Don’t settle for the standard stuff. Do some research. Was going to make this a long post but have to cut it short. Jerk chicken thighs need my attention. Last word, step out of the box. This is a fantastic tool for experimenting.

 

[Spanky]

Goodbye

Welcome. There is a wealth of information with this group and we can help empower you to keep spending money on necessary "required" tools to be the best of the best ((Thanks Slimpicker - I think he has helped me 5 times now since the end of March)). Look in the Deals section. Great values that cost me each time I look. They make great presents as long as the gift recipient lives in your house so you can use it yourself. My lovely wife now has a ThermalPen MK4 and (2) InkBird IBBQ 4T. Forgot the 3 piece knife set for 12.00 shipped. Oddly she has never used them.

My Texan nephew has a new Ironwood 650. Very nice Smoker with D2 controller = Super Smoke. I taught him how to make a 20 pound full packer Tennessee Beef Brisket as he think like many Texans that only real BBQ comes from Texas . Up to that point he was only cooking small items.

What part of Tennessee are you from. I hope to retire someday in NE Tennessee myself.

Welcome again and we do like pictures

Spanky

 

[Slimpicker]

I agree, 3-2-1 is not bible, it actually was created as a guide line when there were only offset smokers in the populous.
No "fan air movement", just slow flow and even sometimes then not real efficient.
With Traeger and the 'convection' 3-2-1 is what YOU make it. Personally, I almost NEVER did the last 1, most mine were just like I liked them after the 2.
And it is also hard to mess up a pork butt for PP. Anything you do wrong can be undone during a 2-4 hour wrapped rest in a cooler... the meat will resurrect itself. Just take it to 200° and it will do the rest.

Don’t settle for the standard stuff.

AMEN, I don't go for these thousands of "by the book" methods, again, not bible, just guides. Most smokers admit they are guides, but the viewers mistaken them for exact, and that's the problem. (I'm only talking about recipes, not things like curing meat)

I don't really even mind TEMP FLUCTUATIONS in a Traeger, you want temp fluctuations??? load an off set and try to take a piss, by that time, you went from 224 - 300

Good to hear someone enjoying their grill for a change instead of just CRYING about it's faults.
Smoking for years on offsets made me customize my cooks, no one can 'set it and forget it' in that world. UDS came close but still needed tons of attention, never even heard of an OVERNIGHT cook till Traeger. BOOM, how privileged is that???

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I agree with everything Slim said. Maybe its all the Traeger marketing saying it is so easy to use them. Of course they are easier than offset smokers, but they still need a lot of attention and mastering them takes time. That should be obvious for something as complex as the D2 Traegers. Unfortunately many are expecting it to be like an oven.

 

[primeone]

I’ve had a Traeger 650 for about 2 months and have cooked maybe 25 times. It’s clear I’m serious about Traegering. This thing has worked flawlessly from day one. These are my observations. It’s hard to mess up ribs but there is a steep learning curve from the 3-2-1 Traeger video. Choosing the right rubs and sauces makes a huge difference. Don’t settle for the standard stuff. Do some research. Was going to make this a long post but have to cut it short. Jerk chicken thighs need my attention. Last word, step out of the box. This is a fantastic tool for experimenting.

Welcome to the forum @Good bye propane smoker