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 BBQ BASICS
1)
Barbecue is low and slow,
grilling is high (hot) and fast.
2)
Keep it clean. A clean grill,
clean utensils, and clean meats/vegetables will help produce high quality
results.
3)
When grilling, make sure to
properly warm up your grill and oil your grates for nice grill marks.
4)
Liquid marinades are best done
over night while dry rubs can be an hour plus.
5)
Injection of liquid allows for
juicer meats and more flavors, but non-injection allows for a meatier
taste.
6)
The longer you smoke meats, the
more pronounced the wood smoke flavoring will become as seen in the smoke
ring. As a starting point, you can try smoking 1 hour for every 1 lb. of
meat. The more meat the longer it will take to cook.
7)
Moisture is important in
creating awesome BBQ. This can be done by misting the meats while cooking.
8)
Foil is a great tool to
tenderize and re-moisturize meats. Simply wrap the meat in some heavy duty
aluminum foil and add any kind of liquid from water to juice to rehydrate the meat after
hours of smoking. This will help bring up the internal temperature
quicker.
9)
Brush on sauces during last
10-15 min. of cooking to prevent burning.
10)
Looking is not cooking! Every
time you open the lid, you let out precious heat and extend the cooking
time.
 OPERATING PRINCIPLES
1)
Your Traeger Pellet Grill
should never be moved when it is hot. If you are transporting your grill
in a vehicle after cooking on it, make sure the fire is completely out and the unit is cold
before placing it in any vehicle. NEVER put water in the firepot. It will
jam the auger.
2)
The Traeger Pellet Grill is designed
to cook with the lid closed. Cooking with the lid open
will dramatically lengthen your cooking time.
3)
Never add
pellets by hand to a hot firepot. This is dangerous and you may get
seriously burned. If you run out of fuel and lose your fire while cooking, let the unit completely cool and
start all over again with auto-start or manual lighting procedure.
4)
Your Traeger comes with a three
position cooking control board. It can be changed at any time to increase
or decrease the temperature of your grill.
● High is used for grilling.
The auger runs all the time on high.
● Medium is for slow cooking.
The auger will run for 2 minutes and then shuts off for 2 minutes.
● Smoke is for smoking foods
and adding wood smoked flavor to the foods you cook. The auger runs for 1
minute and is off for 3 minutes. This creates a
natural wood smoke flavor to your food. The SMOKE setting can also be used
to "hold" foods at approximately 180 degrees-200 degrees.
5)
When estimating cooking times,
remember that the outside temperature will dramatically alter your cooking
times. If it is hot outside, it will take less time for food to cook. If it is cold,
wet or windy, it will take longer for food to cook.
6)
Grease fires are caused by not
properly maintaining your grill, or failing to clean your angled drip pan
on a consistent basis. In the unlikely event you experience a grease fire while cooking,
keep the lid closed. Never open the cooking chamber lid during a grease
fire. If it does not go out, lightly sprinkle baking soda on the
fire. Be careful not to burn yourself. If this does not work, then
carefully remove the food from the unit (being careful not to burn
yourself), turn the power switch off and shut the lid until the fire is
completely out. When completely cool, remove the grill, replace the
foil on the drip pan, reset the drip pan and cooking grill and resume
cooking your food.
 MAINTENANCE GUIDE
1)
Regularly change the aluminum
foil on your angled drip pan(s). This will reduce the likelihood of grease
fires and flare-ups.
2)
Spray your grease catch bucket
with vegetable spray. Then, when you're ready to empty it, the drippings
will more easily slide out. Take a wad of paper towels to swab down the inside of
the bucket. In hot weather, empty the grease on a more frequent basis---so
it doesn't turn rancid.
3)
The easiest way to clean your
porcelain coated cooking grids is to take a piece of aluminum foil and rub
it over and between the grids. This is best done when the grids are warm. Be
careful not to burn yourself! Use a long sleeve barbecue mitt to protect
your hand and forearm.
4)
Each month, while your grill is
cold, remove the cooking grids, angled drip pan and U-shaped firepot cover
and give your grill a good cleaning with a shop-vac. Vacuum out the pellet
ash from inside and around the firepot and bottom of the cooking chamber.
Use a vegetable brush to knock-off built up scale on
the inside walls of your barbecue.
5)
Easiest way to clean your
cooking grids is to place them inside your self-cleaning oven and turn the
knob to CLEAN. Both the oven and cooking grids will be clean as a whistle, without
having to use a lot of elbow grease. This is especially useful if your
cooking grids are encrusted with food deposits.
6)
Another way to clean your
cooking grids is to place them in a heavy-duty yard debris sack, add
one-half cup of ammonia, seal the bag closed. Lay the grids down flat overnight. The
next day, remove the grids, thoroughly rinse with hot water and they'll be
nice and clean. The ammonia helps to dissolve the grease on the
grids.
7)
If you own a stainless steel
grill, remember to ALWAYS clean dirt and dust off the surface of the grill
BEFORE you begin cooking. Use a damp cloth to do this job. Otherwise, the dirt
cooks into the metal and discolors it.
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