Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Recommended Pellets: Oak, Hickory, Mesquite

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed
Olive Oil
Traeger's Veggie Shake or salt and pepper
6-8 slices bacon

Preparation:

Start your Traeger on smoke for 4-5 minutes to establish the fire. Close the lid and turn the temperature up to 375 degrees. Allow to preheat for 10-15 minutes.

Gather asparagus into bunches of 6-8.

Wrap with a piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick if necessary or tuck the ends of the bacon at the bottom and the top to prevent it from curling while cooking.

Drizzle asparagus with oilive oil and Veggie Shake, toss lightly to evenly coat.

Cook bundles for 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through and the asparagus is tender. Serve immediately and enjoy!

SMOKY MEATBALL SUBS

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Recommended Pellets: Hickory, Oak

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk or buttermilk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs or crushed croutons
1 tablespoon Traeger Cajun Rub or your favorite rub
1/4 cup onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Jarred marinara sauce
4 6-inch sub rolls, or baguettes, cut through the sides
Thinly sliced or grated provolone cheese

In small mixing bowl using a fork or whisk, beat the egg. Whisk in the milk and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the bread crumbs and Traeger Cajun Rub and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, and black pepper.

Add the egg mixture to the meat mixture and combine well. (Your hands are the best tools for this.) If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more milk. If wet, add a few dry breadcrumbs. Roll the mixture into balls about the size of golf balls.

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 325 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Arrange the meatballs directly on the grill grate.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Leave the Traeger on.

These meatballs are seriously so good that you could just eat them as is. They'll like meatball bonbons. I'm sorely tempted to carry some around in my pocket to use as bite-sized midday snacks. (Who needs protein shakes?!)

In the meantime, heat the jarred marinara in a pan on the stovetop. Transfer the cooked meatballs to the pan and let them simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Tear off four sheets of aluminum foil and lay them on your work surface. Put a hoagie roll in the center of each. Divide the meatballs among the rolls. Top the meatballs with provolone cheese. Wrap the sandwiches tightly in the foil and return to the grill to heat, 10 to 12 minutes.

Grab some lemonade and serve these subs while they're still warm and extra messy!

If you're not eating immediately or feeding a large crowd, you can turn your oven to 350 degrees F and let it preheat for about 5 minutes, then turn it off. Just throw the warm subs in there until you're ready to chow down.

The Menu:

VEGETABLE RELISH TRAY WITH SMOKED OLIVES (From Pulled Pork to Peach Pie)

SMOKY PARTY MIX – (KIDS’ Cook Book, Coming Soon!! Enjoy this sneak peak recipe)

PELLETS: Pecan, Oak, or Hickory
MAKES: about 14 cups
PREP TIME: 15 min.
COOK TIME: 45 min.

THINGS YOU’LL NEED
• 6 cups Chex® cereal, preferably a mix of corn, rice, and wheat
• 3 cups small pretzels
• 3 cups Goldfish® crackers, preferably multi-colored, or oyster crackers
• 2 cups cashews or mixed nuts
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 3 tablespoons popcorn oil, or more as needed, or more melted butter
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• One 1-ounce envelope dry Ranch dressing mix

HOW TO MAKE
1- In a large roasting pan, combine the cereal, pretzels, crackers, and nuts.
2- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove or in the microwave. Stir in the popcorn oil, Worcestershire sauce, and Ranch dressing mix. Slowly pour over the dry ingredients, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to coat each piece. If the mix seems dry, add additional popcorn oil, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3- When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 250 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes.
4- Put the roasting pan directly on the grill grate. Bake the party mix for about 45 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Let cool before storing in resealable plastic bags or other airtight containers.

BUFFALO-STYLE CHICKEN WINGS (From Pulled Pork to Peach Pie)

GRILLED SHRIMP WITH MUSTARD SAUCE (From Pulled Pork to Peach Pie)

NEW MEXICAN PULLED PORK OR MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF ON KAISER ROLLS (From Pulled Pork to Peach Pie)

“LOADED” SMOKE-ROASTED POTATO SALAD (This was recently our Recipe of the Week, Yum!)

PURCHASED OR HOMEMADE GRADUATION CAKE

The Decorations:

If you need feel like you need a little something more than just delicious food to make your party special, check out this fantastic "Keys to Success" party inspiration board from  celebrationsathomeblog.com.

Another charming, and super simple decoration idea is to display pictures of your grad through the years. What better way to celebrate and honor your graduate than showing every person they care about embarassing pictures from their childhood?? Picture and Idea from peartreegreetings.com

Another little tip we love is to fill small balloons (in your favorite school colors, of course) with water and then freeze. Use the "ice balloons" to fill your cooler and keep drinks chilled.

However you choose to celebrate, be sure to cook more than you will need and buy some doggie bags for your guests. They will appreciate taking home any extra goodies (if there are any!)

Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Turkey Legs

Prep Time: 10 minutes plus brine overnight
Cook Time: 3-4 hours
Serves: 8
Recommended Pellets: Alder, Apple, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Pecan

INGREDIENTS:
1 gallon water
1/2 gallon ice-filled water
1 cup (1 6.5 ounce container) Traeger BBQ Rub
1/2 cup curing salt (such as Morton’s Tenderquick®)
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 allspice berries, crushed (optional)
6 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
8 turkey legs
8-16 slices of bacon

In a large stockpot, combine one gallon of water, the rub, curing salt, brown sugar, allspice (if using), peppercorns, bay leaves, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil over high heat to dissolve the salt and sugar granules. Take off the heat and add in 1/2 gallon of water and ice.

Make sure the brine is at least to room temperature, if not colder. (You may need to refrigerate the brine for an hour or so.) Add the turkey legs, making sure they’re completely submerged in the brine.

After 24 hours, drain the turkey legs and discard the brine. Rinse the brine off the legs with cold water, then dry thoroughly with paper towels. (Brush off any stubborn, clinging solid spices.)

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 250 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Lay the turkey legs directly on the grill grate.

For the addition of the bacon, you can either partially cook the bacon (15 minutes on the Traeger at 350 degrees F) and wrap a piece around each leg and finishing cooking them for the last 10 to 15 minutes of smoking or wrap the bacon around the legs for the last 30 to 40 minutes of smoking. The total smoking time for the legs will be 3 to 4 hours - until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read meat thermometer. (Make sure the probe doesn’t touch bone or you’ll get a false reading.) The turkey legs should be deeply browned. Do not be alarmed if the meat under the skin is pinkish. That’s a chemical reaction to the cure and the smoke.

What's the best part about these legs? They're practically fool-proof! The brine almost ensures that you'll get a moist bird. And whatever the brine doesn't cure, wrapping it up with a bacon bow certainly will!

Tear into a leg or two and feel like a king!

BALSAMIC & BROWN SUGAR GRILLED PLUMS

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Recommended Pellets: Cherry

INGREDIENTS:
8-10 black plums
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Rinse the plums and halve and pit them.

When ready to cook start the Traeger on Smoke for 4 to 5 minutes or until the fire is established. Preheat the Traeger, lid closed, on High (400 degrees, F) for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook the plums, cut-side down on the grill grate for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile start reducing the balsamic vinegar by cooking it in a pot over medium heat with the brown sugar until it's thick and reduced by about half, 5-10 minutes.

Turn the plums over and brush with the balsamic and brown sugar reduction and cook for about 2 to 5 minutes more. (You want them to be soft but still slightly firm)

Drizzle the plums with any excess balsamic reduction and DIG IN!!

They are ridiculously good to eat when they're still warm. Slightly tart and bursting with sweet, ambrosial juices.

This is the perfect spin on the typical potato salad and we're pulling it out just in time for all of those summer parties. Like the recipe name suggests, we took our phenomenal Loaded Smoke-Roasted Potato Salad and added in - you guessed it - smoked salmon. It is an unbelievably delicious combination that will have your taste buds singing the Hallelujah Chorus. This recipe really shows all of the ways your Traeger can shine and proves how much she's worth. From the eggs to the potatoes to the salmon, Traeger does it all.

Loaded Smoke-Roasted Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 to 50 minutes
Serves: 8 to 10 Recommended Pellets: Hickory or Oak Wood Pellet

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 to 3 pounds medium-size unpeeled Yukon Gold or Red Bliss potatoes
5 slices bacon
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup pickle relish or finely minced dill pickle (optional)
2 teaspoons prepared mustard, or more to taste
2 teaspoons Traeger Prime Rib Rub, or 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar or dill pickle brine, or more to taste
6 ounces (1-1/2 cups) shredded white or yellow Cheddar cheese
4 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced
1/2 fillet leftover Smoked Salmon
Paprika for serving
Fresh parsley for serving

If you prefer your potato salad with skin, scrub the potatoes under cold running water with a vegetable brush.

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 350 degrees F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes. Lay the bacon slices on the grill grate perpendicular to the bars. Arrange the eggs and potatoes on the grill grate as well. Also, prepare a bowl of ice water.

In the meantime, make the dressing: In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, pickle relish, if using, mustard, Traeger Prime Rib Rub, and vinegar. Taste the dressing, adding more mustard, vinegar, or salt and pepper as needed. The dressing should be very flavorful with a balance of cream, acid and texture. Stir in the cheese and scallions. Set aside.

Cook the bacon until it is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes; it will crisp as it cools. With tongs, transfer it to paper towels to drain, then crumble. Check the eggs when the bacon is done. Remove one egg from the grill and plunge it into the ice water. Peel and slice in half to check for doneness: The yolk should not have any rawness in the center. If the egg is cooked through, transfer the others to the ice water and let cool slightly before peeling and finely dicing.

Increase the temperature of the grill to 400 degrees and continue to bake the potatoes for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are tender but not mushy. This timing will largely be determined by the size of your potatoes. Smaller potatoes will cook faster so check them every five minutes or so.

Transfer them to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Peel the still-warm potatoes, if desired, or leave the skins on. Cube the potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the crumbled bacon and the diced eggs. Gently add in the flaked smoked salmon.

Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and stir gently with a rubber spatula to combine. Taste again and add more salt or pepper if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and dust with paprika and top with chopped parsley. You can serve as is or make ahead and cover and chill for later.

Most importantly, dive in before someone else sees the scrumptious dish!

Share with us some of the creative ways you've found to incorporate more smoked salmon into your diet!

MAHI-MAHI SHISH KABOBS

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes or 45 minutes if smoking
Serves: 4
Recommended Pellets: Alder, Mesquite, Oak

INGREDIENTS:
4 Mahi-Mahi fillets
1 green zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 yellow squash, cut into large chunks
1/2 red onion, cut into large chunks
1 cup baby carrots, parcooked (boiled for 3 to 4 minutes)
1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1 cup bella mushrooms
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Traeger Veggie Shake
1 teaspoon Traeger Cajun Shake
1 teaspoon Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan
1 teaspoon Traeger Souvlaki Seasoning
1 handful fresh basil leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
1 teaspoon Traeger Salmon Shake

Put all of the Traeger spices, olive oil and basil in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cut mahi-mahi into equal-sized cubes, about 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Pour part of the marinade over the fish and let sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the rest of the marinade over the vegetables just before you assemble the kabobs.

Start your Traeger on Smoke with lid open for 5 minutes to get started. Thread the mahi-mahi and vegetables onto stainless steel skewers.

You can either smoke the kabobs for 45 minutes or preheat the grill to High and cook for 8 minutes.

Remove from grill and enjoy!

Smoked Maple Cream with Candied Bacon

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 30-45 minutes
Freeze Time: 20-30 minutes
Recommended Pellets: Maple or Hickory
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

For the Candied Bacon:
8 slices of bacon
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

For the Ice Cream:
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring (optional, but recommended)

For making the Ice Cream:
8-12 quart sized zip-top bags
5 pounds ice
2 cups ice cream salt or kosher salt

Preparation:

Start your Traeger on smoke with the lid open for 4-5 minutes to establish fire. Close the lid and preheat for 10-15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup to form a thick paste.

Spray a sheet pan with non-stick spray and then line with aluminum foil. Lay the strips of bacon on the foil.

Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of the paste on each piece of bacon using the back of a spoon.

Place the sheet pan in the Traeger and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Flip the bacon using tongs. Be sure to drag the bacon through the carmelized sugar as you turn it over. Top each piece with the remaining brown sugar paste and cook for 5-7 more minutes until the bacon is firm and glossy from the sugar. The edges of your brown sugar will be extra crispy or burned. This is just fine.

Transfer the bacon to a cooling rack or plate and allow it to cool completely. When cooled, crumble your bacon (if desired) into a bowl and set aside. Turn the heat on your Traeger down to smoke.

In a 9x13 pan, combine all of the ingredients for the ice cream. Whisk until all of the sugar dissolves. Place the pan in your Traeger and allow to smoke for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Raise the temperature on your Traeger to 250 degrees and, using a thermometer, cook until the temperature of your cream mixture reaches 170 degrees fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Do Not Exceed 170 Degrees, and do not allow your cream mixture to boil.

Take your cream mixture off the heat and allow to cool completely.

Divide the cream mixture into 4-6 of the quart sized zip-top bags. Seal tightly and then insert those into a second bag and seal. Fill a gallon zip-top bag with 1 pound of ice and 1/3 cup ice cream salt.

Shake vigorously and be patient. This step will seem like it is taking forever, but have fun with it. Toss it back and forth, bounce it on a trampoline or have a dance contest. The time will pass, I promise!

Keep adding ice and salt to the outer gallon bag as needed and drain the excess water.

When the ice cream mixture is frozen to your desired consistency, add in your bacon. You can mix it directly into the ice cream or sprinkle on top. Either way, enjoy!!

SMOKED ONION RINGS

PREP TIME: 10 Min., plus 3-4 hours to smoke the bread crumbs
COOK TIME: 15 Min.
SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices of day-old whole wheat bread (or about 2 cups plain bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons fresh basil – roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion – trimmed and peeled
2 large eggs
1-2 teaspoons Traeger Veggie Shake
Ketchup or Special Sauce - for serving

Special Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3-4 tablespoons ketchup
1-2 tablespoons horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

When ready to cook start the Traeger on Smoke with the lid open for 4 to 5 minutes or until the fire is established.

Spread the bread crumbs out (or pulse the dry bread to make crumbs) in a large oven-safe dish. Smoke the bread crumbs for 3 to 4 hours, stirring the crumbs every hour or so. If you want a more predominant smoky flavor, smoke it for longer.

Allow bread crumbs to cool. Put the bread crumbs in a food processor along with the basil, and olive oil and pulse for 20 seconds.

Slice onion into ¼ inch slices. Separate layers to create rings.

Beat eggs in a bowl large enough to submerge onion rings. Spread bread mixture into a dish. Add in a teaspoon or so of the Traeger Veggie Shake, to taste to both the bread crumbs and add a few shakes to the eggs as well. The Veggie Shake is such a perfect partner for these onion rings and for pretty much any vegetable, poultry or fish dish. It is savory with a slight sweet undertone and a whole lot of herbaceousness going on.

Time to lay out a "breading station" for the onion rings. Arrange the pans in this order: onions - eggs - breading - foil-covered cooking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.

I suggest making one hand the "wet egg hand" and the other hand the "dry breading hand" to keep from getting everything too messy. Arrange the onion rings on the foil in one layer.

When ready to grill, preheat Traeger to High for 10 to 15 minutes. Bake the rings on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make that Special Sauce! This sweet 'n hot recipe is in our From Pulled Pork to Peach Pie cookbook in our Barbecued Bloomin' Good Onion recipe. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Taste it and add in more ketchup if it needs sweetness or more horseradish if you want a bigger kick to it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To really bring this snack-tastic, crunchy goodness home, you've got to serve these warm with that special sauce or ketchup on the side. If you do this, they'll disappear before your eyes.

Tri-Tip Roast

Prep Time: 5 minutes, plus marinating overnight
Cook Time: 5-6 hours
Serves: 6-8
Pellet Recommendations: Alder, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Mesquite, Oak, Pecan

INGREDIENTS:  
1 tri-tip roast
Traeger Regular BBQ Sauce
Traeger Prime Rib Rub or Beef Rub

PREPARATION:

Marinate the tri-tip in Traeger Regular BBQ sauce overnight in refrigerator.

Remove tri-tip from marinade, and lightly season with Traeger Prime Rib Rub or Beef Rub.

Start your Traeger on smoke with lid open for 5 minutes to get started, then place tri-tip on grill for 4 to 5 hours on smoke.

Remove tri-tip from grill and place in aluminum foil with 1/2 cup water. Please don't include measuring cup in your foil packet. That would taste bad.

Close aluminum foil and adjust digital controller to 350 degrees.

Place back on the grill for 45 minutes. Remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes. Eat and enjoy!