INGREDIENTS
For the Brine:
1 beef brisket flat (4 to 5 pounds), fat trimmed to 1/4-inch
1 gallon water
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
5 juniper berries, bruised, or 1/4 cup gin
3 bay leaves, broken into pieces 
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Morton’s TenderQuick curing salt (optional)
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
5 allspice berries

For the Rub:
3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground clove

PREPARATION

Make the brine: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves, salt, brown sugar, curing salt, if using, whole peppercorns, and allspice berries.

Let cool completely, then immerse the meat. (Weight it down with a plate if necessary.) Refrigerate for 3 days.

Make the rub: In a spice grinder or small food processor, combine the black pepper, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and bay leaves.

Pulse until coarsely ground. Stir in the brown sugar, paprika, cinnamon, and clove.

Remove the meat from the brine and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle and pat the rub on the brisket.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Remove the plastic wrap from the beef brisket and arrange on the grill grate. Smoke the meat for 3 to 4 hours.

Wrap the brisket tightly in foil. Increase the temperature to 250 degrees, and continue to cook the brisket until the internal temperature is 175 degrees. Allow the brisket to cool to room temperature, leaving it in the foil.

Transfer the brisket to a baking dish, and weight it with foil-covered bricks or cast iron skillets. Refrigerate overnight.

Slice thinly against the grain for serving. (A meat slicer is preferred to a knife.)

Simple Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chops-  Rub, then grill. It can't get any easier (or more delicious). No flipping required! Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grilled Chicken Alfredo Pizza- Use chicken that you've previously cooked and a prepared crust for a weeknight meal that comes together quickly. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

Simple Fish- Use this fool-proof recipe as a guide to help you get perfect results in hardly any time at all. All you need is fish and your favorite rub! Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Roasted New Potatoes with Mustard Seeds and Chives- Throw these tasty little gems on the grill, right along side whatever you are cooking for the perfect busy night side dish.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake- Yes, you can even have dessert on a weeknight. Prep the dough while you are getting dinner ready and then toss them on the already heated grill while you are eating. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

1. Schedule a Traeger barbecue session on the weekend and cook more than you'll need for one meal, utilizing leftovers for lunches and/or an easy weeknight meal. For example, pulled pork or shredded beef can turn into sandwiches or become a filling for enchiladas. Use one weekend's effort for a week's worth of enjoyment!

2. Unlike gas or charcoal grills, which require about 30 percent of the grill grate free in case of flare-ups, you can cram the Traeger's grill grate with food. This means you'll get more mileage out of your fuel. With some planning, you can cook your entire meal (and several future meals/leftovers) at one time.

3. Maximize the efficiency of your Traeger by treating it right with routine cleanings and vacuuming out any ash that accumulates in the bottom of the grill or in the fire pot.

4. Don't mishandle the pellets! Moisture will degrade hardwood pellets, so always store them indoors in a dry place in a covered bin, like our handy pellet caddy, or pail.

5. Shop early in the day to take advantage of markdowns on fresh meat at your supermarket's butcher counter. Try to only go shopping once or twice a week. Each trip means more dollars spent.

6. Eat seasonally and buy local for the best prices and quality on fruits, vegetables, and even some seafood.

7. Buy the whole bird. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are convenient but often cost a lot more per pound than buying a whole chicken. Learn how to cut up a chicken and take advantage of the entire fowl. We've got some helpful tips for what to do with all that tender chicken meat, like making chicken stock using the carcass.

8. Invest in a chest freezer! This will enable you to take really take advantage of the specials on bulk purchases of meat, poultry, and vegetables. There's even space for those leftovers too.

9. Save some money on heating and cooling costs by doing most of your cooking outdoors on your Traeger during the summer time. Your family will appreciate the cooler house, too!

10. Keep doing what you're doing and follow our blog and follow us on Facebook. We'll notify you of awesome deals and discounts on pellets, grills, rubs, sauces and all the wonderful accessories. We'll take good care you!

1. Use good meat

Your burger will only be as good as the meat that you put into it. Makes sense, right? Lean meats make for dry burgers.

2. Don't over pack or overwork your burger!

If you want a burger that is tender and moist, don't over pack it. Using wet hands, gently form the meat into patties. The more you handle and squash your poor burger, the sadder and tougher it will be.

3. Make 'em big

Size your burgers a bit bigger than the bun to accommodate for a little shrinking as the meat cooks. This will help you accomplish that perfect burger-to-bun ratio. Also, use your thumb to make a dimple in the top of the burger to help create an evenly-shaped burger.

4. Season aggressively...

BUT don't season it until just before you grill it. There are varying opinions about this. Some like to mix the seasoning throughout the meat and others like to only season the outside. Allow me to submit an argument for the latter.  Adding salt into the patty mix breaks down the meat proteins, forming a tighter more sausage-like burger. If you want that tender, juice-down-your-chin bite, restrain your salt shaker hand until just before you toss them on the Traeger. But at the end of the day, what matters most is that you make a burger that you love to eat. So do whatever makes your burger-heart sing.

5. Make sure the grill is hot

Preheating your Traeger is CRUCIAL. Make sure the Traeger is nice and hot before you put on those beautiful beef patties. It will help you get that perfect sear on the outside to hold in all that moisture and help prevent the burger from sticking to the grill.

6. LEAVE IT ALONE

Once it's on the grill, leave the burger alone. Well, you are allowed to flip it once. And resist the urge to squash the burger with a spatula. You're just pushing out that precious, tasty juice! Cook about 2 minutes per side for rare, 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, 4 minutes per side for medium and 5 minutes per side for well-done.

7. Toast your buns

Simply putting your buns on the Traeger for the last minute or so of cooking gives them a toasty crunch on the bun and adds a delicious dimension of texture to your burger.

8. Melt your cheese

During the last minute or two of cooking, put your cheese on top of the burger so that it gets all gooey and melted.

Top the burger with your favorite toppings and bite in!

Here are a few of our favorite burger recipes:

Smoked Burgers

Jalapeno-Stuffed Bison Burgers

Tandoori Chicken Burgers with Cucumber Sauce

For The Lil' Tex/Elite

For the Texas

Maybe we should mention that installation is a breeze?? Check out this quick picture guide to see just how simple it can be to add the folding front shelf to your Traeger.

Unscrew the bottom two nuts/bolts on one front leg.

Align the holes on your brace with the holes on your front legs and reattach the nuts/bolts. Repeat on the opposite side.

Unscrew the bottom bolt on the top of each brace.

Slide the top two bolts of each brace into the open notch on both sides of your folding shelf. Screw in the bottom bolts to secure your shelf.

Voila! You are done in less than five mintues! Enjoy!

Rare - 120 to 130 degrees F
Medium Rare - 130 to 135 degrees F
Medium - 140 to 145 degrees F
Medium Well - 155 to 160 degrees F
Well - 170+ degrees F

Here's another incredible tip that will always come in 'handy'. You can test the doneness of the steak using your hand. You want the firmness of your steak to match the firmness in your thumb muscle in each of these positions for each stage of steak doneness. I use this all the time when I don't have my thermometer in hand. It works.

Try it! Use one of our cheat sheets and Traeger that perfect steak, every time.

Images and Information Sources:

http://nickmcflyhigh.tumblr.com/post/45097939406
http://reluctantgourmet.com/tips-guides/tips-facts/item/1118-meat-doneness-chart
http://www.bforbel.com/2012/11/tips-tricks-how-to-test-steak-done-ness.html

2- Clean your Grease Drain Pan.  You are probably used to changing the aluminum foil on your grease pan often, but to get the most out of your machine you need to clean underneath the foil. We use a metal spatula to scrape the extra grease and debris from the grease pan and the grease drain tube.

Grease is easiest to clean when it is a little bit warm. Be careful not to burn yourself by grabbing a HOT grease pan. If your grease drain tube gets plugged or blocked a grease fire can result, so clean these areas periodically to prevent build-up.

3- Empty your Grease Bucket. This job is not pretty, but it is pretty easy. Empty your grease into something you can discard, we used a plastic cup.

Don't pour grease down your sink drain or into the gutter. Make sure to let the grease cool before discarding it. Rinse your bucket with hot, soapy water to remove any remaining grease. To make future clean up easier, line your grease bucket with aluminum foil. 

4- Wipe Down your Grill Exterior. To keep that powder coating looking like new, use warm soapy water to cut through any grease. Don't use oven cleaners, abrasive cleaners, or scouring pads on the oustide of your grill.

5- Remove extra ash from the Firepot. Periodically remove the Porcelain Grill, Grease Drain Pan, and Heat Baffle to clean the ash in and around the Firepot.

We use our Traeger every day and clean out the excess ash once a week, just to give you an idea of what periodically means. We use a standard shop vac to suck up all of the extra ash. Make sure all of your grill components are cold before vacuuming up the extra ash.  

These tips should keep your Traeger running beautifully for many many years to come!

Here's a solution that is so easy and affordable, if you live in a wind tunnel like I do.

Traeger Cover Sand Weights

SUPPLIES:

4 latex balloons
3-4 cups of sand
Empty plastic bottle
Twine
Popsicle stick

Use a funnel to pour the sand into the empty plastic bottle. (I found a 50 pound bag of sand for $3 at Home Depot.) In order to make a more durable weight, each weight is made using two layers of balloons. Slide one of the balloons on the popsicle stick (or anything long and skinny - but not sharp) and then slide that balloon into another balloon.

Take the popsicle stick out and blow up the balloon until it's about the size of a grapefruit. I just used a bicycle pump, which made it 10 times easier. Just make sure to keep a tight seal around the mouth of the balloon. After you've blown it up, twist the balloon a few times.

While still keeping the twists in the balloon, put the mouth of the balloon over the plastic bottle holding the sand.

Don't let go of the twist until you turn the bottle upside down and start shaking in the sand. Shake in about half of the sand or as much as the balloon will hold.

Take the balloon off the bottle and tie one end of the twine around the neck of the balloon. Cut a big enough piece of twine to loop it through the grommet in the cover. Loop it through and tie the other end around the balloon again and you're done!

Repeat the same steps with the other two balloons and remaining sand. Tie the second weight through the grommet on the opposite side.

Your evasive cover nightmares are over. She may not be the belle of the ball, but she gets the job done.

1. Wash & dry your produce when you get home

It will take you about 10 minutes initially but will make cooking so much easier and smoother in the long run. After grocery shopping and before you put everything away, rinse and dry all your produce.

2. Pre-chop your veggies

This tip is kind of a two-for-one. First of all, if you're cutting 1/2 an onion for a recipe, go ahead and cut up the whole onion or several onions at the same time. Put them in a container in the fridge and you just saved yourself 5 minutes and stinky hands tomorrow. Second of all, make chopping a heck of a lot easier by letting your food processor do all the work. Just throw your vegetables in and pulse it until they're diced to the right size. Presto. Chopping is done.

3. Read through the recipe first

Have you ever sat down to prepare your meal an hour before dinner only to realize that you needed to brine or marinate your meat for 3 hours? (Been there. Done that.) Or read that you needed to braise the meat and had no idea what that entailed? (Check.) Reading through your recipe once or twice even the day before can save you some time and serious frustration.

4. Make a big batch recipe weekly

Even if there are only 2 people in your family, buy that 15 lb pork shoulder or 10 lb brisket and smoke the whole thing. You can either share your extras (if you are the really generous kind), refrigerate them for quick lunches or even freeze them for much later.

5. Use your freezer

Tip #4 is the perfection segue to Tip #5. Use your FREEZER. It's waiting to be filled with bags and containers of food, frozen at their perfect yumminess. You can freeze everything from leftovers to sauces, chicken or beef broth, herbs, dough, or even pre-chopped vegetables (see Tip #2).

6. Store your spices right

For years I didn't realize that spices go bad. Sounds strange, but it's true. Pre-ground spices stay fresh and flavorful for about a year. Whole spices last about 2 years. In order to get the longest life and taste out of your spices, store them in a cool, dark place away from the stove. Light, heat and humidity will cause them to lose their flavor.

With these little shortcuts and tips your arsenal is stocked and ready to deliver some seriously good eats that will hopefully be quick and stress-free.

Take these tips and get to Traegering!

Image credits:

fresh ingredients

green onions

spices

Cold smoking allows total smoke penetration inside of the meat. The outside surface of the meat or casing doesn't harden like it does with hot smoking, so it allows the smoke to penetrate the meat easier. It also adds another fun dimension to your Traeger.

What are some things you can cook with the Cold Smoker?

Salmon- cold smoking salmon and being able to cut it thin to put on bagels, crackers, or right in your mouth is awesome.

Oysters- If you love raw oysters, but would love a smoky flavor, the Cold Smoker would be perfect.

Fruit- If you want to add an interesting taste to a special dessert or salad, smoke some peaches, apples, or pears. Make sure to add some lemon juice to slow down the oxidation process.

Cured meats- If you love to cure meats and want to add some great smoke flavor, the Cold Smoker would be a great way to do it.

Cheese- Need I say more?

We have been experimenting with different cheeses and techniques just for Traeger Nation. So far we have smoked Chedder, Pepperjack, and Gruyere.

The 1st thing you will want to do is freeze the block of cheese overnight. This will keep it from getting to hot and melty depending on the temperature outside.

We recommend smoking cheese in the fall, winter, and early spring months for the best results. If you find that your cheese is getting to hot, you can always put it in a colinder of ice with a metal try underneath to catch the ice as it melts. You may have to replace ice a few times throughout the smoking process.  

Next turn on your Traeger to smoke leaving the lid open for 4-5 minutes. Close the lid and smoke the cheese for 4 hours. Make sure to check on the cheese every hour to make sure its holding up. Especially if you're are doing a softer cheese like the Pepperjack or Gruyere. 

Finally after 4 hours your cheese will be done. It will get a nice dark smoked crust that will make your tastebuds dance! 

Slice it up and throw it on your favorite sandwich or a smoked burger. We would love to hear about your cheese smoking experiences. Let us know what worked for you and maybe what didn't.