Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Blackjacks Traeger Chronicles

tworley said:
Ive had my traeger (the small Bronson version) for maybe 4-5 years now. So far the only thing Ive repaired/replaced was the auger motor--otherwise it has been a pretty stout unit for being kept outdoors year-round with nothing but a cover. My BIL's motor went about a year after mine did too. Great thread(y)
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Thanks. My brother had one for years and I use to rib him about its not real Q but on the flip side I knew that the convivence is awfully hard to beat. And so far playing around with it the little I have that for sure with the right technique and a few gadgets you can produce some very good results. My only real problem is that I am limited locally on what pellet choices I have so I will have to see what I can do about that.
 
New auger motor in. Not real tough you just pull the hopper, unplug the wire from the controller, pull the drive screw and slip the motor off. I thought about a motor stabilizer bracket from Smoke Daddy as for some reason most pellet grills let the motor flop around. Instead I just used some thick felt furniture glides I had to take up the gap. New motor also had a ground wire the old one did not so just routed to the main ground by the blower.

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I left the Sear Daddy in to confirm results and it did not take long. The new motor is silent (maybe felt pads have something to do with this I dunno) and it quickly hit 191 while I set it at 185 which it was not doing before. Turned it all the way up and in short time hit 450 on the old dial and 415 on the controller and still climbing (I think the chimney might be pulling enough draft to keep some heat away from the other side). Only put enough pellets for a short run so I shut it down but I think it was the right call. Seeing flames dance above the rocks definitely makes me think steaks are on the menu this weekend.

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Finally last night I used the Sear Daddy for what I bought it for. All in all it worked pretty good. Only thing is that the hot spot is a bit small (obviously) so you have to move things a bit but no different than dealing with charcoal.

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Today was some quick maintenance. Some lid gasket and a proper lid stop. I know there are a lot opinions about the lid gasket but I am hoping to cut some of the wind pulling heat out.

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Been awhile for an update. Traeger has been working fine. Santa brought a generic cover for it to help keep winter out. Santa also found a scratch and dent insulation blanket on the bay but the seller shipped the wrong one so waiting on a resolution on that.

Did up some wings tonight. One tip I can give you is to put you sauce in a squeeze bottle so you can just drizzle a little on and then brush it.

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Freezer was low on pork so time to do another batch. Should have done it yesterday as it was -10f when I fired the Traeger up. She whimpered for a minute or two but surprisingly came to life quicker than I expected. Insulation blanket would have been nice but still dealing with the Bay on that one. Switched up the pellets as we now have Bear Mountain as an option now. Took pretty much the whole bag as I do not crutch in order to maximize bark creation. Total cooking time was about ten hours.

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Blackjack said:
Freezer was low on pork so time to do another batch. Should have done it yesterday as it was -10f when I fired the Traeger up. She whimpered for a minute or two but surprisingly came to life quicker than I expected. Insulation blanket would have been nice but still dealing with the Bay on that one. Switched up the pellets as we now have Bear Mountain as an option now. Took pretty much the whole bag as I do not crutch in order to maximize bark creation. Total cooking time was about ten hours.

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I’m coming to live with you, Black.
 
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Have not posted in a while. Had to back off some as the girls were not enjoying it as much as I was. Still been using it every few weeks or so. Decided I am not overly thrilled with the newer stock controls. They seem to not as accurate as they could be which is not the end of the world as I can just change the setting to get the temp I want. The bigger issue is that it runs too clean. Good for basic grilling and things like pizza but less so if you are looking for good smoke in your meat.

To prove my theory I did a batch of ribs. Used the Costco jug of Traeger rub and an extra touch of Zulka sugar.

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Been using the Traeger Pro Blend but switched it up to make sure it was not the pellets. Sportsman’s had Bear Mountain a batch of Bear Mountain Red,white and BBQ so figured why not.

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So the method I used was sub 225 for three hours and gradually bumped it up each 45 minutes or so spritzing with diluted apple cider vinegar after the first hour. Foil wrapped at 4.5 hours for 45 minutes and then back on to tack up and finish all the way. Glazed them with a mix of the drippings from the wrap and some honey. Texture was much better than the last ones but they were definitely light on smoke.

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John Cooper said:
We have the Traeger blanket for ours, it really helps out during cold temps
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My better half actually tried to get me one for Christmas last year but was scammed by the eBay seller she used to try and keep it a secret from me. It was such a hassle I never brought it back up afterwards.
 
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