Our Traeger Smoker Summer
If you follow me on Instagram; you know we have been smoking a ton this Summer! We got our Traeger Smoker right at the beginning of the season and have been loving it.
We teamed up with Cabela’s and their experts guided us through choosing whether we wanted a traditional barrel smoker or an upright (vertical one) one. Each has it’s advantages and really let’s be honest there are no bad smokers.
We decided on the Traeger Ironwood 650 Pellet Grill. Partly because of it’s size - it’s in the medium range so not too big to fit on the deck but not too small where we can still cook some pretty big meals on there! We went with the traditional barrel partly because of the look but mostly because it offered the versatility of grilling , smoking and BBQing.
This is such a silly thing to be impressed with but I loved the BOX that the Traeger came in. It actually turns into a playhouse for the kids. The girls loved colouring it and making it their own. Even the instructions have some fun with a guide on how many beers you will need to put it together.
Traeger has a great APP for your phone where you can watch your meat temperature ; adjust the temp if its too hot or cold and get some great (and easy!) recipes. All from your phone which is very convienent.
This summer we have smoked everything from Salmon to Peaches (seriously they were SO great on ice cream!). Of course we have done a few roasts and a brisket - even pizza! Here are a few of my favourite recipes.
Being completely honest I was nervous to get a smoker. It was def my husbands thing and I thought I would just come along for the ride haha. But boy did the tables turn. It’s kinda like a slow cooker but you have the opportunity to add so much personalization to it. You can choose the kind of pellets you want to cook with (I love the apple ones!) and there are SO many spices, rubs and glazes. You can really impress with minimal effort; just my style ;) .
I love our smoker and I look forward to using it year round. Something about a smoked Thanksgiving turkey sounds VERY appealing.
Happy Smoking!!! xoxo Jacks
** This blog post was done in partnership with Cabela’s Canada. But as always - opinions are my own**