So my folks got me a Traeger for Christmas and I got it assembled yesterday. Going to give it it's break in burn today and then am planning on throwing down a brisket for New Years.
Any other Traeger owners have any advice on cooking times, temps, etc? They got me a bag of the general purpose Traeger wood pellets to start with and there are some recipes that come with the smoker.

I have hobbled through making brisket on my gas grill, using wood chip pouches, but this is my first time using a real smoker so I am pretty excited.

First thing I would do, pull the auger out, cut a whole in the wall between the hopper and cook area, now you have a real smoker!

? Why is that?

i have no idea why you would do that....maybe he's being sarcastic, but i can't tell lol....but if your traeger is like my gmg, you should foil wrap the crap out of the angled drip tray. I currently have 10 layers of heavy duty (grilling) foil on that drip tray to make cleanup easier.

for my briskets, I follow what aaron franklin recommends and I smoke brisket at 225 degF, watching temp until I hit stall, then wrapping in butcher paper for the final push through to 203 degF. let it sit for about a half hour-hour and then cut up.
in my experience of making brisket from charcoal smoker to pellet smoker, the trimming of fat is indeed key to making a great brisket.

Hit up lamrith for some good pellets at a good price.

My neighbor has had 3 of them the first two caught fire. Don't just set it and forget about it.

Welcome to the world of pellet grilling. Know going in that it is a different type of cooking, and there is a slight learning curve. They are called a grill, but they lack the intense direct heat of a propane or charcoal grill. They are called a smoker, but they lack the intense smoke flavor of a elect/propane/stick burner. They just burn too efficiently to put a heavy smoke on.

That said, they really are a one item does all once you know how to use them, smoking, grilling, baking they do it all. Not sure on Traeger max temps, but If you like to grill burgers/dogs/chicken/steaks, then check out "grill grates" and get a set. Put the grill on max and let it run 20-30min, then grill away. I did burgers 2 nights ago and even frozen ones turn out better on a pellet grill. Baking you can bake anything in it (papa murphy's pizza is great), just like a real oven, they do not put out smoke over 225ish, but there is a difference in flavor using wood for heat. Depending on max temp you can even do some high temp (500*+) pizza cooking after buying a few cheap items form amazon. Papa murphy's done in 6min that way on my Rectec.. Steaks I recommend looking up reverse sear, turns out great. Then of course what they are known for is the low n slow set and forget, put some pork shoulder or ribs on there @225* and let it run..

And Yes I am a stocking dealer for Lumberjack pellets, so just drop me a note when you need pellets.

Bossman beat me to the punch on this one.

The Traeger pellets are expensive crap at best. They use mostly Alder, with flavored oils to produce different varieties. If you pick some up from Lamrith, you'll get about twice as much for the same price, and you'll be able to taste the difference. You'll also find that you're about to be splitting your spare time between WaGuns, Pelletheads, and AmazingRibs sites.

Find yourself a Pizza Stone. Once you throw a cheap Papa Murphy's or Safeway Take and Bake on that thing, you'll never settle for take-out or greasy delivery again. Also, if you have a cast iron skillet, try the Buttermilk Cornbread that's listed in the Traeger cookbook. Everyone that I've made that for has inquired if it's on the menu when I invite them over the next time.

mash tell your neighbor read the booklet, I'm waiting for that 3rd to happen

Throw away the shit traeger pellets.
225 is the magic temperature.
I also drilled the right side of my lid and installed a cheap temp gauge. Now I can use the damper to adjust the temperature and get it even.


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Thanks for all the info. I figured that the Traeger brand pellets would be mostly about the name. I can't see throwing them out though. Will use them when I'm using higher temps and not as worried about the smoke. I will be using them tomorrow for the inaugural briskets though as it's what I currently have. Picked up about 6.5 lbs point cut brisket for New Years and will be tossing it on there in the morning.

I am going to have to build a custom cart for this thing to sit on, as the legs are about 18 inches too short for me! It is a small smoker/grill, but have already spent some time on pelletheads forum looking for cool stuff to do with it. Am definitely adding a top rack for more real estate, and want to make a damper as well.

I have plans for doing smoked jalapeno poppers and hot wings for next weekend. :)

I really like mine. When I remember I have it.... papa Murphys is really good on it, mine is a smaller one and a medium fits perfectly. Get yourself a pellet maze, that way you can make more smoke.

Definitely get your pellets from Lamrith, best pellets I've used, and I've used a bunch of different brands. I got my Traeger lil Tex back in '08, and it's been a workhorse. Only parts I've replaced is the igniter twice and the fire pot. I purchased a SS firepot from Firecraft.com, and it's been flawless. I have literally done 35# of pork shoulder (2 pieces) at once, dozens of times. Put on at 7pm and pull around 10-11a the next morning. I then break it into pieces and vac seal in bags, freeze and pull for dinner occasionally. Same with split broilers and brisket. The way I reheat is to put the sealed bags, frozen or not, into a steamer and steam until hot through. This method preserves all of the original taste and texture. I give quite a few away too, I always get the "you should sell this stuff" comments. All that being said, I plan on replacing the Traeger with a Yoder. I just don't feel the Traegers are as good as they used to be. Also, invest in a Thermo Works Smoke temp monitor system. IMO, the best investment next to the smoker itself. Edited for links.
http://www.thermoworks.com/
http://www.yodersmokers.com/pellet-grills.html