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Top 8 Pellet Grill Tips And Tricks For A Better Grilling Experience

August 31, 2020 By Walker

Pellet grill or pellet smokers are common appliances that combine all features of charcoal, gas, and kitchen ovens. Combining elements of three highly-efficient products above, the machine can grill, smoke, cook, and even bake effectively.

Nowadays, pellet grills are becoming more and more popular in every backyard BBQ. People prefer it because the grill is affordable, controllable, and powerful. And, the most crucial point is that the pellet grill can bake, smoke, and grill efficiently.

The pellet grill is such a fantastic product. So, what should you do to maximize the grilling experience?

This post will guide you to some pellet grill tips and tricks so that you can apply it to your machine!

Pellet Grill Tips and Tricks – What Should You Do When Using a Pellet Grill?

Pellet Grill Tips And Tricks

Understand What You Grill

Each type of food has a particular grilling temperature range. 

For example, cooking the Filet mignon beef at 360 to 400 Fahrenheit degree in 3 to 10 minutes will give off the best flavor. Or, grilling belly pork at 225 to 300 Fahrenheit degrees in 4 hours will produce the best quality. So, understand your ingredients first before moving to the grilling part.

To get the best dish out of the grill, you must research carefully about the ingredients you’re about to cook such as its appropriate heating temperature, compatible wood pellets, good toppings, etc.  beforehand to consider all factors affected to the final food quality.

Use High-quality Wood Pellets

Continuing the flow, the wood pellets to grill with your food should be cared for, either. There is an old saying that “You get what you pay for,” so, if you buy high-quality and suitable wood pellets, your dish will have a better smoke and flavor, without a doubt.

However, not every wood pellets can complement your meat best. We recommend you search for the wood pellets that work best with your ingredients! 

Keep Track of the Temperature by Using a Thermometer

pellet smoker tips and tricks

We are unable to keep track of the inside environment of the smoker just by the sighting. We suggest you use a thermometer to check the heat periodically. 

Most people use a clock to set the cooking time so that once it rings, you know whether the dish is ready to serve. However, this is just a presumption based on experience, so there can be risks of overcooking or unripe dishes. So, why don’t you choose the safer options instead? A thermometer can solve all these problems.

Besides, there are some grilling experts saying that once you open the grill door, you can’t cook anymore. That’s true! The heat can escape to the outside environment, and the cooking process will be affected. 

Hence, it’s better to purchase a smoker with an integrated thermometer for a better grilling experience. Also, the integrated thermometer will help you to check the temperature without opening the grill’s door.

Best Meat Injector – Everything You Need to Know

Use the Upper Racks

Upper racks are great accessories for pellet grills. Not only do they increase the cooking capacity per once grilling session, but upper racks can also decrease the radiant heat releasing from the grease tray. 

The meat from the upper racks receives lighter heat, so it is appropriate to cook tender pieces. And the thicker chunk of food can be cooked on the lower rack.

Besides, you can put a water pan under that rack to maintain the ideal temperature for a long brisket cook. 

Use Your Pellet Grill Like You Use Your Oven

pellet smoker tips and tricks

One of the most straightforward tips to create tastier dishes is to use the pellet grill the same way as using the oven. 

Not every food works well with smoke, but how can you know if you haven’t tried once, right? Just be brave and creative when mixing the menu, and you can be surprised then. 

Any recipe for roasting and baking in your oven can be applied to the smoker. By keeping the same cooking time or alternating cooking period, you can compare how food quality varies between the two devices.

For instance, baking a cake in an oven is too familiar, so why not try grilling in the pellet smoker instead? Making a cake in the oven takes 30 minutes, but you can alternate to 45 minutes or an hour for a grill. The result might come out as not as good as you expect, but, how can you learn if you don’t try, right? 

Use the Reverse Searing

Experienced chefs recommend reverse searing because it can ensure cooked food. Let’s go through the process and learn how to do it. Please notice that this method works better on beef slices that are 4 to 5 cm thick.

Firstly, take the meat out from the freezer and wait until it defrosts completely. Then, put the meat on water-absorbing cooking paper to suck water from the meat. Later, warm up the grill at 446 Fahrenheit degree (230 Celsius degree). 

The second step is to add salt, sauce, etc. into the food. Wait about 20 minutes for the meat can absorb the mixture better.

Next, put the meat into the pellet smoker for 6 to 8 minutes to reach the medium-rare state (130 Fahrenheit degree/ 54.4 Celsius degree). Then, take out the food and wait for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Finally, half-frying the meat in total 90 seconds with 45 minutes on each side. You should not press the food because juice extraction can decrease the taste of the dish.

Create a Smokier Flavor

This tip is applicable for large cuts of meat that you want them to absorb more smoky flavor, such as rump steak, beef brisket, or beef rib roast.

There is a surprising fact that smoke can soak up faster into cold meat than warm meat. According to some experts, smoke absorbing into cold surfaces takes less time than it does with warm surfaces. So, you can apply this tip to the next smoking session.

After storing the meat at low temperature for a particular period, remove the meat and put it right away into the ready-to-cook grill. Don’t wait until the meat defrosts, just put your frozen ingredients immediately to the smoker, and you will have a smokier dish.

Also, we suggest you set the cooking temperature lower than usual because the low degree complementing with the cold meat can make the best food!

Keep the Grill Clean

pellet smoker tips and tricks

This might be a boring and outdated tip, but, I have to admit, it is so important to keep your pellet grill neat and clean.

Just imagine you invite your friends over for dinner, and what they see first is a griller with grime and food waste. How can they eat food from an oily grill? And, what will they think about you, right? 

Furthermore, a clean grill can create tastier and smokier food. The cleaner your grill is, the more sanitary and delicious your food is.

We advise you to clean your pellet grill once after 3 to 5 uses, depending on the grill’s situation. Please remember to check all corners, all the rims, and racks to clear up the waste.

Conclusion

Through this post, we have gone through some tips and tricks on how to use pellet grills effectively. Briefly, the pellet grill is the right choice for a household with small cooking areas and average spending. 

To add-in, the tips and tricks above are written in a random order, so each tip is equally worth considering if you want to taste the best grilling food. 

According to each grill model and working condition, the result from these tips and tricks can vary flexibly. So, we recommend you to carefully research and apply this information to your device.

Wish you have a great grilling experience!

Thank you for reading!

Filed Under: Grilling

Best Meat Injector – Everything You Need to Know

January 24, 2020 By Walker

Not everyone knows what a meat injector is, but if you are looking to purchase one, you might know what it is. A meat injector is an injector that is being used to get juice and spices into the meat. This is for large meats that you want to grill or smoke. 

It is important to make sure that you know everything about a meat injector so that you can purchase one that is high in quality and that will be perfect for you and your cooking needs.

This is everything you need to know about a meat injector and how to purchase the best one on the market so that you can get value for money. 

How Does a Meat Injector Work?

best meat injector for bbq

A meat injector works similar to a normal injector that is being used to inject medicine into your body. The difference is that you are injecting spices and juice into the meat so that it is tender, juicy and full of flavor.

You mix the right amount of spices, and other ingredients together and put it into the meat injector. Then, at different parts of the meat, you are injecting it deep into the meat. Making sure that you are covering all parts of the meat. 

Why Do You Need to Have a Meat Injector?

There are many reasons why you need to have a meat injector. However, the main reason is to make sure that the meat is juicy and soft after grilling or smoking it. 

When you are preparing a large piece of meat, you can’t really get any flavor inside the meat. This is mostly because of the size of the meat. With a meat injector, it is easier to get the flavors and spices into the meat.

Making sure that the meat is full of flavor, juicy and tender. This is a tool that many professional cooks are using on a daily basis in restaurants to ensure that their meat is tender and juicy. 

Features of Top Meat Injectors

best meat marinade injector

Because of the different types of meat injectors that you can purchase, it is important to make sure that you know the features of the top meat injectors. This will make it easier for you to find and purchase the best meat injectors on the market. 

These are some of the meat injector features that you should look for before you are purchasing your own injector.

  • Durable. It should be durable, made from high-quality materials. Different injectors are made from different materials. The stronger the material, the more durable it will be.
  • Comfortable handle. Some of the meat injectors have handles that hurts your hand, with continues use. This is why you should look for an injector that has a comfortable handle. A feature that you will enjoy for a long time. 
  • Thick, long-lasting needles. The last thing that you want is to have a needle breaking off in the meat. Or, struggling to get the needle placed into the meat. Getting spare needles with the injector is also a bonus. 

Choosing the Best Meat Injectors Guide

The moment that you know how to choose the best meat injector, the easier it will be to purchase one that will last you a long time, an that will ensure that you are getting the best-flavored meat.

These are some tips on things that you should look at, before purchasing your injector. 

  1. The material that the injector is made of. Plastic isn’t a great meat injector and you should not consider purchasing one. It will break with the first use. Strong, metal injectors are recommended.
  2. The number of needles that you are getting. You need to know that the needles need to be replaced at some point. And, the last thing that you want is to struggle to find a new needle. This is why you should make sure that there are spare needles included. 

Some of the Best Meat Injectors That You Can Purchase

best meat injector reviews

These are some of the best meat injectors that you can purchase. Making sure that you are going to get value for money, and so that you will have an injector that is easy to use and durable.

  • Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Meat Injector Syringe 2 Oz with 3 Needles, 3 Cleaning Brushes & Spare” O” Rings
  • MERCIER Stainless-Steel Heavy-Duty Meat Marinade Injector with 2-oz Large Capacity Barrel and 3 Marinade Needles
  • Marinade Injector-Meat Injector Kit. 3 Needles for Great Tasting Food. Top Food Grade Stainless Steel. Gift Boxed Set and e-recipes download book

Using one of the meat injectors for juicy and flavorful meat isn’t hard. The thing that you need to make sure about, is that you are purchasing the best injector that you can find.

The higher quality the injector is, the easier it will be to use and to get the spices and juices inject into the meat.

Filed Under: Grilling

Best Meats to Smoke

September 17, 2019 By Walker

You just purchased your very first smoker. But now you are wondering what meats you can smoke in your smoker. Most people will say that you can smoke basically any piece of meat. And, even if this is true, there are a couple of things that you should consider before you can just go and purchase any piece of meat. These are the best meats that you can smoke in your new smoker.

Gas vs. Electric Smoker

Normal Meats That Most People Are Smoking

There is a huge variety of meat that you can smoke in the smoker. However, there is meat that most people are smoking in the smoker. We are talking about pork ribs, beef ribs, beef brisket, and other pork and beef meat.

Then, there are people that are smoking fish and chicken fillets. These are the best meat to smoke. To put it in short; these are the best and most popular meat that people are smoking on a daily basis:

  • Pork buts
  • Pork chops
  • Pork ribs
  • Beef ribs
  • Chuck roast
  • Brisket
  • Tri-Tips
  • Chicken and turkey breasts
  • Fish

However, this is also the easiest meat to smoke. All that you will need is a marinade, the right wood chips and maybe a brine.

The Best Game Meat That You Can Smoke

best meats to smoke on a smoker

If you are a hunter, and you have a smoker then we have good news for you. With the right recipe, you can also have the best meat for smoking and you might not even know it.

There are many people and hunters that are using their game meat, and after a brine, they are smoking it to perfection. Making sure that people don’t even realize that they aren’t eating pork or beef. These are the best game meat you can smoke in your smoker.

  • Feral Hogs,
  • Javalena,
  • Razorbacks,
  • Wild pork
  • Deer
  • and Russian Boars

Poultry That You Can Smoke as Well

If you have the time, and a large enough smoker, you can even smoke a turkey to perfection. You might want to brine and marinate it beforehand or give it a great spice wrap. Duck can also be a great alternative if you know how to prepare duck.

Whole chickens, Chicken fillets and chicken breast are really popular when it comes to smoking. There is just one rule that you should always remember. That when it comes to poultry, that you should be careful about undercooking it. The internal temperature should be at a specific temperature before you can know for sure that the meat is safe to eat.

Choosing the Best Meat for Your Smoking Experience

best meats to smoke with hickory

If you want to make sure that you are going to choose the best meat for your smoking experience, you need to look at a couple of things. It doesn’t really matter what type of meat you are going to use.

The first thing that you should look at, is the color of the meat. With the red meat, the meat should be a bright red. Looking like fresh blood and smell fresh. With white meat like chicken and turkey, the meat should be pinkish. Not white or yellow. This is a sign that the meat is old and tasteless.

You should look at the quality of the meat. Grade A is the best meat that you can find. And, you should always make sure that you are cutting or trimming away any fat and other tough areas on the meat. It normally has a different color than the rest of the meat. Even, if some of the meat cuts are on special, you don’t buy it if it doesn’t provide sales and.

Things to Consider When You Are Smoking the Best Meats for Smoking

best meats to smoke in an electric smoker

Making and adding a rub to your meat is always recommended when smoking your meat. Just because you are smoking your meats, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to add a rub or a marinade. You should also add some marinate when you are turning your meats in the smoker.

The time in the smoker is also essential. You don’t want to over smoke your meat. Then, the best and highest quality of meat will be tasteless. You want to make sure that you check the timer and the meat on a regular basis. You also might want to trim some of the meat cuts, like the brisket before adding the rub or marinade to the brisket.

If you are looking for the best traditional meat to smoke, then you are looking at pork, beef, and chicken. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t smoke other meats as well. Hunters are experimenting a lot with their game meat and find that some of the game meat can smoke just as great. If you have a smoker, you should try new meats and new recipes all the time. Then, you can find your own best meats to smoke in your smoker.

Filed Under: Smoking

Gas vs. Electric Smoker

September 17, 2019 By Walker

You are considering purchasing a smoker. However, you aren’t sure if you should purchase a gas or electric smoker. This can be confusing because many people think that these two different types of smokers have the same benefits.

There are a couple of differences that you need to know about before you can decide which one you should purchase. With this guide, you will be able to make the decision between gas and electric smoker a lot easier. This is everything you need to know about a gas and electric smoker.

Gas Smoker Info

gas vs electric smoker reviews

The gas smoker is the one smoker that most people prefer. This is because the weather doesn’t play a part when you want to use the smoker. There are two different types of gas smokers that you can purchase. The one is the propane smoker, and the other one is natural gas.

Just like the other smokers, the gas smoker will need to have smoke chips to work. The gas smoker is heavy and can’t be moved around. This is because of the gas bottle that is installed in the gas smoker. There are different size gas smokers available, making it easy to choose the right size for your family.

Gas Smoker Features

These are the top features of using a gas smoker.

  • Easy to use.
  • Can be used in any weather conditions
  • Gives great tasting results similar to charcoal smokers
  • Most gas smokers can roast, grill and smoke. Making them versatile

The things that you should know is that gas smokers need to have a babysitter. There should always be someone looking at the smoker and making sure that it is still at the right heat setting. This can be frustrating if you are smoking a large piece of meat.

Another problem is that when you run out of gas, during a smoking session. Then, you should purchase gas before you can continue smoking your meat.

Electric Smoker Info

With the electric smoker, you can set the heat setting, insert the smoker chips and the meat and go on with your daily things. There are different sizes available in the electric smoker, and you just need to have an outlet in order for you to use your smoker.

The electric smoker is a bit more expensive than the gas smoker, because of the popularity of it.

gas or electric smoker which is better

Electric Smoker Features

These are the top features of the electric smoker that you need to know about.

  • It is easy to use and no babysitting is required
  • Can use the electric smoker in wind, but should be careful in wet conditions
  • Easy to clean and to maintain
  • Running costs are a lot lower than with the gas smoker.

Something to consider is that the taste and flavor of an electric smoker aren’t the same as with a gas or charcoal smoker. The electric smoker is also a lot more expensive and there isn’t a lot of different heat settings that you can set the smoker to.

The Differences Between Gas and Electric Smoker

By knowing these differences, you will be able to make a much better decision in which smoker you want to purchase.

The gas smoker is a lot cheaper and more versatile than the electric smoker. With the gas smoker, you can grill and roast as well, while with the electric smoker you can just grill.

It is a lot cheaper to run the electric smoker, than running the gas smoker. And, you can run out of gas while you are smoking meat, and with the electric smoker, this can’t happen. 

With the gas smoker, you will need to have someone that is monitoring it all the time. With the electric smoker, this isn’t necessary. You just need to be there to turn the meat and to add some marinade to the meat again.

The One That You Should Choose

gas vs. electric meat smokers

Which one should you buy? At the end of the day, the choice is yours. Which one will be best for you? The one that is more expensive to buy, but cheaper and easier to run? Or, to have a smoker that can be used for other purposes as well? 

You should look at your personal needs and preferences before you can decide between a gas and electric smoker. There isn’t any rule that is saying that the gas smoker is just better than the electric smoker. Or, that the electric smoker is doing a better job than the gas smoker.

Before you can purchase the best smoker for your household, you need to make sure that you know the differences between a gas and electric smoker. Then, it will be a lot easier to decide which type of smoker you should purchase. The more you know about the differences, the more value for money you will get at the end of the day.

Filed Under: Smoking

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