(scroll to the end for recipe)
National BBQ Day was the other day. One of those ambiguous days that you see on insta or FB that reminds you to post a fun picture to “commemorate the day.” That being said, it’s starting to be that time of year when we are regularly up at dawn putting something on our smoker, and yesterday was one of our first days of the season to fire it up. That’s actually not true given we use our smoker all year (including in snow), but there is something very different once summer starts to come around. As such, here is my celebration, a little late, of BBQ. In this case, technically, it’s a celebration of our smoker of choice, the Traeger. If you don’t have one, feel free to connect with me and I’ll be happy to sell you on it.
BBQ is one of those food groups that isn’t plentiful up here in the Mile High, so my husband and I have had to improvise and figure it out ourselves to recreate the delicious smoked meats we love to indulge on. Enter, the Traeger. We received one as a housewarming gift when we bought our house a few years ago, and it is easily one of our most favorite things. It makes cooking so easy, and makes the most amazing, show-stopping meals. We smoke literally everything minus fajitas and steaks. We have tried, and while they are delicious, I just prefer those dishes without the smokiness – personal preference. When exploring recipes, especially with a new cut of meat, I always turn to those specifically from Traeger. There are so many to choose from, just look for the high ratings, flavor profile, and effort level (low please!) you are looking for.
That’s how I found my favorite recipe for Pulled Pork. It’s one of our favorite things to make for several reasons which include: it’s CHEAP, easy, delicious, and the leftovers can be transformed into many different dishes so you aren’t eating the “same thing” for a week. This is key for my family as my husband doesn’t love to eat the same thing multiple meals in a row – aka. Leftovers. You do need to plan for this recipe as total time averages around 10 hours, but I promise it’s worth it.
From a cooking standpoint, smoking meat is easy. While the timing varies, the key is temperature. When you look up recipes, the timelines vary based on weight, altitude, outside temperature, etc, but they are all centered around the temperature of the meat you are cooking. I cannot stress enough – this is key. The new smokers have the gauges set to wifi, so you can check the meat temperature AND adjust the smoking temperature from your phone. This is a FABULOUS feature on the newer editions, and I would definitely pay extra for it. While ours doesn’t have it, it would make things even easier to not have to go outside every so often (sometimes in the rain, snow, etc) to check on meat temp. First world problems, I know. But it ALSO would be nice, if you’re smoking a brisket for example which requires almost 24 hours, to not to have to get out of bed in the middle of the night to check on it. Just saying. I would also consider investing in a thermometer probe that connects to your machine. Most new smokers come with one or two of these, but if they don’t, buy one. For an incremental, minimal cost it will make your life (and your food) much better.
These are my key TIPS when making pulled pork:
Easy Peasy Smoked Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
Instructions:
For those of you Texans who have had the pleasure of dining at Roaring Fork…
March 21, 2021