Peter Jautaikis - The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for the Most Flavorful and Delicious Barbecue

Text and photographs copyright 2016 Peter Jautaikis. Design and concept copyright 2016 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-592-3

Library of Congress Catalog Number 2015952142

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions editor: Casie Vogel

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Lauren Harrison

Proofreader: Renee Rutledge

Front cover and interior design: what!design @ whatweb.com

Layout: Jake Flaherty

Illustration : courtesy of Jeff Thiessen

Index: Sayre Van Young

Distributed by Publishers Group West

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands of the wood pellet smoker and grill or other trademarked brands or products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products pictured and mentioned in this book. Take special note of the important safety warnings throughout this book, and always use customary precautions for safe food preparation, handling, and storage.

To my wife Karen, the true love of my life

Contents

Looking back, I can point to the day I fell in love with smoked meats over 20 years ago. A coworker shared some divine smoked beef ribs with me. The moist and tender ribs had a spicy sweet crust and that distinctive flavor that only an appropriate touch of smoke provides. The ribs melted in my mouth, and the flavor profiles from the rub and barbecue sauce oozed Texas-style spices. I swore then and there that I would master the art of smoking meats, but alas, I didnt follow up on that pledge. That is, until a few years later when I won a smoked pork rib roast while attending an American Legion crab feed.

My journey with smoking meats took many turns with relative success until I found my wood pellet smoker-grill. First let me say that over the years I have enjoyed great-tasting grilled and smoked meat, fish, and poultry from charcoal grills, charcoal smokers, electric smokers, wood smokers (affectionately known as stick burners), and propane grills. But I struggled to achieve the high-quality results I was striving for. After buying assorted units, I found an electric smoker that allowed me to produce smoked products to my standards. I soon joined an online forum dedicated to the electric smoker and began expanding my education on the art of smoking meats. My passion for smoked meat was fully rekindled.

As my knowledge grew I began to see the limitations of my electric smoker. Like other members on the forum, I started modifying my smoker in an attempt to broaden its capabilities. I achieved limited success. I started to hear how other wood pellet smoker-grill owners were incorporating both units. Then many owners started to abandon their electric smokers and use their wood pellet smoker-grills exclusively, not only for their smoking needs but also for roasting, baking, and grilling.

In March 2011, I joined their ranks and bought my first wood pellet smoker-grill, a MAK Grills 2 Star General. Ive never looked back and now proudly wear the Pellethead label. Youll soon discover that family and friends will become spoiled and addicted to the scrumptious food coming off your wood pellet smoker-grill and will opt for staying home to eat rather than going out.

The techniques, recipes, and opinions expressed in this book are by no means authoritative. As you know, food is subjective, and we all have different tastes. Feel free to use the information in this book as is or, by all means, experiment and have fun.

I own a MAK Grills 2 Star General, Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Portable Grill, and a Traeger PTG (Portable Tabletop Grill) wood pellet smoker-grill, so all my recipes were cooked on one or more of these units.

Note: A wood pellet smoker and grill is commonly referred by some of the following terms: pellet smoker, pellet grill, and pellet smoker-grill. For the purposes of this book, we will call it a wood pellet smoker-grill.

What Is Barbecue?

Barbecuing is the worlds oldest cooking method. My definition of barbecuing is low-and-slow smoking and cooking over indirect heat. The results achieved from barbecuing using smoke, indirect heat, spices, rubs, and the natural juices of meats are beyond dispute. There is a major difference between barbecuing and grilling, but many people are unaware, so they use both terms loosely. I say that grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, or chicken over some hot charcoals or a gas grill and calling it barbecuing is just plain wrong!

Dont get me wrong, you can barbecue great food and meals over charcoal and/or propane using indirect heat. I wont get into some of the discussions and opinions of many experts when it comes to the meaning of the term barbecue. Ill leave that up to them. Wood pellet smoker-grills are perfect units for barbecuing.

What Is a Wood Pellet Smoker-Grill?

The clinical definition of a wood pellet smoker-grill is a barbecue pit that uses compressed hardwood sawdust like apple, cherry, hickory, maple, mesquite, oak, and other wood pellets to smoke, grill, roast, and bake. The wood pellet smoker-grill provides you with flavor profiles and moisture that only hardwood cooking can achieve. Depending on the manufacturer and model, grill temperatures range from 150F to well over 600F on many models. The days when people say you cant sear and grill on a wood pellet smoker-grill are gone!

Wood pellet smoker-grills provide succulence, convenience, and safety unmatched by charcoal or gas grills. The smoke profile is milder than other smokers you might be used to. Because of their design, they produce the versatility and benefits of a convection oven. Wood pellet smoker-grills are safe and simple to operate.

The basic components of a wood pellet smoker-grill are:

HOPPER The hopper is where the wood pellets are stored. Ensure that you maintain an ample amount of pellets depending on the length of the cook, the temperature of the cook, and the hopper capacity.

AUGER The pellets are then fed through the auger, the feed mechanism that delivers the pellets to the firepot.

FIREPOT This is where the wood pellets that heat the grill are ignited and burn. The large hole in the firepot is for the pellet tube, which houses the auger; the lower center hole below it is for the igniter rod, and the other holes are for the fan airflow. Its a good practice to empty or vacuum out the ashes after every few cooks in order to allow the igniter to work more efficiently.