First, let's talk about Traeger Grills. I was frequently seeing ads for these grills and posts about them on the internet and social media--a grill that can smoke and cook your meat. Since I frequently smoke a lot of fish and meat, I knew I had to try it. I received one for Christmas and I could not wait to put it together. The assembly was simple, even for someone that's not the greatest at putting things together (so, thank you Traeger it’s not in a million pieces!). Before your first smoke, make sure you fully read the instructions and follow all the steps.
The first thing I put on the grill was beef ribs, and boy...did they turn out great! I used the Traeger Rub and then their Signature BBQ Sauce. Talk about perfection! You cannot go wrong with any of their rubs or sauces. My favorite pellets to use are cherry, but I have been trying to change it up and try new ones. A quick warning...be sure you clean out the inside of your grill every few cooks because I did not do that and I started a grease fire. Very scary, but everything ended well.
I love this grill so much that now I have two of them. The first is the Texas Elite 34 and the second is the Pro Series 34. My Elite is great, but the Pro has some new features that make it worth the extra money. The Pro has an easily accessible hopper clean out, that is for accessing/changing the pellets, dual temp probes and comes with the upper rack. I highly recommend the Pro. The other accessory I strongly recommend on getting is the folding tray that goes on the front of the grill. It will make life a lot easier while grilling.
SMOKED WILD DUCK RECIPE
Smoked ducks are one of my favorite ways to eat duck meat, so I put my Traeger Grill to work to see how it turned out. This is actually a very simple and easy recipe, and it tastes great!
Ingredients
Whole ducks, plucked with skin on (I used wood ducks, so they tend to be a lot smaller than most ducks, but you can use any duck)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt
Onions
Red apples..."The sweeter the apple, the better!"
Directions
Sprinkle a lot of salt all over the inside of the ducks. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper in the inside and outside of the ducks.
Loosen all the skin behind the thighs and by the breastbone. Sprinkle salt in those areas as well.
Cut up half of an onion and 1 red apple (sliced or chopped), and place inside the duck and under the skin
Prepare the Traeger with pellets, I use cherry pellets, but you can use whatever your favorite flavor is. Keep Traeger on the constant smoke, around 160 degrees.
Smoked for about 4-6 hours.
I hope everyone gets the chance to try cooking on the Traeger Grill. There are so many options for cooking a variety of foods. Happy Grilling!
Follow Kelly Cohen on Instagram at @kellycohen4202.