Wow - when I said I'd post on a semi-regular basis, I didn't intend for that to be every 6 months or so …

Obviously a lot has happened since the last time I posted - but from a BBQ perspective the only real big news is the purchase of my new pellet girl - a Traeger. I've done ribs, chicken, steaks - well, you name it, I've probably cooked it on this baby. It cooks like a dream! If you're looking to make an investment in a grill (these things ain't cheap) and want the best - I definitely suggest a Traeger.
I bought the big one, or at least the biggest for the home market, so I can do about 4 racks of ribs at a time (or to put that in a more common format - I did 40 brats at once a few weeks ago for the StovePipe League Annual Dinner.) I'm buying an additional shelve this spring so I'll be able to do 6-7 full racks at a time - that's enough to feed even my hungry in-laws!
The Traeger uses a bin (on the right side in the picture above) to hold wood pellets that it feeds into a heating unit within the body of the grill. The pellets come in any natural hardware you could name - I favor hickory and cherry, but they carry them all. The bin will hold about 8-12 hours worth of fuel - depending upon the temperature you've set. Yes, it automatically keeps the grill at a preset temperature. With 8-12 hours of fuel, that means I can setup a brisket at night, and not have to "tend the fire" until morning!

As you can see from the picture, when this thing is set to "smoke" it smokes! The meat gets a nice thick smoke ring, has a beautiful smoky taste, and stays juicy because it's all indirect heat. It's actually a convection oven - there's a little fan that blows the heated air in a circle around the inside of the grill. I'll never go back to a conventional gas grill! For more information about Traeger's click here.