Traeger Smokers Review (and a chicken recipe)

One of the weapons in our arsenal for healthy eating is a Traeger smoker, which uses wood pellets to cook/smoke food. They are unbelievably easy to use and the food tastes incredible. There are other similar brands of wood pellet smokers on the market and I am sure some of them are just as good.

Let’s talk price. I will tell you upfront that Traeger smokers are not cheap. In general, eating well is not cheap. But on the flip side, a Traeger allows you to quite easily cook better-tasting food than you can get in almost any restaurant. And once you figure that out and start replacing dining out with food you cook at home, a Traeger will pay for itself quickly.

The Traeger almost magically simplifies and demystifies the whole smoking experience. Suddenly, with almost no effort, you can make foods that are unbelievably good. For example, over the weekend, we smoked chicken, and it was probably the best smoked chicken any of us had ever eaten. Here is what all we did:

* Brined (soaked in salt water) the chicken overnight.

* Lightly coated with Meat Church Gospel and Meat Church Honey Hog seasonings (you can buy these online).

* Smoked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes to an internal temperature of 162 degrees. (You should cook chicken at a relatively high heat so it does not dry out.)

You don’t need a Traeger to eat healthy of course. It is just a thought for those of you that like to eat as much as we do. You can buy Traegers about anywhere online or in your local hardware store. There are many websites where you can research the various models as well. We don’t really think the high-end ones are necessary, but we do recommend you consider one that has the WIFI app capability. It is nice to be able to control your cooking without having to walk out to the smoker so much.