Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Fri, Sep 25, 2009
There are three cooking temperatures that affect every outdoor cooking event. Do you know what they are?
The First Temperature
This is the temperature which greatly affects how long it will take your food to cook is the OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE. It's great when it's hot outside, because the ambient air temperature helps to hold the heat inside the grill.
At temperatures of 85-100+ degrees Fahrenheit, your food will cook more quickly. Use a lower cooking temperature at this point, so that meat won't overcook or dry out.
When it's cold outside, it will take longer for the grill to heat up, and maintain that heat. Wind, rain, and snow wick the heat out of the metal of the grill, which can make it difficult to maintain a consistent cooking temperature.
Every time you open your grill lid, you loose valuable heat. A general rule of thumb is, to add 20 minutes cooking time every time you open the grill lid. These are universal principles which apply to any barbecue,grill, pit or smoker.
A good quality outdoor thermometer is a big help when barbecuing or grilling.
The Second Temperature is known as the grid or cooking chamber temperature. It's important to know what the temperature inside your grill is, in order to help you calculate how long it will take a piece of meat to cook.
Use the 20 minutes per pound @ 350Fahrenheit rule of thumb. If you're cooking below 350, you know it will take longer for the meat to cook.
A cable-probe type with 2 probes is an excellent way to monitor your cooking chamber temperature. You can also use an oven thermometer-but this requires opening the lid to check it.
A cable-probe thermometer with 2 probes. One for the meat, one for monitoring the grid temperature. Cost $30-$100 depending on brand and features.
The Third Temperature
This is the most important temperature of all, it's the internal meat temperature. It's the best indicator of whether or not the meat your cooking is indeed, cooked.
Puchase a good quality meat thermometer, which you can leave in the meat. Insert it from the side of the cut of meat-so that the temperature probe is in contact with the most amount of meat.
Two types of "Instant" read thermometers. The one on the left is a professional grade model, costing $100. The second is a pocket thermometer selling for $10.
For the best accuracy, insert the probe in from the side of the cut of meat, rather than the front.
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Wed, Sep 09, 2009
Ask any Texan how they enjoy heaven on earth, and they'll tell you to put a slice of barbecued brisket in your mouth. Ask any competition cook who's ever won a blue ribbon in brisket how they felt, and most of them will say it's better than winning the lottery.
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest. While all meat animals have a brisket, the term is most often used to describe beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. The cut overlies the sternum, ribs and connecting costal cartilages.
The Brisket, is also the TOUGHEST cut of meat on the cow, since cows lie on this part of the sternum which carries about 60% of the body weight.
The brisket has two separate muscles, which are sometimes separated and sold: the lean or "flat cut",found on the bottom of the brisket muscle, and the fat cap, known as "deckel".
WHAT TO PURCHASE:
In order to create true barbecued brisket, you need to start with a WHOLE BRISKET-weighing between 12-18 pounds. DO NOT purchase anything less than a WHOLE brisket!
Those 3-5 pound packages of brisket found in most meat cases used to make corned beef. They are trimmed almost entirely of their fat cap, and when barbecued, will dry out and turn to shoe leather!
You may need to special order a whole brisket from a butcher, meat shop or your grocery store if your store does not routinely stock whole briskets.
Look for a brisket that is uniformally thick from end to end. This will ensure even cooking.
Figure 1. A Whole, untrimmed brisket. Notice the grain of the meat. This brisket is easily 12+ pounds in weight.
Preparation:
First, trim down the fat cap to approximately 1/4-1/2 inch thick. You will find a thick seam of fat in the brisket. Trim this down, leaving at least 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
Look how the grain runs through the meat. Take a knife and slice a hunk of brisket off-AGAINST the grain. When the brisket is cooked, you will be able to determine where to begin slicing. This should always be done AGAINST the grain.
We've found that Traeger Prime Rib Rub, Beef Shake or Beef Rub works very well in helping to enhance the flavor of the brisket meat. Large cuts of meat like this require seasoning-otherwise they'll taste very bland.
You can marinate or inject the brisket if you wish. Do one or the other, not both.
Insert a MEAT THERMOMETER into the thickest end of the brisket so that you can monitor the internal meat temperature.
Cooking A Brisket On Your Traeger:
You want to allow the meat pores to open up, and the meat fibers to relax before for you start smoking the brisket. Always start out on the medium setting, (250-275F for digitally equipped units).
Allow the internal meat temperature to reach 100F. This allows a deeper level of smoke penetration. It will take up to three or four hours before you hit smoke temp. Depending on the outside temperature, it may take a little longer to reach 100F.
Smoke for 3-4 hours, or longer. Use any variety of pellet you desire. A favorite combination is a 50/50 mixture of apple and pecan pellets.
Wrapping In Foil:
Wrapping in foil lets the meat steam and breaks down the meat fibers, resulting in a more tender finished product. After wrapping in foil, switch back to medium (250-275F), and continue cooking for three hours.
Then, open the foil, leaving the brisket in the foil. Remain on medium for at least one hour.
Remove brisket from foil, and place directly on the grid. Switch to smoke and leave on this setting for 3 additional hours, OR until the internal temperature reaches 185F.
When the target temperature is 185F, bring inside the house and "rest" for approximately 20-30 minutes. Before you begin slicing, tip the brisket on one side and cut 1/8th inch off the bottom of the lean portion of the brisket. This will ensure easier slicing.
Lay the brisket on a cutting board and slice AGAINST the grain. You will have a noticeable crust on the entire brisket. This is normal! Slice pieces into 1/4 inches thick.
The dark pink/purple line that runs along the top of the slice is known as a "smoke ring", or the "Barbecuer's crown of glory". It's the mark of a properly smoked brisket. The deeper the color and thicker the smoke ring, the better.
Figure 2. Notice the pronounced, deep pink smoke ring on this brisket.
Figure 3. Here is a wonderfully smoked brisket. The pink in the meat is an indication of the hardwood smoke used while cooking the brisket.
Here's a blue ribbon winning brisket recipe for you to try.
Bruce's Brisket Recipe
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Fri, Aug 28, 2009
Of all the different cuts of meat that can define what real "low n' slow" cooking is all about, pulled pork is right at the top of the list. When cooked slowly, the fat and connective tissue renders in the meat, resulting in some of the most flavorful and tender meat imaginable.
The two most popular cuts used to make pulled pork sandwiches are the butt (also known as Boston butt,pork butt roast or pork shoulder), and the picnic. Both cuts come from the front portion of the hog and tend to be very well marbled-a trait most desirable for long-term barbecue.
The Boston butt comes directly from the upper portion of the shoulder. It is sold both boneless and bone-in. A typical butt weighs between four and seven pounds.
A picnic (roast) comes from the upper portion of the front leg of the hog. It may or may not include a portion of the shank, or lower leg. The picnic typically weighs in between 12-15 pounds, and is usually sold with the outter skin attached.
Figure 1. A bone-in Boston butt. Look at that great marbling!
Figure 2. A pork picnic. Notice the skin on the shank.It's best to remove the skin before cooking.
Preparation: The Boston butt will require little trimming. A bone-in butt will most likely be more flavorful than a boneless cut. The reason being is that some of the marrow from the bone will be absorbed by the meat while the butt is cooking.
With a picnic, you will need to remove the skin, and trim down the fat to a uniform thickness.
The next step is to apply a light coat of seaoning or dry rub of you choice. Traeger Pork & Poultry or Salmon Shake are excellent seasoning blends. You may also want to apply a light layer of yellow or deli mustard on top of the seasoning, making sure to completely cover all of the exposed meat.
Cooking: In order to get the best results, you will want to cook the shoulder at a medium heat setting. Use the MEDIUM setting or a temperature of 275F, You always want to start cooking a large piece of meat (regardless of whether it's pork or beef) on medium.
Smoking:
Allow the shoulder to warm up to at least 100F internal temperature before you switch to the smoke setting. This will allow the meat fibers to open up, resulting in better smoke penetration.
Figure on it taking between 1-1.5 hours per pound total cooking time-in other words, at least nine to twelve hours.
Some cooks use a mist or baste on their pork butts while it cooks. This is optional on your part. The mist or baste can be any combination of liquids, anything from water and whisky, to beer, apple cider vinegar or any other combination that suits your tastebuds.
One thing to keep in mind is that you want each of the various ingredients to compliment, rather than compete with each other. The whole idea is to enhance the flavor of the meat.
The secret to succulent pulled pork is to allow it to slowly cook so that the interior fat and collagen melts. In order to render the meat shredable, you will want to cook the shoulder to at least 190 F. Some cooks will cook their shoulders to as high as 210F internal temperature.
The shoulder will wind up with a mahogany colored crust. Some cooks prize this outter crust-aka-crunchies and mix it in with the succulent interior meat, winding up with a juxtipositon of chewing and tender meat.
Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the grill and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before attempting to shred the meat. This can easily be done by using two salad forks placed back to back and then pulled in opposite directions.
At this point, the meat can either be mixed with a traditional barbecue sauce, mustard sauce, vinegar sauce or left plain with sauce on the side.
For a true Memphis-style pulled pork sandwich, pile the meat on a bun, then top with cool coleslaw. For a Carolina-style, use a traditional mustard or vinegar based sauce with the meat.
Just remember to give yourself plenty of time for the meat to properly cook and come up to the correct internal temperature. Then get ready to enjoy one of the most sublime joys of great barbecue-pulled pork.
(L) Shredded pork-notice the smoke ring (R) A pulled pork sandwich ready to be thoroughly enjoyed.
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Fri, Aug 21, 2009
Many people are intimidated about cooking fish on their grill, when in fact, it's one of the easiest things to do.
Grilling is the easiest way to cook fish. To do so, start your grill following standard starting procedures, then switch to high, (400F on thermostat equipped units). Allow the grill to heat up to at least 400F (cooking chamber temperature)
Seasoning: One of my favorite seasoning blends is Traeger Salmon Shake. Don't let the name fool you, it's great on ANYTHING, and any type of meat or fish. VERY LIGHTLY sprinkle some Salmon Shake on the fish meat. Remember, a little goes A LONG WAYS!
Fresh or dried rosemary, dill, coriander,terragon and fennel are also complimentary spices that you can incorporate into your seasoning mix. Remember, you want to enhance the flavor of the fish, not overpower it with the seasoning.
Grilling the fish: Once the grill has pre-heated for 10-20 minutes, (depending on how hot or cold it is outside), place the seasoned fish on the grill, close the lid and allow it to cook.
What about if one side of the fish has skin? The easiest thing to do is to place a piece of foil on the cooking grids, and place the fish on the un-greased foil, skin side down. Once the fish has cooked, use a spatula to loosen and remove the fish meat from the skin. This is done by slipping the edge of the spaula between the skin and fish meat and sliding it left to right. Then lift the meat off the skin. The skin will be stuck to the foil, so just roll it up and discard. It's really that easy.
How Long Does It Take To Grill Fish? The general rule of thumb for fish is to allow ten minutes cooking time per each inch of thickness. This holds true no matter if you are grilling a half a fish, fillet or steak, or the species of fish.
What About Smoking Fish? Traeger Pellet Grills are designed to hot smoke, rather than cold smoke. Hot smoking occurs between 180F-200F and usually only takes a few hours to acocmplish. The whole idea behind smoking fish is to draw out the moisture and oxygen in the meat, helping to preserve it. NOTE: Hot smoked fish will still need to be refrigerated!
Brining Fish: You'll acheive the best results if you brine the fish prior to smoking it. A brine is a water and salt solution in which you soak the fish prior to smoking. You don't need to brine the fish any longer than 15 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness, using approximately 1 quart of brine per pound of fish.
Brine is made using salt and water with any additional seasonings you may desire to use. A simple brine recipe is: 2 1/2 tablespoons of plain salt per cup of water. The brine can also contain whatever seasonings you choose to add, such as peppercorns, brown sugar, or any seasoning that you like with fish. Make sure you totally immerse the fish in the brine for best results. It is not recommended that you brine and season the fish. Do one or the other.
Once the fish has been brined, you'll want to rinse the fish off under cold running water, then towel pat dry. Some folks air dry their pieces of fish prior to smoking, using a fan to accomplish this task, air curing the fish for approximately 1-2 hours.
Once the air curing has been accomplished, place the fish directly on the cooking grid. Set the switch or knob on smoke, close the lid and let the grill do it's magic.
How Long Do I Smoke The Fish?: That's entirely up to you. Generally the length of time to smoke fish will depend on how much fish you have. Smoking can take anywhere from three to twelve hours, depending on how dry you want the finishe product, or how smokey you want the fish to taste.
Obviously thin fish, such as trout will not take as long to smoke, as thicker species, such as Salmon or Tuna. It may be best to "test" the smoke and dryness level of the fish throughout the smoking process. This is especially important if you've never smoked fish on your Traeger before. Taste testing the fish at various intervals will help you determine what level of doneness and depth of smoke flavor in the fish meat is most appealing to you. For best results, keep a log of how long you smoked the fish, the species of fish smoked, what variety of pellets you used, etc. By keeping track of this information, it will allow you to successfully repete your efforts, or help you "fine-tune" them.
Here's what you can expect after your smoke session is completed:
Traeger owner, Pat Hoglund, Portland,OR smoked some fresh caught Salmon on his Traeger and sent us this beauty shot. WOW!
Here's Pat's Recipe: (uses no water)
4 pounds of salmon fillets
Brine: 2 cups of brown sugar,1 cup of salt,1/4 cup garlic salt
Put in a re-sealable bag, or a plastic container that seals. The brown sugar and salt break down into a liquid creating a soupy brine. Then I'll drop in a tsp of liquid smoke and continue brining for another 12 hours. Then I take the fish out, rinse it off and let dry. Once it's dry, I sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the fish to carmelize it, then place it into the Traeger. I run my grill on smoke for about 90 minutes, then crank the heat down to 175 and let it smoke/slow cook for another 4 or 5 hours (depending on thickness of fish). I like hickory pellets best. At that point it's about perfect
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Mon, Aug 17, 2009
This is an often asked question that stems from mass mis-information. The short answer is "YES!" by all means you can cook the most delicious steak, chop, burger you ever had on a Traeger Wood Pellet Grill.
Part of the confusion lies in the fact that many people think a Traeger is just a smoker, but that isn't true. It's many different types of cookers-in-one. Not only is the Traeger an awesome smoker, it's also a tremendous barbecue, grill, wood-fired oven. Simply by adjusting the three position cook mode switch or thermostat dial, you can accomplish any of these cooking methods.
For Steaks, the trick is allowing your grill to get nice and hot. This can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on the OUTSIDE temperature. If it's hot, it will take less time to get the grill sizzling hot. If it's cold, it will take more time. Plan your cooking schedule accordingly.
Many folks confuse charring with searing. They are distinctly different things. Charring occurs when meat is burnt, resulting in blackened meat. When you look at a picture of a steak or chop with those black lines on it-those are char marks.
Here's a perfect example of a CHARRED steak. Look at the char marks, hardly appetizing in our opinion. The steak on the right has been over cooked, this blackend crust is what concerns the American Cancer Society.
Charred meat has been linked to various forms of cancer, and the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute regularly flood the media with reports of the studies they use to cite this correlation. Here's a link to information about that study:
News2?bbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=13394&news_iv_ctrl=1102
Traeger's patented indirect cooking system prevents the meat from being exposed to open-flame. Therefore, meat fat does not fall into the flame, vaporize and coat the meat with carciogenic substances.
Additionally, because the Traeger cooks at temperatures lower than gas grills, you are lessening the health risks associated with grilling meat at high temperatures.
What is the purpose of searing meat? It's to seal the pores in the meat, locking in the juice for a moister, more flavorful steak. The British call searing "sealing", which is a much more descriptive term of the cooking process.
Meat SEARS at 300+degrees Fahrenheit. Traeger Grills easily get to and surpass this temperature. So yes, you can sear a steak, chop or burger on a Traeger, and cook in a more healthy manner!
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Tue, Aug 04, 2009
Can't decide which cut of pork you like most? Then go WHOLE HOG and enjoy the sublime flavor of a truly barbecued hog from head to tail.
If you don't have any experience in cooking a whole hog, we suggest you do a trial run with a smaller pig before you invite the entire neighborhood over. A wiener pig weighing 25-35 pounds is the perfect size pig for a first time trial run.
Cooking a whole hog is easy, and the results are delicious. Here are some pointers to help you turn out one "boss hog" on your Traeger Pellet Grill:
1) Measure the interior cooking space-and give those measurements to your butcher. This way he'll have a good idea how big a hog to provide you.
2) Make sure you specify that the butcher leave the skin on, and the head intact on the body of the pig. Trust us-DO NOT ASSUME your butcher will automatically do this. Be specific and tell them exactly what you want.
3) Understand that a whole hog gives off a lot of fat and grease drippings while being cooked. It could possibly overwhelm your grease drain system. Reynolds Non-stick foil has a special coating which helps the grease slide more easily along the foil. If you're doing a whole hog, this is the only foil to use.
4) Build a stretcher out of chicken wire and two wooden dowels. You want the section of chicken wire to be a little longer and a little wider than the hog you are purchasing. This will allow you to more easily place the hog on the grill and remove it once it's cooked.
5) Always cook the hog on MEDIUM (250-300F on thermostat equipped units. Expect your total cooking time to take up to 12 hours, depending on how large the hog is. You are better off to anticipate that the hog will take longer to cook and set your schedule accordingly.
6) Always use meat thermometers (the kind that can stay in the meat during the entire cooking process) to monitor internal temperature. One thermometer in the shoulder, on in the ham. Your target "pull" temperature is 165F.
7) Once cooked, remove the hog from the grill and allow it to "rest" for 20-30 minutes before cutting into it. When cutting, start at the front shoulder near the backbone and slice back towards the ham section. Then, peel back the skin exposing the meat.
Bill Barefield, Yuba City, CA. proudly displays his whole hog, cooked on his Traeger. The hog was stuffed with 3 chickens! Bill says everyone went crazy over how good the pig meat tasted.
For more specific cooking instructions, click on this link:
Going Whole Hog Recipe
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Tue, Jul 14, 2009
The single most important element to producing genuine barbecue is the use of hardwood smoke as a flavor enhancer. I often get calls from new Traeger owners who tell me they can't get a deep level of smoke penetration into their meat.
There are two reasons for this. The first is that people who formerly cooked with a "log cooker" or with a combination of charcoal and wood are used to tasting creosote mixed in the smoke.
Creosote is a chemical by-product of improper wood combustion. The creosote mixes in with the smoke-giving it a denser flavor-more like the fumes coming out of the tailpipe of a diesel bus.
Traeger Wood Pellet Grills operate at a 98.8% efficiency What you wind up with is genuine wood smoke, absent creosote. Liken this to smoking a premium cigar.
When queried how they're cooking their meat, I am most often told, "Well, I smoked the meat for "X" number of hours, then I switched to medium...."
This is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing in order to entice the most amount of smoke penetration into the meat. By allowing it to warm up to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit before you kick in the smoke will allow the meat fibers and the pores to open up. Hence better smoke penetration. Liken this to going to a massage therapist. The therapist doesn't start deep level massage until they've warmed up your muscles first. The same thing is true with meat-which after all, is a muscle!
Keep in mind that you want your smoke to accentuate the flavor of the meat, the spices and sauce you're using. You want each of these flavors to compliment each other-not compete with one another.
If you want a deeper level of smoke penetration, let the meat warm-up first. In doing so, you'll get much more satisfactory and tastier result.
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Tue, Jul 14, 2009
We get a lot of calls at Traeger Grills about how to cook ribs properly. Unfortunately, there is a lot of MIS-INFORMATION out there. But I'm going set you straight and get you cooking right. Get Traeger Grill Secret Baby Back Rib recipes.
Types of ribs: There are generally four major types of ribs available, babybacks, spareribs, country-style and beef ribs. The first three types of ribs are pork ribs.
Babyback ribs come from the upper portion of the hog body near the back bone-hence the curvature in the rib bone. Look for a good balance of fat to meat to bone. You want a consistent level of marbling in the meat so that it provides moisture in the meat while it cook
Spareribs are from the belly region of the hog, and tend to be longer in length and meatier. Most are sold with the chine attached. A slab of spareribs will contain 12-13 ribs and have triangular ends-which you can elect to trim or not.
Country-stryle ribs aren't ribs at all. They are the front and rear portions of the rib cage, known as the loin. These pieces are cut into rectangular pieces approximately 5-6 inches long and one half to one inch thick. They are most often sold boneless.
Beef Ribs are cut off the "prime rib" area of the cow. They are usually channel cut-meaning that the meat on the top of the rib has been cut off exposing the top of the rib bone. Beef ribs require long, slow cooking to make them tender!
Tip: Don't purchase the channel cut beef ribs. Instead, ask the meat department to cut them off the prime rib, leaving at least one inch of meat on the top side of the rib. You will pay more for them-but they will be far more tender and tastier than the channel cut variety.
Tip: The easiest way to peel the membrane from the back of any type of rin is to allow the ribs to warm-up close to room temperature. You can also soak the ribs in tepid water for 30 minutes, remove, towel pat dry and then peel.
Par-boiling: This is the method where you boil the ribs in hot water-as a means of rendering them of fat and breaking down the meat fibers so that the ribs will come out tender. This is a BARBECUE SIN! No ribmaster worth their salt would be caught dead doing this.
The whole "trick" to cooking tender ribs is to allow them to cook at a consistent temperature, letting the dry heat break down the meat fibers and colligen.
Seasoning: It's my opinion that it's a waste of money and spices to season the bone side of the slab of ribs. Season just the meat side. You can use your own dry rub recipe, or any Traeger rub that appeals to you. (NOTE: if you use Traeger seasonings-a little goes a long ways. You should easily see the meat under the spices. If not, you've used too much!)
TIP: One of my favorite tricks is to add a thin layer of prepared mustard on top of the dry rub I've put on the ribs. This can be plain ole yellow mustard, deli style, German brown, etc. Which ever appeals to your taste buds.
Cooking the ribs: The reason why ribs turn out badly is because they are either cooked at too high a temperature, or aren't cook them long enough. The trick to getting ribs tender is by allowing them to cook in a constant, consistent temperature range of between 225-275F.
The Fallacy of Fall Off The Bone Tender: I don't know who the Bozo was who began this EVIL fallacy, in my opinion if you cook ribs to where the meat literally falls off the bone, you have OVERCOOKED your ribs. The meat should come clean off the rib bone with a gentle tug of the teeth. Otherwise you have a hunk of rib meat and a bone. A rib is a bone surrounded by meat.
I've found that you can easily cook babybacks in three hours. (see babyback rib recipe in Family Secret Recipes section of this website).
Spareribs and Beef Ribs take longer, typically 5-6 hours or more, depending on how hot or cold it is outside.
You can tell that the ribs are getting close to being done when the meat at the end of the rib bone begins to shrink by one-eighth to one-half inch. Many rib experts say that ribs are completely cooked when you pick up the rack with tongs and the rack bends downward.
Beef ribs require-in my opinion-the longest amount of cooking time-easily taking between five and six hours to render the meat tender. Because of the long cooking time, you may want to mist them using a 50/50 mixture of apple juice and water, applying it to the ribs once every half hour until they are done.
Get Traeger Grill Secret Baby Back Rib recipes.
Posted by Bruce Bjorkman on Tue, Jul 14, 2009
"Too Salty!" That's exactly what you might say when you taste meat that's been over-seasoned using Traeger Rubs or Shakes. Most likely what's happened is that someone has used too much of a good thing and wound up over-seasoning their meat
Unlike many other commercially produced seasoning blends, Traeger Rubs and Shakes are SUPER FRESH! The flavor profile is close to 100%, so you only need to use a little seasoning in order to get the best results.
Here's a way to ensure that your meat is properly seasoned without over doing it: Place your hands under running water. Turn off the water and shake your hands so that they remain wet-but not dripping wet. Next, take a teaspoon of your chosen Traeger seasoning and put it into the palm of one hand. Rub both hands together and then rub over the meat.
For a large cut of meat, you may need to do this twice. However you should easily see the meat under the layer of seasoning. If you can't, you've used wayyyyy too much seasoning.
The whole idea is to have the seasoning accentuate the flavor of the meat, not over power it. It's better to have too little seasoning, rather than too much. You can always sprinkle a little more onto the meat at the table if you don't think you have enough seasoning on the meat.
The blends that are "all purpose" include Chicken Rub, Salmon Shake, Veggie Shake, Cajun Shake,Pork and Poultry Shake and Sweet Rub. You can use these on any cut of meat with great results. With the Sweet Rub, you can add it to any of the other Traeger Rubs or Shakes to add a light touch of sweetness to the seasoning blend.