Category: Pellet Smoker

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Pellet Smoked Turkey Chili

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Pellet Smoked Turkey Chili

It’s getting cold outside and that means it’s chili time! Turkey chili can be a rewarding meal when you are hungry and need to warm up. This recipe is easy to make except for all the veggie chopping, but that is normal. If you never had ground turkey instead of beef in your chili it’s not bad like you may be thinking. The texture can be slightly different and the flavor is not the same but let’s address that. This recipe calls for 1 can of beef broth and a beef bouillon cube. This adds the beefy flavor that you are used to and makes it quite similar in taste. But hey if you are really into poultry, then you can use chicken broth and bouillon instead. Now let’s talk smoke cause that is where the flavor is at. For this recipe we use apple wood pellets to keep things mild and not too overpowering. You can add some pecan to increase the smoke flavor if that’s what you are into. As with any chili you can go off script and add your favorite ingredients and wood pellets.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 large white onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 4 vine tomatoes (or 2 beefsteak)
  • 2 jalapeño peppers
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 can sweet corn
  • 1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (15 ounce) kidney beans
  • 1 can (15 ounce) black beans
  • 1 can (15 ounce) pinto beans
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 1 beef bullion cube

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Directions

First, dice the onion, poblano pepper, tomatoes and one jalapeno pepper. Slice the second jalapeno pepper and set aside. Mince or finely dice the garlic cloves.


In a large skillet, saute the onions in a small amount of butter. Add diced poblano and one diced jalapeno. When the onions begin to turn translucent, add the garlic. Add a splash of beef broth. Cook for 1 minute then add the turkey meat. Mix the turkey meat around, breaking up any clumps into smaller pieces. Add the taco seasoning and continue to cook until the meat is browned and no longer pink.


Add the canned items into a large cast iron skillet or foil casserole pan. Next add the diced tomatoes and the turkey and onion mixture. Add the seasonings then stir everything together.

Place the skillet or pan on the smoker running at 275F with apple wood pellets. Cook for about 4 hours and stir the chili every 30 minutes. Near the end of the cook, if the chili has excess liquid, use an immersion blender to thicken it up.

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Ultimate Game Day Queso Dip

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Ultimate Game Day Queso Dip

“That big game lawyers won’t let you mention” is coming soon and you need a recipe for a legendary party sized crowd pleaser. Nothing gets the job done better than a killer queso dip with a few bags of tortilla chips. So you’ve been all around the internet and back, but all the thousands of queso dip recipes are clones of each other. What makes this recipe different? A few more ingredients and a little more work on your part is the difference maker. If you don’t have much time, you can do these steps a few days before the big game and put everything together then. Go ahead and dice all the veggies a day or two before the cook and store them in a zip seal bag. You can cook the meat and bean mixture a day ahead and put everything together on the big game day. This recipe works best on a pellet smoker, but if you don’t have one this recipe can cook on a grill or bake in an oven. Just follow the same steps for temperatures and time to achieve a delicious result.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground chuck
  • 1 can pinto beans
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 2 jalapeno peppers
  • 2 vine tomatoes
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 8 – 12 green onions
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2 lb velveeta cheese
  • 1 lb monterey jack cheese
  • ½ cup half and half

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Directions

First, dice the red and green bell pepper, 1/2 white onion, 12 green onions, 2 vine tomatoes, poblano and one jalapeño pepper. Set aside half of the green onion for toppings. Slice the second jalapeño pepper for toppings. Mince or finely dice the garlic cloves.


On a medium heat, fry the ground beef for about 5 minutes. Break the large chunks down into smaller bits. Add the packet of taco seasoning and stir together. Add 1 can of drained and washed pinto beans and smash most of the bean and meat mixture into smaller bits. Remove from the heat when the meat is all brown and not pink.


Start the smoker at 300 F using a mixture of pecan and hickory pellets.


Next add the diced veggies to a 9 x 13 aluminum foil pan. Add the beef and bean mixture, then stir everything together.


Slice the velveeta and monterey jack into chunks then place the cheese on top of the veggie beef mixture.


When the smoker reaches temperature, add the cheese dip and cook for 30 minutes. Stir the melted cheese into the beef and vegetable mixture then add 1/2 cup if half and half. Continue to stir until everything is properly mixed together. Lower the heat to 250 F and cook for 2 – 3 more hours stirring every 30 minutes.


On the final half hour of the cook, add the sliced jalapeños and some of the cilantro and green onion that was set aside. Pull the cheese dip at 3 hours max then top with the remaining green onions and cilantro. Allow it to cool a few minutes then serve with tortilla chips.

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Pellet Smoked Teriyaki Salmon

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Pellet Smoked Teriyaki Salmon

Here is a quick recipe for smoked salmon that you can make on your pellet smoker. This is a simple marinade method and it’s super easy compared to wet and dry brine methods. You can marinade for 4 hours or up to 12 hours depending on how much time you have. The total smoke time is about 3 hours. So give this a try and don’t skip on the jalapeños because you can always take them off after cooking and still get that sweet heat!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Atlantic salmon fillet
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
  • 2 jalapeño peppers

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Directions

First slice the salmon fillet into 2 to 3 inch pieces then place them into a zip seal bag.


Add the soy sauce and teriyaki to the bag then seal it closed. Place the bag in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours.


After marinating, remove the salmon slices and place them on a cooling rack. Season them with old bay seasoning.


Slice 2 jalapeno peppers into thick slices and place two or three on top of the salmon slices.


Start your pellet smoker with pecan pellets at 150 to 170 F.


Smoke the salmon until it reaches 145 F then remove and let it rest for 5 minutes. The meat will fall off the skin (usually) and is ready to eat.

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Cold Smoked Cheese

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Cold Smoked Cheese

It’s cooling down outside and that is a perfect time to make your own smoked cheese. When the temperature stays below 80F you can fill up that pellet tube with your favorite wood flavors and get to smoking. For cold smoking, you are only burning pellets in the tube and this is the only heat source. This won’t be enough heat to melt the cheese however keep the tube at least 1 foot away from the cheese. You can use any type of grill or smoker to make cold smoked cheese as long as it has a lid and some ventilation. There are many different cheeses that you can use for smoking and what works for you might be different than what is listed here. If this is your first time smoking cheese, give these a try then expand out next time.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz colby jack
  • 8 oz medium cheddar
  • 8 oz pepper jack
  • 8 oz baby swiss
  • 8 oz jarlsberg

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Directions

First, fill a 3 hour smoke tube with pellets. For soft and semi-soft cheeses, use a lighter flavored wood such as apple. For hard cheeses use something with more flavor such as pecan or hickory. Light the pellets with a torch and allow them to burn for a minute or two. Blow out the flame and let the pellets smoke. Close the lid on the grill or smoker.


Next, remove any wax rind on the outside of the cheese. Slice the cheese block into smaller blocks roughly 4 x 4 x 2. This exposes more surface area which attracts smoke flavor. Place the smaller blocks onto a cooling rack and transport it to the grill or smoker.


Use a temperature monitor with an ambient probe to make sure the temperature in the grill or smoker does not exceed 90F. Smoke for 3 hours and turn each piece of cheese every 30 minutes. After 3 hours, remove the cooling rack with the cheese and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.


For storage, wrap the cheese in wax paper then vacuum seal each piece. Most cheeses can be stored up o 3 months in the refrigerator.

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