Basics To Pellet Grill Cooking

[charlesrshell]

I did these chicken thighs tonight. All in the Bull. Skin up 25 minutes at 450 on the grates on the left side of the grill. Then I turned the grill down to 350 and put the thighs on the flat side of the grill grates that had been on the right side of the grill (15 minutes until they were at 180-185). They turned out awesome. Crispy and juicy. Did they taste like they had been grilled over an open flame or charcoal? No, but they were devoured. You can do a lot with these grills.

Nice @Waterboy

 

[charlesrshell]

@Waterboy we are going to do chicken thighs our first cook. I was thinking of starting at 210 for about 30 minutes to get bunches of smoke and then crank up to 400 till done. What do you think? Also I thought chicken thighs are done at 175 degress. I was going to pull them off at 170 and rest up to 175. Or should I pull them off at 180 and rest up to 185 like you did? Somewhere in the process I want to sauce them up some. I don't want to use the sear plates if at all possible.

 

[rfdong]

I would say that if you want to put in the extra time, steaks and even burgers can be so much better on the pellet grill. A reverse seared filet or ribeye is fantastic. Burgers can be the same if you put a little smoke then sear. you can do it all on the pellet, it takes time but if you use another device to sear can be quicker, but you can’t go wrong putting a little smoke on anything IMO. Start simple, ribs are a good way to start But you’ll find a few different ways to cook even the simplest food such as ribs. But they are pretty forgiving so easy to start with. You can try 3-2-1 or some variation or cook without wrapping depending on your preference. Most of all have fun on the journey and enjoy the food you are about to experience.

 

[charlesrshell]

I would say that if you want to put in the extra time, steaks and even burgers can be so much better on the pellet grill. A reverse seared filet or ribeye is fantastic. Burgers can be the same if you put a little smoke then sear. you can do it all on the pellet, it takes time but if you use another device to sear can be quicker, but you can’t go wrong putting a little smoke on anything IMO. Start simple, ribs are a good way to start But you’ll find a few different ways to cook even the simplest food such as ribs. But they are pretty forgiving so easy to start with. You can try 3-2-1 or some variation or cook without wrapping depending on your preference. Most of all have fun on the journey and enjoy the food you are about to experience.

Thanks @rfdong

 

[Waterboy]

@Waterboy we are going to do chicken thighs our first cook. I was thinking of starting at 210 for about 30 minutes to get bunches of smoke and then crank up to 400 till done. What do you think? Also I thought chicken thighs are done at 175 degress. I was going to pull them off at 170 and rest up to 175. Or should I pull them off at 180 and rest up to 185 like you did? Somewhere in the process I want to sauce them up some. I don't want to use the sear plates if at all possible.

You can certainly start lower to get some smoke if you want. I wasn’t particularly going for smoke. As far as my temps go the thighs were small to medium in size and got done faster than I intended. That said I can tell you they were not one bit dry. You have some leeway with thighs.

 

[charlesrshell]

You can certainly start lower to get some smoke if you want. I wasn’t particularly going for smoke. As far as my temps go the thighs were small to medium in size and got done faster than I intended. That said I can tell you they were not one bit dry. You have some leeway with thighs.

OK, got it. Thanks

 

[Carddeception]

It seems to me that 210 degrees is not enough for any meat basically. 225-350 degrees will be optimal, but if you need a minimum temperature, then set it to 225 degrees. Make sure to use an amazon meat thermometer, because overheating the meat is also very undesirable, you will get it either very tough or dry, like a sole. And as for the pellet grill, they are designed for slow cooking meat at a low temperature. It really is more like an oven than a grill and can be used as a smoker. Therefore, your choice is definitely 225 degrees and about 25-30 minutes of cooking preheating the pellet grill for 10-15 minutes.

 

[SmokeOCD]

It seems to me that 210 degrees is not enough for any meat basically. 225-350 degrees will be optimal, but if you need a minimum temperature, then set it to 225 degrees.

Wow - I need another coffee. Read that three times before it clicked that you do not cook your chicken to 210 and beyond.

 

[Jim6820]

Since this is a two-year-old “Basics to Pellet Grill Cooking” thread, maybe a quick refresher is needed. Much pellet grill cooking is two stage; the first stage instills the smoke flavor and the second stage brings the meat to the proper internal temperature, along with crisping things up or adding a bit of char, as desired.

Lower temperatures (225F or below) produce the most smoke, so many of us do our first stage at around 200F or so, then bump up the temperature to anywhere from 250F to 350F to finish, depending on the type of meat we are cooking and the desired finish.