I'm putting this tolpic in food related because it will in general - affect cooking/smoking.
Feel free to move it wherever you feel is appropriate.
Somewhere around 2010 there was a popular topic entitled "50 TIps for Beginners" on a related forum.
So I thought I'd start up a new one, and will start out with a few to get things going
1. Take detailed notes of your cooking experience. The good points and the bad. They're great to have next time you're doing the same cook.
2. Make sure your drip pan in in place. I've learned that you're gonna have one big mess on your patio if it ain't.
3. Don't be afraid to get out some steel wool occasionally and give your temperature probe a very good cleaning. It's important for accurate measurements.
4. Make sure there are plenty of pellets in your hopper. (Another Been There - Done that)
5. Clean out your burn pot after a long cook.
6. If you get an opportunity to cook in a competition take it.
7. For most meats, focus on internal temperature rather than time.
8. If you have an adjustable smoke stack, more airflow is generally better than less.
9. Don't be afraid to experiment.
10. Invest in and trust a good quality instant read thermometer.
11. Get some oven thermometers and test the temp at grate level.
12. If your pit is cooking ok (no major issues), give it time to season properly.
13. Pellet grills are perfect for cooking a wide variety of foods. Try anything you’d cook inside an oven, like bread, pizza, pot roast, casseroles, whole turkeys, hams or prime rib. They will all cook perfectly, infused with that awesome hardwood taste!
14. There are always at least two ways to get one thing done.
15. Do not sweat crazy temp swings too much.
16. Clean your burn pot out after a long cook.
OK gang - continue on.
