New to the board

[Trips]

Hello, my name is Chris. I live in San Diego with my partner of 4 years. She and I have recently bought the Traeger 22 Pro Series. I have never smoked meat before yet she's expecting some mouth watering meals from her man and this new contraption. I'll need some help. Please, don't let me down Seriously though, I am very grateful for this forum.

[Papa Tom]

Welcome aboard Chris good ta have ya.
Lots of nice folks here with lots of experience so you've found the right place.
What kind of cook are you contemplating?

[woodenvisions]

Welcome Chris..

In no time you will be stacking up the brownie points from the miss's..

Just don't set your bar too high right away as there is a learning curve. But soon she will have a full belly and a huge smile.
Jut remember, peeking is no good when smoking and above everything else, post LOTS of pics

[ChileFarmer]

Chris, welcome to the forum. CF

[OldUsedParts]

Howdy Chris and Welcome - - I recently became a Pellet Newbie and these fellers, Papa Tom, Oakie and others, have really helped guide me thru this learning experience. Be sure and read your manual very good - - - don't do like I did and "assume" that the higher the P Setting the higher the temp.

[Kramergwt]

Welcome Chris,
First off, I'm a newbie too. When I insisted on getting a the "ugly black one" instead of the pretty shiny stainless steel gas grill when I was browsing through the store my wife wasn't thrilled. I read up on the grill I got and found a number of well reported problems. I took somebody's advice and started with chickens because they're a cheap way to test out the process and tweak the smoker. My wife, now, absolutely loves my selection. It took some tweaking and untweaking but I have it figured out now. Only took about 4 or 5 tries to make it work like I read they are supposed to and everything eventually came out great. I would suggest the chicken idea, cooking a few chickens and figuring out how your machine ticks. Things I did to mine that made a difference...

1. I added a heat baffle to move the heat around
2. Stopped using charcoal briquettes and now only use hardwood lump charcoal
3. Put gaskets and latches on the doors to cut down on leaks
4. Got some better thermometers and mounted them down where the food is

Not sure about your setup. I am new to this stuff but a Google search might turn up some videos and tips from other owners.

Good luck!

[cowboydon]

Welcome to the forum

[SmokeMaster_P]

welcome

[spacetrucker]

Welcome, once you get used to pellets, you probably wont go back to cord wood...
is that San Diego ? CA...? or