Recently bought a Traeger Timberline XL as a first smoker (no I didn't pay retail price for it, far from it actually and that's a different story entirely😅) and put it through its first test! 

For background, I'm no longer, but was a professional chef for 15 years and I'm now 2 years removed from it and also finally a home owner. So after a year of settling into the house It was finally time to live a dream of owning a grill/smoker after apartment living and not being able to my entire adult life. Stumbled on to this smoker and here we are.

Just looking to see visually and also opinions on the ribs I made night 1. St. Louis style, used a Spiceology blend rub on it  with mustard as the biner and smoked at 225° with super smoke for the first 2 hours then bumped it to 250° for another I think almost 2 hours. Wrapped at 160° with some butter, apple juice, and more seasoning in butcher paper and put them back on until 190, I think it was roughly 90 minutes or so? Made a BBQ sauce and threw them on to glaze for about another 60 minutes or so until the hit 201°. Pulled, rested, cut into 1/3s, and was genuinely very very surprised (even as a previous chef) at how phenomenal they turned out for a first time use of a smoker and a pellet smoker as well. I used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ blend pellets and during the first 4 hours on the smoke before wrapping I spritzed with apple cider vinegar 3 times (once every hour and none at the wrap).

The bark and smoke ring penetrated both sides almost fully to the bone, the smoke flavor from those Bear Mountain pellets was some of the best smoke flavor I've had off of a pellet smoker. Is there anything different on the process any of you would recommend? Visually is there anything you notice that should be different or would be different with changes that would be a benefit?

I currently have 2x 11 lb bone-in pork butts on for some friends coming over tonight and we're in hour 9 at 225°. One of them is through the stall and the other is coming through it now. Threw a picture of them just for reference in case they look like they need done differently in the moment to anybody. 

Happy to be a part of this community finally and looking forward to sharing a million posts of my smoked foods journey 😉

First Time Smoker