Ranch Chicken with Smash Potatoes

[John McLaughlin]

On the MAK2 Star I cooked a Ranch Chicken (recipe from Chef Steps) with roasted smash potatoes with creamy cauliflower. The chicken was spatchcocked with the breast bone removed. Slits were made along the chicken skin. The purpose was to allow the ranch seasoning to penetrate the meat. The ranch dressing was rubbed all over the chicken and EVOO was drizzled over the skin just before cooking. To make the smash potatoes slice in small quarters, par boil, then smash them and place in a pan brush with oil ( I also added shallots and slice garlic in with the potatoes. Place the chicken on top with the breast side up and cook at 400 degrees until the chicken thighs reach an internal temp of 165.

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[drewkaree]

What pellets do you use? Anything specific you prefer for some things, for instance, I like cherry for the final step when curing bacon.

 

[John McLaughlin]

What pellets do you use? Anything specific you prefer for some things, for instance, I like cherry for the final step when curing bacon.

I must admit I really do not have any favorite brands and/or flavors. I am not that bigger fan of smoke meats however i do vey much like smoked cheese.

 

[fatboyroy]

Never fail to make me hungry ?‍

 

[drewkaree]

I must admit I really do not have any favorite brands and/or flavors. I am not that bigger fan of smoke meats however i do vey much like smoked cheese.

Do you smoke your own cheeses on your MAK? I know on my Traeger they used to sell a side addition to do that, but I never bothered with that, I just got a pellet tube and made sure it was far enough away or hidden in the bowels of the smoker. Pecan or apple smoked Gouda is...really, it's a little slice of heaven!

I'm a fan of the selection of flavors that Traeger offers, but they're spendier than I'd like, and there's a lot of dust at the end of a bag. I bought a bag from Amazon from a place called cookinpellets.com only to find out he's local-ish to me! One of my fellow golf league members buys from them by the pallet, splitting it with a neighbor, and now, we're going to be splitting it with a few other guys too. I've only used their "Perfect Mix" yet, but it's a nice flavor when doing a steak or some chicken like that. The blend helps give a nice mix of flavoring and not a harsh bitter smokiness like you might find with just a single flavored wood.

Traeger's pecan or apple is an easy-to-find nice gentle smoke if you're not a fan of something "heartier", like hickory or mesquite. I think you'd like the pecan for a nice Ribeye, but I really can't think of anything that the pecan wouldn't be nice with - really not overpowering at all.

I don't expect anyone to have heard of this on this forum, but I've run this horse bedding through my Traeger for a few cooks. Yes, you read that right, horse bedding! Great for kebabs and for some longer cooks of stuff like a pork shoulder or roast for pulling. Adds a bit of sweetness...same issue, it breaks down like the Traeger pellets, but compared to the cost of Traeger's, I don't mind it nearly as much...about 5x less, as a matter of fact! ?

 

[John McLaughlin]

Do you smoke your own cheeses on your MAK?

I'm a fan of the selection of flavors that Traeger offers, but they're spendier than I'd like, and there's a lot of dust at the end of a bag. I bought a bag from Amazon from a place called cookinpellets.com only to find out he's local-ish to me! One of my fellow golf league members buys from them by the pallet, splitting it with a neighbor, and now, we're going to be splitting it with a few other guys too. I've only used their "Perfect Mix" yet, but it's a nice flavor when doing a steak or some chicken like that. The blend helps give a nice mix of flavoring and not a harsh bitter smokiness like you might find with just a single flavored wood.

Traeger's pecan or apple is an easy-to-find nice gentle smoke if you're not a fan of something "heartier", like hickory or mesquite. I think you'd like the pecan for a nice Ribeye, but I really can't think of anything that the pecan wouldn't be nice with - really not overpowering at all.

I do smoke my own cheese from sharp to gouda and some in between.

I have never used traeger's pellets as I do think they are pricey. I have always found flavored pellets to be more expensive. Oe reason I don't use them is because i never empty my pellet box. I just keep refilling it with whatever pellets I have on hand.

I should also say IMO rubs and sauces often take away from the smoke flavor and I prefer the rubs and sauces over the smoke flavor