Meat pies, lamb shanks, smokey mac & cheese, meat ball subs, brisket burgers, and cheesy pizza and everything else you could want for a weekend that’s all about dad. Here you’ll find the ultimate, ‘dude food’ recipes from renowned outdoor chef and Traeger Grills brand ambassador, Sarah Glover.
Roasted – Meatball Breakfast Sub
Cooking time: 2 hours and 45 mins
Feeds: 6 people
Ingredients:
Meat balls:
- 500 g quality minced beef, pork, or a mixture of the two
- 500g pork meat
- 300g Ricotta
- 300g Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 large free-range egg
- olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 x 400 g tin of plum tomatoes
Sub:
- X1 long Subs
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- X10 Eggs
Method:
Set your Traeger Grill to 180ºC.
Add all the ingredients into a dish and mix together with your hands, shape into balls, about the size of golf balls. Place on a tray side by side.
Cook in the grill for aprox 20 mins or until lightly golden.
In a pot add the tomatoes, and red wine, add the meatballs, cover and place back in the grill. Cook for 2 hours till the liquid has reduced and the meat has caramalised. Cool.
Place some meatballs on the sub, add the cheese and grill for 20 mins, till melted, while its grilling add eggs to the pan and place on top. Close the lid of the Traeger Grill and cook for another 5 mins until the cheese melts.
Slice sub and serve.
Braised – Auzzie Beef pie
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
Prep time: 45
Feeds: 5 people
Ingredients:
- 1.25kg beef chuck, diced and cut into 3cm cubes
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 80ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2½ tbsp tomato paste
- 200ml red wine
- 200ml veal or chicken stock
- nigella seed
- 1-2 sheets frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked with 1 tbsp water
Method:
Preheat your Traeger Grill to 160°C.
Season the beef with salt and pepper and toss with 2 tbsp flour until evenly coated.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof heavy-based pan over a high heat.
Add beef in batches and cook for about five minutes per batch, until well browned, then remove. Add more oil if the pan dries out.
Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook over low heat for about five minutes, until softened.
Add the tomato paste and 1 tbsp flour and cook out for a minute or so. Add the red wine and stock, and stir until the mixture boils.
Return the beef to the pan, cover the pan with foil, place in your Traeger Grill and cook for two hours, or until tender, then stir through the peas and mint. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge until cold (warm filling will ruin the pastry).
When the beef filling is ready, heat your Treager Grill to 180°C
Divide the pie filling among four 300ml ramekins or pie dishes. Top each with a piece of pastry large enough to hang over the edge of each dish (it is important to remove the pastry from the freezer only 5-10 minutes before you need it, so it thaws but stays chilled).
Press the pastry down firmly around the edges of the dishes and brush evenly with the egg yolk. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, until puffed and golden
Smoked – cheesy confit garlic and mushroom pizza
Cooking time: 15 mins
Prep time: 1 hour
Feeds: 5-6 people
Ingredients:
Pizza Toppings
- 2 cups oyster Mushrooms
- Brie cheese sliced
- Thyme
- X5 cloves Confit Garlic
Confit Garlic
- 3 heads of garlic, cloves peeled
- 1½ cups (or more) grapeseed oil
Pizza Base
- 2 ½ cups warm water (600 mL)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 7 cups all-purpose flour (875 g), plus more for dusting
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup semolina flour (30 g)
Method:
Preheat the Traeger Grill to 250°C. Place garlic and oil in a small saucepan (add more oil if cloves aren’t submerged). Cover and bake until cloves are golden and tender, about 2 hours. Let cool; transfer garlic and oil to an airtight container and chill, use as needed.
“Bloom” the yeast by sprinkling the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes, until bubbles form on the surface.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil and bloomed yeast mixture. Using a spoon, mix until a shaggy dough begins to form.
Once the flour is mostly hydrated, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. The dough should be soft, smooth, and bouncy. Form the dough into a taut round.
Grease a clean, large bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for at least an hour, or up to 24 hours.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for another minute or so, then cut into 4 equal portions and shape into rounds.
Lightly flour the dough, then cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for another 30 minutes to an hour while you prepare the sauce and any other ingredients.
Preheat your Traeger Grill and pizza stone to between 230-260˚C.
In a pan add the chopped mushrooms and ¼ cup of the garlic oil and cook until softened. Remove and allow to cool.
Then, stretch and press the dough into a thin round. Make it thinner than you think it should be, as it will slightly shrink and puff up during baking.
Sprinkle semolina onto an upside down baking sheet and place the stretched crust onto it. Add the sauce and ingredients of your choice.
Slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone or pan, top with mushrooms, garlic and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.
Roast Beef Shepherd’s Pie
Feeds 6
Equipment:
- Traeger Grill
- 9 inch (23 cm) cast-iron frying pan
Ingredients:
- 1 kg beef roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (concentrated purée)
- 2 tablespoons Traeger Sweet & Heat Sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- 1 330 ml bottle of Guinness
- chopped chives, to garnish
Mashed potato topping:
- 500 g potatoes, peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup salted butter
- ⅓ cup cream
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Method:
Set up a Traeger Grill for smoking with oak wood pellets and preheat the grill to 200°C.
Rub the beef roast on all sides with the oil and place on the grill. Cook for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 140°C and roast for 2 hours or until the internal temperature of the beef reaches 100°C. Remove the beef from the grill and rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes.
Cut the beef into large cubes and place in a mixing bowl, add the flour to the beef, toss to coat the beef in the flour. In a 23 cm cast-iron frying pan add the floured beef, carrot, celery and garlic and season with the salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and Traeger sauce, then add the peas. Carefully pour in the Guinness and stir to combine – the mixture will begin to thicken. Cover and transfer to the Traeger and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until soft. Drain and return the potato to the pan, then add the butter and cream and mash until mostly smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in half the cheese until melted.
Spoon the mashed potato on top of the roast beef mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese, then cook for a final 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Scatter the shepherd’s pie with a few chopped chives and serve warm.
Roasted – deboned leg of lamb with rosemary and lemon rub
Cooking time: 70mins + 30mins rest time
Prep time: 45mins
Feeds: 6 peoples
Ingredients:
- 1.5kg de-boned leg of lamb
- olive oil and seasoning
- For the stuffing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ cup toasted pinenuts
- ¼ cup dried currants
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- ½ bunch thyme
- ½ bunch rosemary leaves
- ½ cup grated pecorino Romano
- 2 cups homemade breadcrumbs
- freshly ground pepper
Method:
Remove lamb from the refrigerator two hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Season well. Preheat your Treager Grill to 180ºC.
For the stuffing, heat one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on low heat. Add onion, garlic and salt and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add pine-nuts and currants and cook for one minute. Add honey and red wine vinegar. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Pick and chop the leaves from the parsley and rosemary. Place in a food processor and blend while slowly pouring in remaining oil. Add the pecorino, pulse a few times then add the breadcrumbs, pulsing again until it just comes together. Remove from the processor and combine with cooled pinenut mixture. Check seasoning.
Place deboned lamb, fat side down, on a chopping board. Place stuffing in the middle along the whole length inside the lamb. Roll lamb from one side to the other. Tie with string along the length of the rolled up leg at three centimetre intervals. Rub with oil and put in a large roasting tin.
Cook for 30 minutes then reduce temperature to 160ºC. After about 40 more minutes, start checking the meat’s core temperature. Continue to roast until it reaches about 55 to 56ºC. Rest for 30 minutes.
To serve, remove string, slice and serve with any juices from the roasting pan.
Lamb Shanks with Creamy Sweet Potato Bake
Feeds 4
Equipment:
- Traeger Grill
- Oak wood pellets
- Dutch oven or camp oven
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 meaty lamb shanks (ask for the hind shanks)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- zest and juice of 2 limes
- zest and juice of 2 oranges
- a few thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 6 cups hot chicken stock or water
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley, to garnish
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint or dill, to garnish
- smashed potatoes, to serve
Method:
Combine the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper and turmeric in a small bowl, then massage the mixture into the lamb shanks. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour, or wrap and refrigerate overnight, returning the lamb shanks to room temperature before cooking.
Set up a Traeger Grill for smoking with oak wood pellets and preheat the grill to 80°C.
Add the lamb shanks to the grill and smoke for 2 hours.
Transfer the smoked lamb to a Dutch oven or camp oven over medium–high heat and add the oil.
Increase the Traeger Grill temperature to 180°C.
Add the onion, citrus zest and juice, thyme sprigs and bay leaves to the lamb and pour over the chicken stock or water. Cover with a lid, transfer to the Traeger and cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.
Remove the lamb shanks to a deep serving dish and rest, covered, for 30 minutes. Keep warm.
Use a large spoon to separate the tender lamb into large chunks, then divide among shallow bowls. Drizzle over the juices from the pan and serve, scattered with the herbs, with smashed potatoes on the side.
Smoky Brisket Burgers
Feeds 6
Equipment:
- Traeger Grill
- Cherry wood pellets
- Camp oven
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 kg rolled beef brisket
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Traeger Sweet & Heat Sauce (extra for serving)
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 burger buns of your choice
- burger toppings of your choice
- pickles, to serve
Cheese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 cup milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated gruyere
Method:
Combine the paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, dark brown sugar and honey in a small bowl. Spread the mixture over the brisket, then place the brisket on a tray. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Traeger Sweet & Heat Sauce and vegetable oil and massage the ingredients into the brisket. Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 3 hours and up to overnight.
Allow the brisket to come to room temperature. Set up your Traeger Grill for smoking with cherry wood pellets and preheat the grill to 80°C.
Place the brisket on the grill and smoke for 3–4 hours, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 71°C. Remove the brisket from the grill and wrap it in foil.
Increase the temperature of the barbecue grill to 120°C and place the temperature probe back inside the brisket. Return the brisket to the grill, still wrapped in foil, and continue to cook for 3–4 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 94°C. Remove the brisket from the grill and rest in the foil for at least 30 minutes.
While the meat is resting, prepare the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a camp oven, then whisk in the flour until a paste forms. Add the milk, a little at a time and whisking constantly, until you have a thickened, lump-free creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper and whisk in the cheese until melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
To serve, cut the burger buns in half and toast, cut-side down, on the grill until warmed through. Slice the brisket, then divide among the buns and spoon over the cheese sauce. Add your favourite toppings and serve with pickles and Traeger Sweet & Heat Sauce on the side.
Twice-Cooked Smoky Macaroni Cheese with Whisky
Feeds 5
Equipment:
- Traeger Grill
- Apple wood pellets
- Cast-iron frying pan
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 500g dried macaroni
- 400g bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ cup whisky
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon hot English mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups double (heavy) cream
- 1 ¼ cups grated cheddar
- ½ cup grated gruyere
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan
Topping:
- 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup melted salted butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Method:
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add the salt, followed by the macaroni, and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Set up a Traeger Grill with apple wood pellets, and preheat the grill to 180°C.
Place a deep cast-iron frying pan or skillet on the grill and cook the bacon for 4–5 minutes, until golden, then set aside in a bowl, leaving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan. Add the butter and allow it to melt, then whisk in the flour until combined.
Next, add the whisky, chicken stock, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and whisk to combine you want a smooth sauce, so try to avoid it being too hot while the smooth sauce is forming. Then bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally to scrape up any bits stuck to the base of the pan, and cook until starting to thicken. Stir in the cream and return to a simmer, then add all the cheese and stir until melted and you have a thick cheesy sauce. Add the macaroni and stir to combine, then transfer to a fireproof baking dish.
Combine the breadcrumbs, melted butter and bacon in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the mixture over the macaroni cheese and top with the grated cheddar. Cook in the Traeger for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
BBQ – vegetable salad with salsa verde
Cooking time: 30 mins
Prep time: 15
Feeds: 4 people
Ingredients:
- 2x Sweet potatoes cut into round circles
- 3x Corn
- 1x Capsicum
- 1x Zucchini
- 1 cup halloumi sliced (alternative: tofu)
- 1½-2 cloves garlic
- 2 big handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
- 1 handful of fresh mint
- 1 small handful of capers
- 1 small handful of gherkins, in sweet vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 8 tablespoons really good extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Peel the sweet potato and cut into thick slices. Prepare and slice the rest of your veg, to your liking.
Peel the garlic and pick the herb leaves, then finely chop on a large board with the capers and gherkins.
Place in a bowl, add the mustard and vinegar, then slowly stir in the oil until you achieve the right consistency.
Balance the flavours with black pepper, a bit of sea salt and maybe a little more vinegar.
Heat your Traeger Grill to 180ºC, toss all of the vegetables in the extra virgin olive oil and BBQ the vegetables for 30 mins or till golden soft and ready.
Whilst the veg is cooking, pop your haloumi or tofu onto the grill and cook until golden brown.
Layer the ingredients onto a share plate and drizzle with the salsa verde.
Smoked Cabbage Slaw (Vegetarian)
Feeds 5
Equipment:
- Traeger Grill
- Apple wood pellets
Ingredients:
- 1 small whole green cabbage (about 570g), cut in half through the core
- 1 honey crisp apple (or another firm apple), halved
- 2 carrots, peeled
- ½ cup raisins
- almonds
- ⅓ cup flat leaf Parsley finely shredded
- ⅓ cups mint finely shredded
Slaw dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus extra to taste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Set up your Traeger Grill for smoking with apple wood pellets and preheat the grill to 80°C.
Place the halved cabbage on the grill and smoke for 1 hour. Remove from the grill and set aside to rest.
Using a mandoline or a chef’s knife, finely shred the cabbage, apple and carrot and combine in a large bowl. Stir in the raisins and almonds.
To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Taste, and add a little extra apple cider vinegar if you prefer a tarter dressing.
Stir the dressing into the slaw and toss to combine. Taste and add a little extra salt, if needed, sprinkle with the mint and parsley.
ABOUT:
Sarah Glover, Author of WILD: Adventure Cookbook and Ambassador for Traeger Grills Australia: The internationally renowned chef and explorer, who has travelled the world in search of epic food and wild adventures. As a classically trained chef and pastry chef, Sarah brings skill to wood-fired cooking, scaling windswept cliffs and salty stretches of beach to create simple, uncomplicated and seriously tasty food (always with a grin!).
Sarah has forged a career in Bondi Beach, Tasmania and beyond. She is the author of WILD: Adventure Cookbook and owner of the Wild Kitchen, a catering company founded on extraordinary events, cooked up under the stars.
Traeger Grills Australia: Traeger Grills, headquartered in Salt Lake City, has been revolutionising BBQ grilling and outdoor cooking for over 30 years with one simple, all-encompassing cooking solution. Traeger pellet grills use 100% all-natural hardwood fuel to infuse food with flavorful smoke, making food taste delicious and most of all, memorable. As the inventor of the original and world’s top selling wood-fired grill, Traeger utilizes wood-fired convection power to provide 6-in-1 versatility; grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise and BBQ meals to perfection every time. For more information about Traeger Grills’ complete product line, where to buy and to learn more about the wood-fired difference, visit www.traegergrills.com.au