19 Pellet Smoker Recipes Your Cousin Drives Out Specifically for the Moment She Hears the Smoker Is On

When the pellet smoker starts running, dinner already feels like more than a regular night. These 19 recipes cover burgers, pulled pork, lamb chops, wings, meatloaf, ham, beef shank, pork tenderloin, roasts, chicken, steak, and al pastor, so the smoker gets a full weekend’s worth of work. Some recipes are quick enough for a weeknight, while others are long cooks meant for the kind of meal people hear about and make time for. Each one gives the table a smoked main or party dish with enough payoff to make the next cookout easy to plan.

Whole cooked leg of lamb on a board with a knife. — Traeger Smoked Leg of Lamb. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Smoked Burgers Recipe With a Reverse Sear

A smoked burger with lettuce and a slice of cheddar cheese on a bun, served with potato chips on a wooden board. — Smoked Burgers Recipe With a Reverse Sear. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Cold beef patties give Smoked Burgers Recipe With a Reverse Sear a low-and-slow start before a hot reverse sear. The recipe takes 1 hour and 50 minutes and makes 4 burgers from 2 pounds of 80/20 ground beef, kosher salt, black pepper, cheese slices, toasted buns, and toppings. Smoking the patties at 225 degrees before searing adds deep smoky flavor and a flavorful crust. Serve with chips, slaw, beans, or potato salad.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Burgers Recipe With a Reverse Sear

Smoked Pulled Pork

A 5-pound pork butt turns Smoked Pulled Pork into a long smoker project with 12 servings. The recipe takes 12 hours 10 minutes and uses yellow mustard, dark brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, and apple juice. It fits the cousin-drive-out title because one pork shoulder can feed a crowd. Pile it onto buns, tacos, nachos, or plates with slaw.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Pulled Pork

Smoked Lamb Chops

Rosemary and garlic make Smoked Lamb Chops a 50-minute smoker recipe with 4 servings. Lamb loin chops are marinated with olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper before smoking on a Traeger pellet smoker with hardwood pellets. It brings a smaller but more polished main to the smoker lineup. Serve the chops with roasted potatoes, salad, grilled vegetables, or couscous.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Lamb Chops

Smoked Peach-Chipotle Wings

Smoked and glazed peach-chipotle chicken wings on a black plate. — Smoked Peach-Chipotle Wings. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Peach jam and chipotle give Smoked Peach-Chipotle Wings a sweet-smoky edge in about 1 hour of cooking. Two pounds of split chicken wings, salt, pepper, peach jam, chipotle in adobo, adobo sauce, and apple cider vinegar make 4 servings. The wings are easy to pass around, making them a great choice for a weekend with the smoker running. Serve with extra sauce on the side and plenty of napkins.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Peach-Chipotle Wings

Smoked Meatloaf

Bacon mixed into the loaf gives Smoked Meatloaf a smoky dinner base with 8 servings. The recipe takes 1 hour 40 minutes and uses bread, milk, lean ground beef, lean ground pork, bacon, eggs, dehydrated onion, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, and mustard powder. It fits the title because the smoker turns a familiar dinner into something people remember. Serve with potatoes or corn.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Meatloaf

Smoked Carver Ham

Smoked sliced ham on a cutting board. — Smoked Carver Ham. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

A 4-pound ham anchors Smoked Carver Ham, a 2-hour-10-minute main dish with 8 servings. Brown sugar, maple syrup or honey, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, cloves, and chipotle powder turn into the glaze. It works for the title because the smoker makes an already-cooked ham feel like the main event. Serve with rolls, potatoes, green beans, or corn pudding.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Carver Ham

Smoked Dill Pickle Wings

Smoked chicken wings with pickles on a black plate. — Smoked Dill Pickle Wings. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Dill pickle brine gives Smoked Dill Pickle Wings a punchy 1-hour-10-minute appetizer with 4 servings. Three pounds of wings soak in 2 cups of pickle brine, then get seasoned with dried dill, granulated garlic, black pepper, and kosher salt. The smoker runs at 225 degrees before the wings crisp at 450 degrees. Serve them with ranch dip when the table needs wings that taste different from the usual platter.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Dill Pickle Wings

Smoked Thor’s Hammer

A large roasted meat shank on a bone, displayed upright in a skillet surrounded by nachos, with bowls of lime wedges and sauce nearby. — Smoked Thor’s Hammer. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

An 8- to 10-pound beef shank makes Smoked Thor’s Hammer a full-day smoker centerpiece for 8 servings. The recipe uses coarse salt, black pepper, butter, garlic, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, onion powder, and lime juice, with about 10 hours of cooking. It fits the title because the size alone gives people a reason to show up. Use the pulled meat for tacos, nachos, or big dinner plates.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Thor’s Hammer

Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Mezcal BBQ Sauce

Two pork tenderloins keep Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Mezcal BBQ Sauce quicker than most smoker mains. The recipe takes 30 minutes and serves 6, using brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, chipotle powder, ketchup, beer, juice, mezcal, and cider vinegar. It fits a smoker roundup because applewood pellets still bring smoke flavor fast. Slice and serve with rice, slaw, or potatoes.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Mezcal BBQ Sauce

Smoked Garlic Parmesan Wings

Chicken wings with garlic and Parmesan on a white plate. — Smoked Garlic Parmesan Wings. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Garlic butter and Parmesan coat Smoked Garlic Parmesan Wings, a 1-hour-5-minute recipe with 6 servings. Two pounds of split chicken wings smoke on a Traeger at 225 degrees, then crisp at 450 degrees before getting tossed with Parmesan, unsalted butter, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. It fits the weekend smoker theme because wings can hold the snack table while bigger meats rest. Serve hot.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Garlic Parmesan Wings

Smoked New York Strip Roast

A 4-pound roast makes Smoked New York Strip Roast a 1-hour-35-minute main dish with 6 servings. The coffee rub uses black pepper, brown sugar, instant coffee grounds, ancho chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne. It fits the title because the smoker turns a roast into something sliceable and shareable. Serve it with mashed potatoes, asparagus, salad, or rolls for a bigger dinner.
Get the Recipe: Smoked New York Strip Roast

Smoked Eye of Round

Montreal steak seasoning keeps Smoked Eye of Round simple in a 1-hour-and-39-minute recipe that serves 6. A 3-pound eye of round roast starts on a pellet smoker at 180 degrees before the temperature increases to 225 degrees until the beef reaches 125 degrees. The lean roast works well for dinner and can provide leftovers for sandwiches the next day. Let it rest before slicing thinly.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Eye of Round

Smoked Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs on a cutting board with tomatoes. — Smoked Chicken Thighs. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Bone-in chicken thighs make Smoked Chicken Thighs a 1-hour-and-40-minute main dish that serves 4. One and a half pounds of skin-on chicken thighs are seasoned with Montreal Chicken Seasoning, then smoked at 225 degrees until the meat reaches 165 degrees near the bone. The short ingredient list keeps prep simple while the smoker handles most of the cooking. Serve with slaw, corn, salad, or pasta.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Chicken Thighs

Smoked Ribeye Roast

Sliced smoked ribeye beef on a cutting board. — Smoked Ribeye Roast. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

A 4-pound ribeye roast gives Smoked Ribeye Roast a special-occasion feel with 6 servings. The recipe uses olive oil, Montreal Steak Seasoning, a Traeger pellet smoker, wood pellets, and a digital thermometer, with 5 minutes of prep and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. It fits the title because this is the kind of roast people wait around for. Serve with mashed potatoes, asparagus, biscuits, or cauliflower.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Ribeye Roast

Traeger Smoked Chicken Spatchcock

Roasted chicken on a slate board with carving knife and fork. — Traeger Smoked Chicken Spatchcock. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

A whole chicken cooks more evenly in Traeger Smoked Spatchcock Chicken, a 2-hour-and-10-minute main dish that serves 6. One spatchcocked chicken is seasoned with Montreal chicken seasoning or another chicken rub, then smoked at 180 degrees before finishing at 225 degrees. One bird can feed the table and still leave extra meat for tacos or soup the next day. Let the chicken rest before carving and serving.
Get the Recipe: Traeger Smoked Chicken Spatchcock

Smoked Beef Tenderloin

Dijon, garlic, whiskey, and Worcestershire coat Smoked Beef Tenderloin, a 2-hour-and-10-minute roast that serves 6. A 2-pound beef tenderloin roast is seasoned with brown sugar and cooked slowly on a Traeger pellet grill with hardwood pellets until it reaches the desired internal temperature. The slow smoking method gives the premium cut plenty of time to develop rich flavor. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving with potatoes, salad, or vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Beef Tenderloin

Smoked Chicken Legs with Red Pepper Glaze

Red pepper jelly gives Smoked Chicken Legs with Red Pepper Glaze a sweet-spicy finish in a recipe that serves 6. Three pounds of chicken legs cook with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, salt, pepper, red pepper jelly, bourbon, and Sriracha, with 10 minutes of prep and 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking. Drumsticks are easy to serve by hand, making them a practical choice for a weekend with the smoker running. Keep extra glaze warm for dipping.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Chicken Legs with Red Pepper Glaze

Smoked Tomahawk Steak

A sliced Tomahawk Steak on a cream color plate. — Smoked Tomahawk Steak. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

A 2-pound steak makes Smoked Tomahawk Steak a 2-person main with 20 minutes of prep and 2 hours of cooking. Montreal Steak Seasoning covers the beef, while lime juice, shallot, garlic, mustard seeds, olive oil, parsley, cilantro, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper build the chimichurri. It fits the title because a tomahawk steak is built for a smoker moment. Slice against the grain.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Tomahawk Steak

Smoked Chicken Al Pastor

A stack of chicken and pineapple on a vertical skewer on a cutting board. — Smoked Chicken Al Pastor. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

Guajillo chiles and pineapple make Smoked Chicken Al Pastor a long-marinated smoker recipe that serves 8. It takes 11 hours and 10 minutes, including 8 hours of marinating, with chicken thighs, pineapple, garlic, onion, pineapple juice, orange juice, cider vinegar, achiote paste, brown sugar, cumin, oregano, chipotle powder, and salt. Cooking the chicken on a vertical skewer makes it a standout centerpiece for a weekend with the smoker running. Serve in tacos, burritos, or bowls.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Chicken Al Pastor