BBQ Pellets for Traeger Grill

@56tbourne,

Laughing... you brought your Traeger grill to Brazil with you??? THAT's brand loyalty!

For too many years I suffered using the standard northeastern (interior) charcoal style grills available. Picture a steel car wheel with three rebar legs soldered to it and some heavy-duty wire mesh to serve as the grate.

Last year I saw that Weber grills (from Chicago) had come to the Brazilian Amazon store. My therapy has started with reintroduction to outdoor grilling with a small Smokey Joe.

As for fuel, I'm still stuck with poorly made "charcoal" that supposedly conforms to IBAMA requirements.

I'm also having problems "training" my family members in closing the grill as they firmly insist that all grills must be open - and Brazilians are NEVER WRONG (LOL) about grilling their foods.

I'm actually considering a move to an Uruguayan parilla (open and burns wood or charcoal) because we have a lot of invasive tree species here that serve well for such things.

Cherry? Hickory? Wow!

01/19/23 I'm actually considering a move to an Uruguayan parilla (open and burns wood or charcoal) because we have a lot of invasive tree species here that serve well for such things.

Cherry? Hickory? Wow!
-@mberigan

Matt, please double- and triple-check the identities of those "invasive tree species" before you burn any of them to cook food. Poisonous wood could bring a sudden end to your barbecuing career. 😱

@mberigan

My local restaurant supply store sells a variety of propane BBQs too. There seem to be two varieties, they seem to be either very cheap out of sheet metal or all cast iron.

I know this is an obscure question but here goes! Trying to figure out if wood pellets (for cooking not heating) can be purchased in Brazil. Not imported. WAY too expensive.
Something comparable to apple, mesquite, hickory or cherry. I realize that charcoal is preferred, but my Traeger is the bomb! Fantasies of picanha. So much more convenient. Will be moving to Curitiba,
Any suggestions are welcomed. With all the different wood down there I am hopeful.
-@56tbourne

If you live by an apartment you will need those things ( BBQ grill ), unless is it a new building with those oversized balconies and a built in pit.

If you get a home, a townhome, or a rowhouse with a backyard, odds on favorite are you will actually have a little brick built pit already built in. If it is not there, you will build it to suit.  My money is on it. 

Me being blunt....

May i suggest you sell the Traeger to any unsuspecting Brazzer, pocket the money, and learn a new way to charr your meat. A smoke pit, will allow you to actually smoke sausages.  Can't do that with a grill. 

You need to wean yourself out of being too attached to stuff you buy.  There are no Yard Sales here ( although people will buy your junk )..

Embrace change, live precariously, be frugal, don't attract unwanted attention.   

That way, when you back to the Ole USA, you can actually can enlighten your fellow  old acquaintances with the beauty of being a Frugal Joe.

Funny thing is, many of my Brazilian relatives have visited through the years and absolutely love my BBQ. Maybe you are right, but once you have a good slow cooked BBQ without all the fuss and cleanup, it's hard to give up. Will still search. If nothing else, I am persistent:)

I've asked my BBQ colleagues and they all agree that Brazil works with pine or eucalyptus pallets. This is what Brazil has to offer based on availability and it doesn't have a wide variety because it's not a reality yet here.

People in the south of Brazil are considered specialists when it comes to barbecuing because it's a cultural thing. Especially in Paraná and Santa Catarina. So maybe you'll find something here? Anyone living in these 2 areas for clarification if there are other variants of pellets not counting pine or eucalyptus ?

The ones you're mentioning are available, but only international which indeed are too expensive.