Is something wrong with my Traeger?
I bought the Traeger Pro 34 about two months ago. I have smoked briskets, pork butts, picanha, etc. This is my first time owning a smoker but I have been cooking for years and until recently, I’ve had decent luck.
Recently, EVERYTHING I smoke comes out tough. I am smoking around 225 degrees, until the Traeger probe reads 205 (ish), letting the meat rest, sometimes using the Texas crutch during stalls but not always. I use a shop vac to clean it before every smoke. I am at a loss as to what is going on. I haven’t changed my tactics, so I assume it could be a Traeger problem? I’d appreciate any insight you guys have because I’m going crazy.
Edit: The picture is pork shoulder. I do probe prior to pulling and use temp as a general reference. For this one, ~5lb pork shoulder that smoked for 10hrs at 225. Although it wasn’t like butter when probing, it was quite soft. It wasn’t until after a 1.5 rest that I found hard/dry spots in my meat. And this is the issue I am running into.