Holiday Main Dish Recipes
Holiday main dishes set the tone for the whole meal. Once you pick the main, the sides, the timing, and the shopping list mostly follow.
18 Holiday Main Dish Recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas
This collection has 18 mains from the blog, sorted by beef, pork, poultry, and seafood. Most are cooked on the Traeger, which keeps the oven free for the sides. A few, like the butter-basted prime rib, can also go in the oven.
Why The Main Dish Is The Easy Part
Every year the debate starts around the same time: turkey, ham, or prime rib. In our house the answer is usually more than one, because leftovers are half the point.
The good news is that the main is often the least work. Most of these are seasoned, put on the grill, and left alone while you deal with everything else. A thermometer does most of the thinking.
Beef
Traeger Prime Rib Roast
Wood fire goes well with a big roast. If you've cooked a prime rib before, this one will feel familiar, and if you haven't, it's a good place to start.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Prime Rib Roast
Butter-Basted Smoked Prime Rib
An American Wagyu roast gets coated in seasoned butter, then basted every 7 to 10 minutes on the Traeger. It's a special occasion roast that is easier than it looks, and the recipe also works in the oven.
Get The Recipe: Butter-Basted Smoked Prime Rib
Traeger Smoked Beef Tenderloin
A whole tenderloin is an expensive cut, so it can feel risky the first time. It cooks fast on the Traeger, and the results are tender and easy to slice.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Beef Tenderloin
Traeger Tomahawk Ribeye
A good pick when you have a small group. The steak smokes on the Traeger until it reaches 100°F, which takes about 1½ hours, then gets seared at 450°F. Pull it at 125°F for medium and rest it for 8 to 10 minutes before slicing.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Tomahawk Ribeye
Blackstone Tomahawk Ribeye
If you'd rather use the griddle, this steak gets a diner-style crust in butter. Cook it 4 to 5 minutes per side, then rest it tented with foil. It works for a small table and keeps the smoker and oven free.
Get The Recipe: Blackstone Tomahawk Ribeye
Perfect Grilled Tomahawk Steak
A hot and fast method for any grill that can reach 600°F or more. Season with salt and pepper, cook about 4 minutes per side, and rest for 10 minutes. The recipe serves 2, so cook two steaks if you have a few more guests.
Get The Recipe: Perfect Grilled Tomahawk Steak
Pork And Ham
Pineapple-Glazed Double Smoked Ham
A ham for your next big holiday dinner that works just as well on a random weekend. The pineapple glaze is the reason people ask for the recipe.
Get The Recipe: Pineapple-Glazed Double Smoked Ham
Double Smoked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
A spiral cut ham gets a rub, a smoke, and a brown sugar glaze, all on the pellet grill. It's a good pick if you want a classic sweet glaze and a hands-off cook.
Get The Recipe: Double Smoked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Traeger Smoked Ham
A double-smoked ham finished with a maple glaze. It's one of the simplest pellet grill recipes on the blog, so it's a good choice when you have a lot of other dishes to manage.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Ham
Traeger Smoked Pork Loin
A whole pork loin seasoned with our Spicy Pork Rub and smoked low and slow until it hits 145°F. It's one of the more affordable roasts here, and it goes well with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Pork Loin
Traeger Smoked Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
The tenderloin is butterflied, filled with two kinds of cheese and spinach, and wrapped in a bacon weave. It looks like a lot of work and it isn't, which makes it a good main for a smaller holiday dinner.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Grilled Rack of pork
A crown roast is a rack of pork loin formed into a circle, so it looks like a centerpiece before anyone takes a bite. It carves easily between the bones. This is the one to make when you want the table to notice the main dish.
Get The Recipe: Grilled Rack of Pork
Poultry
Traeger Smoked Turkey
A whole bird cooked at 250°F for 2 hours, then covered and finished at 325°F. It frees up the oven, and you don't need a brine to get a moist turkey.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Turkey
Traeger Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Removing the backbone flattens the turkey, so it cooks faster and more evenly. You get white and dark meat that finish at the same time.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Spatchcock Turkey
Smoked Turkey Breast
If you're cooking for a smaller group, a turkey breast is easier than a whole bird. Smoke it at 225°F to 250°F until it reaches 165°F.
Get The Recipe: Smoked Turkey Breast
Traeger Smoked Cornish Hens
Cornish hens are small birds that cook quickly. They work for a small holiday dinner or a night when you want something that feels special without a whole turkey.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Cornish Hens
Traeger Spatchcock Chicken
A whole chicken with the backbone removed so it cooks flat. The skin turns golden and crispy, and the meat stays tender. It's a good pick for a smaller group or a second bird alongside the turkey.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Spatchcock Chicken
Seafood
Traeger Surf and Turf Seafood Feast
Lobster tails, king crab legs, shrimp and scallop skewers, filet mignon, and mini hasselback potato bites all on one board. Serve it with drawn butter and grilled lemon, and set out napkins.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Surf and Turf Seafood Feast
Traeger Grilled Lobster Tail
Lobster tails go on the Traeger at 450°F for 10 to 15 minutes with Old Bay and salt. Don't overcook them, or they turn rubbery.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Grilled Lobster Tail
Traeger Grilled Crab Legs
Crab legs cook in about 30 minutes with garlic, Old Bay, butter, and a splash of wine. They work for a Christmas Eve dinner where you'd rather crack crab than carve a roast.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Grilled Crab Legs
Traeger Smoked Salmon
A whole salmon fillet with a brine, a long smoke, and a real maple glaze. It takes about 16 hours from start to finish, so plan ahead, and it serves 8.
Get The Recipe: Traeger Smoked Salmon
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Scallops wrapped in bacon and grilled on the Traeger until crisp on the outside and tender inside. They work as a main for a small group or a starter before a bigger meal.
Get The Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Scallops
How To Choose Your Holiday Main Dish
- Count your guests: For a whole turkey, plan on about 1½ pounds per person, or 2 pounds if you want leftovers.
- Match the main to the group: A whole turkey, ham, or prime rib works for a crowd. Turkey breast, Cornish hens, spatchcock chicken, or pork tenderloin fit a smaller table.
- Cook to temperature: Use a thermometer and pull the meat at the right internal temperature. Turkey is done at 165°F.
- Rest the meat: Let it sit before you slice it. The spatchcock turkey needs 15 to 20 minutes.
- Split the cooking: Put the main on the Traeger and the sides in the oven so nothing has to wait for a turn.
Recipe FAQ
Turkey is the standard for Thanksgiving, and ham or prime rib is common for Christmas. Many families serve two mains so there are options and leftovers.
A 10 to 13 pound turkey takes about 4 hours on the Traeger, starting at 250°F and finishing at 325°F. Always cook to temperature, not time. The turkey is done at 165°F.
A turkey breast, Cornish hens, a spatchcock chicken, or a pork tenderloin. They are smaller than a whole bird or roast and finish faster.
Yes. The ham recipes here are double-smoked and glazed on the Traeger. If you don't have a pellet grill, you can follow the same steps in the oven.
