Traeger New Year's Eve Appetizers
This roundup of Traeger New Year's Eve Appetizers gathers 18 of my pellet grill starters, including smoked dips, wings, sausage bites, smoked crackers, and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Each one is a straightforward grill recipe with a short ingredient list, so you can get a party spread on the grill without spending the whole night at the smoker.
Traeger New Year's Eve Appetizers
New Year's Eve is a night when people want something warm to snack on while they wait for the countdown, and most of us don't want to be stuck in the kitchen for it. Your pellet grill can cover that. Dips, wings, and bites cook on their own while you finish getting the house ready, and the wood smoke adds flavor without any extra effort.
I've been cooking on the Traeger for years, and these are the appetizers I keep coming back to when I need something that's passable for a crowd and doesn't take long. Some are dips you can make in five minutes, some are bacon-wrapped or sausage-based, and a few can be made a day ahead and reheated. None of them need special equipment beyond the grill.
Traeger Smoked Hot Crab Dip
Smoked crab dip is the one I reach for when I want something hot and rich without much work. It comes together in about five minutes with cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Parmesan, mozzarella, and crab, then the Traeger does the rest at 200°F. It holds up well on the grill while you smoke something bigger like pulled pork or brisket.
Spicy Stuffed Hatch Chile Peppers
Hatch chiles get stuffed with a beef, rice, and cheese filling, which is a nice change from the usual stuffed bell peppers. The chiles have a deeper, more assertive flavor and they hold up well on the grill. You can swap in chorizo or shredded chicken if you want a different filling.
Traeger Smoked Cream Cheese
Smoked cream cheese is the simplest starter on this list. It's a block of cream cheese, a little olive oil, and your favorite rub, with some shallot and garlic if you want more flavor. Serve it warm off the grill or chill it first, and it's an easy one to make more than once.
Traeger Chicken Wings Recipe
These wings go on the Traeger at 350°F for about 40 to 45 minutes total, with a flip and rearrange partway through to deal with hot spots. You can sauce them or eat them with just a dry rub. They're a dependable choice when you want something hearty on the table.
Traeger Spinach Artichoke Dip
This spinach artichoke dip has marinated artichoke hearts, baby spinach sautéed with garlic and butter, and a mix of mozzarella, Swiss, and Parmesan. Grilling adds browning and a little wood-fired flavor that oven baking won't give you. If you need to keep it warm during the party, a slow cooker works well.
Smoked Crackers
Cheez-Its and Ritz crackers get tossed in olive oil, dusted with BBQ rub, and smoked at 200°F before a short run at 275°F. You only need a few pantry items to make them. They keep well in an airtight container for about a week, so you can make a big batch ahead.
Cranberry Jalapeño Smoked Cream Cheese
Fresh cranberries and jalapeños come together as a sweet and spicy salsa that goes over softened cream cheese. The cheese gets a light smoke on the Traeger, though you can skip that step if you don't have a grill. You can make the cranberry salsa ahead and control the heat by how much jalapeño you add.
Traeger Artichoke Dip Biscuit Bites
These biscuit bites wrap a small-batch smoked artichoke dip filling in biscuit dough, so guests get the flavor of the dip in a handheld form. If you have leftover dip, it works well as the filling. They're a good pick for parties, appetizer boards, and tailgates.
Smoked Olives
Castelvetrano olives get drained, covered in olive oil, and seasoned with bay leaves, fresh thyme, red pepper flakes, and orange zest. They smoke for about an hour at 250°F and are best served warm. The idea comes from warm marinated Greek olives I had at a restaurant near us.
Smoked Bacon Jam Cream Cheese
Cream cheese gets cross-hatched, brushed with oil, and seasoned with Everything Rub before a topping of grape jelly and bacon goes on. It smokes for about an hour at 200°F, and you can serve it hot or cold. The sweet and savory mix makes it a strong party dish.
Traeger Smoked Salmon
Fresh salmon gets a brine of brown sugar and kosher salt, then a maple glaze, and smokes low and slow on the Traeger. The grill's temperature control helps keep the fish from cooking too hot, which would ruin the texture. It's one of the most popular salmon recipes on the site.
Poor Man's Burnt Ends
Chuck roast gets cubed, seasoned with two layers of rub, and smoked in two stages. The first stage tenderizes the beef and the second reduces the barbecue sauce so it clings to every bite. You get brisket-style burnt ends for a lot less money, and they reheat well for a crowd.
Traeger Smoked Spicy Candied Bacon
Center-cut bacon gets brushed with a glaze of brown sugar, maple syrup, sriracha, and cayenne, then goes on the grill. It's the easiest item on this list and it works hot, warm, or at room temperature. If you don't have a pellet grill, you can make it in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Traeger Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Large shrimp get wrapped in bacon and grilled, so the bacon crisps as the shrimp finishes cooking. Choose the biggest shrimp you can find, since smaller ones finish before the bacon is ready. Many people serve them without sauce, though a dipping sauce adds a little extra.
Traeger Smoked Grape Jelly Meatballs
Meatballs go on the grill for an hour, then get tossed in a mix of chili sauce and grape jelly in a sauced pan. The pan goes back on the grill at 300°F until the sauce gets bubbly and thick. It moves a Midwest party favorite from the slow cooker to the pellet grill.
BBQ Smoked Sausage Bites
Kielbasa, andouille, and garlic apple sausage get sliced, browned on a flat top, and then smoked with BBQ sauce. Using three kinds of sausage gives you more flavor than a single type would. You can make them a day or two ahead and reheat them before serving.
Traeger Smoked Sausage Burnt Ends
Little Smokies get tossed in mustard, sprinkled with rub, and smoked for a couple of hours before they're sauced and smoked again. The burnt-end technique turns a simple cocktail sausage into something more substantial. They stay warm well in a crock pot on game day or at a party.
Lemon Pepper Smoked Wings
Chicken wings get tossed in oil, seasoned with lemon pepper, and smoked at 200°F for one to two hours. A short high-heat finish crisps the skin, and you can toss them in buffalo, sweet chili, or BBQ sauce afterward. Lemon pepper gives them a bright change from the usual buffalo wings.
Any one of these would be a solid starter for your New Year's Eve table, and most of them will still taste good if you need to hold them for a while. Pick one to try this week, and come back and tell me which one your people went back for.
