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Now you wouldn’t normally think that fried cheese sticks (think mozzarella sticks) cooked on the Traeger would be a thing. But I’m here to let you know that they are a thing and should be a thing you try. There’s nothing quite as delicious as a melty, gooey stick of cheese, coated in breading and fried until golden and crispy on the outside and stringy on the inside. Dipped in some flavorful tomato sauce, and you have an amazing snack or appetizer. Fried cheese sticks on the Traeger… it’s a thing.

FRIED CHEESE ON THE TRAEGER? YUM!

Mozzarella sticks are the perfect bar food. Melty cheese, crispy outside, dunked in pasta sauce and just a tad greasy. I mean, we all need to indulge sometimes! With Truff’s spicy pasta sauce, I thought that there was a chance to elevate the humble fried cheese stick a bit by serving it with such a tasty sauce.

And then I realized I could elevate it further by using some Truff oil in the coating. We didn’t have mozzarella on hand, but Oaxaca cheese is equally stringy and delicious and so we cut up a ball of that into stick-like pieces and went to town.

Frying these cheese sticks on the Traeger was a really smart idea. Cooking outdoors is my favorite activity, and my wife is particularly happy when I cook messy things outdoors. Deep frying anything is bound to be a messy endeavor and the Traeger makes it super easy and fairly quick cleanup– and your house doesn’t smell like fried food afterward. So Traeger + fried cheese sticks = match made in heaven.

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

Mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese
Egg
Milk
Bread crumbs
Garlic Junkie seasoning
Truff Oil
Truff Spicy Arribiatta Sauce
Oil for frying

WHY COOKING CHEESE STICKS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS

While this cook doesn’t exactly use the skills of the Traeger in the typical sense (roasting, smoking, BBQing) it is a great recipe to try out on the Traeger because clean-up is such a breeze. Rather than frying the sticks in the house (where splatters, smells and messes abound), you can crank up the heat on your Traeger Grill to high (whether you’re using a Ranger or one of the D2 grills) and get the oil in your cast iron pan super hot.

Cooking it outdoors is fun and easy, and the splatters and messes that are possible are pretty much contained in within the Traeger. We’ve found that if you crank up the heat, get the cast iron pan pretty hot while the grill preheats and then add the oil, you’ll have fry-able oil in no time. In this cook, we used our Traeger Ranger, but you can definitely do this on any of the Traeger models. A little time and patience to get the stuff ultra-hot and you’re in for a good fry!

STEP-BY-STEP

Preheat your Traeger Grill to high heat (at least 400*).
Place the cast iron pan or Dutch oven in the grill (empty) to preheat with the grill.
While the grill heats, prep the cheese.
Begin by cutting the block of cheese into even matchsticks– about ⅓ inch square and about 2 inches long. Try to make them as even as possible.
In a series of bowls, arrange your breading elements.
Bowl 1: beaten egg and a splash of Truff oil
Bowl 2: flour seasoned with salt & pepper
Bowl 3: seasoned breadcrumbs with Garlic Junkie seasoning mixed in
Arrange a wire rack over a cookie sheet or tray.
Then, begin coating the cheese sticks by first rolling them in flour, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs. Ensure that all sides are well coated and there are no gaps in the seasoning.
Arrange coated cheese on the prepared wire rack. Continue with the remaining cheese.
Place cookie sheet/rack and coated cheese in the freezer for about 15 minutes until very cold.
While the cheese freezes, add oil to the preheated pan (about 1” deep). Allow the oil to get very hot.
When the cheese is very cold, fry the sticks in small batches in the hot oil. Turn to brown evenly. Try not to cook them too long or the melted cheese will start oozign out.
Transfer fried cheese sticks to a wire rack or paper towels, season with salt and arrange on a platter.
Continue cooking the remaining cheese sticks.
Serve with hot tomato sauce for dipping.

SIMILAR RECIPES TO FRIED CHEESE STICKS ON THE TRAEGER

I love cheese and have found that cooking cheese, in a variety of forms and fashions, on the Traeger, has been really fun.

Here are a couple other cheese-forward recipes I suggest you try out, cooked on the Traeger, of course:

Products used in this cook:

In this cook, we used our Traeger Ranger grill, which is small but mighty. The small area and cast iron plate make for a very effective hot cooking method. You could definitely do this with other Traeger grills too.

Lodge cast iron dutch oven

Truff Oil and Truff Pasta Sauce

This is a little bit of a crazy recipe, but it turns out so delicious and fun. And what party isn’t improved by melty cheese sticks dipped in pasta sauce? When you cook it on the Traeger, everything is better!

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