Achieve that much-desired smokey grill flavor with this Traeger smoked shrimp recipe. You can use skewers, but they’re not required for smoking shrimp on the pellet grill. Let’s smoke ‘em!
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When are fully cooked smoked shrimp done?
Don’t continue smoking shrimp above 120 degrees F, as they can become tough and chewy. They’ll be slightly pink on the outside.
Can you smoke already cooked shrimp?
Smoking raw shrimp is the way to go. Use raw jumbo shrimp for this recipe so the time and temperature are right, according to the directions, and so the shrimp is tender and doesn’t turn rubbery and taste bland.
What can you season smoked shrimp with?
In addition to my zesty marinade, add spice with a cajun blend or use a seafood rub. A great option if you want to whip up a simple DIY shrimp seasoning is to use salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder and paprika. To amp up the flavor when they come off the grill, you can toss the shrimp in a melted butter mixture.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make smoked Traeger shrimp.
- Jumbo shrimps (raw, defrosted if from frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp)
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Cocktail sauce, optional
Note: 1 LB shrimp, as recommended in this recipe, is a good appetizer size for 2 people. But this recipe is easy to scale up for a crowd. Scroll down to my bonus tips and FAQs for serving guests shrimp on kebabs for easy eating.
How to smoke shrimp
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Detailed recipe steps
- Prep shrimp for smoker. Wash shrimp if needed under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat Traeger smoker (or whatever pellet grill you’re using) to 450 degrees F, with the lid closed.
- Quickly marinade shrimp before smoking. Add jumbo shrimp to a large bowl. Drizzle on olive oil, and toss in chopped garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Toss with tongs to combine and season shrimp thoroughly. Marinade 15-30 minutes (no longer — see recipe at end of post for details!!).
- Traeger grill shrimp. Add shrimp directly to the pellet grill grates (or put them on skewers first, or add them to a grilling basket before putting ‘em on the smoker rack). Close the lid, and smoke shrimp for four minutes.
- Flip smoker shrimp and cook for another 2-4 minutes, or until done. Internal temperature of fully cooked smoked shrimp is 120 degrees F. Use an internal read meat thermometer to check the temp in the thickest part of the jumbo shrimp before taking them off the grill. Serve smoked jumbo shrimps with a small bowl of cocktail sauce and enjoy!
Best shrimp recipes on Sip Bite Go
- Grilled shrimp
- Sous vide shrimp
- Smoked shrimp
- Air fryer shrimp (coming soon)
More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked brisket flat
- 321 ribs
- Beer can chicken on the smoker
- Smoked wings
- Smoked turkey breast
- Whole smoked turkey
- Smoked Traeger pizza
- Smoked whole chicken
- Smoked corn on the cob
- Grilled skirt steak
- Flank steak marinade
- Smoked pulled pork
- Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes
See this Traeger Flatrock grill review.
See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever before cooking them.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
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– Jenna
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Easy Traeger Smoked Shrimp Recipe (BBQ Pellet Grill) | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp jumbo (defrosted if from frozen, peeled and deveined)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper black
- 1 cup cocktail sauce optional
Instructions
- Prep shrimp for smoker. Wash shrimp if needed under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat Traeger smoker (or whatever pellet grill you’re using) to 450 degrees F, with the lid closed.
- Quickly marinade shrimp before smoking. (IMPORTANT: Recommended marinating time for shrimp before grilling is at least 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes. Don’t marinate shrimp longer than 30 minutes because the lemon juice – the acid – will break down the shrimp meat too much, and will render it mushy.) Add jumbo shrimp to a large bowl. Drizzle on olive oil, and toss in chopped garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Toss with tongs to combine and season shrimp thoroughly. Marinade 15-30 minutes.
- Traeger grill shrimp. Add shrimp directly to the pellet grill grates (or put them on skewers first, or add them to a grilling basket before putting ‘em on the smoker rack). Close the lid, and smoke shrimp for four minutes.
- Flip smoker shrimp and smoke for another 2-4 minutes, or until done. Internal temperature of fully cooked smoked shrimp is 120 degrees F. Use an internal read meat thermometer to check the temp in the thickest part of the jumbo shrimp before taking them off the grill. Don’t continue smoking shrimp above 120 degrees F, as they can become tough and chewy. They’ll be slightly pink on the outside. Serve smoked jumbo shrimps with a small bowl of cocktail sauce and enjoy!
Tracy says
Made this last night, first time. AMAZING. Everyone there loved it.
Dave says
All good except you don’t match cocktail sauce with hot shrimp