When
it comes to outdoor cooking, nothing compares to barbecue smokers. They
are the best way to infuse your food with the rich, smoky flavor that
many people feel is essential to barbecue. They can be purchased through
many different online and local sources, but the best ones are often
homemade. They come in a wide variety of sizes and can be fueled by
several different means.
Barbecue smokers are essentially an enclosure that is designed to create
smoke as a means of cooking food. The food never comes into direct contact
with flame or the heat source. Instead, smoke and heat is drawn into
the enclosure, providing the ultimate environment for slow cooking.
The heat and smoke can be provided through the use of a number of methods
including electricity, wood, charcoal or gas. Wood is generally the
favorite smoke producing medium, and many professional and amateur grill
masters have their favorite types of wood, as each type of wood has
its own unique flavor characteristics.
One of the most important things to remember when using barbecue smokers
is the volume of air flow. The amount of air that moves through the
smoker impacts the heat and smoke density inside. Ideally, the inside
of the smoker should be around 225 degrees. Maintaining this temperature
by adjusting the air flow often takes some trial and error before one
can do it with consistency. This is part of the “art” of
smoking food, and unfortunately it does take some practice in order
to become proficient.
Nearly any meat, or vegetable for that matter, can be easily cooked
using a smoker. However, if you’ve never used one before, most
people recommend starting out with something simple, like a good brisket.
Brisket, and beef in general, is an easy way to get positive results
on your first smoking experience. As a general rule, expect about 1.5
hours of cook time for every pound of brisket. This means that a good
10 pound brisket will probably need around 15 hours in the smoker before
it’s done.
Barbecue smokers can be found in several basic designs. The water smoker
is a popular item for the backyard as it typically takes up little space.
These work by placing a reservoir of water between the heat source and
the food. The water keeps the food from coming into direct contact with
the heat source and the resulting steam keeps the food moist during
the cooking process. Pit smokers, commonly called dry smokers, are what
most people think of when they hear the term “smoker”. These
use a firebox that is mounted to the side of the smoker. As wood burns
inside the firebox, the smoke and heat is drawn inside the food enclosure.
For many barbecue fans, the pit smoker is the only way to cook your
favorite meats and vegetables.
Vertical smokers are often used by restaurants and barbecue pits. These
devices are shaped more like your average refrigerator and are designed
for smoking mass quantities of meat. They usually require some kind
of power source, as they can sometimes be equipped with an electric
rotisserie.
