New to the world of smoking meats? This beginner's guide to smoking meat will take you through all the basics!
Offset Smoker
Barrel Smoker
Electric Smoker
Pellet Smoker
Budget friendly and easy to use.
Small footprint.
Limited cooking area
Large horizontal cooking area
Inexpensive models are hard to use
Well made models are expensive
Electronic temp control
Typically cabinet design
Lighter smoke flavor
Electronic temp control
Horizontal cooking area
Lighter smoke flavor
Light the coals
Electric smokers and pellet grills have set it and forget it temp control. Most other models use charcoal. To use a charcoal smoker:
A charcoal chimney and one of the many types of firestarters will help make this easy.
1
Preheat the smoker
When the coals are hot add them to your smoker. Then close the lid and open all of the vents. Allow the smoker to preheat to around 250°F.
2
Add the meat and wood
Slightly close the air vents and add the meat to your smoker. Add a few wood chunks to the coals. Monitor the temp and adjust the vents until the temp stabilizes around 225°F.
3
Monitor the temps
Regularly check the cooking temp and meat temp during the cook. Adjust vents and add fuel as needed until the meat is done.
4
Pork shoulder (aka Boston Butt) is the best place to start for beginners. Very easy to cook and inexpensive.
Brisket is amazing on the smoker. I recommend using prime grade for juicy tender meat that's less likely to dry out.
Ribs are another great choice and always a crowd pleaser. Pork loin and ham are good choices once you have more experience.
Chuck roast has a similar rich beefy flavor and is a little easier and quicker to cook. Rib roast, Short Ribs, and Tri-tip are also great choices.
Chicken is also great on the smoker, and perfect for a quick cook. I recommend using a whole spatchcoked chicken or wings to start out.
Most smoked meats are seasoned with a dry rub before cooking. For smoked beef, I typically use a mixture of around 50% Kosher salt, 40% coarse ground black pepper, and 10% garlic powder. For pork and chicken, I use an all-purpose barbecue dry rub which is sweet and savory, with a mild spice level.
Brine is a salty liquid seasoning solution that you soak meat in to flavor it before cooking. Chicken and turkey are good candidates for brining to add moisture to the lean meat.
Similar to a brine an injection is a liquid seasoning solution that you inject into the meat to flavor it before cooking.
Thick and sweet. This ketchup based sauce is sweetened with brown sugar or molasses and is the most common style of barbecue sauce.
Thin and tangy. In Eastern NC, it contains only vinegar and spicy seasonings like crushed red pepper. In Western NC they typically add a little ketchup and brown sugar to balance out the sauce.
Thick and savory. This sauce is common from the coastal low country region of South Carolina up to around Columbia. It is also known as "Carolina Gold" sauce and is mixture of yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar, and spices.
Medium flavor. One of the most commonly used all-purpose woods.
Medium flavor that goes well with pork and beef.
Mild, sweet flavored smoke. Pairs well with pork and chicken.
Mild to medium, sweet smoke similar to apple, but with richer flavor.
Strong, bold flavor best used for large rich cuts like beef brisket.
Mild flavor pairs especially well with chicken and turkey.
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