BBQs Galore Meat Smoking 101
To totally have an understanding of bbq smoking you might want to appreciate just why this age old custom got going in the to begin with. Smoking foodstuffs, especially meat was actualy a way for our forebears to preserve food. Needless to say, this was prior to the arrival of Twentieth century creations such as fridges, freezers and synthetic additives which we discover in nearly all highly processed food these days.
Smoked meat, fish or poultry does indeed keep for for a longer period plus there are additional advantages of smoked food most notably much better flavour and tenderization.
In these modern times smoking food is more about the taste that can be achieved by means of this unhurried cooking process that can take from a couple of hours to 24 hours to accomplish.
Accordingly, there are numerous commercially accessible smoker units that operate on charcoal, gas or electric and in addition can be bought in several sizes and shapes contingent upon wether you expect to smoke your freshly caught fish on a camping trip or are looking for a more permanent backyard based bbq smoker. Alternatively, plenty of people construct their own (blank) smoker and you can discover a few online sites that provide blueprints for making your own home barbecue smoker.
Fundamentally smoking food is a simple principle that requires a little competency to perform efficiently. It truly is more of an art than a science and entails patience and a considerable degree of doggedness before you seriously grasp it.
All you actually require to smoke food is a fire proof container - this could be a basic hole in the soil or a purpose built smoker. You'll need your food you are looking to smoke as well as some hardwood chips used to enhance the flavour of the meat.
The function of smoking does two things. First of all, there is the flavour enhancing properties that are derived from the Hickory or Apple wood chips your using in your smoker, then there's the tenderization of the meat that occurs on account of the particularly unhurried cooking procedure that breaks down the toughest of meat, converting linking fibres of the meat directly into sugars. Typically tough cuts of meat which you can tenderize via slow cook smoking are ribs and brisket to name but a few.
How to Smoke Meat, Fish or Poultry
The essential principle of smoking is to take your time. Allow the smoke time to penetrate the meat plus the slow cooking helps tenderize so patience is a virtue with bbq smoking.
How Long To Smoke
If you bought a retail smoker then the manufacturer's manual will no doubt include details on cooking duration.Alternatively, if you invested in top of the range electric smoker you will only need to select a few pre-sets and leave it do it's thing.If all else fails, simply try your smoker for a couple of hours and see how that goes initially. Then increase the duration the next time you use it and compare the results to before. Eventually you'll find a duration that works best for you.
Temperatures
Your smoker needs to have an ambient inside heat of around 220 d/f. The internal temperature of the meat is another important factor especially from a food safety perspective. For most meats or fish you need to the internal temperature remains around 145 degree F. With poultry, it's a bit higher 165 d/f. Use a good cooking thermometer to check.
Tender Meat
If you want you meat to be extra tender try raising the temperature a notch or two (180 d/f internal meat temperature) towards the end of the duration.
Saturate The Meat With Smoke
Always place your meat cuts inside your smoker in such a way that the greatest movement of smoke around the full surface area of your meat occurs. Don't place your cuts too close together - allow a small gap for the smoke to pass through. Successful smoking relies on the full movement of smoke around your meat - without which a build of creosote may occur that detracts from the taste.
Flavour Enhancing Wood Chips
Some smokers let you use any good wood chip whilst others require you to use pellets or briquettes such as Bradley Smoker Bisquettes that can be bought in a variety of famous wood flavours most notably Mesquite, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Alder and of course Hickory. Having a smoker that allows you to use any wood chip from any source is most likely the most flexible as you're not tied into to a certain merchandise.
Charcoal Smoking Movie
Find some really terrific videos of barbecue smokers in action at BBQs Galore.
Where to Buy a Smoker
Any online BBQ retailer including Amazon, 'BBQs Galore', 'Grills Direct' or even 'BBQ Guys' are good places to get fantastic discounts on new smokers. I personally favour the range offered at BBQGalore.com which include the Big Green Egg, the BBQ Grand Café Smoker and the Smokey Mountain all of which are good smokers.
Smoked meat, fish or poultry does indeed keep for for a longer period plus there are additional advantages of smoked food most notably much better flavour and tenderization.
In these modern times smoking food is more about the taste that can be achieved by means of this unhurried cooking process that can take from a couple of hours to 24 hours to accomplish.
Accordingly, there are numerous commercially accessible smoker units that operate on charcoal, gas or electric and in addition can be bought in several sizes and shapes contingent upon wether you expect to smoke your freshly caught fish on a camping trip or are looking for a more permanent backyard based bbq smoker. Alternatively, plenty of people construct their own (blank) smoker and you can discover a few online sites that provide blueprints for making your own home barbecue smoker.
Fundamentally smoking food is a simple principle that requires a little competency to perform efficiently. It truly is more of an art than a science and entails patience and a considerable degree of doggedness before you seriously grasp it.
All you actually require to smoke food is a fire proof container - this could be a basic hole in the soil or a purpose built smoker. You'll need your food you are looking to smoke as well as some hardwood chips used to enhance the flavour of the meat.
The function of smoking does two things. First of all, there is the flavour enhancing properties that are derived from the Hickory or Apple wood chips your using in your smoker, then there's the tenderization of the meat that occurs on account of the particularly unhurried cooking procedure that breaks down the toughest of meat, converting linking fibres of the meat directly into sugars. Typically tough cuts of meat which you can tenderize via slow cook smoking are ribs and brisket to name but a few.
How to Smoke Meat, Fish or Poultry
The essential principle of smoking is to take your time. Allow the smoke time to penetrate the meat plus the slow cooking helps tenderize so patience is a virtue with bbq smoking.
How Long To Smoke
If you bought a retail smoker then the manufacturer's manual will no doubt include details on cooking duration.Alternatively, if you invested in top of the range electric smoker you will only need to select a few pre-sets and leave it do it's thing.If all else fails, simply try your smoker for a couple of hours and see how that goes initially. Then increase the duration the next time you use it and compare the results to before. Eventually you'll find a duration that works best for you.
Temperatures
Your smoker needs to have an ambient inside heat of around 220 d/f. The internal temperature of the meat is another important factor especially from a food safety perspective. For most meats or fish you need to the internal temperature remains around 145 degree F. With poultry, it's a bit higher 165 d/f. Use a good cooking thermometer to check.
Tender Meat
If you want you meat to be extra tender try raising the temperature a notch or two (180 d/f internal meat temperature) towards the end of the duration.
Saturate The Meat With Smoke
Always place your meat cuts inside your smoker in such a way that the greatest movement of smoke around the full surface area of your meat occurs. Don't place your cuts too close together - allow a small gap for the smoke to pass through. Successful smoking relies on the full movement of smoke around your meat - without which a build of creosote may occur that detracts from the taste.
Flavour Enhancing Wood Chips
Some smokers let you use any good wood chip whilst others require you to use pellets or briquettes such as Bradley Smoker Bisquettes that can be bought in a variety of famous wood flavours most notably Mesquite, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Alder and of course Hickory. Having a smoker that allows you to use any wood chip from any source is most likely the most flexible as you're not tied into to a certain merchandise.
Charcoal Smoking Movie
Find some really terrific videos of barbecue smokers in action at BBQs Galore.
Where to Buy a Smoker
Any online BBQ retailer including Amazon, 'BBQs Galore', 'Grills Direct' or even 'BBQ Guys' are good places to get fantastic discounts on new smokers. I personally favour the range offered at BBQGalore.com which include the Big Green Egg, the BBQ Grand Café Smoker and the Smokey Mountain all of which are good smokers.