Probably you’ve been to a pit barbecue restaurant and eaten pulled pork or smoked ribs. You may have noticed that in those pieces of barbecue you have in hand, the meat just fell apart. Well, the secret for that is smoking. If you want to make a barbecue in the same way the restaurants do, then it’s possible with the use of a barbecue smoker. You can even achieve a better taste than the restaurants’ result.

The barbecue smoker has long been used by barbecue lovers because of its capability to tender the meat. Once the meat is smoked, it has the tendency to easily fall apart. It will also possess a smoky flavor and is luscious enough to satisfy every person’s hunger. Perhaps the great asset of barbecue smoker is that it is designed not only for smoking meats. It can also be utilized as a food smoker, meaning different types of food can be smoked in it.

There is a certain theory about how the barbecue smoker works. According to some experts, there are only two main factors that make smokers work the way they used to be: slow cooking and low heat. So what does this mean? Well, this slow method of barbecuing means that the smoked food you are cooking is never going to dry out or overcook. There is a variation to how long the smoking method takes for the food to fully reach its luscious state, however. For instance, if you are barbecuing pork ribs, expect it to be cooked within two hours. So, to avoid wasting your time doing nothing in front of it; just leave it until you notice that grey ash is already covering it.

To put it simply, the barbecue smoker takes its role once the food is placed on the racks and the smoke starts to form. You can close it and just leave the food to cook. Don’t forget, however, to place an extra fuel in the barbecue smoker every couple of hours.

It is worthy to note that barbecue smokers these days come in different forms. There are actually four common types of it: the charcoal, wood, gas, or electric barbecue smoker. Numerous reviews have it that the charcoal and wood barbecue smokers are basically similar in appearance. They feature a cylindrical chamber that is composed of a firebox and a cooking chamber. The firebox is the exact portion where the fuel is burned and the wood that forms the smoke. Cooking racks are also included, as well as a thermometer and ventilation vents.

There are also other versions of barbecue smokers, most are electrically operated. There is what they call as barbecue pit smokers, chargill smokers, and a lot more. Because of this variety, finding the right barbecue smoker for your barbecuing and smoking sessions can then be very difficult. Perhaps the secret to that is to find one that possesses the best quality and features. Of course, the best barbecue smoker is that which meets your budget. So consider how much you can afford and how much you need.

Article Source: http://barbecue.ezinemark.com/all-about-barbecue-smokers-1694a8f36ec.html

When do you typically barbecue?

Right after work? On end of the week days?

So you typically cook lunch and also dinner?

Maybe you have seriously considered heating up the charcoal barbecue on a

lazy Saturday and preparing breakfast this way?

I’m a major enthusiast of the cooked breakfast – in particular on a beautiful

weekend when you have little planned except studying the newspapers, carrying

out a spot of gardening, playing with your children and maybe taking a wander

later in the afternoon.

We don’t frequently have the possibility for a cooked breakfast in the week,

when we’re all getting ready for work or school, hence it’s a real end of the

week extravagance.

And on a sunny summer’s morning, being able to go directly outside and sort

out breakfast is a added bonus.

So how would you begin?

Well, it depends what you fancy in the morning – if you’re a continental

espresso and also croissants type of person, a bbqs is not actually going to

work for you.

When you fancy an English ‘fry-up’ or perhaps an American-style breakfast,

the barbeque grill can be your early morning good friend.

First up – sausages. Cooking them on the actual grill will be healthier than

frying, obviously, because the fat drips off andonto the barbecue – just look

out for flare-ups out of your hot coals, which will result in singed sausages.

Bacon can also be done on the actual barbeque grill – however watch on it.

You’ll be better off picking chunkier slices of bacon – or even gammon steaks

- which could endure the rigours associated with bbq grilling far better than

some of those cheap rashers of bacon.

And when you intend to add a great smoky taste, brush with some bbq marinade

when cooking.

When you have a large griddle pan, you may cook American pancakes -

effortlessly created from a batter of flour, baking powder, whole milk, egg

butter and caster sugar.

They’re bigger than French crepes so might be a lot more best for the

backyard experience.

Serve using maple syrup as well as butter.

In case you’re feeling really stateside, pancakes works well together with

bacon or even sausage – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it – the

combination associated with sweet and savoury flavours is actually

scrumptious.

Next for the eggs.

Well, you’re almost never prone to crack them in the barbeque grill, however,

you can make individual little foil trays – or make use of the ones in which

individual pies are sold.

Place them on your grill and crack an egg into every one – youngsters will

particularly like to have their own little specific egg – and also it’s easy

to see when they’re done.

Conversely you can simply pop a frying on the actual grill, but it is

determined by how traditional you are about the complete barbecue element!

Should your grill has a lid, this can be a novel egg cooking idea.

Take some large flat mushrooms and scoop out the centres, leaving behind a

well for the eggs to stay in.

Drizzle a few drops of oil into the well and pop over the hot coals for a

minute or so in order to heat up.

After that, break the egg into the well and close the top of the barbecue.

It will most likely take two or three minutes for the egg to cook.

If you like French toast try grilling it on the barbecue.

Whip up some eggs plus whole milk, soak your slices of bread in it right

until they are nicely covered and then put on your grill.

Cook until lightly golden.

You can offer with sugar and lemon just like a pancake, or even some maple

syrup.

Tomatoes are usually delicious barbequed, however ensure you utilize big

tomatoes that will stand up to the rigours regarding bbq grilling – and that

they are big enough not to get through the barbeque grill!

Tasty beef tomatoes would be best – season and drizzle with a little olive

oil – and when you grow herbs, grabs a couple of basil leaves and rip them

over the sliced side of the tomato for extra flavour.

Finally, after all that excess, finish off with a few fruit, which means you

believe you have been rather wholesome, taking pleasure in breakfast in the

open air.

Oh yea, but you need to barbecue this first of course,those are the rules!

To get the best from your fruit, use firm fresh fruit that is not prone to

break apart, and then prior to getting busy with the remainder of breakfast,

slice it, leaving on the actual skins to assist them staying undamaged.

Slice pineapple, cut bananas lengthways, and also slice pears and apples.

Leave the fruit to be able to soak in chilly water with some lemon juice

included to avoid it browning.

Consequently by the time the fruit comes to the grill it will be incredibly

moist and also won’t dry out throughout the cooking process.

Take the fruit from the water and strain.

Next brush with dissolved butter (you can include spices or herbs as well as

other flavourings to this should you fancy).

Then barbeque grill until it has warmed through and has this griddled look.

Offer on its own or even along with Greek yogurt.

There are always some side dishes at a barbecue as well as your bbq breakfast

is going to be no exception.

Cooked beans, scrambled eggs, fresh bread and a pot of hot gourmet coffee and

orange juice.

Source: ArticleAlley

A new smoker should always be seasoned, just like a new iron skillet or grill. To season your grill, coat the inside of the unit and the grates with cooking oil. Peanut oil works well for this because it holds up well in heat. Vegetable oil also works, and canola oil will do fine as well. Olive oil will not hold up in the high temperatures produced by a smoker or grill.

Light a fire in the fire box. Bring the temperature up to about 500 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes and allow the fire to burn out. This will seal the oil into the interior of the grill and seal out the moisture, preserving it from rust.

Never leave charcoal sitting in the grill until the next time you use it. Allow the charcoal to burn completely out until you are sure there are no more hot coals. Never leave them in the smoker longer than overnight. When it is safe to do so, dump the cool charcoal into a garbage can or another container. Charcoal holds moisture, and leaving it in the smoker between uses will cause the smoker to rust.

When the cooking is done, use the steel brush to clean all of the food off of the grates. When the smoker is completely cool, wipe the grates down with a paper towel or rag. You can also use a commercial grill cleaning product to clean off the burned food. If the grill is well seasoned, the steel brush is all that you should need.

Be sure to close the vents and the chimney vent if it rains before the smoker is cool enough to cover. After the smoker is completely cool, wipe it with a dry rag and cover it well. If your smoker did not come with a cover, the separate purchase is worth it. If you have to use a damp or wet cloth on the smoker exterior, let it dry completely before covering it.

From ArticleAlley

Barbecuing is preparing food outdoors using the indirect heat from a wood fire. Grilling is what many backyards chef do when they cook hamburgers, hot dogs, seafood, you name it over a hot grill using direct heat. That grill can use barbecue briquettes, wood chips, gas or any combination of those fuel ingredients. Both can involve some sort of hot sauce or spicy barbecue sauce to heat things up.Barbecuing, because it involves indirect, slow cooking, usually is reserved for large pieces of meat like pork (whole or roasts), beef brisket, ribs, etc. It can take longer than 12 hours to cook a whole hog or a large beef brisket with ribs taking anywhere from four to five hours to cook. “These low temperatures and slow cooking – low ‘n slow – create the unique, smoky meat appearance, taste and texture that is authentic barbecue,” notes the web site of the California Barbecue Association.

There are almost as many theories of the origins of the word “barbecue” as there are ways to prepare barbecue. Some trace the word to the French “barbe-a-queue” which is loosely translated as from beard to tail. In other words, cooking a pig from tip to toe. Others say the term derives from the Spanish word “barbacoa,” which means a framework of sticks – what was used to hoist a hunk of meat over a fire to cook it. And the term “barbacoa” supposedly is derived from the Arawak word “babracot” for wooden apparatus. Tar Heel magazine was quoted as saying the word “barbecue” comes from a nineteenth century advertisement that cited a combination of whisky bar, beer hall, pool establishment and roast pig seller , which is summed up as bar-beer-cue-pig. How it came to the United States is also anyone’s guess.

The California Barbecue Association posits that barbecue first came to California by Franciscan friars who brought it from the Caribbean. In the 17th century, the friars came to California, which was then part of Mexico. Another theory is that barbecue originated in the late 1800s during Western cattle drives. Slowly cooking tough meat over a fire was a way to tenderize the meat and make it tastier. German butchers reportedly brought barbecue to Texas in the mid-1800s.What’s certain is that barbecuing has been an American pastime for hundreds of years. Some say that large barbecue gatherings were common starting about 50 years before the Civil War in the south. Later on in the nineteenth century, it became a mainstay at church picnics and politic rallies as well as private parties.

Today just about everyone grills or barbecues at one time or another – whether it’s a little hibachi grill on an urban fire escape or an all out pig roast complete with a barbecue pit dug in your home’s backyard. There are also regional differences when it comes to barbecue. Reportedly, vinegar-based sauces are what fire up back-yard chefs in North and South Carolina. Tennessee barbecue sauces tend to be spicy and sweet as well as tomato-based. Dry rubs can be used almost anywhere. Kansas City, Mo., another barbecue hot spot, uses a tomato-based sauce like Tennesseans, but also adds molasses to the mix. Texas sauces show a Mexican influence and may use chilies and limes in the sauce or as accompaniments to the meal. Also what type of meat is used also varies by region. Beef is prime in Texas whereas pork is the old stand-by for the Carolinas and the rest of the south. In the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast, most people grill rather than barbecue.

Specifically for the Pacific Northwest, grilling of fish, especially salmon, is popular as is the use of cedar planks to add flavor.Grillin’ and Chillin’ with the Flintstones It’s certainly clear that cooking over a wood fire was something we all did in prehistoric times and mostly with meat. It was the first type of cooking, popular around 125,000 B.C. and helped propel us to today’s meat-centered diet. Barbecue and grilling also arose independently all over the planet. Grilling is a popular way to prepare meat in China and Korea, for example, as well as in the Caribbean. According to the History Channel, “barbecue” appeared in print for the first time in 1655 back when the United States was a colony of Great Britain and by the mid-nineteenth century barbecue was a popular way to prepare meat, especially out West. Barbecue really started cooking in the 1920s because of Henry Ford and his assembly line.

Sounds like an odd couple, Henry Ford and barbecue, but economic necessity enticed Ford to create the charcoal briquette, now a mainstay fuel source for grills. Ford invented the briquette because his assembly line produced not just cars, but a lot of wood scraps. Ford figured he could turn his garbage into cash and he did. Similarly utility companies introduced gas grills in the 1950s and then a worker at Weber Brothers Metal Works fashioned the first Weber kettle grill in 1951, also according to the History Channel. As time marches on, barbecuers continue to perfect their art.

One of the major trends in barbecueing is the “water smoker,” says the infoplease.com web site. The water smoker can be fueled by electricity or coal. Burning wood chips and boiling water allows an outdoor cook to slowly cook meat while the circulating water/steam bastes the food and keeps it moist. And whether you grill or barbecue, one of the best ways to prepare meat or vegetables is to marinade them first in the marinade or sauce of your choice. If you’re simply grilling meat over a hot flame, marinades may not be required, but a dipping sauce provided with the meal can add flavor.

By Eric Vinge at EzineArticles.

Don’t be tempted to go overboard looking for additional flavourings, the smoker will impart all the flavour you need so there’s not much more to add than the basic seasoning, the real challenge is to keep the turkey moist through the cooking process. If you, go for a relatively small bird around 9 – 12 lbs (5 or 6kg) you’ll make life easier for yourself, after that, try my two tips:-

Melt 100g / 4 oz of butter in a pot and add a tablespoon of oil – this baste will give all the flavour of the butter without burning it. In addition I like to part the skin from the flesh by gently sliding my hand up from the neck and smear some butter up there but if you do fancy trying this, do be gentle so that you don’t break the skin.

The second technique I use is to inject the turkey with the butter / oil mix. Use a meat injector (essentially a syringe with a metal capillary attached – as opposed to a needle), gently suck up the butter oil mix and then inject it carefully into the breast. Then it’s just a matter of seasoning with salt and pepper and basting and then place breast side up on the BBQ smoker.

You may be able to get away with a large kettle barbecue but essentially an offset smoker or a kamado barbecue such as a Big Green Egg is ideal. After that is just medium coals and indirect heat @ 225°F or 110°C, a drip tray in the bottom with a couple of tablespoons of water and you’re well on the way. It may be necessary to use foil to shield the sides but that really depends on your barbecue. Just cover and baste every 30 minutes or so with the butter / oil mix and 3½ hours later you should have the perfect Thanksgiving barbecue turkey.

The best test for me is not how long it’s been cooked but a skewer test for clear running juice in the breast and legs or a thermometer and look for an internal temperature of 165 °F. If it’s not quite ready just give it another 30 minutes and a baste and try again.

The Barbecue Smoker Recipe Man writes free barbecue recipes & outdoor smoker recipes on gas, charcoal or electric. Outdoor grilling tips, easy fire pit menus, healthy rotisserie suggestions and best homemade bbq sauce recipes are all available at Barbeque Smoker Recipes

The main argument against using aluminum foil is that it is not traditional. Barbecue has a rich tradition and aluminum foil was not available when the original pit masters were learning their trade a hundred years ago. My counter argument is that $20,000 custom built offset smokers that have been temperature tuned did not exist 100 years ago either but folks are not complaining about those!

There are a couple of reasons why using aluminum foil is actually a good idea. In general you want the meat to cook in the smoke for two to three hours before it is foiled so it has enough time to pick up some smoke flavor. A huge beginner mistake is to over-smoke their meat resulting in a bitter end product. If the meat is wrapped in foil after a few hours then the possibility of over smoking is greatly reduced.

A second reason I like to foil food is that it helps the meat cook faster. Any liquids released by the meat will stay in the foil and start to steam. Wrapping in foil allows the meat to braise in its own juices which speeds cooking and helps the meat stay juicy.

A third benefit of foiling is that it protects the meat from ashes. There are many reasons that ashes will get stirred up in your smoker. It can happen when you add more charcoal, if you have to stir the fire or if the smoker gets bumped and a cooking grate drops. If your meat is not protected by foil it can get covered with flecks of gray ash which looks horrible and tastes even worse.

The best argument I have heard against foiling only applies at the highest level of competitive cooking. The theory is that the process of steaming the meat in the foil washes off some of the rub and blends the flavors together. In an ideal world you would experience several layers of flavor when eating a piece of barbecue. This raises the possibility that all of the flavor layers get blended into one by foiling.

For most home grillers, and especially beginners, I strongly recommend the use of aluminum foil. It keeps you from over smoking your meat, speeds up the cook and protects the meat from stray ashes. These are all positive attributes which far outweigh the cries of the barbecue purists.

I am an avid griller who loves to write! I run web sites about Bbq Rubs where I share my bbq ribs recipe. I invite you to visit my site and take a look!

By Bobby Frankel

The recent popularity of smoked foods has made finding smoking chips much easier. Most home improvement centers and even some grocery stores now carry them. Be sure you get smoking chips and not the chunks. There are many different types of wood that can be used when smoking, but the most common smoking chips are hickory, mesquite, and oak. One question that always comes up is whether the smoking chips should be soaked in water. Soaked smoking chips will produce more smoke, yet that is not necessarily a good thing. Meat itself carries its own flavor. Too much smoke takes from that flavor. Let the meat do the talking, not the flavor of your smoking chips. Treat smoke as a spice and don’t over do it. Until you have experimented and begin to truly understand how smoking chips impart flavor to various cuts of meat, use your smoking chips dry.

If you have a charcoal grill, the smoking chips can be put directly on the coals once they are hot. Give the wood a few minutes to start smoking and put on your meat. If using a gas or electric grill you will need to make a smoking packet. Using aluminum foil, spread a handful of smoking chips on a large piece and fold it over and crimp the edges, making a small packet. With a fork, pierce several holes on one side of the packet. This perforated side is the top. Keep this in mind when placing it on your grill. These holes are how the smoking chips will release the smoke. Place the packet on the heat diverter plate (under the grill cooking grate).

Once the smoking chips start to produce smoke, it’s time to start cooking. Now that your meat is on the grill and your smoking chips begin to share its smoke flavor with the meat, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. First, keep the lid of your grill closed so that precious smoke doesn’t escape. Second, smoking chips will do what wood does when placed near a heat source…catch on fire. This ignition will be accelerated by the grease drippings from your meat. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to extinquish any flare ups. Third, if you are using your smoking chips in a foil packet, add a few more minutes to your cooking time, since the packet is diverting some of the heat away from the meat.

As you experiment with smoking chips, you’ll soon become obsessed with the flavors. Try other types of wood. Fruit wood such as apple, peach and cherry are good choices. Online sources can supply you with such smoking chips as ground up wine and whiskey barrels. Advanced techniques involve mixing various smoking chips. Try a recipe of half cherry, a quarter hickory and a quarter of maple. Soon you’ll be the pit master of your neighborhood!

By Gary Glen

Meat seasoning can also mean tenderizing. Lean cuts of meat tend to be tough and benefit greatly from a meat seasoning that is intended to break down the tough muscle fiber. Three methods of meat seasoning are generally used when preparing meat for the grill or smoker. Although they can be used singularly, most barbecue chefs utilize at least two of the methods. If you are to become a pit or grillmaster…learn meat seasoning!

Brines

Brines are a salt-based solution used to tenderize meat. Tougher, lean cuts of meat such as beef brisket, flank steak or beef ribs should be soaked overnight in a brine. Brines not only tenderize, they also assist the meat with moisture retention, allowing the meat to stay moist during the grilling or smoking procedure where meat may otherwise dry out. Besides the lean cuts of meat, this method of meat seasoning can also work wonders with poultry, fish and most other types of meat because it increases the moisture content. A typical brine also contributes to the meat by adding flavors. Sugars, spices, herbs and even fruit are often added.

Marinades

Another method of seasoning meat is marinading. While a brine utilizes salt to tenderize, marinades use acidic ingredients. Lemon or lime juice, vinegars, and wine are examples of some of the acid-based liquids used. Marinades are a great are way to season meat because of the diverse ingredients that can be added to achieve a wide spectrum of flavors. From spicy to citrus or Jamaican to Italian, these ingredients can dictate many variations of flavor. When using marinades, most smaller cuts of meat can be soaked for a predetermined time, while larger cuts perform better if injected.

Rubs

Rubs are a meat seasoning that consists of a mixture of herbs and spices that are applied to the surface of the meat just prior to grilling. Like brines and marinades, the flavor of rubs are limited only by your imagination. Most rubs contain salt, sugar and a variety of herbs and spices. The rub not only creates a crust, or “bark” on the meat, it also has a wonderful effect on the final flavor. With basic knowledge of meat seasoning, it’s important to realize that a brine or marinade must compliment the rub. These flavors in turn, must compliment the final sauce or gravy. With a little practice, you’ll soon begin to understand how these flavors all come together to form one.

By Gary Glen

Top tips for barbecued steak:
Preheat the barbecue to the correct temperature before adding the steak. As a general guide, you should be able to hear a sizzle as the steak hits the hot surface. The heat seals the surface, trapping the juices inside.
Bring steak to room temperature just before cooking. The meat can become tough if it goes straight from the fridge to the barbecue.
Drain any marinade from the steak before placing it on the barbecue to cook. Excess liquid can ignite on the barbecue and cause a flare-up. Plus, if you're cooking steak on a flatplate, the liquid can boil around the meat and make it tough.
Limit the number of steaks cooking on the barbecue at any one time. Overcrowding reduces the heat, which can prevent the steaks from cooking evenly and cause them to release juices, making the meat tough.
Use tongs to turn your steak. Sharp forks can pierce the surface, which allows the juices to escape.
Cover the steak loosely with foil before resting to keep it warm. If you cover it tightly, the meat will sweat and lose its moisture.
Clean your barbecue grill or flatplate with a stiff wire brush or scraper while it's still warm. This leaves it ready for your next barbie.

These features are standard on some smoker models and not on others, so remember to pay close attention to the list of standard features when you are price comparing.

Stainless Steel Grates
Does the smoker have T-304 food grade stainless steel grates? While this will add to the cost of your equipment initially, you can rest assured that the investment will pay off in the long run. Stainless steel grates do not rust, so they make clean-up easier and eliminate any contamination from rusty grates.

Double-Tiered Racks
How many racks does the barbeque smoker have? Some smoker models feature a second tier grate, which almost doubles the cooking surface. For example, Meadow Creek Barbeque Smokers come standard with two stainless steel grates. Both grates are full width and slide out on either side for easy access.

Door Latches
How many times have you seen smokers arriving at competitions and barbecue events with bungee straps on the doors? Many barbecue smokers on the market feature door latches that open while the unit bounces down the road. Choose a smoker with positive lock latches that close the doors tightly and keeps them closed.

Warming Box
A warming box is really handy to keep your chicken warm while you finish smoking the ribs and also works perfect to cook beans. Consider a warming box with several shelves so that you can cook beans and keep other food warm at the same time.

Some warming boxes can also be upgraded to a live smoke chamber for more space to smoke meat.

Removable Ash Pan
Your fire will burn more efficiently when the ash in the firebox can fall down through a grate into an ash pan. The ash pan also lets you easily remove the ashes when you are cooking.

Trailer License
When you are traveling with your smoker, you want to make sure that your trailer is legally licensed. Not all BBQ trailer manufacturers are licensed trailer manufacturers. If you want to take your trailer down the road, choose one that's designed by a professional trailer builder and offers road-worthy wheels and a light package.

Options
What options are available for the barbeque smoker? There are many great options on the market, such as stainless steel sinks, trim packages, a slide-out fire basket, and additional shelves. The best time to get the options you need is when you're buying your smoker.