Tips For Buying a Charcoal Smoker
There are two typical varieties of charcoal cigarette smokers for home use offered on the market:
# Vertical smoker: A vertical smoker, also referred to as a bullet smoker due to its shape, is one of the most popular cigarette smokers, which is not too large nor too pricy. It uses a water pan in between the heat source and cooking grate, keeping the meat moist. The meat is cooked at a distance above the heat source.
# Offset horizontal smoker: With this kind of smoker, the fire in the compartment and the meat are kept different. There is a big cooking surface area as well as vents, which allow you to control the heat and keep it moving in the cooking chamber.
Constructing a Barrel Smoker
If you're feeling adventurous, have some time on your hands and want that cowboy feeling, this could be a Do It Yourself job for you. A barrel smoker uses a drum, switched on its side and split down the middle. This is very low-cost to make but on the drawback, it's not really steady and shouldn't be anticipated to last long. You can learn how to turn a barrel into a smoker from many readily available resources on the internet.
Using an Electric or Gas Smoker
By getting rid of charcoal from the process, you lose out on much of the smoke taste that makes barbecue fascinating for eaters and cooks alike. While you can use wood with an electric or gas smoker, you just won't get the same effect. Some barbecue cooks might argue this point, but many would choose to prepare with charcoal to improve the flavour.
Electrical and gas smokers however, enable simpler control of the heat. Instead of charcoal, just experiment with the dial and voila!
Managing Heat
Charcoal is used as the heat source in the majority of cases, while the wood is used to include smoke and flavour. You may wonder why not use the wood for both heat and smoke. When you try to kill both birds with the same stone, or wood in this case, it frequently leads to over smoking. It is easier to smoke and to Hakka 14-Inch Multi-Function Barbecue and Charcoal Smoker Grill manage heat using charcoal. Excessive cigarette smoking of the meat will likely lead to the meat ending up being too bitter, thereby destroying your culinary masterpiece.
Considering charcoal types
Charcoal is offered in 2 varieties, each having their own fans:
# Charcoal briquettes: This is the most typically used kind of charcoal for grilling at home. It is made from charred wood and coal. However, this type is shunned by hardcore barbecue cooks in most cases, due to the additives used in them to keep them burning and holding them together longer.
# Swelling charcoal: This is just made from charred hardwood, without any of the additives found in the charcoal briquettes (and also lacks the smooth shape thereof). This charcoal burns quicker and hotter than the briquettes. They also cost more, and depending on the level of sensitivity of the meat being cooked, the extra expense might deserve it as it also prevents undesirable taste from being added due to the chemicals found in the briquettes.
If you still decide to use charcoal briquettes, as many great barbecue do, make certain to avoid the ones with the lighter fluid in them. The chemicals used to light the charcoal can burn off the charcoal and enter into your food. This will give it an undesirable, acidic taste. Using lighter fluid straight from the squeeze bottle is a similarly bad idea as it will have the same impact.
Using a chimney starter
Instead of using the undesirable tasting chemicals found in lighter fluid, you can rapidly and quickly light your charcoal with a chimney starter. They can be found easily in home-supply or hardware stores.
To use it, stuff paper into the bottom area and fill the leading area with charcoal. In a safe place, light the paper. You coals should be ready in 15 to 20 minutes. Then dump them in the smoker.