Buyer’s guide to food smokers

Smokers are a great addition to your outdoor cooking experience, especially if you want to transcend the barbeque. Most people who love smoked foods know that smoking is generally used for meats and fish but don’t know that smokers can even be used to make dried fruits and fruit leather. You don’t even have to be the ultimate foodie to enjoy making food in a smoker.

Smokers

There are two basic types of smokers: vertical water smokers and dry smokers (also called barbecue pit smokers). Of course within these categories there are models and styles to consider, both of which affect the price.

Vertical water smokers

These smokers look like postmodern trash cans and are sometimes called bullet smokers for their shape and not for their speed. In vertical water smokers there is a water pan sitting between the heat and the food. Its purpose is to regulate the temperature inside the smoker. Heat needs to be kept near the boiling point of water or around 212 degrees F. There are four subcategories of vertical water smokers.

Examples Of Vertical Water Smokers

People like gas smokers because they are portable and as long as you remember the gas you can take them camping with you. They are also the most convenient and easiest to use although you depend on a fuel source. Some foodies also say that gas doesn’t give the food the same smoky flavour as a charcoal or wood.

The good thing about electric smokers these is that you don’t have to worry about remembering to get the gas. Really all that needs to be done on your part is temperature setting. However, it might be difficult to take with you unless you can secure a power source. Again, the foodies are not too impressed with this type and compare it to using a microwave to make gourmet food. Convenient but not very involved.

Charcoal is very involved but affordable despite the inconvenience. Plus, flavor is never sacrificed and it’s just as portable as a charcoal barbeque. You’ll need to tend the fire, but you should be able to operate it with little difficulty. If you consider slow cooking a setback, be aware this process can take eight hours and you may want to go with the faster gas or electric option.

Wood, the original burner, takes more consideration and practice than the others. So get some cheap meat and practice on that before you use your grade A stuff! There are different flavors that you can get from different types of woods including cherry, maple and hickory. You need to make sure you have a clean burn, a hot fire and a ton of patience. The foodies put this method above all others in terms of taste.

Dry smokers (barbecue pit)

There are no subcategories here, strictly the use of split logs for the dry heat source in a pit-style smoker. These feature an offset firebox on one side of the smoker and a cooking chamber on the other. The fire must be constantly maintained to keep the temperature consistent, just as with wood-burning vertical water smokers. The cooking process is slow and long because the meat is further from the source, and your clothes will smell like a campfire by the end of it. Slower cooking means more intense, smoky and delicious flavor. The longer the cooking process takes, the better the end product.

Dry Smokers

Techniques for tasty food

Obviously the fuel you use plays a huge role in how the meat is going to taste at the end of the process. Everybody has their personal preference and each smoker has its own upsides and drawbacks to consider. If you are a stickler for flavor and you want the best product possible, you should go with the wood or charcoal. If you can’t stand the thought of tending a fire for hours on end or you just don’t have the time to baby a fire, gas or electric is the right way to go. Either way you choose you will need to make sure that you have enough fuel for eight hours of smoking. Quitting the process early will leave you with raw and flavorless meat.

Capacity and portability of cooking gear

Are you smoking in bulk? Perhaps you have a stock of meat or fish that needs to go in the smoker before it goes bad. Or maybe you partake in hunting season and you need to process a lot of meat at once. You need to decide on the size of the smoker that you are going to need for these purposes. It’s going to be a lot larger for more meat and you’ll want to do large batches rather than small ones because the cooking times are so long.

Some smokers are trashcan-sized with special handles meant for carrying them to a campground or for easy storage. Charcoal smokers are likely to be portable and more light-weight than the other styles. You can also get industrial-size ones that mount onto trailers. There’s a difference here between movable and portable. All are movable but only some are portable.

Great Portable Smokers

All smokers have vents you should be able to adjust to control temperature. Good ventilation is part of good air flow and temperature maintenance.

How much should you spend?

Smokers can start from as little as $50 bucks to more than $10,000. If you plan to do a lot of quality smoking you’ll want to aim for something that’s a little pricey but not exorbitant. Vertical water smokers are the least expensive. A pit smoker will set you back between $200 and $600, depending on the quality. Top manufacturers include BBQ Guys, Bradley Smoker, Coleman, Louisiana Grills and Weber. For large meat loads, the Brinkmann vertical smoker can hold fifty pounds worth of meat and features a locking front door that stays shut without popping open.

Good quality smokers are expensive, but they last for years and years before you even have to consider buying a new one. Enjoy a culinary classic and make succulent smoked meats in your own smoker!