Grilling Guide: Smoke 'em if ya got 'em
Turn your grill into a badass backyard BBQ pit
By Mark J. Lucas |
|
Alright, are all the amateurs out of the room? Good. Now cooking outside has several different levels. There are the people who cook hotdogs on sticks over the campfire, there are people who cook on fancy grills, and then there are people who've taken the time to get down to smoking meat. It's not for the faint of heart (actually, a strong heart would be recommended for anyone who likes to eat a lot of meat). It's time consuming and requires more of an artistic flare than most forms of cooking, but if you pull it off, you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts and they'll erect statues in your honor in the Backyard Cooking Hall of Fame.
The idea behind smoking meat is simple; the meat is cooked at a low temperature for an extended period of time in the presence of smoke. The term low-and-slow is the mantra for this style of cooking. This allows the smoky flavor of hardwoods to penetrate the meat, and it also breaks down the lipids in the meat, giving it a sweeter flavor. This is an especially good practice for cooking meats that would normally be fairly tough if cooked in, say, an oven, such as brisket and pork shoulder.
Woods
The more often you smoke meat, the more in tune you'll become with which woods you like and don't like. Applewood, hickory and mesquite are some of the more popular woods used, but many experts swear by pecan as a wood of choice. Don't use softwoods, like pine! This will ruin your meat. If you don't have cured hardwood on hand (and you probably won't), you can always pick some up at a hardware store. You may want to soak the chips before you put them in the smoker, but this isn't always necessary.
Time
Expect to be smoking this meat for six or more hours. The lower temperature means that the heat will penetrate the meat slower, plus the whole idea of cooking low-and-slow is to allow the meat time to tenderize and take in the flavors. It can take as long as 12 hours, depending on what you're cooking. Don't forget to check every so often to make sure you're still smoking, especially if it's going to be a while.
Meat
Really, you can smoke just about anything, but the most popular meats to smoke are the cheap ones. That, after all, was one of the points of barbecue - to find a way to make cheap cuts of meat taste amazing. Pork shoulder, brisket and ribs are classics, but salmon steaks can be smoked as well, and taste amazing.
Temperature
If your smoker has a thermometer, all the better, but either way, it's a good idea to pick yourself up an internal thermometer. These can be found at many grocery stores, as well as anywhere BBQ grills are sold. They're useful, because the external temperature of a thick meat can be deceptive. You want to know that the meat is cooked all the way through. The ideal temperature for smoking meat is right around 225 degrees, though towards the end of the process, many pros bring it up a little higher to allow some more of the fats to break down.
Ventilation
Ventilation on a smoker is important. The smoke isn't intended to be stagnant. It is supposed to circulate, so make sure your vents are at the proper settings. This will also help regulate the temperature.
The Smoke Ring
The smoke ring is something that occurs while smoking meat. It is usually a red or pink ring that shows up just below the surface of the meat. This is a good thing - it doesn't mean the meat isn't cooked. If you smoke meat, and you don't see a smoke ring, don't fear. It doesn't affect the flavor or the tenderness of the meat. It's just a simple chemical reaction between meat and smoke.
Rub
Before placing meat in a smoker, you treat it with a mixture of spices called a "rub." Telling someone exactly what rub to put on meat is impossible; it's really up to who's holding the grill utensils. The typical ingredients are sugar (brown or white), pepper, salt, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper and onion powder, all in roughly equal parts, but feel free to get creative. If you're not feeling creative, there are a million different recipes on the Internet, and a few choice selections listed in this magazine (see page 50).
Safe and Easy Smoking
The concepts involved in building a smoker are simple. You need a heating element, a place for wood chips, a grate on which to place the meat, a thermometer and a way to regulate airflow. Building a smoker can get complicated, but with a little bit of know-how, just about anyone can make one, with very little money. If you already own a charcoal grill, the process is quite easy.
Here's what you'll need:
- charcoal grill, preferably a kettle-style grill
- hotplate
- heavy-duty pan, or cast iron skillet
- some hardwood chips (not softwoods, like pine, because they contain resins and creosote, which will make your meat taste awful)
- disposable aluminum serving container
Step 1: Clean out the bottom of the charcoal grill.
Step 2: Insert the hotplate, pulling the plug through the vent at the bottom of the grill.
Step 3: Place the heavy-duty pan or skillet on top of the hotplate, and fill it with the wood chips. (Note, the wood chips should be pre-soaked.)
Step 4: Replace the grate.
Step 5: Place a cup or two of water into the aluminum container, and place on the grill.
Step 6: Plug in the hotplate, and wait for the smoke to start rolling out.
Step 7: Place the thermometer in the hood vent, and close it, almost all the way.
Step 8: Now you're ready to throw in your chosen cuts of meat and start smoking.
The internal temperature of your grill should ideally stay between 225 degrees and 255 degrees. Remember to check the progress of the cooking once every 90 minutes. Because the wood chips are soaked, there shouldn't be any flare-ups, but you may need to replace them every so often.
This process can also be accomplished by putting the pan with the wood chips in the center of the grill bottom, flanking it on either side with charcoal. You will have to check occasionally to make sure that the charcoal hasn't gone out.
If all goes well, you should see a steady stream of smoke emanating from the small remaining openings in the hood vent. Most meats willl be done in a few hours, but for thicker cuts, such as pork shoulder, you may want to use an internal thermometer to check the temperature, as the thermometer at the top of the grill will only be measuring the temperature near the lid.
Now get out there and enjoy some barbecue!
Originally Published: July 1, 2010
