How To Choose A Barbecue Smoker
If you have ever seen a National Barbecue Tour competition, you know that barbeque smoking is serious business. The huge metal smokers are moved on the backs of trucks or pulled on trailers from contest to contest. The food itself is so tender, delicious, and juicy, you would think these tours must be the only place to find barbecue this good.
Vertical barbecue smokers come in many styles, from propane, to charcoal, electric, wood, or water smokers. The heating element in vertical smokers is at the bottom. Heat rises up and warms a pan of water causing the water to smoke. This smoke then heats the food. One of the best features of a vertical barbecue smoker is that you can add any variety of spices, oils, garlic, onions, or other flavorings to the water, and the smoke will infuse the food adding those flavors to it. The cooking surface inside a vertical cooker may be a rotisserie style skewer, a grill, or flat cooking surface. A popular smoker is the Bradley Smoker because it uses specialized heat discs instead of charcoal or water to create constant heat and smoke.
The big barbecue smokers are made much differently than the standard smokers. Many are made individually, so it's hard to list all the different varieties you might see on TV or at the BBQ competitions. Generally, BBQ pit smokers consist of a large firebox where the smoke is heated, ideally to about 200-225 degrees Fahrenheit. Wood or wood pellets are the most common way to heat the smoke, and of course charcoal can be used as well. The firebox is normally attached to the side of the barbecue pit, but it may also be placed above the pit. The smoke moves from the firebox to the barbecue pit through a flue, or series of flues where it will cook the meat before exiting through a chimney or vent. The meat is cooked rotisserie, rotating around on a skewer, on a grill, on many grills rotating inside the pit.
The most significant thing when it comes to barbecue smokers, and deciding if you want to purchase one, is accounting for the cooking time it takes to prepare the food. The ordinary barbecue grills can cook your food quickly; barbecue smokers are designed to slowly cook the food over several hours, packing as much flavor from the smoke into your meats as possible.
Vertical barbecue smokers come in many styles, from propane, to charcoal, electric, wood, or water smokers. The heating element in vertical smokers is at the bottom. Heat rises up and warms a pan of water causing the water to smoke. This smoke then heats the food. One of the best features of a vertical barbecue smoker is that you can add any variety of spices, oils, garlic, onions, or other flavorings to the water, and the smoke will infuse the food adding those flavors to it. The cooking surface inside a vertical cooker may be a rotisserie style skewer, a grill, or flat cooking surface. A popular smoker is the Bradley Smoker because it uses specialized heat discs instead of charcoal or water to create constant heat and smoke.
The big barbecue smokers are made much differently than the standard smokers. Many are made individually, so it's hard to list all the different varieties you might see on TV or at the BBQ competitions. Generally, BBQ pit smokers consist of a large firebox where the smoke is heated, ideally to about 200-225 degrees Fahrenheit. Wood or wood pellets are the most common way to heat the smoke, and of course charcoal can be used as well. The firebox is normally attached to the side of the barbecue pit, but it may also be placed above the pit. The smoke moves from the firebox to the barbecue pit through a flue, or series of flues where it will cook the meat before exiting through a chimney or vent. The meat is cooked rotisserie, rotating around on a skewer, on a grill, on many grills rotating inside the pit.
The most significant thing when it comes to barbecue smokers, and deciding if you want to purchase one, is accounting for the cooking time it takes to prepare the food. The ordinary barbecue grills can cook your food quickly; barbecue smokers are designed to slowly cook the food over several hours, packing as much flavor from the smoke into your meats as possible.
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