Smoking Meat

[-Devil-]

The original post asked about smoking meat and to be honest smoking meat, BBQ and grilling are three different things. Smoking meat is done at very low temperatures, like 70 degrees F. BBQ is more like 200-220 F and grilling is done at like 500-800 F. I do not have the equipment to smoke meat but I do BBQ a lot. Pork shoulder is the easiest. I also like brisket as well.

your temperatures are a little off ... smoking at 70f .. would be considered a cold smoke .. which is what you do with cheese and on occasion fish and some sausage ...

(if you are drying the meats that is a different story .. that is done in the 70 to 90f range for all meats .. but will take several days to complete)

normal smoking of meats depends on what kind of meat you are smoking as to what the temp needs to be ... chickens can be done around 150 to 170 range ... beef and pork just a little bit higher ... but none of them over about 230 if at all possible ... (the core temp of the meats determines if they are done .. the longer you take to reach that temp, normally the easier the meat is to break apart afterwards, and the more 'flavor' from the wood you use will be in the meats)

plus 90% of smoking is done with indirect heat .. to where just the airflow and smoke touches the meat .. but not the fire.

bbq is mostly done with direct heat .. the meats are placed just above the coals .. and the fire will be hotter of course but the flame never touches the meats .. normally done with coals ...

grilling is higher temps .. and the flames often touch the meats ...

for the people that can not have a flame at their place because of a condo or other situations .. you can get electric smokers that work just as good ... you just have to keep an eye on the water in the pan inside .. and add some small chips into it as well to get the flavor into the meats ... so yes you can 'smoke' meats with a hot plate ... just as long as it has a bowl of water ... with some wood chips and such soaking in the water or just above the water wrapped in tin foil with a few holes poked into it...

 

[Lucius]

The original post asked about smoking meat and to be honest smoking meat, BBQ and grilling are three different things. Smoking meat is done at very low temperatures, like 70 degrees F. BBQ is more like 200-220 F and grilling is done at like 500-800 F. I do not have the equipment to smoke meat but I do BBQ a lot. Pork shoulder is the easiest.

There's cold smoking, smoking, and grilling.

Everyone will not agree on what BBQ actually is, but smoking is smoking whether you do it at 100 degrees or 300 degrees. Typically you'd cold smoke foods like bacon, sausage, cheese, fish, country ham, etc. You're actually curing the food by cold smoking, so it's not exactly the same as "hot" smoking which is how you make BBQ (I guess I went there).

 

[BarbeForte]

I bought a propane smoker this spring, thinking it would be perfect to learn, as it's easier to monitor the temperature. However, the vent to allow the air is so wide that if there's too much wind, the smoker won't go over 175ºF, which takes much longer to get the correct temperature for pork ribs (and you can't really invite people over, if you planned this to be ready for 6:00 - 7:00 PM and it's ready at 9:00...). Still, it was one of the cheapest on the market (CAD$235.00) and the food tastes awesome. Also, since it's a vertical smoker, it has a water pan which keeps the meat moist, so you don't have to baste it, just add water, it's simpler but you lose the taste.

In Ottawa, I've been having troubles finding wood chips. I can only find Hickory and Mesquite.

 

[Fnord5]

If it is ready 2-3 hours later than you expected, start 2-3 hours earlier.
Smoking isn't something that can be rushed.

 

[Jim]

I bought a propane smoker this spring, thinking it would be perfect to learn, as it's easier to monitor the temperature. However, the vent to allow the air is so wide that if there's too much wind, the smoker won't go over 175ºF, which takes much longer to get the correct temperature for pork ribs (and you can't really invite people over, if you planned this to be ready for 6:00 - 7:00 PM and it's ready at 9:00...). Still, it was one of the cheapest on the market (CAD$235.00) and the food tastes awesome. Also, since it's a vertical smoker, it has a water pan which keeps the meat moist, so you don't have to baste it, just add water, it's simpler but you lose the taste.

In Ottawa, I've been having troubles finding wood chips. I can only find Hickory and Mesquite.

There are many options for this issue one is to get a water heater blanket and wrap the box, build a wind break out of fencing ect.

Some of the BBQ websites have forums with mods and tricks for each type of unit. You should check it out.

 

[petr]

egger here. I enjoyed big bob gibsons book also.

...my real taste tester...you know que is tasty when she is taken from the dinner table to bath tub.

 

[stobes21]

I recently picked up a medium BGE and am looking forward to some long smoking sessions. I'm still trying to get used to precisely controlling temps. Once I do I think I'm going to do some nice pulled pork.