Searching for How to SMOKE meat at home?

Question

Would like to learn how to smoke meat at home. Example: pork and beef items. Thank you for responding

IT WAS TRULY HARD TO CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER. ALL WERE GOOD AND PRAISE BOB'S AND BIRDOGSID WERE THE BEST. But can only pick one. Thank you ALL

Answer 1

You opened up a big bag of worms here.....

First off you need to get a smoker. There are certain ones that do better than others, and never expect the first one to be perfect. My first smoker was a water smoker like this one

http://www.brinkmann.net/Shop/Detail.aspx?category=Outdoor+Cooking&subcategory=Charcoal+Smokers+%26+Grills&sku=810-5301-C&id=288

It worked pretty good, and realistically you can get this one for about $30. No frills. Dont need 'em.

you have to keep the temperature around 200-250 degrees for at least 5 hours. I typically smoke my meats for 10-12 hours and have been know to smoke for 24 hours. The most important thing though is to remember that after about 4-6 hours, wrap your meat in foil so that the smoke flavor does not get too strong. You will get a "creosote" taste on the meat the will make your tongue tingle (literally) and it will have a pretty strong metal flavor to it. At that point, its not too good (personal opinion.)

I will get up and start a fire in the smoker with 10 or so pieces of charcoal and let it burn white, then put the wood on, let the wood burn down and get the meat on the smoker. You dont really need to worry about rubs and sauces at first. the smoke flavor is a good base for the meat. You can put sauce on later, but for now, get the basics down. You may want to experiment with different types of wood. My personal favorite is mesquite. Its cheap and there is a lot of it in Texas. Some people like hickory, apple, cherry...anything with a fruit or bean should be good for smoking.

If you have any questions, email me.

Be sure to "season" your smoker before you start smoking food in it. Otherwise you will get that metal flavor first.

Answer 2

I have a Weber grill. I take either pork shoulder or beef brisket and use a store bought dry-rub (near the BBQ sauce in the store) rub it all over the meat, wrap it in foil and let it sit in the fridge overnight. To smoke, I take hickory wood chips(near the charcoal in the store), wrap them in foil (DRY), poke some holes in the foil. Start the grill, if charcoal put all the coals on one side, if gas light only one side on low. When the grill is ready put the foil wood chip packet on the coals or flame, place the meat on the cold side of the grill, and cover. Do not disturb for three hours. Remove meat after three hours to a covered baking dish and place in 200 degree F oven. Cook at least for 4 hours 6 is even better.
To slice brisket remove top part by slicing through the layer of fat that runs along surface. Then slice meat against the grain in thin slices. To "pull" pork just pull out bone and shred with two large forks. Serve with sauce, enjoy.

Answer 3

HOW TO SMOKE MEAT VIDEO
http://cooking-video.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-smoke-meat.html

Answer 4

You will know exactly what to do after you start buying equipment. Like with anything else forget the cheap stuff you will never get superior results. Cookshack makes a good small smoker they're smokers range from $500us-$15,000us. for a really large one. Don't waste your time with cheaper brands/ models . If you're not committed financially don't waste your time.Cabellas sells the smaller cookshack smokers at a good price. Good luck The secret is absolute temp control and the cheaper models will not give you that consistently..

Answer 5

All these answers ..?
Most any good sports center will have the wood chips as well as the spice rubs etc.
So try
http://www.basspro.com
but BBQ equipment can be found home depot.

The basic object is to contain the smoke in a closed area where the damp wood is heated (without burning) to smoke and your meat is suspended above.
since you can use an electric hot plate.. no fire is needed..
SO your smoker can be made from cardboard..
use your imagination

Answer 6

Not having a smoker, I have made jerky by soaking strips of meat in Liquid Smoke and then dried it in a slow oven ( 250 degrees). It turns out pretty good. I love the Liquid Smoke, I keep it along with Kitchen Bouquet in my spices all the time.

Answer 7

This is one of those topics where there are as many "right" ways to do things as there are backyard smokers.

Bottom line:

1) There are two basic techniques, wet and dry (I prefer wet).

2) Regardless of which technique you use cook it "low and slow" (low temperature over a long period of time).

3) Yes, the type of wood matters.

The best thing to do is buy yourself a smoker and follow the instructions. I have one that is shaped kind of like a barrel that has a pan for the heat source and wood chips, one for a liquid (the water used to soak the chips), and a couple of racks above that for the meat.

Answer 8

I found these little metal disks called Tom Thomas Jr.'s Smokin' BBQ Buddies. These things are awesome!! They come 2 to a pack and you put one or two on the grill (complete instructions on the pkg) and they really work well! You may have a hard time finding them this time of year, but I bought mine at Giant Eagle (Ohio). I bought a cheap smoker, and I'll say I'd rather use the BBQ buddies. Hope you can find them! ---just took a closer look at the pkg. and they have a website: www.smokinbbqbuddies.com
check it out!

Answer 9

Most people will use a cooker that is especially built for smoking meats.

Here is a website about smoking meats http://www.smoking-meat.com/

Answer 10

You usually need a room dedicated to it in order to get professional results, but check this website. It might help.


www.sausagemaker.com/Smoker