jamestmoser
11 DIY SMOKING IDEAS AND HOW TO USE THEM
Did you know that BBQ, eating at home and entertaining is now the UK's # 1 summer leisure activity?
Two thirds of households now own a barbecue!
If you are looking forward to throwing more garden parties for friends and family this summer, why not consider smoking your food rather than grilling it for a change?
In this post I will cover:
- What food smokers do (and why they are so good)
- How to use a smoker
- The best foods for smoking
- How long it takes to smoke food
- What type of wood chips work best
- 11 great DIY smoking projects you can try for yourself
Buy a Smoker vs. a Homemade Smoker:
If the concept is new to you, do not worry.
I had no idea what meat smokers were last summer, much less how to use one!
Now that I know we need to entertain an audience, it's my 'go to' cooking method (weather permitting of course)!
"But I do not have much money to buy a meat smoker!" I hear you cry!
I have some good news.
You will be happy to know that smoking food does not require investing a fortune in a beautiful new piece of equipment.
Building a smoker can be done at home for as little as $ 8.25 (or even for free!) By upcycling some plant pots, an old whiskey barrel out of Gumtree or even the filing cabinet that the boss wants to be thrown out!
I have 11 really cool ideas for building a homemade smoker you can try yourself a little later.
But right now, read on to see my answers to some of your most common questions about what smoking is and how to get started.
Check Out all the best electric smokers here for 2021:
https://reviewlog.org/best-electric-smoker-for-beginners/
What smoking does for your food that barbecue does not:
Grilling your food is great.
It is fast, light and gives it the perfect, tasteful taste and texture we love to party on in the summer.
If you have time to spare before guests arrive and want to wow at the dining table, it is right to go smoke your meat low and slow with chips.
Here's why.
Smoking really enhances the natural taste of your food and enhances it at the same time.
Meat, cheese and vegetables all absorb fumes from wood chips and herbaceous branches and seal them so that the intense taste buds stretch can not just offer itself.
(This does not mean that you can still not use a few charcoal briquettes to speed up the cooking process).
Check out my top food types that work best in a smoker:
Meat that comes on the bone is good for smoking at home.
The bone absorbs heat and distributes it throughout the meat, giving it an even boil without drying it out.
Ribs, sausages, brisket, shoulder joints, salmon and chicken drumsticks & thighs are good choices for beginners.
Avoid very lean pieces of meat.
The lack of fat and connective tissue leads to a hard, dry structure after the slow cooking process.
Smoking food is not just for meat eaters!
Foods like veggie sausages, corn on the cob, potatoes, nuts and tomatoes are all great for tossing food smoke for a few hours with a little olive oil, garlic and a little spice.
Cheeses like classic cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and gouda all taste amazing when smoked too!
Note: If you choose to smoke cheese, always keep your temperature below 30 ºC to prevent it from melting all over your grill.
Smoking food is not difficult - here's what you need
You only need 3 main components to smoke food:
- A container that holds smoke
- A source of smoke (hard wood chips are best used for smoking)
- The actual food to smoke
You can use a purchased and pre-built BBQ smoker like our Azuma Barrel Smoker BBQ.
Barrel design allows you to smoke and grill food at the same time.
The Azuma Barrel Smoker BBQ comes with a large food grill room and a separate smaller smoke chamber on the side where you add your wood chips and let your back funnel through to your food.
If you feel creative, I have some great DIY smoking projects further down the page.
Whichever method you use, the end results all come down to cooking time, your choice of wood and what types of food you choose.
So let’s get to it and find out what wood chips you need to fill in and how long these baby back ribs will take!
How long does it take food from the grill to your plate?
It is important to remember that you should always smoke your food to temperature, not on time.
This way you can avoid unpleasant bacteria and diseases caused by raw and undercooked meat.
A digital BBQ thermometer is good to have on hand when smoking at home. This way you can always check the internal temperature of the meat before removing it from the grill.
Depending on what you serve, smoking food can take anywhere between 1 and 24 hours.
However, this does not mean that you will slave over a hot smoker for 12 hours at a time!
All you have to do is keep an eye on the constant smoke flow while turning your food every half hour until it is done.
Simple!
- VEGETABLES: When it comes to vegetables, the longer they are on the grill, the more flavor they absorb. Remove them when cooked to your liking. Whole potatoes usually take about 2-3 hours, and corn on the cob takes about 2 hours.
- CHEESE: Cheese can be stored in a smoker for 1-4 hours. Just remember to keep the temperature nice and low and check it to prevent it from melting.
- BEEF: Beef and roasting joints can take anywhere from 12-20 hours on an even heat of 87-93 ° C. Short ribs should take about 6-8 hours and back ribs 4-5 hours, both cooked at 107-115 ° C .
- PORK: A pork tenderloin can be cooked in as little as 2 hours and reserve ribs in 6 hours by smoking at approx. 107-115 ° C.
- POULTRY: You can expect an entire chicken to cook in your smoker within 3-4 hours at 121-135 ° C. Legs and thighs will take about 2 hours, and wings 1.5-2 hours at the same temperature.
- FISHING & SHAVE PEACE: The salmon fillets are cooked in as little as an hour and scallops 45-60 minutes at a temperature of 104 ºC.
When to cure meat (and why it is important)
If you eat the cooked food immediately, you can skip the curing process. But if you plan to preserve any kind of meat after smoking to eat at a later time (such as homemade bacon, meat that is generally eaten raw, etc.), Determining curing in advance is crucial to avoiding ugly bacteria.
You can find some expert help and advice on curing over Luca's ingredients, or follow this simple Wiki How to guide meat curing at home.
What you can do to stop the wind affecting your smoker
"Will the wind affect the cooking process"?
In short, "yes"!
Even a light breeze can draw heat from your smoker if it is not positioned correctly.
To minimize the effects the wind can have on your smoker, always place it near a corner of your garden with a fence or shelter plants.
A position similar to where you are likely to place your garden furniture is ideal.
If you use a horizontal smoker, you want the air flow through your smoker to be in the same direction as the wind.
Always pay attention to the smoke that slowly dies out and the amount of oxygen that enters and escapes the smoking chamber. This will affect the temperature inside, cooking times and taste.
by jamestmoser on 2021-01-11 09:05:00
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