When you’re barbecuing with your BBQ smoker grill, you’re really engaging in a practice that people have been doing for thousands of years. Smoking meat adds an extra dimension of flavor to your barbecue, and it also insures that the meat is cooked more thoroughly than with traditional open-flame barbecuing.
There are many different ways you can get a smoky flavor into your meat. Cooking your meat over an open pit is the oldest and, arguably, the most effective method. It also takes a lot more time and effort than other methods.
You can also try to add a smoky flavor to your meat using liquid smoke. This product is added directly to the meat, usually as a part of the marinade. In fact, liquid smoke is most often used to add a smoky flavor to a sauce, rather than just being added directly to the meat.
The best way to add that smoky flavor to your barbecue is through the use of a BBQ smoker grill. There are a number of different brands and types of grills available on the market today that offer you a smoke trough. You can place chips of wood (mesquite, hickory and alder are some of the most common types) in the trough, which will then add smoke to the cooking process.
One of the biggest differences between smoking your meat using a BBQ smoker grill and using a standard grill is where the heat comes from. The heat in a smoker grill is a firebox, rather than open flames. The heat usually right below the meat in its own location.
This makes it so that the meat doesn’t sear. The cooking is more indirect, and it’s also not nearly as hot. While a traditional grill will cook your meat at 500 degrees or more, a smoker cooks it at around 200 degrees.
One of the things to watch out for when you’re smoking meat using a BBQ smoker grill is your cooking time. You want to prolong the cooking time, as it takes a while for the smoke to be absorbed into the meat. You need to use a lower temperature when you’re smoking the meat than you would if you were just grilling it.
One thing that you’ll figure out in time is that certain types of woods tend to accent certain meats. For example, if you want a mellow flavor for the meat, consider using apple wood chips. This is especially good for meats like pork and lamb.
Hickory and alder are great for ground beef. Cherry and mesquite do very well for steaks and roasts. Ultimately, it’s up to you to figure out what woods seem to taste best with what meats.
Using a smoker can really add a whole new dimension to your barbecuing. You can almost guarantee that your guests will notice, and appreciate, that smoked flavor when they take that first bite. For better tasting barbecue, consider a BBQ smoker grill.
