What Do You Use for Smoking Meats & Fish?
Smoking of meats and fish requires low and indirect heat, wood smoke, and long cooking times. Seasonings, or curing, and sauces add to, and lock in, the robust flavor of the smoke. Because natural wood chemicals and oils can taint or poison food, only certain types of wood suit this style of outdoor cooking. Does this Spark an idea?
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History of Smoking
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Smoking meat and fish likely dates back to the beginning of human history. Hunter-gatherer societies smoked chunks of animal flesh and the daily catch of fish over low-heat, smokey fires fueled with slightly damp or green wood. Once in the pours of meat, smoke acted as both flavor agent and preservative, giving meat a longer shelf life before refrigeration and seal wrapping was possible.
Types of Smokers
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Today there are two smoker types: electric and charcoal- or wood-fueled. Outdoor cooking spaces are needed because of the smoke produced. Most electric smokers use heated coils inside cabinet-like devices, bringing wood to the temperature that causes the wood to smoke.
Smoking and barbecuing purists often prefer charcoal- or wood-fueled smokers, often conversions of grills into smoking chambers. Kettle-style (Weber) grills and barrel-style (Char-Griller) grills with side fireboxes are the most common types of charcoal or wood smokers. Smoking occurs by placing wood chunks or chips on glowing coals, with the heat source being below and off to the side of the meat or fish.
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Types of Smoking Woods
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Woods used in smoking must be from hardwood trees, and different types impart different flavors, not all of which compliment the flavors of all meats and fish equally. Pine and other coniferous woods contain oils that can add toxins and bad flavor to food. Smoking wood is commercially available in chips or chunks, with chunks providing longer burning times. Soaking chips or chunks for several hours or overnight in water, beer or wine produces more smoke, lower heat fires and added flavor.
Some of the most preferred smoking woods include those from fruit trees, such as apple and cherry. Hickory and oak are the hardest and most commonly available smoking woods. Mesquite wood, which imparts the most robust flavor of smoking hardwoods, is particularly popular in Texas-style barbecue.
Hickory, oak and the fruit woods impart a lighter, more subtle smoke ideal for chicken, pork and fish. The stronger-flavored mesquite compliments briskets, steaks and beef ribs best. Sausages take on delicious flavorings from either lighter or robust woods. Many grill masters like to blend smoking woods for combined flavor accents.
Seasoning and Sauces
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Wood smoke itself over several hours of cooking provides nearly all the seasoning needed in most meats and fishes. However, dry-rub seasonings and sauces often enhance the flavor, especially of beef, chicken and pork. Dry-rubs applied several hours before cooking or overnight absorb into meat in a process called curing. Seasoning and condiment companies produce several commercial dry-rub and sauce blends that combine various spices targeted for different types of meat. Several barbecue and smoking cookbooks also offer dry-rub and sauce recipes.
Times and Temperatures
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Smoking times vary based on meat type, size and thickness. Proper smoking takes several hours over low heat, typically between 140 and 220 degrees F for best results. A rack of ribs, for example, takes about five hours on a barrel-style grill with a side firebox at temperatures of about 200 degrees. Smoker manuals and barbecue cookbooks often contain suggested cooking times and temperatures.
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