How to Use Charcoal Smokers

The taste of wood smoked meats can not be replicated on an ordinary barbecue grill. A charcoal smoker slow cooks foods and infuses them with the wood based flavor of your choice. Under the domed hood, a water tray boils away upon a bed of charcoal and wood chips, producing an intense steam that tenderizes the meat, as the smoke works its magic. Mesquite, maple, hickory and oak are among the most common flavors of wood chips that can be used in a charcoal smoker.

Things You'll Need

• Charcoal Lighter fluid Flavoring wood chips Matches Grilling tools

Instructions

1. Remove the top cover to the charcoal smoker along with the wire rack and water tray. The wire rack to the smoker rests on top of the base and can be easily removed by pulling up on it. The water tray lies below it in the base.

2. Fill the base of the charcoal smoker with charcoal. Average size smokers hold approximately ten pounds of charcoal. Larger sizes can hold as much as fifteen pounds of charcoal.

3. Open the fire door and cover the charcoal with lighter fluid. The charcoal should be completely wet and saturated with the lighter fluid.

4. Use a match to ignite the lighter fluid that is saturating the charcoal. Allow the charcoal some time to generate a substantial amount of heat, waiting at least 20 minutes for a layer of ash to cover the charcoal. Close the fire door.

5. Place a layer of flavored wood chips over the lit charcoal using your grilling tongs. The thickness of the flavoring wood chips depends on the intensity of taste that you are looking for. The more flavored wood chips you add, the stronger the smell and taste of your meat.

6. Set the water tray on top of the layer of flavor wood. Fill the tray three quarters of the way full with water. Replace the wire rack.

7. Place your meats on the wire rack, making sure that none of the pieces are touching. You need enough room in between each piece of meat for it to cook evenly and allow the smoke to rise in between.

8. Close the lid and allow your meat to smoke for the recommended amount of time. Recommended cook times vary from smoker to smoker, but usually average between 45 and 60 minutes per pound of meat.

9. Check the meat every two hours. Open the lid and flip the meat. Close the lid again until the next check or until meat is through cooking.

10. Open the lid and fire door and allow the charcoal smoker to cool when you are through cooking. Also empty the water tray.

Tips & Warnings

• Just to be on the safe side, you can use a meat thermometer to ensure that your meat is cooked to the appropriate temperature.

• Charcoal smokers get extremely hot, in fact interior temperatures run about 200 degrees Celsius and above. Use proper utensils when smoking, and keep children and pets away from the smoker at all times. Never burn any wood inside of your charcoal smoker that you are unfamiliar with. Some woods are treated with dangerous chemicals that can contaminate your food.

Resources

• Flavor wood chips
• Smoker showcase