How to Smoke Large Meat

Wood smoke enhances the flavor of salmon and other meats.

Wood-smoke infusion adds an appealing color and distinct flavor to many meats. Salmon, turkey and pork are all meats that are commonly smoked. Wood-smoke infusion is a process in which meat is slow-cooked in a nearly airtight container that is filled with smoke; unable to escape into the air, the wood smoke permeates the outer layer of the meat. Smoker-type outdoor grills are specifically designed for the process of infusing wood smoke into meat. The type of wood used for smoking meats can vary. Some of the more popular wood types used for smoking meats are hickory, mesquite, apple and maple. Ideally, the best way to smoke large portions of meats such as whole turkeys or ducks would be to use a smoker big enough to hold a large piece of meat. In the absence of a large, smoker-type grill, meats can be smoked using a regular oven and pans large enough to hold the large meat portions. Another alternative is to baste the meat with one of the many types of "liquid-smoke" solutions available, although this produces meat that is not technically smoked but is smoke-flavored.

Things You'll Need

• Wood chips
• Water (6 fluid oz per 1 cup of wood chips)
• Medium stock pot
• Meat seasonings
• 4 oz. olive oil (for every 5 lbs. of meat)
• 6-inch deep hotel pan
• 2-inch deep perforated hotel pan
• Heavy-duty aluminum foil (wide enough to cover hotel pans with single sheet)
• Oven (electric or gas)
• Meat thermometer

Instructions

Soak Wood Chips

1. Place wood chips into medium stock pot.

2. Pour water directly over wood chips

3. Allow wood chips to soak in water overnight.

Prepare Meat for Smoking

1. Place meat in 6-inch hotel pan and rub with olive oil.

2. Rub oiled meat with desired seasonings.

3. Remove meat from 6-inch hotel pan and place it in a perforated 2-inch hotel pan.

   It is not necessary to wash the 6-inch hotel pan out before placing the wood chips in it. The oil and seasonings will contribute flavor to the wood smoke.

4. Cover the top of 2-inch hotel pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

   Cover entire top of the hotel pan with foil and crimp the foil edges tightly around the edge of the hotel pan.

   Be sure the perforated bottom of the hotel pan is not covered by the foil.

5. Remove water-soaked wood chips from the stockpot and place them in the bottom of the 6-inch deep hotel pan.

   Be sure to spread the chips evenly across the bottom of the hotel pan.

6. Insert the foil-wrapped 2-inch hotel pan into the top of the 6-inch hotel pan containing the soaked wood chips.

Smoking the Meat

1. Move the bottom rack in the oven to the lowest possible position.

2. Place hotel pans in the oven on the bottom rack.

3. Turn oven on and set temperature to 250 degrees.

4. Cook meat at 250 degrees for at least 40 minutes.

   .

5. Remove hotel pans from the oven.

   Use the meat thermometer to check the meat temperature by inserting the thermometer through the foil directly into the meat.

   USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends that fish, lamb, beef, and pork roasts should all be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Poultry should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees.

6. Replace foil covering and return the hotel pans to the oven if meat temperature is below minimum USDA recommendations.

   Cook meat for another 20 minutes and check the temperature again. Repeat this step until the meat reaches the minimum recommended internal temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to use salt in your seasoning mix, as salt will facilitate the infusion of smoke into the meat.

• Do not wrap the foil too tightly over the hotel pans. Allow room for smoke to flow around the meat. You can insert a short wooden skewer into the top of the meat to help hold the foil away from the surface of the cooking meat.

• You can soak the wood chips in any liquid, not just water. Vegetable and meat stocks will add flavor to wood chip smoke, and liquors such as brandy or bourbon are another popular way to vary the flavor of the wood smoke produced by moist wood chips.

• Baste the meat when checking the temperature to increase moisture levels in cooked meat. Use stock, water and seasonings, or liquor to add moisture to cooking meats.

• Always cook meat to the minimum recommended internal temperatures to avoid food-borne illness.

• Always use caution when handling hot pans from the oven. Serious burns will result from careless handling of hot cookware.

References

• Keep Food Safe; Minimum Cooking Temperture Guidelines Fact Sheet; USDA.Gov; 4/25/2007
• Smoking Meat; The Complete How to Smoke Meat Guide; Smoking-Meat.Com; 2011
• Oven-Smoked Ribs; NY Times.Com; 12/4/2009

Resources

• Smoking Meat and Poultry; Safe Food Handling Fact Sheet; USDA.Gov; 6/8/2011