- The art of creating barbecue begins with the choice of wood. Everyone has a favorite, and the subtle differences make all the difference to some barbecue lovers. While it is hard to know exactly what will become your favorite until you have tried them all, it is commonly thought that mesquite, hickory, oak and apple woods all make fine barbecue smoker fuel. Just begin experimenting and don't worry--any hard wood that has not been chemically treated will likely make for a good barbecue. You can usually find the most popular woods for smoking in stores in chip form.
- Load your smoker with wood chips or chunks that have been soaked for at least a couple of hours in water or another non-flammable liquid. The saturation of the wood will make it smolder instead of burn, and will cause it to produce more smoke for a longer time. Choosing the liquid to soak your wood in is a choice that will affect the flavor of the meat as subtly as the choice of wood type. Some people prefer to use beer, wine, juices, sodas or another flavorful liquid and all of them will put a unique signature on the finished product. Don't use liquor to soak your wood because the alcohol in it could make the wood flame up and burn too fast and hot. While bourbon makes a great flavor addition to barbecue, try using it as a marinade on the meat instead.
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Get the fire burning in your smoker by placing hardwoods in the bottom compartment of the smoker. This is not the wood you pre-soaked, but dry wood that will easily ignite, much like starting the fire in a regular grill with charcoal. Adjust the flues to allow enough oxygen to let the wood burn. The idea is to make a bed of hot coals to which you will add the soaked wood. You will see a dramatic change in the appearance and smell of the smoker when the soaked wood is added.
Monitor the temperature, as it will need to be kept consistent. Barbecuing takes time, and cooking at low temperatures between 150 and 200 degrees is the only way to produce a perfectly cooked meat that is fall-off-the-bone tender and full of smoky flavor. -
When your meat is prepared and ready to put on the smoker to begin cooking, check the time on the clock and re-check the temperature to see if you need to add wood, or adjust the smoker to bring heat up or down. Time for cooking will depend on the meat you choose to serve. Here are some general guidelines for cooking times, according to cooking website Fabulousfoods.com.
For racks of pork or beef ribs, smoke four to six hours. Brisket takes longer at 10 to 12 hours. Six to eight hours will do the trick for a turkey or for a pork butt. Obviously, a larger and denser piece of meat will have to smoke longer than a smaller one.
