Choosing the Best Barbecue Smokers

Find the best barbecue smokers

Find the best barbecue smokers

If you’re in the market for a new barbecue smoker and don’t know what to look for you’re in luck.  I’m going to go through the features to look for when you’re in the market for barbecue smokers.

Finding great barbecue smokers takes a bit more than just grabbing the cheapest one you can find.  The best barbecue smokers make smoking meat a true pleasure.  The worst barbecue smokers make the process a nightmare and seriously not enjoyable.

Barbecue smokers are available in just about every shape and size imaginable, not too mention price.  What makes one barbecue smoker better than another?  There’s a few factors that make a difference when it comes to barbecue smokers, let’s look at them..

Barbecue smokers can run on propane, charcoal or even electric, which is the best?

Well, each type has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.

  • Propane:  Barbecue smokers fueled by propane start quickly and are really clean to use.  Barbecue smokers that use propane can also reach pretty high temps when you need to.  They are pretty good at getting a solid temperature as well.  There is a critical disadvantage though..  Fuel supply can be an issue, especially for long smoke sessions.
  • Charcoal:  To the barbecue purist this is the only way to go when it comes to flavor.  Barbecue smokers that use charcoal take long to get to operating temperature.  You also need to be aware of how much charcoal you have left (for long smoke sessions).  They are difficult to set to a target temperature and are very succeptable to environment issues like wind.  They also need to be re-fueled every few hours.  They can however reach very high temps if you need to.
  • Electric:  Electric barbecue smokers are relatively new on the bbq scene.  They start instantly, get to temp quickly and hold it rock solid (Bradley smoker).  They can not get to very high temps though, generally up to about 300 degrees.  They are very clean and have no fuel issues at all (unless you don’t pay your electric bill).

So really it depends on how much ‘hands on’ you want to be.  Charcoal requires the most attention while electric requires little to no attention.  Clean up can be extensive with charcoal as well, while electric has practically no clean up.  In both cases propane falls in the middle.

After you decide on the fuel type you need to decide on the size of barbecue smokers you’ll need.

The largest barbecue smokers aren’t necessarily the best ones to get

…in this case, size matters when it comes to barbecue smokers

Although it may seem logical to buy the biggest barbecue smoker that you can afford this is generally not the right thing to do.

The goal of barbecue is to cook slowly at low heat, having a big barbecue smoker with just one rack of ribs in it can be a problem as you still need to heat the entire barbecue smoker to the right temperature.

Consider how much food you’ll generally be smoking and shoot for a barbecue smoker that can hold that much food.

You should look for these features to find the best barbecue smokers

There are some features common to all barbecue smokers that’ll help you find the best one.  I’ll list them here.

  • Good thick metal walls - This will help maintain the exact cooking temp that you want.  Thin walls will bleed off heat quickly.
  • Good solid seals without air leaks - Again, a leaky smoker will allow too much air in which is a disaster when it comes to a charcoal smoker and terrible for the other types.  You want a good tight seal to maintain temperature.
  • Big lid/door for easy loading - Not just for convenience here, easy loading will allow you to get in and do what you have to do without losing too much heat.
  • Separate loading area for the wood chips/chunks - You should be able to add wood (for smoke) without having to open up the barbecue smoker, you don’t want to lose all that heat.

So there you have it, a quick guide to help you find the best barbecue smokers to fit your needs.  Remember, the fuel you use is the most important choice you’ll make.  Now, if you can’t decide there’s no reason not to have two barbecue smokers.  Personally I own both the Bradley electric smoker (for long cooks) and the Weber Smokey Mountain (for ribs/fish)  and it works out great.

Here’s a link to both barbecue smokers, I think they’re the best in their class.

Bradley Original Smoker, Black

Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/Smoker

May 25th, 2009 | Posted in barbecue smokers | No Comments

Barbecue Wood | Use different types for different flavor

Unfortunately most new barbecue cooks head off to their local hardware store or large do it yourself mega mart to pick up whatever barbecue wood happens to be there.

Usually this means Hickory barbecue wood, in my opinion the most overused and overrated barbecue wood there is.

There are many types of barbecue wood available today, if not from local suppliers than certainly over the Internet.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the more popular barbecue wood available today

Apple barbecue wood.  This has a slightly sweet and delicate flavor, a really nice wood to use in conjunction with other barbecue wood.  I use this with Maple on ribs for an amazing flavor profile.  This is also good with poultry and even better with fish, especially Salmon.

Cherry barbecue wood.  This has a smokey, fruity flavor.  I like this with ham or pork chops, can also be used nicely with game birds.

Hickory barbecue wood.  Like I said, overused and over rated.  This has a powerful flavor, good with bacon.  Mostly used with ribs.

Maple barbecue wood.  This is one of my favorite barbecue wood to use.  I combine this with Apple wood when I do ribs.  You should also try this when you smoke cheese and vegetables.

Mesquite barbecue wood.  This is more readily available than it was years ago.  This is a really strong wood so don’t over use it.  I like to use this on Beef, especially Brisket.

Oak barbecue wood.  This is my newest favorite.  A heavy smokey flavor, and it really smells great while the food is cooking :)  I like this, in small quantities with ribs and a bit more on Beef.

Peach barbecue wood.  Like the other fruit woods this has a fruity (duh..) earthy flavor.  You can really use this with anything but I’d combine it with a touch of mesquite on meat.

Pear barbecue wood.  Like Peach wood it’s a fruity and earthy flavor.  Use this with Chicken for added flavor.

Pecan barbecue wood.  If you can find this it’s a nice wood to use with meat.  I liken it to Hickory, but not as strong.  Note:  You don’t actually need the wood, just buy some pecans and throw the shells into the smoker along with some other wood.

So there you have it, some of the most popular barbecue wood available.  Don’t feel limited to using just one when you do a smoke.  Combine them and find the flavor profile that you like the best.  Like I said earlier, Maple and Apple combination is something I love on barbecue ribs.

April 26th, 2009 | Posted in Barbecue Wood | No Comments

How to Barbecue Ribs | The winning technique

Barbecued Ribs, the mere sound of that makes my mouth water.  If you’ve had barbecued ribs in some restaurant somewhere and truly fell in love with them and would like to learn how to make your own, read on.

The trick to making incredible barbecued ribs is to keep in mind three goals

Tenderize, Flavorize, Moisturize

If every part of the process of making barbecued ribs keeps these important goals in mind you will, and I guarantee it, make some incredible barbecued ribs.

This is what you’ll need to barbecue ribs using my foolproof method.

- A rack of pork ribs
- Smoker
- Aluminum foil
- Mustard (that generic yellow stuff is fine)
- Apple juice in a spray bottle
- Bbq rib rub
- Wood chunks
- Barbecue sauce
- Various utensils

Now, let’s get started making some great barbecue ribs!

Great Barbecue ribs start with a great rack of ribs

Making a great rack of barbecued ribs begins with choosing the right rack of ribs.  SInce our goal is to make our barbecue ribs flavorful, moist and tender you should look for a rack of ribs with some fat covering, that’s where the moist part comes from. Choose a rack of ribs with some fat covering across the whole rack. Also, hold the rack by one end and choose one that bends or droops the most, this is a good indicator that it isn’t tough,  The less connective tissue, the more tender the barbecue ribs will be.

Remove the membrane for tasty Barbecue ribs

Turn the rack of ribs meat side down and remove the membrane. I find that this is easiest by using a butter knife to ‘get it started’ then grabbing the membrane with a  paper towel and pulling it off. With practice you should be able to to this in one shot.  It is vitally important to remove this membrane.  If you leave it on the rub can’t get into the meat, and meat without rub isn’t very tasty, also, eating the membrane is like eating leather, not good eats at all. If you want tasty barbecue ribs you need to do this step.

Add rub to make some tasty Barbecue ribs

Apply a coat of generic yellow mustard before you apply the barbecue rub. It’ll make the rub stick better and the vinegar content will help tenderize the meat. Apply a good coating of rub and make sure you rub it in (that’s why they call it rub after all)  Try to choose a bbq rub with a low sugar content, too much sugar and it will burn during the long cook, and that’s not how you make great barbecue ribs. After you apply the rub put the pork ribs into the fridge for a few hours of overnight to let the flavors get in.

Get your smoker ready to make some Barbecue ribs

Fire up your smoker and get it up to temperature. You’re shooting for 225 degrees. Once it gets there add the wood chunks. There really is no reason to soak them, it does nothing.   Wood chips on the other hand should be soaked as they are much smaller and will burn too quickly otherwise.

Put the Barbecue ribs into the smoker and leave them alone..

Put the barbecue ribs into the smoker and walk away, just walk away and don’t open the smoker every ten minutes. Spray the ribs with apple juice every 45 minutes or so to help keep them moist. Flip the barbecue ribs at this time also.

Foil the Barbecue ribs

After 2 1/2 hours take the ribs out and wrap them in aluminum foil. Add a touch of barbecue sauce and apple juice to the pouch. Put the ribs back into the smoker for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Almost there! Remove the Barbecue ribs from the foil

Remove the ribs from the foil and put them back into the smoker, crank up the heat a bit, 300 degress if you can. Add a coat of bbq sauce to both sides of the ribs. Flip and sauce again every 15 minutes. Remove the ribs in about an hour. Check every time you sauce and make sure the barbecue ribs don’t burn.

Remove the Barbecue ribs from the smoker

Remove the barbecue ribs and let them rest for about 10 minutes and then EAT!

April 26th, 2009 | Posted in Barbecue Ribs | No Comments