When meat is smoked it is slowly cooked over low heat with smoke from wood to give it a unique and smoky flavor.
This article contains tips from my experience of smoking all types of meat. Plus I share some information gathered from extensive research on the topic.
Following these general guidelines on how to smoke meat will ensure your meat is perfect every time.
When it comes to smoked meat, you are in for a treat. There is nothing better. I guarantee!
Keep reading to find out more.
What is Smoking Meat?
Smoking meat goes back to the days when people lived in caves. The time before electricity was invented! There were no refrigerators around, so our ancestors preserved and flavored meat by smoking it.
Maybe they knew that smoke was antimicrobial and antioxidant. It can kill and prevent microorganisms and prevent deterioration. This makes it ideal for preserving food.
Today, smoking meat is a popular way to cook. It is a method of slowly cooking meat over a fire using wood to give it an aromatic and distinctive flavor.
There are two basic types of smoking. The first type is hot smoking. This is when meat is slowly cooked in a controlled environment like a barbecue smoker or covered grill.
Hot smoking is performed generally in the temperature range of 225°F to 250°F. Within this range the meat cooks fully and retains its moisture and flavor.
Cold smoking enhances the flavor by allowing smoke to penetrate the meat. The temperature is not high enough to harden or cook it.
When cold smoking meat the temperature range is between 60 °F to 90 °F. The meat has to be cured to prevent bacteria growth since cold smoking does not cook it.
The smoking process takes anywhere from 1 hour to 20 hours or more. But, good things come to those who wait.
First, smoking imparts a taste that is to die for. Second, the smoke helps create a dark and crusty bark (Maillard reaction) on the outside of the meat that is delicious. Third, you end up with tender and juicy meat because it is cooked low and slow.
Smoking Meat Basics
Choosing the Meat
Just about any kind of meat can be smoked. The beauty of smoking is that tougher (cheaper) cuts are excellent choices. Often these don’t turn out well when cooked by other methods.
Some of the more popular meats are ribs, brisket, and pork shoulder. But don’t be afraid to experiment. There’s also poultry (chicken and turkey), fish and wild game to name a few.
Start with good meat. Some of the meat in the supermarket can be loaded with fillers. Head to your neighborhood butcher.
The meat is fresher in general, and comes from higher-quality sources.
For the tastiest meat, choose a cut that has a good amount of fat and collagen. As the meat cooks low and slow, the fat and collagen melt, leaving meat tender, juicy and full of natural flavor.
Hot tip: When meat is cooked too fast, collagen dries and becomes rubbery with an unpleasant taste.
Preparing the Meat
Some meats, like beef brisket are certain to have a fat cap. The question is should you trim it? The answer is yes.
That is, if you prefer to. Since the cap is not woven into the meat, it will not aid in tenderizing or flavoring. I recommend that you trim the fat as much as you can.
That way you don’t have to worry about that tasty bark covering excess fat that you may not want to eat.
You can purchase meat that has been trussed (or tied) with string to make packaging easier. This more likely for chicken and turkeys, but is done sometimes for other meats.
Trussing helps ensure that all parts of meat cook at the same rate. If your meat is not evenly shaped, leave the string in place. It can be removed afterwards.
Seasoning the Meat
Season your meat with a brine, marinade or dry rub before smoking it. Seasonings can add moisture, flavor, and tenderness. The type of seasoning to use has a lot to do with the type of meat is being smoked.
Brining
Brining is best for meats with small amounts of fat like fish and poultry. A brine can be dry or wet.
A dry brine involves sprinkling kosher or sea salt over the meat. Over time the salt penetrates the meat and adds moisture, flavor and tenderness. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound as a rule of thumb to prevent the meat from being too salty.
A wet brine brine is a mixture of salt, water and spices. It may also contain acidic liquids like lemon juice and vinegar to help tenderize the meat.
One thing to be mindful of when brining meat is that you can overdo it. Don’t brine for a very long time. This could result in a soft, mushy meat that your taste buds will hate.
Marinading
Marinade contains an acid like vinegar, spices, and other ingredients like fruits and vegetables. The main purpose of a marinade is to add flavor. It doesn’t penetrate the meat entirely like a brine.
I use a marinade when I smoke chicken. It is great because it seasons and provides extra moisture during cooking. Never, ever cook with used marinades and always refrigerate your meat while it is marinating.
Dry Rub
Most of the flavor comes from the meat and the wood. A dry seasoning rub can provide a little more flavor and texture. Rubs can blend nicely with the natural flavor of the wood.
Rubs can be wet or dry, spicy or sweet, bold or subtle, or just plain salt and pepper. Apply rubs hours ahead of or right before cooking. Like marinades, rubs are a matter of preference.
Experiment a little and find what you like.
Generally beef needs a rub with more salt and pepper, while pork requires a sweeter rub. There are lots to choose from. Several championship barbeque teams have even commercialized their rubs.
You can make a basic rub at home. Most rub recipes have equal parts salt and sugar. Common additions are white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder.
Work the rub into the meat surface to get more flavor and prevent it from falling off. To help the rub stay in place, you can coat the meat with a little yellow mustard, oil or mayo beforehand.
Place the meat on a grill pan or baking rack to elevate it to reduce rub loss during sweat out.
Hot tip: Always refrigerate meat when brining, marinating or using rubs to prevent unwanted bacteria growth.
Choose the Wood
Wood provides most of the flavor imparted into the meat during smoking. The type of wood you choose and where it is grown affects the flavor. A good rule of thumb is you can cook with any good hardwood that bears a fruit or nut.
Never use pine or other softwoods. Many softwood trees contain toxins and chemicals that can transfer into your meat. The same goes for pressure treated lumber.
You will end up with horrible meat and may even get sick.
Use wood that is well seasoned. The best flavor is produced if the wood was cut at least 6 months before using it.
Wood and Meat Combinations
Stronger woods perform better for beef. Mild and sweeter woods are best for poultry and fish. Medium flavored woods are used for pork.
Hickory is versatile and a good choice for beef, pork, and other red meat. It’s flavor is strong and distinct, and provides a sweet and savory flavor. One drawback is you have to be careful about over-smoking since it is so strong.
Pecan wood gives meat a rich, sweet and nutty flavor. It is like hickory, but milder. It is a great choice for big cuts like pork roast and beef brisket. Fish and poultry will also taste great with pecan wood.
Oak wood has a subtle flavor that gets stronger the longer meat is smoked. Use oak for large meat cuts that require a long cooking time. Beef and pork are good candidates for oak.
Mesquite gives meat a bold, earthy flavor. It is best for large beef cuts like brisket and wild game meat. Mesquite wood’s strong flavor can overpower poultry, pork, and fish. It should not be used for the entire low and slow process because of its strong flavor.
Apple wood gives meat a fruity flavor. It is a mild wood and is great for fish, seafood, poultry and pork.
Cherry is a good choice for pork and red meat. It provides a touch of fruitiness to the meat. It can also be used with poultry and seafood.
There are many other hardwoods you can use when smoking meat. Plum, peach, maple and pear are a few examples. You can use whatever hardwood is available in your area.
You can be creative, trying different flavors (types of wood). Apple can be mixed with another wood for a unique taste. Cherry pairs well with hickory and oak.
You can cook with pecan for a long period of time and just use wood because of the mild taste of the smoke.
Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Logs, Chips, Chunks or Pellets
Wood may be in the form of logs, chunks, chips or pellets. The choice you make depends on the smoker you use and its fuel source (charcoal, gas, etc.).
Logs are normally used for pit smokers. If you have a small grill or smoker where wood is not the fuel, you can use wood chips or chunks. Timber pellets are used as the fuel source in pellet smokers.
Chips, chunks and pellets won’t provide the same results as logs will, but the smoke-filled taste will definitely be there.
Prepare your Smoker
Setup outdoors in an open well ventilated space.
It is a good idea to season your smoker or grill before you use it for the first time. Seasoning removes contaminants, repels rust and seals pores to stop food from sticking. It will make cleaning easier and make your food taste better.
Indirect heat is used in the smoking process. The meat is not placed directly over the flame. Instead heat and smoke flow over it.
A dedicated smoker is designed to cook indirectly. It keeps the meat away from direct heat while still letting smoke reach it and absorb.
A covered grill requires a little bit more preparation. Smoking on a covered grill requires a 2-zone setup. This splits the grill into a hot (direct heat) zone for browning and searing, and an indirect zone for smoking and slow cooking.
If using a charcoal grill the 2 zones are easy to create. Position hot coals in the bottom of the grill on one side. Ensure there is a ventilation hole and it is open. Place a drip pan on the other side.
If you prefer, add water or juice to the pan to enhance the flavor a little more. Place your wood on top of the coals.
Hot tip: As the water evaporates from the pan it will help the grill reach and maintain a consistent temperature.
The 2-zone setup on a gas grill is just as easy. Start by turning on the grill (low setting). Place your wood chips or chunks in a metal pan and set on the flame on one side.
The burners should then be set to high for 20 minutes. After the time is up, turn off all burners except for the one under the wood pan. Finally, close the lid and leave a small gap for ventilation and smoke circulation.
Smoking the Meat
Allow meat to come to room temperature before placing it in the smoker. Be sure to place meat on the rack in the cold zone if you are using a covered grill.
Always have enough fuel (charcoal, gas, or wood) on hand to last the entire smoking time. To decrease heat loss when using charcoal, add hot coals when more fuel is needed. I recommend a chimney starter to heat the coals.
It is also important to have enough wood to keep producing smoke as long as you need. The meat will absorb smoke as long as the wood is smoking. Ideally, you want a light blue, almost invisible, stream of smoke.
Some suggest soaking wood chips and small chunks in water when using a grill or smoker where the wood is not the main fuel. From my experience, soaking wood doesn’t really have any benefits.
Flare ups can be a problem at times. I have noticed that flare ups rarely occur once the grill is covered.
When is it Done?
The key to success is keeping the heat steady and low. Cook with a thermometer, not a clock. You will get the best results when the temperature is kept between 225°F to 250°F.
This requires placing a thermometer inside the grill or smoker to control and measure temperature. And, one is placed in the meat to let you know it’s done. Some smokers have external temperature gauges and/or internal meat probes.
It’s hard to put a time on doneness. Meats like chicken and pork have to reach a certain temperature before they are safe to eat. On the other hand, beef often is eaten at a lower level of doneness.
Cooking time is affected by many things. The surrounding temperature, wood, smoker, and meat quantity influence time.
Thermometers remove all the guesswork. It doesn’t matter how long the meat has been cooking. When the meat reaches the required temperature, it’s done.
Avoid peeking! Limit the number of times you open the pit. Open it only when you have to add more fuel.
There is really no need to touch the meat. Burning the meat is not an issue since it is not over direct heat. Just manage the temperature.
Hot tip: Bluetooth thermometers allow you to measure chamber and meat temperature from the comforts of your couch.
Remove the meat when it is ready. I normally wrap it in foil and allow it to rest for a half hour or so. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Some place it in a cooler while it rests. The goal is to retain as much warmth as possible.
After that, it’s time to eat. Slice, shred or chop as needed. Add any sauce you desire and enjoy.
The Bottom Line
Smoke some meat at home if you want your taste buds to come in contact with something that is flavorful, tender, and moist. This guide on how to smoke meat provides all the information you need.
Several types of hardwood are used to produce smoke and flavor the meat.
You are not really barbecuing if you are not smoking some meat.
Whenever I smoke large cuts of meat, I like to see a nice smoke ring near the surface. Read our guide, Getting a Good Smoke Ring in Barbecue is Easy to Do, for tips on how you can get this highly desired effect
