Barbeque Smoker
These are my top three tips to save you time and money when deciding what type of barbecue smoker (cooker) is right for you. Physical set-up of the smoker
Type of fuel
Cost of a good smoker
Physical set up of a smoker. There are basically five types of smokers for cooking real barbecue:
1. Offset smoker. The smoke enters the smoke chamber, travels around the meat and exits the smoke chamber through a chimney.
2. Vertical smoker. Several manufacturers make vertical smokers. A vertical smoker has a heat source, usually located at the bottom and a water pan sitting over the heat source.
3. Kettle grill. Very good smoked barbecue can be produced by these type of smoker/grills if set up as a smoker.
4. Insulated or ceramic smoker.
5. Propane grill used as a smoker. A propane grill can be set up for indirect heat if it has multiple heating elements. Put water soaked wood chips over the element that is burning to provide smoke, and place the meat on the side of the cooker where the elements are in the off position. Close the lid, keep the heat low and slow, and it’s a barbecue smoker.
Type of Fuel. Smokers can be fueled by various types of fuel. Also, in most offset smokers, the fuel of choice would be wood, and in competition cooking, propane can be use to get the fire going, but after cooking starts, only wood or charcoal can be used. The hobbyist/backyard pit master can use wood, charcoal, propane or even electric to fuel their cookers. Many vertical smokers use propane or electric as a heat source and have an area on the heat source where the soaked wood chips are placed to create the smoke.
Cost of a good smoker. There are various price points for a barbecue smoker. Many of the large home-improvement stores carry all types and styles of barbecue smoker/cookers. Of course, his secrets can be used by the backyard barbecue chef to produce drop dead delicious barbecue.
