Barbecue smoking is a very specific method that uses the fumes released by the barbecue to give your dish a unique flavor. While this technique may seem daunting to novices, it's actually quite feasible and will add a whole new dimension to your favorite recipes.
Summary :
- What is barbecue smoking?
- How to smoke in a wood-fired barbecue?
- How to make a smoker with a charcoal BBQ?
- What foods can be smoked?
- What wood should I use to make a smoker?
- What are the other cooking techniques?
What is barbecue smoking?
Barbecue smoking is one of the most popular cooking techniques because it involves giving food a very specific flavor. Smoking consists of diffusing wood smoke to flavor the dish being prepared. This is already a little bit of what happens when cooking on a barbecue, with the very specific flavor that can be found with meat cooked this way. With barbecue smoking, we find this very specific flavor even more. In addition, the type of wood chosen will also change the flavor that will be given to your dish, which allows for even more variety.
There are two different methods of smoking on a barbecue: hot smoking and cold smoking.
Hot smoking
Hot smoking is a method that allows you to both cook and smoke food. Smoking on a barbecue doesn't necessarily mean cooking the food. With hot smoking, both techniques are used simultaneously. The temperature is maintained between 70° and 130° for slow cooking.
Cold smoking
Cold smoking involves exposing food to cold smoke, which smokes it, but does not cook it. This method is most often carried out using sawdust, which is done in a smokehouse. Therefore, cold smoking requires different equipment than a barbecue. It may be helpful to understand how a smokehouse works to apply this method.
How to smoke in a wood-fired barbecue?
When you want to know how to smoke in a wood-fired barbecue , you should know that this cooking equipment can be completely transformed into a smoker. Here, the idea is to use the barbecue lid to create a smoker. The method is therefore similar to indirect cooking . At a low temperature and covered, the food will have to cook longer, but will also soak up the smoke so that we then find that characteristic smoky taste on the plate.
How to make a smoker with a charcoal BBQ?
As for how to make a smoker with a charcoal BBQ , it's the same as for a wood-fired BBQ. The main goal is to enclose the food with the smoke so that it permeates. The cooking method doesn't matter as long as the phenomenon occurs.
What wood should I use to make a smoker?
As mentioned above, the choice of wood you use for cooking can completely change the taste of your recipe. You also need to consider what wood to use for a smoker . Therefore, the smoking wood you choose should not be left to chance when smoking on a barbecue. Examples include beech, apple, alder, hickory, and many others. Many barbecue smoking enthusiasts offer advice online on how to choose the perfect smoking wood!
Furthermore, several fuels can be chosen such as wood chips, wood pellets, wooden planks.
What foods can be smoked?
When you're wondering how to successfully smoke a barbecue , you also need to choose the right foods. Luckily, smoking can be done in a variety of ways, including:
- Pork, beef, chicken, turkey or other poultry meat
- Fish, especially salmon, which smokes very well
- Cheese such as Camembert, Comté, Raclette cheese
- Vegetables, especially eggplant
- Eggs
What are the other cooking techniques?
Beyond smoking on the barbecue, there are other cooking techniques such as papillotes , grilling meat, roasting it or even marinating it, for example.
Also read:
- How to cook on a barbecue without burning?
- How to use smoking wood?
- How to use a barbecue with a smoker?
- How to smoke with sawdust?
- What type of smokehouse should I choose?
- What is the best wood for smoking meat?
- What cold smoked foods?
- How to cold smoke?