Smoking meat
Hardwood smoke is the defining element of American barbecue cooking. Smoke infuses a deep savory flavor and is essential for barbeque ribs, chicken and brisket. Learn about the difference between grilling and smoking, hot and cold smoking and what kind of wood to use.
You may be surprised that you don’t need an arsenal of expensive gear to smoke meat. We’ve included the basics you’ll need for smoking whether you have a charcoal grill, gas grill or dedicated smoker.
What does smoked meat mean?
Smoking refers to the application of smoke to infuse food with flavor. Barbeque expert Steven Raichlen calls smoke the “umami of barbeque” in his book Project Smoke.
Barbeque terms can be confusing. While smoked meats may be cooked on a grill, “grilling” almost always refers to cooking food directly over a fire on a barbecue grill. “Smoking” is often shorthand for cooking meat low and slow.
Direct vs. indirect grilling
Grilling right over the fire (called “direct grilling”) is excellent for burgers, steaks, whole fish and vegetables. Items are seared quickly and are usually smaller cuts of meat.
Indirect grilling uses multiple temperatures to cook food more slowly. For example, when cooking over charcoal, you may push the coals to the edge or one side to create a hot, medium and cold zone. This indirect heat method is used for large or tough cuts of meat like brisket, chicken and ribs. Cooking times are longer and at lower temperatures to prevent burning or drying out.
Meats grilled with indirect heat are usually smoked. But not all smoked meat is heated.
Cold-smoking vs. hot-smoking
When you think of smoked meats, you likely think of barbeque ribs or burnt ends. While almost all Southern barbeque has been flavored with woodsmoke, smoke is also used to infuse flavor into food without heat.
Virginia ham and lox-style Atlantic salmon are “cold-smoked.” You can infuse delicate foods like fish, cheese and even ice cream with a smoking gun. Some companies make attachment kits to convert your grill or smoker into a cold smoker.
Most home cooks are focused on classic cookout favorites like spareribs, chicken and brisket. This is hot smoking (often just called smoking).
Smoked meat essentials
You need both fuel and flavor to smoke meat. Your fuel will depend on what type of appliance you’re using. The flavor will come from both the seasonings you add (marinade, dry rub or sauce) and the type of wood you burn for smoke.
Types of smokers
Do you need a dedicated smoker?
The category of smokers continues to expand as manufacturers add more sizes and shapes, and fuel sources. Smokers differ from traditional barbeque grills. They’re optimized for smoking meat, often made from materials that retain heat well, are shaped more vertically than horizontally and allow precise airflow control.
Charcoal smokers: Taking up far less space than a horizontal grill or smoker, the exceptional Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is only 22 inches wide, but with two plated steel cooking grates, you can smoke both ribs and brisket simultaneously.
Propane smokers: With the same minimal footprint, a propane smoker lets you smoke without relying on charcoal.
Electric smokers: Popularized by sport fishermen, these inexpensive smoke boxes are great for beginners and excellent for smoking salmon, trout and sausage. The Little Chief electric smoker can smoke up to 25 pounds of meat.
Kamodo grills: Kamado grills are defined by their unique egg shape and ability to retain heat over a long period (because they’re usually made out of ceramic). Fueled by charcoal, a versatile kamado grill can smoke, grill and bake pizza.
Pellet grills: The term pellet grill is synonymous with Traeger, the market leader and manufacturer of the best-selling wood pellet grill and smoker. Pellet smokers have roughly the footprint of a large traditional charcoal or gas grill. Still, they are fueled by natural hardwood pellets dispensed by a hopper in the correct quantity to maintain a specific temperature. Usually ignited with electricity, they need to be near a power source and typically use no gas or charcoal.
However, you certainly don’t need one of these specialized smokers to apply the umami-rich flavor of wood smoke to meat.
Smoking on a charcoal grill
You can add smoky flavor on a traditional charcoal barbecue grill, whether you’re indirect or direct grilling. You’ll need both fuel (charcoal) and flavor (soaked hardwood chips for smoke).
If you’re cooking directly, just toss wood chips in with charcoal (a standard European and South American grilling method). If cooking ribs or brisket, which need indirect heat, spread the coals to the edges of the firebox. Some charcoal grills like the top-rated Weber Performer Deluxe come with charcoal baskets specifically for this purpose.
Chimney starter: A chimney starter makes it easy to get a fire started with the toxic fumes or flare-ups of lighter fluid. If you’re smoking something for an extended period, you may need to keep some coals going to replenish your smoker or barbecue.
Charcoal: You can use all-natural lump charcoal (no additives or fillers) or charcoal briquets (lots of chemicals, but they burn off) to build your fire.
Smoking on a gas grill
You can smoke meat on a gas grill, but remember that by definition, the process is low and slow, with a long cooking time. Make sure you have at least half a tank of propane before you start, if not a full-size spare.
You may need to preheat your gas grill on high for a while to get it hot enough to sear your wood chips and produce smoke. You want to see a lot of smoke.
Smoker box: Some gas grills come with a smoker box. Usually a narrow stainless steel box, you can fill a smoker box with soaked wood chips to add the flavor of wood smoke to any dish.
Foil smoker pouch: You can also make a pouch out of foil and achieve the same result as a smoker box. Place soaked wood chips on a large piece of heavy-duty foil and fold into a pouch. Poke holes throughout to allow the wood chips to come into contact with the flame and start smoking.
Smoking tube or maze: Great to fit into tight cooking spaces; you fill a mesh metal smoking tube with wood chips or sawdust.
Wood for smoking meat
No matter what cooking equipment or method you’re using, you’ll need quality hardwood to create flavorful smoke. Hardwood for smoking comes in chips, chunks, logs and pellets.
The type of wood you use will determine the flavor and intensity of your smoked meat, but the differences are subtle. Oak and hickory are the most versatile. If you’re looking for an intense smokey flavor, for mesquite. Wood from fruit trees (like apple or cherry) produce a lighter flavored smoke.
While you can even get grapevine or pellets made from Jim Beam bourbon barrels or wine barrels, here are the most frequently used woods for smoking (in order from lightest to heaviest in flavor profile):
Alder: Gives off the least amount of smoke and has the subtlest flavor. Suitable for fish and white meat chicken.
Maple: Mild and subtle and great for mixing with apple and alder.
Apple: Popular for smoking ham and bacon, apple wood is subtle, round and sweet.
Cherry: Sweet and fruity. Great with dark meat chicken, pork and gamier meats like lamb and duck.
Oak: Medium smoke flavor. Less intense than hickory but within the classic smoke category. The most versatile of all hardwoods.
Pecan: Nut woods are more potent in flavor than most fruitwoods but milder than mesquite or hickory. Perfect with poultry.
Hickory: Assertive spicy, smoky flavor, reminiscent of bacon. The most popular wood for smoking overall.
Mesquite – Most intense smokey flavor, mesquite is best suited for beef. They are typically used for brisket and ribs.
Never use pressure-treated lumber, chemically treated wood or softwood to smoke meat.
Rachel Boller is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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