Smoking food is very simple. When smoked over long periods of time, even the toughest cuts of meat just fall apart to the touch. Smoked foods yield incredible flavor and are always tender and delicious.
Low and Slow
What gives smoked food its smoky flavor--what causes the smoke and how does it work? Smoking is a "low and slow" method of indirect heat cooking. Because you are smoking the meat or fish at such low temperatures, it never has an opportunity to become overdone. If pork is cooked safely to 160 degrees F, it's difficult to overcook it and dry it out when you are smoking it at 200 degrees F. In fact, smoking a pork butt can take 18 to 24 hours to get the meat to fall apart, but the meat will neither be dry or overdone. It's a completely different style of cooking!
Go Get Your Smoker
There are many types of smokers available on the market, ranging in price from about $40 up to thousands of dollars, but they all yield the same results--quality smoked food. For home use, a $40 to $100 smoker will suffice. The main difference between smokers is their storage capacity. There are also different smoking methods. Some smokers are electric, some use water and steam, and still others use charcoal and indirect heat. All yield great results if operated properly.
If you have a good kitchen exhaust fan, you can smoke indoors: use your wok for Chinese-style tea-smoked salmon, duck or chicken. Stovetop smoking pans work well for relatively quick cool-temperature smoking, for foods like trout or cheese.
No smoker? Use indirect heat on your barbeque grill. See our Turkey Tips: Grilled, Smoked or Deep-Fried article for recipes and instructions.
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