Want to learn how to smoke delicious meals yourself, but not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place!
Thanks to ProQ Smokers, cooking your own slow-cooked meals has never been easier. And we’ve pulled together the best tips and hints to get you started.
Read on to learn how to start smoking for beginners.
Light em’ up!
If you have an efficient smoker, like a ProQ Excel or Frontier, and good quality charcoal, then you should get about 8 hours of cooking time. And the best part? There’s not a lot of work on your end – just throw some wood in the smoker every now and then, and sit back and enjoy.
To get your smoker burning, use high-quality wood or charcoal. Avoid using lighting fluid - you may get your smoker lit faster, but the chemicals could leak into your food, and make you sick.
To learn how to light your smoker, read our blog, ‘How to light your smoker’.
Remember the water pan
Want to know the best-kept secret to smoking? The water pan...
The water pan is placed between the food and fire, acting as a buffer. The water helps regulate the temperature inside the smoker.
Use warm water in the pan. This will quickly bring your smoker to the right temperature. Water can then be topped up with a watering can through one of your smoker’s access doors.
Having water in your pan isn’t always necessary. In fact, having a dry pan will crisp up the skin left on the meat. However, it does make regulating the temperature harder, so remember to keep your eye on it.
Preparation is key
Imagine this: you spend ages selecting the right smoking wood and making sure the temperature is just right. The cook takes hours. You finally pull out your meal, only to discover that it tastes…. awful. What happened?
All the preparation in the world won’t help if your meat is sub-standard. So it’s essential to choose high-quality stuff.
Add a little flair to your cooking by using herbs, spices, and marinades. Have fun creating your own signature flavour.
Get cooking
Now comes the fun part – the cook...
Place your food in the middle of the cooking grates above the water pan, then put the lid on. Remember to open the vents on the lid and base. Adjust the vents until the smoker is at the right temperature of between 95°C - 120°C.
Open the lower door and place your wood chips or chunks directly onto the charcoal. Use your smoking wood to add flavour to the food – like you would with spices. Start off with a small amount of wood, so you don’t end up with too much smoke flavour.
Unlike grilling or roasting, smoking causes meat to turn pink. For beginners, it may be hard to determine when your food is cooked correctly. So use a probe thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your meal.
Adelaide Outdoor Kitchen now stock ProQ barbecues and smokers. Call Justin on 0437 658 850 to find out how you can get one for your outdoor kitchen.
