Smoking

As the juices from the food you cook hit the charcoal or the lava rock/bars they burn producing smoke. So why would you want to add more smoke? The simple answer is that burning hardwoods produce aromatic smoke which adds flavour to your food.

You can buy wood chips or produce your own. So which woods can you use and more important which should you not use?

Hardwoods are preferable because the wood has to smoulder rather than burn. The wood should not be treated. Don’t use green wood or woods such as cedar, pine, spruce or fir because they give the food a bitter taste.

Try hickory, oak, mesquite, apple, peach, cherry, alder or grapevines. Each adds its own flavour.

So what foods are suitable for smoking?

Beef roasts, steaks etc.; lamb roasts; lean pork roasts (without skin); chicken and turkey either whole or pieces; fish such as salmon and trout (oily fish smokes best).
smoker box

smoker box for Weber Genesis BBQ

The wood is prepared by soaking it for at least an hour. Then either place it in a special smoker box or alternatively you can use foil pans with holes poked through the sides and bottom. You can even make foil parcels again with holes poked through to let the smoke out. On a charcoal BBQ place the containers directly on the coals. On a gas BBQ place the container(s) on the lava rock/bars.

It takes about 10-15 minutes or so for wood to start smoking at which time you can start cooking. At first you get aromatic steam as the water is driven off. Then the wood smoulders at which time smoke takes over.

As long as the wood was well soaked it should smoke for about 30-45 minutes. If the wood starts to flare up then it either wasn’t soaked long enough or it is on too hot a part of the BBQ. If it doesn’t smoke then it isn’t directly over the heat.

Apart from smoking with woods you can also put herbs directly onto the BBQ to impart flavour and to create aromatic smoke. Rosemary is my favourite but other herbs such as thyme and fennel are good. Fennel is good with fish. Herbs burn quickly so you will need a plentiful supply to keep the smoke going.