When we think of a "smoking room", we pretty much always see an "offset", a large smoking room with a chimney, in our head.
Offset smokers are pretty much the most classic, but they are not the most common or the easiest to use. They are, however, well-known tools for smoking food.
While offsets have their place, it must be said that you can smoke with anything. Yes, you don't even have to have a smoker! An oven, for example, can also do the trick, but if you use that, make sure there is a good hood over it. Otherwise, a wood, pellet, charcoal, or gas smoker always works just fine.
The right time
Why am I talking about smokers today? Because in winter/early spring (actually, when it's cold, but not -30°C outside), smokers are one of the first things people light up. I understand that, because it's the perfect time to practice smoking. Since there's (usually) not too much wind, too much heat, or too much temperature variation during the day, the only thing you have to think about is having enough fuel and dressing properly.
Another advantage of using a smoker during cold seasons is that there is more oxygen in the air when it is cold. And… more oxygen means better combustion and less fuel consumption, which is clearly an attractive aspect.
On top of that, the outside temperature is also more humid and I personally find that when this is the case, the humidity enters the BBQ and the meat then becomes super juicy. I think it's a question of relative humidity. That is to say, if there is more humidity entering the barbecue, the appliance "pulls" less of it from the meat to reach its quota; which means that the piece of meat has less to "dry out" in order to reach the maximum amount of humidity in the barbecue.
The smoking rooms
As I said, there are really a lot of different types of smokers AND ways to smoke. Since each of them is quite different, it's worth me telling you more about them.
Let's start with the type of smoker you probably picture in your head when you think of this type of tool: an "offset." (Note that the BBQs I'm talking about here are examples; there are many other similar devices that work in the same way.)
Yosemite by Sunterra and BBQ Pit Boys
In a device like this, you place the fuel, the charcoal or wood, in the section on the right (above the wheels) of the BBQ. What you want to do is, slowly, not quickly, create a nice ember and then add logs at regular intervals. When you put the logs in, you want them to light instantly when they touch the embers; you want them to smoke (for the wood to burn) and not to smoulder. Why? Because the smoke will rub against the meat, then change its appearance and external texture and, eventually, give it a nice "smoke ring" and a delicious flavour.
There are two ways to work with this unit in terms of its airflow. When you want to smoke food, you want to do it at a low temperature, so you aim for one that's around 225°F. To get to that number, however, there are a few different ways to do it.
The first technique is to play/obstruct the chimney so that the air flow is good and reduce the temperature in the smoker.
The second technique, my favorite, is to always leave the chimney "full open" and instead play with the air intake. The more air there is in a BBQ, the higher the temperature in the appliance rises, and the less there is, the lower it is and the easier it is to control. The advantage of working like this, of keeping the chimney wide open, is to ensure a good "draft" of air. Yes, because by controlling the air intake and reducing the air flow entering the smoker, we generally obtain better air circulation, better combustion, cleaner air, with less smoke, and smoking that really gives a taste of cooking on a wood fire and not smoke.
Weber's Smokey Mountain
Another type of smoker is a charcoal smoker, like this one (also called a "bullet"). Interestingly, you could also call it a "water-based" smoker, so to speak, because you can put some in the BBQ to create relative humidity.
Let me explain: you put the charcoal all the way into the bottom of the unit, inside the ring, you light the fuel (I recommend putting wood chunks through your charcoal to add flavor to the food), then put the tray, with water, on top of it. After that, the heat from the charcoal will hit the tray, which will heat and evaporate the water, evenly distribute the heat and ultimately create relative humidity in the smoker.
This type of machine can also be used without water, but in this case, it is more of a "cooker" than a smoker. If you want to smoke something quickly and that is a little "dry" (like "fried chicken", for example), I advise you not to put water in it (it is more radiant heat that will be in your BBQ at that time).
This model is the top of the top of smokers. If you are a big fan of smoking and/or someone who participates in BBQ competitions, this is what you need. The big difference between this one and any other is its robustness and construction. Honestly, this smoker is set up like a pellet stove. 💪
This is a very large machine, made with very thick materials, that is handcrafted by artisans in the United States. It also has two top grills and a bottom grill made of 7mm diameter stainless steel, so there is plenty of room in there!
What's also great is that you can also remove the hatch in the bottom of the unit if you want to get it up to a high temperature to sear food. So you can both smoke and grill with this barbecue.
Along the same lines as the previous smoker, the special feature of this one is that thanks to its Slide and Grill, this device can smoke AND grill food. Unlike the Yoder, however, this one takes up much less space and can even be dragged around like a suitcase on wheels.
Camp Chef XXL Vertical Smoker
Camp Chef also makes models that are really ONLY smokers, like this one. What I mean by that is that the XXL can't grill, but really only smoke and bake because its maximum temperature is about 350°F. In fact, in the US, it's even considered a "cooker", because yes, it runs on pellets, but it can cook anything, even a cake.
The way it works is that you put your pellets in the hopper on the side and, thanks to the auger in the unit, they will slowly and automatically go into the BBQ to feed it and raise the temperature. What is interesting with this model is that the result you have at the end of smoking/cooking is essentially the same as if everything had been prepared in the YS640s, but without you having to practice for 5 to 10 years.
Unlike Yoder BBQs, however, pellet smokers like this one aren't particularly thick or sturdy, so you can put an insulating blanket over them to help insulate them (it's just that in the summer you're better off not putting one over them) and have better pellet consumption.
This smoker is one of my favorites. It is really well made and can be used for smoking AND grilling with charcoal. Also, just like the Smokey Mountain, the Summit comes with a tray that you can put water in to increase the amount of humidity in the unit.
Kamado Joe's Kamado Joe
The advantage of this machine, like the Summit, is its convection. It is a BBQ that is very, very, very well insulated and that retains and stabilizes its heat well. The meat always comes out really juicy, tender and tasty.
Smoking accessories
If you don't have a smoker, you can still smoke your food. There are several ways to do this depending on the grill you have at home.
The All-in-1
If you have a kettle grill, the All-in-1 is a great accessory to attach to it and turn it into a smoker, pizza oven, or something else. Whether your "round ball" is Weber, Napoleon, or something else, the All-in-1 is very handy because it can sit on almost any of them.
The interest of this accessory is really all the things you can do with it. Once on your BBQ, you will be able to smoke food, cook pizzas, cook chickens or other meats on a rotisserie, bake bread like in a tandoor oven, etc. A bit like the "bullet" smoker, you will be able to put up to three racks in your grill with this, which is ideal for smoking.
TheCopeaunateur and the BBQ Québec Smoke Box
If you have a gas or charcoal grill, you can use either of these attachments in your grill to add a smoky flavor to your meal. Both do pretty much the same thing, the main difference being the shape of the attachment itself.
With its “V” shape, the Copeaunator is made to sit on the deflectors of BBQs, while the rectangular shape of the Smoke Box allows it to be positioned on the grills of the latter.
In either case, though, you don't want to get the wood chips wet before lighting them. Once they're smoking, if you want to add moisture to your BBQ or a little extra flavor to the smoke, you can simply add a liquid (beer, Coke, apple juice, etc.) to the little tray provided in the Copeaunator. Be careful, though, not to let the grill get hotter than 350°F; you don't want the chips to ignite, you just want them to smoke.
To ensure that your smoking is successful in your gas BBQ, and without you having to rack your brains, I strongly recommend that you use this accessory in addition to the Copeaunateur.
With a Presto BBQ, you are basically going to "pressure cook." The way it works is that you put a liquid (of your choice) in a foil pan to give the air a scent and flavor, then put the Presto BBQ "rack" and your meat on top. You then turn all the burners on your grill to minimum so that the temperature is between 350 and 400 °F, then place the tray and the meat on the grill grates. After 1 to 2 hours, you cover the meat by placing a second foil pan on top to enclose it, like a box. At this point, the cooking goes into "presto mode", that is to say that the pressure in the "box" "attacks" and tenderizes the fibers of the meat to make it flavorful and you have an incredible result at the end of cooking.
Thermometers
Another way to smoke your food if you have a charcoal BBQ and you are tired of having to control the air inlet and outlet is to work with a connected thermometer. For example, a Thermoworks, Bios or Flame Boss thermometer allows you to connect to your device and choose the amount of air to blow into it through a "fan" positioned on the air inlet.
The Smoker Labyrinth Smoke BBQ Quebec
If you're more of a cold smoker, that's okay too! Important note, though, in order for you to safely eat cold smoked foods, you need to make sure that the outside temperature when you smoke them is 4°C or below.
To use the Fumaniseur, it's not complicated, you place it in the bottom of the BBQ, above the combustion chamber, fill it with pellets or wood dust, then light the fuel on one or both sides of the accessory, depending on the intensity of the desired taste. Then, you let the fuel catch fire, then blow on it so that the smoke appears and spreads slowly, without being loaded with heat, towards your food being "cooked".
The books
Lastly, it doesn't necessarily qualify as a "smoking accessory," but if you're looking for recipe inspiration, books are very handy. Of ours, I recommend Lavoie du BBQ and L'art du BBQ , both of which contain recipes to make in a smoker.
And… that’s pretty much all I can think of right now when it comes to different smoking methods. (Phew! There are a lot!)
On that note, put on your coat and take advantage of the cold season to get your smoker going in droves. 🤘
Happy BBQ and happy smoking! ♨️