Cooking with wood
The two primary methods of cooking meat outdoors are grilling and smoking. Grilling involves cooking over a high heat for a shorter period of time. The meat is often placed directly over the coals on the grill, just a few inches from the flames. The process of smoking meat uses lower, indirect heat with much longer cooking times. The meat is not directly over the fire. The coals are banked to one side, and the meat is on the other side of the cooking grill. The smoky flavor is created by using wood as a fuel source for the fire, although many barbecue enthusiasts use a mixture of charcoal and wood. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Select a smoking unit. Your backyard grill can serve as a smoking unit, but there are also dedicated meat smokers that are specifically designed for the meat smoking process and allow you to smoke larger quantities of meat.
2. Choose your flavoring wood. Oak and hickory are popular choices. In the Southwest, mesquite wood is often used. Fruit woods also impart a rich, smoky flavor. Pecan, apple and cherry are widely used in meat smoking. For smaller backyard smokers, chunks of wood 1 or 2 square inches in size are convenient to use, or sticks of flavoring wood.
3. Select the meat for smoking. Don't limit yourself to spareribs or pork roast. The smoking process adds tremendous flavor to turkey and chicken or game birds such as duck. Beef roasts, lamb and venison also taste delicious when smoked.
4. Marinate the meat. A marinade is a solution that often includes herbs, spices, vinegar and sauces such as Worcestershire. Marinate the meat overnight or at least for six hours to help tenderize it and add flavor. Another method is to season the meat by applying a dry rub of spices.
5. Calculate cooking times. The goal of smoking is to cook the meat to the point at which it is extremely tender, that "falling off the bone" degree of doneness. This can require as long as 10 hours or more for a ham and 5 hours for a beef roast. Start the smoking process in the morning or at least by early afternoon in order to have the meat ready for your hungry guests who have been enjoying the smoky aroma.
6. Keep the meat moist during cooking. Place a pan of water or marinade under the meat to keep it moist and to add flavor. Check the pan periodically to make sure the liquid has not boiled out.
Tags: meat smoking, smoking process, cooking times, directly over, flavoring wood, Marinate meat