What is Hot Food Smoking?

Hot food smoking is cooking meat via indirect heat and introducing smoke produced from burning wood pellets or wood chips in a tin foil pouch, smoker pot or smoke box. Hot smoking can be done is a kettle, hooded BBQ or Gas BBQ, for best results using a vertical or horizontal smoker will produce the best results. Hot smoking is a slower cooking process e.g. a chicken will take up to 3 - 4 hours at around 100C.

What is Cold Smoking?

Cold smoking is a curing process and usually takes many days. Smoke salmon is a good example of cold smoking. Cold smoking requires a cool smoke source so that the meat / fish is not cooked. Cold smoking is normally done on a large scale in large brick smoke houses with an external cold smoke supply.

How do you smoke food?

Food smoking is not complicated, just make your fire add meat and wood chips and then relax or have a little nap. You may want to marinade the food the night before.

What are the benefits of smoking versus traditional BBQ?

To get good results from barbecuing food requires careful timing so that cooking occurs when the fire is just right, not too hot or cold. Additionally it is very much a hands on process as the meat will need to be constantly watched so it doesn't burn and moved around so that the bigger pieces of meat are above the hottest part of the fire. Smoking on the other hand is a leisurely process, you make the fire add meat etc. and then leave it to its own thing - the result also are to die for. With food smoking you will need to start a number of hours before as it is a longer process, typically anything from 3 - 12 hours depending on what you are smoking.

What food can I smoke?

All types of meat including Chicken, Joints, Ribs, Brisket, Fillet, Fish, cheese and ofcourse vegetables.

What creates the smoke?

By adding wood chips, wood pellets, wood chunks will produce a rich stream of smoke. You will need a smoker box to contain the smoking wood. Alternatives would be a tin foil pouch with a small hole on either side.

Can I use my existing barbecue to smoke food?

Yes, but it must have a hood and big enough so the meat does not sit directly above the fire (indirect cooking). A gas BBQ with a hood will also work.

Where do I put the water bowl?

Water bowls are supplied with most vertical smokers and go between to coals and the grill. You can put herbs, beer, wine, brandy, cider in the bowl. The water evaporates to cook the meat very slowly adding the flavours and moisture to the meat, making it very tender and succulent. If you choose you can add smoke pellets or wood chip to add a smokey flavour.

Why Smoke your food?

Smoking enhances food with rich natural flavours. Since mankind starter using fire to cook their food we have always enjoyed the unique flavour created by adding smoke.

Do I have to use specially prepared wood?

Yes, you will need to source wood that has not been treated as these chemicals will normally contain toxins that can be harmful. Best to buy wood chips etc. from a specialist supplier.

Do woods give off different flavours?

Yes each type of wood e.g. Oak and Apple each have their own unique flavour, these flavours suit specific meat types (please see Smoking Wood Flavour Chart at the bottom of the page).

What is water smoking?

Water smoking is where a water bowl sits above the fire and raises the humidity, resulting in moist, tasty and succulent food (your friends will not believe you cooked it).

What temperature should I smoke food at?

Temperatures are lower than those used to BBQ and vary according to what you want to cook (please see temperature chart at the bottom of this page).

How much smoke do I need to cook?

You can produce smoke for the whole duration of the cook, however the meat will take on most of the smoked wood flavour in the first 2 hours.

Do I need special charcoal for food smoking?

Definitely, use only the best quality charcoal or briquettes. Use briquettes for extended cooking times as they burn consistently for a long time. Also consider coconut shells which burn long and hot - eco friendly option too.

Wood Flavour Types