Barbecue is one of the favourite activities of German men. This preference has even increased since the Smoker was in existence. But what is the difference when grilling with a smoker and a conventional charcoal grill?
In both, it is possible to grill gently in the low temperature range. But this typical, not only popular with us men, smoky barbecue taste, you can only get it with the smoker. For many years, men in the USA have been swearing in it and this indirect grilling in combination with smoking is becoming more and more popular with us.
Men love the smoker with its BBQ taste
At first glance, such a smoker looks a bit weird. With its two separate chambers, it is a bit reminiscent of a small steam locomotive. The smoker consists of a fire chamber, also called Firebox, and a cooking chamber, where the meat or other grilled goods are located during grilling. The Firebox looks like a small fireplace and is usually fired with dry wood.
Of course, grilled charcoal is also possible for the operation of a smoker, but does not bring the same aromatic effect as wood. From the Firebox not only the heat, but also the smoke is fed into the cooking chamber and in this way the grilled material is smoked and gets this incomparable taste. This may sound easy to you now, but there are some important things to keep in mind so that grilling with the Smoker will also be a real experience.
The right temperature is crucial
First of all, the smoker must be properly preheated. For this purpose, the fire is lit in the firebox. A small tip here: Use beech wood, because then it tastes fantastic later on. In the beginning, however, you should not take too much wood. First take only a few logs and then just lay wood later. However, you must make sure that only dry wood is used.
With the Smoker, you can always track how the heat develops inside using a thermometer on the outside. If you have reached a temperature between 110 and 130 degrees, then you can put the grilled goods in the cooking chamber. But please remember that you are also scheduling enough time for this. In contrast to a conventional charcoal grill, the smoker takes much longer, because it is grilled indirectly here, i.e. the steak is not directly above the glowing charcoal.
Such a really thick steak takes between two and three hours in the smoker. The smoker is not suitable for a spontaneous quick throw on the grill.
Aroma ranges from spicy to smoky notes
Tastes are known to be different. Therefore, it is advantageous that you can determine or influence the intensity of smoking and thus also the aromas yourself. You need a bit of experience to do this, but it sets itself up over time. You can control this on the one hand with the air supply and on the other hand with the choice of wood.
With the air supply, you can influence how the smoke is in the fire chamber and how much of it should get into the cooking chamber. Wood is something else. With beech wood you get a great aroma, but they are different from wood to wood type. Each wood develops its own aroma, from the spicy to the smoky note. Beech wood or spruce wood burns very well and the grilled goods get a mild taste.
But if you want it particularly spicy, then I recommend you to use walnut wood or oak wood. If you are more aware of the sweet aromas, then cherry wood or pear wood is optimal. Just try it out until you’ve met your personal taste.
And finally a few tips for you, so that the grilling with the smoker becomes a real barbecue highlight.
- For an intense smoke taste: Ventilation flap of the fire chamber must be closed, as must the cover of the cooking chamber
- For a clear smoke taste: ventilation flap of the fire chamber as well as the hood must be slightly open
- For a very mild smoke taste: ventilation flap of the fire chamber and the hood must be open a bit wide
