Barbecue smokers are designed to smoke food while controlling heat. There are two main types: upright and offset. The heat source uses fuel to heat wood or wood chips to create smoke. Upright smokers are simpler, while offset smokers create smoke in a separate compartment. Alternative versions include a covered metal bin for regular grills.
Barbecue smokers are grills that have been specially modified or designed to smoke inside while simultaneously controlling and insulating the heat to prevent foods from actually being grilled rather than smoked. There are two main types of barbecue smokers, the offset smoker and the upright smoker. An upright smoker is a tall unit where food is stacked on top of the heat source so that the smoke naturally passes up and through it. An offset smoker is usually a wide cylinder with a small compartment on the side where the smoke is created and then piped into the main chamber, passing over the meat before exiting through a chimney. All barbecue smokers have a heat source that uses some type of fuel that heats wood or wood chips to create the smoke, although a truly authentic smoker is an offset smoker that uses carefully prepared smoking hardwood to create smoke.
The different designs of barbecue smokers try to make the process of smoking foods easy, predictable, and sometimes portable. The main element required for successful smoking is a way to generate smoke. This can be accomplished by providing a heating element that uses a fuel such as coal, gas or electricity to heat a box filled with wood. It is important to allow the wood to smoke without actually lighting the fire, which is achieved through careful heat management. Staggered smokers can only be used with hardwood, but this requires good experience and near-constant attention to the barbecue.
Using upright smokers is generally a simpler process than using offset barbecue smokers. The heat source at the bottom of the smoker heats the wood to create smoke and usually heats a pan of water to help dissipate direct heat and keep the air moist in the cooking area. Vertical smokers are generally more compact than other types and can sometimes be too small to accommodate large cuts of meat.
Offset barbecue smokers create smoke in a small compartment separate from the cooking chamber. That means there’s little chance the indirect heat that creates the smoke will overheat from the food. It also allows you to smoke cold food. An offset smoker may require more wood and fuel than an upright smoker due to the size and space around the food for the smoke to pass through. These smokers are able to cook food for a long time over very low heat.
There are a few alternative versions of barbecue smokers that can be used in regular cookouts. An inexpensive option is a type of covered metal bin that fits inside a standard lidded grill. The flame from the grill heats up the pan, which contains wood chips. The chips then emit smoke which fills the grate, although this version may actually require more wood than a dedicated smoker.
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