Cooking with offset smokers is fun and rewarding. It is also a mainly thing because you use charcoal or firewood. Though, to cook and get the best results needs some understanding of the smoker and some basic skills. With the skills, you end up getting smoky and flavored BBQ.
Over the time, I have found that beginners find it a little challenging to set the smoker and use it to get awesome BBQ. That’s the reason why they have been asking a couple of questions that today I want us to answer. This article aims at helping beginners master all the skills needed to use an offset smoker and get awesome barbecue.
Start by understanding the offset smoker
To master it fast, you should start by understanding the smoker. This is an outdoor cooking appliance that uses low temperatures and smoke to heat and flavor fish, meat, poultry and many other foods. A nice smoker is the one that will heat and smoke your food efficiently and at the same time provide enough space to produce the needed barbecue. Offset smoker features a separate firebox that is directly attached to the cooking chamber. This is what allows for direct grilling in the firebox and also facilitating direct or indirect cooking on the smoking chamber.
This appliance is actually a two part appliance with the main cooking chamber being a long grated, box with a smokestack and a lift door. The firebox is attached on the other side of the chamber with a door to put charcoal or firewood and a small hole between the two spaces.
The better Offset smoker
The best offset smoker is the one that has doors and also the one that seems tight. This is to keep the smoke where you need it and also improve the flow of air inside the firebox to regulate temperatures. The best of all also uses reverse flow to solve the problem of uneven heating and eliminate the nasty radiant heat from the firebox.
Buying the Offset smoker
The fact is that majority of beginners also don’t know how to make a good buying decision in regard to offset smokers. As a beginner, you have to spare enough time for your mind to configure what you need and eventually spare more time to research for the best Offset Smokers in the market. You can check here for the best offset smoker Comparison Table .
When you are buying the offset smoker, the main consideration should be the thickness of the steel. The thin ones don’t retain heat very well which can be a downfall. The thin steels make it hard to maintain the temperatures and also it compromises uniform heating.
Setting up the offset smoker
Now that you have an understanding of all the parts of an offset smoker, what follows is to set it up. Here is a quick guide on what you are supposed to do in this case.
- Season the pit before you cook-This is the first thing you should do before you set your smoker. You don’t want the fire to burn on the paint that was used on the smoker before using it. This also helps to build a protective layer to help prevent rust.
- Level your smoker-There are several situations when you want to use your smoker in an area where you don’t have a nice flat concrete patio. This is the time you need to level your smoker before you proceed.
- Load the fire box. This follows after you have choose the best fuel. You should load the firebox half and light the fire. After that, you should get burning charcoal to the other part of the smoker.
Choose the right fuel
Choosing your fuel type can be challenging especially if you are starting but the good thing is that some offset smokers are made for burning full wood splints. You can choose the Briquette Charcoal because it’s one of the most common types of charcoal. Other option is to use the Lump charcoal and
Good smoking wood
Not all woods are good for burning in your smoker. The best one will add flavor to the food you are cooking. The best option here is to use hardwoods because they burn hot and will last for some time. You can as well use fruit woods because they don’t burn long but will have a nice flavor.
Woods not to burn
You shouldn’t burn any kind of evergreen wood including pine, cedar and hemlock. You shouldn’t as well use building materials because they may have some unfavorable flavor.
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