When I cook over any kind of outdoor BBQ pit, I like to use a charcoal smoker. I like the flavor that charcoal and wood put into the meat and there is no other way of duplicating that flavor other than using the real thing. Woods that I use in addition to the charcoal currently include apple, hedge, and hickory. Right now I use two different types of BBQ smokers.
My main smoker is a horizontal barrel type charcoal smoker with an offset firebox. One of the main reasons I like this charcoal smoker so much is that you can use it as a smoker or as a grill. It has plenty of room to fit big cuts of meat such as beef brisket or ribs. Using the smoker is fairly self explanatory. If you are slow cooking a cut of meat, build your fire in the fire box on the end and place your cut of meat in the middle of the grill area. You will have to set the vents on the end and on the top to try and maintain a constant temperature. Basically, you want to create a "draw" that pulls the heat and smoke from the fire across the meat and out the top. If you are grilling hamburgers or steaks, just build your fire in the main barrel, directly underneath your meat like you would any other grill.
SMOKER
The other smoker that I use is an upright barrel type charcoal smoker. These types of smokers have a place to build the fire at the bottom with the main grill part towards the top of the barrel. Many smokers of this style also have a pan in between the fire and the grill that you can fill with water to keep moisture in the meat. I do not use this pan since I have other methods of keeping the meat moist. I have found that this type of smoker works great for cooking chicken and smaller cuts of meat such as roast. It is rather difficult to cook larger cuts of meat such as brisket or ribs. Also, the meat sits directly over the fire, which I don't like to do for the larger cuts that have to cook slow. Chicken can cook a little faster. One advantage of the upright style smoker over the horizontal style smoker is price. The upright style is cheaper due to its smaller size. Just keep in mind what cuts of meat that you will be cooking if you are shopping for a charcoal smoker and make sure what you buy will accommodate your preferences.
There are also many different types of gas and electric smokers. Many people enjoy using these and have used them with excellent results. They are a little cleaner to use and easier to get the fire started. Again, my preference for a charcoal smoker is simply because of flavor. Homemade bbq pits and smokers are quite common as well.
Tips For Buying Or Building a BBQ Pit Or Charcoal Smoker SMOKER
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