Water Smoker Recipes – Beef Brisket

After you’ve smoked pork shoulders and ribs, you will want to add beef brisket to your box of water smoker recipes. Any good brisket recipe will start with the selection of a good piece of meat.

For best results, choose a brisket that is untrimmed. Look for a brisket with a layer of fat that is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Also look for marbling throughout the meat fibers. The more marbling, the tenderer the meat will be.

Once you get home from the butcher, unpack the brisket and let it drain in the sink for a few minutes. Trim the fat so that it is about a 1/2 inch thick. Score the fat by cutting 1 inch squares, down to the surface of the meat. Now you want to add your flavoring. You can add flavor with a marinade, spicy rub, or both.

Marinating a brisket is easy. You can either mix up your own recipe or purchase one pre-made. Place the brisket in a non-reactive container and pour on the marinade. If you like, you can use an injector to pump some of the marinade into the brisket. Let the brisket marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

If you prefer a dry rub, you’ll want to make sure you coat the brisket and work the rub into the meat and scores. After it has been well coated, wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The longer it rests, the deeper the flavor will penetrate into the meat.

The next step is the same for all of your smoker recipes; prepare your water smoker. Select the type of charcoal and wood you’ll want to use. Fill up your fire pan with hot coals. Make sure to keep water in the pan and the temperature consistent.

Just like your other smoker recipes, the key to a good brisket is low and slow cooking. A good rule of thumb is to cook the brisket for one hour per pound at 225 degrees. When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees, remove it from the smoker and wrap in aluminum foil. The brisket should be allowed to rest for 30 minutes to an hour to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat.

The more you experiment the more smoker recipes you can add to your repertoire. Just enjoy your time outdoors and the process of smoking your own meat. Best of Luck and Happy Smoking!

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Water Smoker Recipes – Seasoning Your Meat

Having a water smoker and a great piece of meat doesn’t ensure great barbecue. Any good water smoker recipe is going to include adding seasoning to the meat before and during smoking. The seasoning should compliment the meats natural flavor without overpowering the natural taste of the meat and smoke. Below are few common ways to add flavor to your favorite smoker recipe.

Brining
A brine is a basic solution consisting of salt, sugar and other flavorings. Generally, you’ll mix these ingredients in a bucket of water and submerse the meat for an extended period of time (I recommend brining overnight). The end result of brining is a more juicy, flavorful piece of meat.

Marinating
First and foremost, marinating is meant to tenderize tough cuts of meat. I also allows meat to draw flavor into itself. You can use juice, wine or even Italian dressing as a marinade in your smoker recipes.

Rubs
A dry rub consists of different seasonings that have been mixed together. The best way to apply run is to cover your meat in a thin layer of yellow mustard. After that, sprinkle a coat of tub onto the meat. The mustard will lose its flavor, but will leave a nice crust.

Mopping the Meat
After your meat has been on your water smoker for hours, you may need to add a little bit of moisture back to the meat. After your rub has had a chance to adhere to the meat, you’ll want to start mopping it with a sauce. Commons mopping sauces include apple juice or vinegar as their main ingredient.

I hope these tips will help take your water smoker recipes to the next level. Just remember to experiment and have fun. Best of Luck and Happy Smoking!

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Grilling an Awesome Steak on Your Charcoal Smoker and Grill

The best thing about the charcoal smoker and grill, is that it doubles as a charcoal grill when your not smoking your favorite meat. All you have to do on most models is place the fire pan where the water pan usually goes.

I have a nice propane grill that I use for most of my grilling. It's fast and easy, but it doesn't compare to grilling over hot charcoal. Especially when you are cooking a few steaks.

Follow these simple steps and you'll be well on your way to grilling and eating the best steak you've ever had.

• Just as with smoking meat, it all begins with the meat. When I'm cooking for the entire family, I'll generally go for the sirloin. It's inexpensive and goes a long way. My personal preference is ribeye. You will get the best results from a steak that is well marbled and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Stay away from anything thing has been manufactured or "flavor induced". Go to your local butcher and get the freshest piece of meat you can find.
• Fill your chimney starter with quality charcoal. Use a small amount of newspaper to get it started. In about 15 - 20 minutes, the coals will have ashed over and can be poured into the fire pan. At this point, put on the grill grate and clamp on the lid. You will want the charcoal smoker and grill to get very hot before putting on the steaks, so give it a good five minutes or so to heat up.
• There are all types of spices you can add to your steak before cooking. I'm a purist, so I like to stick to the basics; kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and garlic powder. In my opinion, a quality steak doesn't need a lot of extras. Less expensive cuts of meat might need a little more help.
• Allow your steaks to come to room temperature before placing them on the grill. If not, the temperature of the cold meat hitting the hot grill will prevent searing. After the steaks have been seasoned, add them to the grill and leave it uncovered.
• If you like your steak medium-rare, place them on the grill for two minutes. After two minutes, rotate each steak 45 degrees. This will sear in the x-marks like you see at the restaurants. Grill another 2-3 minutes and then flip. Follow the same procedure for the other side. These times are estimates, so you may need to adjust a little.
• Remove the steaks from the grill with a spatula or tongs. Do not use a fork to move the steaks. If you do, all of the juice will run out on the plate.
• Before serving and cutting the steaks, let them rest for three minutes. Heat causes the the steak juices to move to the center of the meat. The rest period will allow the juices to move back into the rest of the steak.

I hope you enjoy these tips. Remember, your charcoal smoker and grill is a multi-purpose piece of equipment. You may actually discover that you use it as a charcoal grill even more than as a water smoker. Best of Luck and Happy Grilling!

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Propane Smoker – The Easy Way to Smoke Meat

Water smokers cook meat slowly, keeping it moist and flavorful. One of the easiest ways to slow cook food is with a propane smoker. While a smoking purist may turn up their nose at the mere mention of cooking with gas, a propane smoker is a good option for smoking meat in your backyard.

The best thing about a propane smoker is that you can easily control the heat. This is a big benefit if you want to enjoy smoking meat without the hassle of babysitting it all day. In contrast, a charcoal water smoker requires continual oversight.

Another advantage of using a propane smoker is that propane is readily available and can be taken anywhere. Because of this mobility, they can be taken to the beach or on a camping trip. Additional tanks can be purchased almost anywhere and will also fit your propane grill.

Most propane smokers are tall steel containers. They contain a heating element, similar to a propane grill and a water pan. Soaked wood chips can be used to add additional flavor to the meat. The combination of smoke and steam results in tender smoked meats. Propane smokers generally come with several racks that hold multiple pieces of meat. The large door make it easy to check on the meat, add wood chips and water.

Propane smokers are a little more expensive than other types of water smokers. The price will usually vary depending upon the size and quality of the smoker. You can expect to to pay anywhere from $150 – $400 for a decent propane smoker.

If you want to enjoy smoking food and don’t care about watching it all day, then a propane smoker is a good choice. The ease of use and consistent results of smoking food with propane make this an obvious choice. Best of luck and happy smoking!

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Choosing the Right Fuel for a Charcoal Smoker and Grill

A charcoal smoker and grill requires fuel, and that fuel is charcoal. The most common types are briquettes and lump charcoal. Both types have pros and cons, and both can be used to make great barbecue.

Charcoal Briquettes
Charcoal Briquettes are a manufactured product. Kingsford is the best selling brand of charcoal briquettes in the United States.

Briquettes are a convenient and inexpensive source of fuel for your charcoal smoker and grill. They tend to burn longer and more consistently than lump charcoal, but not quite as hot.

Briquettes also contain other ingredients in addition to charcoal to improve the consistency and performance. As a result, these additives leave behind more ash. This can be a concern with less expensive charcoal smokers because the fire pan can be difficult to access. If you are particularly adamant about being “natural”, then you might want to steer clear of briquettes.

Lump Charcoal
Lump charcoal is made from pieces of wood that have been burned down into charcoal. It contains no additional ingredients. After the lump charcoal has been processed, it’s packaged and sold. Irregularities in the wood are the reason for the varying size and shape of lump charcoal.

Lump charcoal tends to burn hotter than briquettes, but not as long or as consistently. In some parts of the country, it can be purchased for about the same price as briquettes. Generally the price is determined by the availability.

When selecting what type of charcoal you want to use, take the following factors into consideration:

• What’s available where you live?
• How fast does it light?
• How hot does it burn?
• Do you care if it is a “natural” product?
• How long does it burn?
• How much ash does it leave behind?
• How consistently does it burn?
• Does it leave behind a smell or flavor to your food?

Whatever you choose, make certain that it meets your needs. Use a chimney starter and never use lighter fluid. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with Kingsford, but you’ll have to decide that on your own. Best of luck and happy smoking!

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Water Smoker Recipes – Smoked Chicken

When people think of BBQ smoker recipes, they generally think of high fat pork butts and ribs. Smoking chicken can be a tasty and delicious alternative.

To successfully smoke a chicken on your water smoker, you’ll need to start with a 3 – 3.5 pound whole chicken. My recommendation is to buy as natural as possible. If you can afford to buy locally, then do so. If not, then look for a bird that hasn‘t been injected full of solution. Look for terms such as “all natural” or “minimally processed” on the package.

Brine your chicken in a sugar and salt solution for four hours before cooking. Mix 1 gallon of water with a cup of sugar and a cup of kosher salt. You can also add fruit juice, wine, spices, Worcestershire, peppercorns, etc. Make sure the chicken is completely submersed in the brine. A good idea is to place a few plates on top to keep the chicken from floating.

You’ll need enough charcoal to maintain a temperature of 225 degrees for 3 hours. Use your charcoal chimney to get your charcoal started. Once it has ashed over, you can put it in the charcoal pan of your water smoker. Also, don’t forget to fill up your water pan. There is nothing worse than a water smoker with no water.

Place the chicken on the water smoker breast side down. You will want to add a foil envelope of soaked hickory chips on top of the charcoal. Let the chicken cook breast side down for 1 1/2 hours. At this time, flip it over the remainder of the time. Remove the chicken when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Make sure you monitor the heat, adding hot coals whenever needed. You will also need to add more wood chips whenever the foil pack stops producing smoke.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do. The internet contains a wealth of smoker recipes. All you have to do is search. Don’t be afraid to try new things or combine different recipes. Using a water smoker is all about experimentation. Have fun and keep smoking!

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“Build a Smoker” from Your Charcoal Grill

Smoking meat doesn‘t have to be limited to those that have the resources to purchase a dedicated smoker. If you have a charcoal grill, you can easily “build a smoker“. Fortunately, this “build” isn‘t going to require any permanent modifications.

The main difference between a water smoker and a charcoal grill is that the smoker keeps the fire away from the food. A water smoker contains the fire and keeps the temperature around 225 degrees F. A charcoal grill is designed to cook food hot and fast. If you keep the fire small and to one side of the grill, you can easily use a charcoal grill to smoke meat.

To start off with, you’ll need a charcoal grill, charcoal, charcoal chimney, a drip pan, a water pan, and an oven safe thermometer. You’ll also need plenty of time and something to cook.

Begin by removing the cooking grate and building a fire on one half of the grill. You’ll want to place the drip pan on the other side of the grill. Now you can put the cooking grate back on the grill. When the coals are ashed over, you are ready to cook. Fill the water pan about 2/3 full of water and place it directly over the fire. This will add moisture into the air inside the grill. Place the meat over the drip pan and the thermometer on the grate next to the meat. Once that’s done, you will want to place the lid back on the grill.

You’ll need to ensure that you have enough airflow coming into and out of your grill. Ideally, your grill will have airvents in the bottom and top. The air will need to come in under the charcoal and escape through the vent on top of the meat. You’ll also want to use the vent to control the temperature.

While the food is cooking, you’ll need to keep the lid closed as much as possible. Only open the lid to take a quick peek at the fire, water level and temperature. Make sure you have hot charcoal on hand so you can add it when needed. Adding charcoal could be a little difficult because you’ll have to remove the cooking grate.

The set up may not be as convenient as a water smoker, but the end result should be just as good. Just be careful though, smoking meat is addicting. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to upgrade to a dedicated water smoker. Best of luck and happy smoking!

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BBQ Magazine

This looks like a great resource for BBQ tips.

BBQ Magazine

via About.com Barbecues & Grilling on 2/25/10

Wish there was a good magazine dedicated to barbecue? Well there is, Smoke Signals Magazine, and issue #2 just dropped. Best part is that its free and you don't even have to go to the newsstand to pick it up. Just go to Smokesignals.com and read. This issue features an interview with Mario Batali and great article on the Big 4 BBQ competitions. This online magazine is very professional and I think an impressive effort. So show the guys over at the BBQ Brethren how much you appreciate all they do for barbecue and take a look at their magazine.

Photo: BBQ Brethren

BBQ Magazine originally appeared on About.com Barbecues & Grilling on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 02:37:15.

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Simple Water Smoker Modifications

My first water smoker was a Brinkmann Smoker and Grill that I purchased for $50. The smoker consisted of a bullet shape with a charcoal pan on the bottom, a water pan just above that and two grates for meat. The water smoker is topped off with a dome shaped lid that contain a temperature gauge.

While this is a great entry level water smoker and I know people that have been using them for years, there are also a few problems. Fortunately, most of these problems can be fixed with a few simple modifications.

The biggest problem with the Brinkmann Smoker is that it does not have an actual temperature gauge. Rather than giving the internal temperature, it simply reads; warm, ideal or hot. When I first purchased my smoker I also bought a small oven thermometer to place on the top grate. When my external thermometer was on the line between warm and ideal, the oven thermometer would read 225 degrees.

The easiest way to correct this problem is to install an additional thermometer in the lid of the water smoker. These can be found at any store that carries grill supplies and can easily be installed by drilling the appropriate size hole in the lid.

A common complaint with this type of smoker is that it is difficult to get them hot enough. This is caused by poor airflow to the charcoal. A simple solution to this problem is to drill 1/4 inch air holes into the sides of the charcoal pan. About eight holes on either side of the pan should do the trick.

Another way to improve the charcoal pan is to add a small grate to the inside. Find a grate that is slightly larger than the bottom of the pan. The charcoal will sit on top of the grate and the ashes can fall into the bottom of the pan.

I hope these modifications make using your Brinkmann Smoker and Grill  more enjoyable. These little water smokers are a great way to start smoking your own meat. These minor improvements should add to your enjoyment and produce a better piece of meat.

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Charcoal Smoker and Grill – A Perfect Combination

Smoking meat is one of the most popular ways to cook outdoors. Unfortunately, many commercial smokers are either too expensive or too large for home use. The charcoal smoker and grill combo is a great compromise. It provide the moist smoky taste you want, without taking up as much room or costing as much money. Plus it can easily be used for a grill when you are wanting burger or a thick juicy steak.

Before getting started, there are a few things you’ll need;

• Charcoal Smoker and Grill combo
• Water Pan
• Charcoal
• Chimney Starter
• Wood Chips
• Meat

Each one of the items above could be a separate article on it’s own, but for now we’ll stick with the basics.

1. Select your meat – You can smoke most types of meat in a charcoal smoker and grill. The majority of small smokers will hold up to 50 lbs of meat, but you probably don’t want to try and cook that much at once. My suggestion is to look for something in the three to five pound range. Popular meats for smoking are pork shoulders, ribs, beef brisket and chicken.
2. Soak your wood chips – Since you are going to be placing the wood chips directly on top of the charcoal, it is a good idea to soak them for a minimum of two hours. If the wood chips aren’t properly soaked, they could burst into flames and potentially ruin your meat.
3. Light your charcoal – My recommendation is to use a chimney starter for this. A chimney starter is a cylinder that can be filled with charcoal. Newspaper is place underneath and lit on fire. This method will produce red hot coals within 15 – 20 minutes. You’ll need to have plenty of charcoal on hand, because you’ll want to add more to the charcoal smoker and grill about every hour.
4. Add liquid to the water pan – On most charcoalsmoker and grill combos, the water pan is located directly above the fire pan. It’s a good idea to add warm water rather than cold. Filling up a water pan with cold water could increase cooking times.
5. Put your meat on the grill and keep the lid closed – Ultimately, it’s all about the meat. As I mentioned, I would recommend smaller pieces of meat (three – five lbs). The good thing is that you can cook multiple pieces
   that are approximately the same size without adding time to the cooking process.

Other important things to remember;

• You will want to keep the temperature on your charcoal smoker and grill between 225 – 250 degrees. If you have an inexpensive smoker, you might want to consider upgrading the thermometer.
• In order to maintain the temperature, you will be adding charcoal throughout the process. Using this type of smoker isn’t something that you can “set it and forget it”.
• Don’t go crazy with the woods chips or the smoky taste of the meat could be too strong. A good rule of thumb is to add woods chips for half of the cooking time.

Smoking meat on a charcoal smoker and grill is an enjoyable process. It takes a little bit of time, but the end result is well worth it. There is nothing better than enjoying BBQ on a beautiful summer day. The fact that you made it yourself will make it even better.

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Choosing the Right Water Smoker - Charcoal, Propane or Electric

When it comes to choosing a water smoker, you have three options;

1. Charcoal Smoker and Grill
2. Propane Smoker
3. Electric Smoker

Deciding on what type of water smoker you purchase depends on a few things;

1. What is your budget?
2. Does it need to be portable?
3. How much time do you want to spend?
4. What type of food do you plan on preparing?
   

A Charcoal Smoker and Grill is my personal preference, but requires a little more effort. Generally, a charcoal smoker and grill (aka Bullet/Vertical Smoker) consists of three parts; fire pan, water pan, grilling surface. Since most meat you will be smoking will require several hours of cooking (approx. one hour per pound), then you will need to be continually monitoring the temperature. On average, you'll need to be added additional charcoal ever hour. The best way to prepare the charcoal is to use a Charcoal Chimney. Once the charcoal is hot, you can add it to the fire pan.

A Propane Smoker is portable, easy and convenient. The biggest advantage to a propane smoker is that you can easily control the temperature. They tend to be more expensive, but are a great low maintenance option for smoking meat.

An Electric Smoker is comparable to a Propane Smoker as far as portability, ease of use and convenience goes. The biggest downside to most electric smokers is that they do not have a temperature control. Another issue that some people have is that the heating elements tend to go bad. If you live in a location like an apartment, that does not allow charcoal or propane grills/smokers, then an electric version may be the choice for you.

As you can see, there are plenty of options available for choosing a water smoker. The most important thing is that you choose one and start smoking. I'm sure you'll find the experience to be enjoyable and the food wonderful.