Barbequing in the United States is a tradition as well known as apple pies and the fourth of July. Grilling hot dogs and steaks in your backyard is one of the most American traditions out there and that’s why there are so many grills and brick ovens in residential areas around the USA.
This is why it’s important that you learn how to use a smoker grill. After all, using one will help you to have parties and invite friends and coworkers over for celebrations and birthdays.
What is a Smoker Grill?
A smoker is an apparatus that is used for cooking at low temperatures. It should be ideally used in a controlled environment for the smoking of food. Temperature control is essential for ideal operation since a lot of fires can be generated if the heat gets out of control.
If a piece of cooking equipment can hold a low temperature for several hours and it can create smoke, then it can technically be qualified as a smoker. There are various different types of smokers that are sold; ones that work with wood and charcoal pellets and ones which are fully electric.
Get a Smoker Grill
Get a smoker grill first. Don’t splurge too much on one since you can probably get one at a decent price, but the fancy ones don’t add too much value to your meat. Remember, it’s your ability more than the grill itself that makes the meat taste good.
Prepare Smoker Grill
Open up the firebox and toss in charcoal pellets, then set them on fire. To smoke up the grill, you need wood that has been soaked in water for thirty minutes. Throw that on to the flaming coals to produce smoke.
Remember to start with a temperature of 400 F and then bring it down to about 200 F. This decontaminates the grill.
Flavor your Meat and Create Moisture
Add herbs and spices to a hard foil bowl filled with water and then mix them up. Then, place the bowl under the grill grate so that it is just below the meat.
This process creates a lot of moisture for the meat, which will aid in the meat absorbing the smoky and spicy flavors. This is what the smoker grill is made for.
Juicy, flavored meat is hard to achieve and you will probably not be able to do so on your first try, but you will get better and better at it as you keep practicing.
Put the Meat on the Grill
Next, place the meat over the spiced water and start cooking. Make sure to check the temperature is set right where you want it. Adjust for the size of the meat and how well you want it done.
Close the Lid
Next, close the lid and keep checking on the meat from time to time. You need to leave the meat in the smoker grill for about 1 hour to 90 minutes. Opening the lid too often may sap the heat from the grill and that’s a bad thing. Doing so may also contaminate the meat, so be careful.
Control the Temperature
Regulating the temperature is the entire game with cooking up anything. If you’re baking, frying, sautéing, or even grilling up some food, if the temperature runs away from you, you’re in trouble. Hence, you’ll need to regulate the airflow of the smoker grill if you want to regulate the temperature here.
Ideally, you should use a meat thermometer in order to keep track of the temperature. You should keep it within a small range during the entire operation.
The dampers can also help to regulate the airflow. Open the upper or bottom damper as wide or narrow as you need to depending on the temperature regulation. The ambient temperature, as well as the wind also helps determine how much you need to open them.
Check the Food and Fuel
You need to open the lid and check the food every so often. It depends on how high the setting is and what you’re cooking. A meat thermometer is ideal for checking how well the food has been grilled.
Make sure to check the food every half an hour or so just to be sure, and make sure to check the water basin under the food if it needs a refill. You can add more fuel to the smoker box if you deem it necessary, but do all of this in moderation. Don’t lose sight of the main goal, which is to cook up some grub.
Clean up and Serve
Once the meat has been prepared, the first thing you should do is set it aside on a plate, and then leave it to cool. While the food is cooling, use a steel brush to clean the grill of any leftover meat and charcoal dust. This will prevent any burns or bruises that you may suffer as a result of negligent cleaning.
When the grill is cooled, you can clean it much more thoroughly, but for now, while you just want to go over it to preserve its function while the food cools, this is enough.
This guide is bound to help you out when you want to grill up some meat for your coworkers or friends whether you’re celebrating a birthday or a promotion or even a small holiday. Just remember that patience and diligence always goes a long way to promote safety and efficiency when you’re grilling up some grub.
Rhonda grew up with parents who gardened, hunted, fished, canned, and preserved food. Her mother was a professional cook and Rhonda credits her teaching everything from how to make homemade biscuits and gravy to what kind of meals to serve for different occasions. In the kitchen, Rhonda uses a mix of old-fashioned country cooking and up-to-date fads in the kitchen, often experimenting with replacing higher-calorie or fat ingredients with healthier options that still retain the delicious flavors of the originals.