While you might have heard of outdoor smoking as a way to cook your meat, this is actually a more advanced technique than it might seem. In order to use this outdoor cooking technique correctly, you need to make sure you’re following the right steps in the right order. With practice and patience, you will be able to perfectly smoke anything you may want to cook, giving the meat a unique flavor that tends to be a crowd pleaser.
First of all, you need to make sure you have plenty of wood ships or dry branches in order to create an outdoor fire. This gathering can be made into a group task when you have a number of guests coming to your house. To make sure you have enough wood for this outdoor cooking, you will need to not only gather small pieces of wood, but also larger pieces to keep the smoke coming if the fire begins to die down on its own.
The best woods are those that are clean and that are free of dirt and sap. Anything extra on the wood will affect the smoke taste. So make sure to remove the green parts and any plastic that might be a part of the wood bundle as well.
The next step of this outdoor cooking process is to soak the wood in water before you put it onto your grill. This will help to create ideal conditions for plenty of smoke when the wood is finally lit. If you skip this step, the smoke can be minimal or it can be too harsh in its taste, leading to a less than ideal result for your BBQ. You will also notice that when you light pre-soaked wood, it does not have as many flames. This is normal and it helps to keep the meat from getting burnt, while still allowing it to be smoked.
When you have your wood in place, it’s time to start outdoor cooking. You will want to light this wood and try to get the smoke to start. This needs to be done carefully and with a watchful eye. You need to watch the smoke to see it rise and to grow, while also limiting the flames that are produced. Check to make sure the smoke is flowing well before you put the lid back on your grill. And once you put the grill top down, you need to leave it down to keep the smoke from escaping.
You can then put your meats or your other foods in the grill and let them sit in there for as long as it takes to cook them. Since this is not a high heat cooking process, this can take a few hours, so this is not recommended when you have guests coming over in a few minutes. Also, if you have a gas grill, you will need to get a smoker box since you will not be lighting any wood in your outdoor cooking grill area.