Smoking Meat (6 page)

No matter which method you choose to build your fire, some practice is required to learn how much wood you should start with in order to maintain a 225°
F
to 240°
F
temperature in your smoker. Only experience can teach you that.

Charcoal Fire

Most of us have our own favorite ways of getting a charcoal fire started. When I was a child, it was always fun to watch my dad douse charcoal with an entire bottle of lighter fluid and then light a match and fling it onto the grill. He always had to jump back pretty quickly to avoid being left without eyebrows, beard, and arm hair for several weeks.

While this is a common way to start a fire—and brings out the inner pyromaniac in all of us—it is not really the best, and is certainly not the safest, way to get the charcoal burning. I hope I can persuade you to use any of the following tools, which allow for much better and safer fire-starting methods.

Charcoal chimney

A charcoal chimney is a round metal device that resembles a coffee can with a large handle. Charcoal is placed in the top and newspaper in the bottom. When the newspaper is lit, it in turn lights the charcoal. Within just a few minutes the charcoal will be white hot and ready to pour into the firebox.

Charcoal Chimney

While the above method is simple and works really well, I have discovered an even easier way to use this tool if you happen to have a gas grill with a side burner. Fill the charcoal chimney with charcoal and set it on the burner. Light the burner, and once the charcoal is lit simply turn the burner off. You will soon have an entire batch of charcoal ready to pour into the firebox.

Wax fire starters

Wax fire starters are blocks made of wax mixed with wood sawdust and fibers. They come in various types and sizes, and can easily be lit and placed under or slightly to the side of unlit charcoal. These starters will generally burn for 10 to 15 minutes, which is plenty of time to light the charcoal. Make sure the ones you purchase are safe for use in a barbecue, since some varieties are designed to be used in a fireplace, and contain chemicals or additives. Read the information on the package before purchasing.

Propane weed burner

This little gizmo is simply a long neoprene hose that connects to a propane tank, with a wand at the other end. Once lit, a flame jets out from the wand that is fit for killing weeds, terminating anthills, and starting charcoal. I think men probably have way too much fun with this toy, but it does a great job at getting charcoal blazing within minutes.

Minion method for maintaining a charcoal fire

As I understand it, Jim Minion discovered this awesome method for keeping a charcoal smoker hot for hours on end during a moment of sudden inspiration. This method is sheer genius, and in the smoking world, Jim will forever be a legend.

In a nutshell, a single chimney (see previous page) of lit charcoal is poured on top of a large pile of unlit charcoal. Over time, the lit charcoal slowly lights the charcoal below it. This method, when set up correctly, can produce constant heat for as long as 16 hours. This allows for that much-needed sleep during the long cooking times required by large cuts of meat such as brisket and Pork shoulder.

There are some basic technical requirements for this method to work. The unlit charcoal must have access to plenty of air from the bottom and sides. For this reason, most people who use this method build a charcoal holder from expanded metal or a similar material; legs on the holder let it sit at least 3 inches above the bottom of the smoker.

Remember that each smoker is different, and it may take a little practice to discover exactly how much lit charcoal is required to maintain the desired smoker temperature and how much unlit charcoal is required to maintain that heat across a certain number of hours. But with some patience, perseverance, and good note-taking, the Minion method can easily allow you to leave the smoker unattended while you sleep or take care of other things. The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is especially well suited (out of the box) for this method.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

There are many more smoking gadgets on the market than I could ever hope to mention in a single book. Below, I have selected the ones I feel are the most useful for a basic setup. As you advance in your skills, you may choose to expand your collection of smoking gadgets. Trust me when I say that this can become very addictive.

Thermometers and Temperature Control

I know many, many chefs who absolutely refuse to use a thermometer to test the internal temperature of meat. Instead, they’ve learned how to tell the temperature by how the meat looks and feels. I have nothing against this method, but it is not necessarily very accurate. I prefer the scientific approach in which technology determines the exact internal temperature of that Pork loin or Thanksgiving turkey or whatever it is I happen to be cooking. Don’t take this the wrong way; if you can hit the nail on the head every time you look at and feel meat, then I envy you, but since most of us cannot do that, I highly recommend the use of a good instant-read, digital probe meat thermometer.

Digital meat thermometers are inexpensive (they can cost as little as $15), and can be purchased almost anywhere cooking tools are sold. You can also pay a little more if you want something nifty—a remote version that allows you to keep the monitor with you while the probe stays in the meat, for example. This is actually a pretty sweet device, and I highly recommend obtaining one if you can afford it.

Insert the thermometer into the meat in the early stages of the cooking session, and leave it there while the meat cooks. The braided metal cord can be placed in the doorjamb of the smoker or inserted through a hole or vent. The actual probe itself should not touch metal of any kind, or it can short out and cease to work (you can purchase replacement probes). With a little care, thermometers can last for many years. I have about six of them, and all still work as well as they did the day I bought them.

Controller on a Bradley digital smoker, with digital probe meat thermometer.

The probes can also be used to test the ambient temperature of the smoker. Simply insert the probe through a potato, allowing about 2 or 3 inches of the probe to stick out the other side. Place the potato on the grate along with the meat, and you’ll have an accurate reading of the heat at grate/meat level. Feel free to eat the smoked potato later.

I see many novice pitmasters using mechanical or digital instant-read thermometers that are designed to pierce the meat and check its internal temperature during the cooking session, but that cannot be left in. These are not good, and I will explain why: every time you pierce, poke, or otherwise insert an object into very hot meat, the tasty juices bubble out of the hole you just made, and that is never a good thing. You need those tasty juices to remain inside the meat. I recommend you place the digital probe meat thermometer into the meat halfway through your cooking session, and do not remove it until the meat is out of the cooker and has rested for 15 to 30 minutes. The meat will seal around the probe early on and the delectable juices will stay inside, while you still get a constant read on the internal temperature of the meat.

Food safety and thermometers

Here’s a little food safety tidbit for you while we are on the subject of thermometers: I used to recommend that the thermometer be inserted into the meat when it is first placed in the smoker. However, recent studies on ways to prevent bacteria and foodborne illnesses seem to suggest that if bacteria is present on the surface of the raw meat and a thermometer or any other object is inserted, it could carry that bacteria deep into the meat and create a real safety issue.

My understanding is that the temperature must reach 140°
F
a half-inch below the surface of the meat within the first four hours of a cooking session in order for it to be safe to eat. I can say with certainty, based on years of experience, that a meat temperature of 140°
F
is easily accomplished within four hours of cooking at 225°
F
for all types of meats. That’s why I suggest inserting the thermometer into the meat halfway through a cooking session.

You might already be wondering whether this rule also applies to injecting marinades or other liquids into the meat or making incisions of any kind before the interior reaches 140°
F
. I try not to get too carried away with this. I often inject raw meat with marinades and I sometimes insert the thermometer at the beginning of the smoking session. I mention this information only because it’s one way to add an extra safety net into your cooking techniques.

Stoker Power Draft System

A while back I heard of an electronic device that operates a blower attached to your charcoal or wood-fired smoker in order to maintain a certain temperature level. I contacted the company and they promptly sent me a test model to try out on my 22½-inch Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.

This thing is serious geek candy; it comes with all the bells and whistles you would expect. You can connect it to your home computer network and use it to monitor online both the temperature of your smoker and the internal temperature of your meat. What’s more, you can control the temperature of your smoker online! For my first test, I set up my smoker for about 225°
F
, then set the Stoker to maintain that temperature. I watched intently for over an hour as the fan cycled on and off, on and off, and maintained the temperature within mere degrees. I finally went to take care of other things, returning five hours later to some of the best ribs I have ever eaten. The only thing on my mind at that moment was, “I could sure get used to this!”

I am “stoked” about this piece of equipment. While there are no doubt other devices that do a similar job, this seems to be the one that everyone is talking about, and from the only company that offered to send me a test model. To find out more about the Stoker, visit Rock’s Bar-B-Que’s website at
www.rocksbarbque.com
.

Cooking Utensils

Every backyard chef needs a good set of tools. It doesn’t have to be an expensive set, but it does need to be sturdy enough to stand up to a little abuse. I recently received a new set of stainless steel, heavy-duty barbecue tools as a gift, yet I still prefer the cheapo set I have been using for years and years. It’s not about price, or even what material the tools are made of. The utensils must be useful, and I think that is judged from a personal perspective. What works best for me may not work best for you.

Tongs

The most useful tool I own is my tongs. I use tongs to flip meat, place meat on the grate, place a chunk of wood in a precise spot, add or remove charcoal from the firebox, move the grate when it is hot—the list goes on and on. I truly believe that I could not cook without them. Make sure your tongs completely close at the tip, or you will find yourself wishing they did at some point.

Tongs