Many people with a backyard own a barbeque. The delicious flavors that come from the grill are legendary and the perfect thing to bring people together for a wonderful afternoon in the backyard. For some people, the barbeque is almost a gateway to other flavors. The next logical step is to get a backyard smoker.
Once someone has a taste of a well smoked piece of meat slow cooked for many hours, it’s hard to go back. Smoking is a way to turn a decent piece of meat into a true culinary delight. Backyard smokers offer an elevated experience as well as an incredible smell wafting through the air and your windows. If you’re interested in getting a backyard smoker for your own home, learn more about the type of wood used and some of the best models to potentially choose.
Use the Right Smoking Woods
There’s many different woods and flavors that can be used in smokers. Many of the different wood flavors are good for different meats. It’s crucial to choose the right wood to get the right flavor. Some of the most common woods used in smokers include:
- Oak - Oak is one of the moderate smokes that can be used and is perfect for beginners. The flavor doesn’t get overpowering, but it’s also not subtle. Oak is great with many meats like beef, sausage, brisket and lamb.
- Hickory - Hickory is a versatile wood for smoking. It’s good on lots of great cuts of meat like pork shoulders, ribs, beef and poultry. There’s a danger though. Too much flavor can result in a distinct bitter taste.
- Applewood - This flavor is fairly mild but has a touch of sweetness as well. It’s common for bacon to be smoked with applewood, but it’s also good on other pork or chicken.
- Mesquite - Some smoke flavors pack a punch. Red meat is fantastic for beef and red meat. Mesquite needs to be used gently.
- Cherrywood - This is another mild flavor. Cherrywood is often mixed with other wood chips to try to create a more distinct flavor. People commonly use cherrywood smoke with hams, chickens and turkey.
- Pecanwood - Unsurprisingly, pecanwood will provide an almost nutty flavor to meat that it’s used. The sweetness can be very high and is often used with something more bitter like mesquite for a combination flavor. This is usually used with roast beef, ribs and brisket.
Best Backyard Smokers
There’s a surprisingly large number of smokers available to people. Some combine a bbq and grill with a smoker. The power to run each smoker can be different. Many run on gas, while others are electric. Some of the best smokers include:
- Masterbuilt Bluetooth Smart Digital Electric Smoker - Electric smokers are the cleanest of the power options. There’s lots of viewing space so you can check in on your smoking meat. It’s a cabinet style, which usually means that space is optimized well.
- Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker - This pellet smoker features both a grill and smoker, allowing for both devices to be combined together. The drip pan is well placed for easy collection of dripping fats and juices.
- Dyna-Glo Charcoal Offset Smoker - This is a very large premium smoker. In fact, it can easily fit around 100 lbs of food. It’s a vertical smoker, so every piece of meat will get an excellent smoke. The offset style means that there’s no worry about the liquids from the meats interrupting the smoke.
- Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker - This is a much smaller option that is perfect for beginners. At least, aside from running on charcoal. It does have a water pan and the size means it can easily be placed in a garage when not in use if the backyard needs more room.
