How to Use a Charcoal Smoker

Using a charcoal smoker is not that much more difficult than using an ordinary charcoal grill. The primary difference is that you will be using indirect heat to cook rather than direct heat. Direct heat is preferable for small cuts of meat that only need a short time to cook. Indirect cooking is usually used for larger cuts of meat that will take some time to cook. A large rack of pork can usually be done in about four to six hours. A whole hog may take as many as 15 hours, or even more, to be entirely done.

Smoking not just a process for cooking, but is the process of infusing a smoky flavor to the meats or other foods you are cooking. The best way to achieve this flavor is with the use of wood. Wood chips and chunks can be found almost anywhere that charcoal and lighter fluid are sold. If you are cooking for several hours, get the chunks. They last longer.

Soak the wood for a couple of hours before placing them in your smoker grill. This will keep them from burning up. They will smoke and smolder adding flavor to your food. Brine or marinade meats well ahead of time. This is best done in the refrigerator, because it is dangerous to leave meat sitting out for long periods of time.

Get the fire going in the fire box and get the smoking chamber up to temperature before putting your meat in the smoker. Use an accurate, high quality thermometer. After you put the food in the cooking chamber, close the lid and use only the temperature gauge and your watch to monitor progress. Opening the lid or door will let out all the smoke that you are trying to use for flavor. It also drastically reduces the temperature inside the smoker. Add 15 to 30 minutes of cooking time for every time you open the smoker.

During the last 15 to 30 minutes you can open the lid to baste or add sauce. Close to time for the food to be done, use a meat thermometer to check progress of doneness. Meat thermometers are marked for the correct temperatures for beef, pork, poultry and other common meats. They will also indicate what ranges are appropriate for rare, medium rare, medium, medium well and well done. Some meats are not safe to be served under medium or medium well.