How to buy a Barbecue Smoker

So you are thinking of buying a barbecue smoker? Where do you begin? Right here of course! Let's begin ..

For beginners we like to recommend water smokers, the vertical type. The "can" has a simple tray in the base of the unit and cooking racks close to the top. Between the two is a bowl of water that generates moisture throughout the smoking process.

Water smokers are not expensive and an ideal way for beginners to get into the world of barbecue smoking. Perhaps one downside to using a water type smoker is the fact that the heat regulation can be poor, but don't let that put you off from buying one. These inexpensive smokers can turn out some very impressive barbecue food!

A barbecue smoking away - The best way to cook your food!

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A step up from the water type smokers takes us into the realms of electric powered barbecue smokers. Electric smokers tend to cost a good deal more than water coolers, and the results are of course generally better than food smoked with a water type smoker. That aside, electric smokers does have some advantages and disadvantages.

Electric smokers have one benefit (or disadvantage depending on how you look at it!), in that they do not require you to tend a fire.

While to many people this takes away the fun from barbecuing, it does offer a simple and clean way to smoke food without the hassles of maintaining a fire during the smoking process. After all, some people want to spend more time having fun with their friends than poking around the fire with a stick all day.

Joking aside, electric smokers do have a lot to offer, and require less maintenance, and this to some people is more than enough to justify purchase of an electric smoker.

The cooking process is very simple, simply add water-moistened wood chips into the electric smoker and away you go. The chips will then put moisture and smoke into the smoking area and permate your food effectively.

Cost-wise electric smokers range in price from around £200 to £300 or so depending on make and specifications and are readily available from many online retailers. You can take a look at our ever-growing listing of barbecue smoker manufacturers here.

By now you are probably wondering what the next step-up from an electric smoker is .. well, for the most adventurous barbecuers of all, there is no substiture for a log or charcoal burning pit smoker!

These strange looking devices appear to be a cross between a cut-down trash can, and a steam engine. They are not only impressive to look at, the food they produce is of professional quality also, and many novice smokers upgrade in time to a log burning smoker when they see what kind of difference smoking makes to the taste of the food.

Log and charcoal burning pit smokers are generally quite a bit larger than water and electric smokers, and they can weigh a lot more too.

Fortunately though most smokers are equipped with wheels and handle-bars, much in the same way as barbecue grills, so you can move them around fairly easily.

Barbecue smoking pits have superior thermal control and smoke generation capacity which provides the cook with a lot more options when cooking the barbecue food.

An important aspect of these smokers is that it is essential to "cure" the pit before using it. This ensures that the pit is sealed against the heat and smoke during the cooking process, and will prolong the life of your smoker. You can get tips on maintaining your smoker from our barbecue smoker FAQ page here.

Perhaps the only downside to the barbecue smoking pit is the fact that they do tend to cost more money, but all things being equal if you want the best, you have to pay a little bit more.

In our opinion Klose barbecue pits are probably the best and most widely known manufacturer out there, having produced over 100,000 barbecue pits since they first started building them in 1986. You can find out more about Klose, and other smoker and pit manufactureres by reading our barbecue smoker manufacturers list.

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