
How to buy a BBQ Smoker
What should you know before buying a BBQ
smoker ?
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you are thinking of buying a barbecue smoker? Where do you begin? Right
here of course! Let's begin .. |
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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.
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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 barbecue
smokers can turn out some very impressive BBQ food!
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 do 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. |
The only way to barbecue!
Smoke it!
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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 substitute for a log or charcoal burning pit smoker. The
flavors that are produced from smoking food takes charcoal or gas
barbecuing to a completely new level.
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 smokers
are generally quite a bit larger than water
smokers and electric smokers, and they can weigh a lot more
too.
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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. |
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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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