| Charcoal smokers are the fore-runners of all the other | | | | Hickory infuses just enough smoky aromas so it is |
| types of smokers we have in the market today. Let's | | | | alright to use it on its own. |
| face it; these smokers still come up with the | | | | Wood from fruit trees tends to leave a certain |
| best-tasting smoked meat in the land. Early Americans | | | | sweetness on the smoked meat. Avoid pine and |
| have enjoyed smoked meat for centuries and they all | | | | cedar as they do not give off a pleasant taste. |
| learned how to cook and love it using them. | | | | Briquettes with flavor burned into them can be a |
| Charcoal smokers have become more modernized | | | | substitute for real charcoal as well. They should be |
| now in the sense that they already come with heat | | | | easy to use once you have mastered the pairings of |
| indicators and all that, making smoke cooking a lot | | | | wood and meat to be smoked. |
| easier. They now come in various shapes, sizes and | | | | Charcoal smoke cooking takes a little longer than say, |
| prices so you will never run out of choices. | | | | electric smokers. There is also a need to check on it |
| Constructing your own for your own specifications is | | | | more often to make sure that the temperature and |
| yet another option. | | | | the fuel are kept constant. But these are all part of the |
| Charcoal Smokers - The Secret Is In the Wood | | | | process - slow, thoughtful cooking that gives you only |
| One major factor that determines the outcome of the | | | | the best. This certain type of cooking is never rushed, |
| foods you smoke is the type of wood you will be | | | | anyway as your success is determined by how well |
| using it. It is best to have a bit of understanding about | | | | your food has absorbed the flavor right down to its |
| the flavors of the different woods usually used for | | | | core. |
| smoking and for what type of meat each one works | | | | Outdoor cooking and as we know it today has |
| best with. A smoker works not only to cook food but | | | | evolved from traditions passed on from generation to |
| also to infuse flavor into it. You will get distinct flavors | | | | generation. One of these great traditions is smoke |
| from each type of wood you use. It is therefore crucial | | | | cooking. Charcoal smokers may be a bit old-fashioned |
| to match the type of wood with the meat you are | | | | for some but at the end of the day, it all boils down to |
| cooking. Walnut, for example, has a heavy smoke | | | | having the best-tasting smoked meat you ever had. |
| flavor and best combined with a light wood likeapple. | | | | |