Step by Step Guide to Smoking Food on Your BBQ

Simple Step by Step Guide to Smoking Food on Your BBQ

Charcoal

Place the charcoal on your barbecue covering around 30 to 50% of the grid. This will allow the food to be smoked indirectly,
Light the charcoal and leave for around 20 minutes.

Heat Control

We do not want the smoke directly underneath the food as this would result in a bitter taste.

Note the vents on the portable smoker barbecue, slide vent at the bottom and top. The top vent should always be left open to allow free flow of smoke. You can control heat by using the bottom vent. (see image above)

Charcoal Ready

The charcoal is now ready and should more grey than black.
Covered in a white ash, don't worry it will last 3 to 4 hours because we control the speed of combustion using the bottom vent.

The charcoal is now ready to add the wood chips.

Keeping the Charcoal Going

Not a problem with this size barbecue but if you want to try long slow smoking then a Charcoal Chimney Starter is a must, especially for larger barbecues.

Wood Chips
Your wood chips will require a 30 to 60 minutes soak in water before using. You can soak them in wine or beer if you feel adventurous. Place an handful of pre soaked wood chips onto the hot white coals and close the lid.

Alternative Method

Use a stainless steel smoke box for your wood chips. You don't need to soak them and they will smoulder rather than burn and last a lot longer.

Important Bit

Wait for the barbecue to smoke before you place the food on the grill.
Once smoking from the vent open the barbecue and carefully place your food on the grill, away from the coals.

Why Important? When meat or fish is placed into an hot oven or barbecue it will heat seal on the surface.
We want the smoke to penetrate the food, so wait until the woodchips are smoking before placing the food on the grill.

Start Smoking
Add the 2 rainbow trout to the left, these are ideally placed for smoking on the grill. (see image above)
We do not want the smoke directly underneath the food as this would result in a bitter taste.

Make sure the top vent is open to allow free flow of smoke.
If the barbecue is to hot adjust the bottom vent to cut down the flow of air feeding the coals.

Cooking Time

Always a difficult one as it depends on your barbecue, the amount of charcoal used and the outside temperature.
Fish does not take long so open the lid after 10 minutes and if the fish flakes back its ready to eat.

Meat will take longer and will be more tender if you barbecue long and slow.
Its a good idea to buy a food thermometer as this will give you clear indication that the food is cooked.

Smoked

2 delicious smoked rainbow trout smoked with apple wood.
Now you can look at some more recipes on Planet Barbecue and start marinating and adding rubs and spices to your chosen dish.

Just imagine: a joint of pork marinated in pure apple juice for 24 hours, rubbed with spices and herbs, slow smoked with oak woodchips and basted with your favourite sauce during the last hour of cooking.

BBQ Smoking Tips and Ideas

Sauces and Flavoured Olive Oil
Brilliant for basting food during smoking to stop the food drying out during slow smoking.

If smoking joints of meat or chicken remember each time you lift the lid add another 10 minutes to your cooking time. Usually its best to only open the lid every 30 minutes when barbecuing joints.

Use a basting brush (included in good barbecue tool kits) to apply the sauce or Flavoured oil.

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