Smokers how do they work

Thankfully, these are relatively easy to get and can be found at most gas stations and outdoor stores. The gas travels from the bottle through a manifold and down to the cooking section.

It is then ignited as it flows out of the burner valves. Gas smokers are great for pitmasters who want a little more of the flavor-enhancing combustion chemicals than you would get with an electric smoker, but none of the cleanup associated with charcoal smokers or the cost of a pellet smoker.

Because their gas bottle fuel source is quite portable and the smokers themselves tend to be quite light , a gas smoker would also suit someone looking for something they could take camping or to cookouts. Learn more in our guide to the best propane smokers. Charcoal smokers come in a range of shapes and sizes, from the rugged little Weber Smokey Mountain to eye-catching ceramic kamado ovens like the Big Green Egg. Charcoal tends to tie with wood pellets in terms of the fuel that adds the most to the flavor.

The tradeoff for this extra flavor is that charcoal smokers tend to be a little more labor-intensive than electric or gas ones, requiring more set-up, babysitting, and cleaning. This char is then formed into little briquettes we call charcoal.

Charcoal provides the heat for a charcoal smoker, and the chemicals produced, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide , add to the flavor of the food. Additional smoke is created through the use of wood chips, which are typically set above the charcoal to smolder.

The amount of heat created is regulated by air intakes near the coals. The more air that is allowed into the firebox, the hotter the charcoal will burn. Most charcoal smokers suspend the food above the coals, drawing the heat and smoke across the food using a chimney and air dampers at the top. Being able to control the flow of air and smoke is vital to smoking with charcoal.

Too much air and the food will be dry and tough, too little air and the smoke and ash will make the food bitter. Their designs can be as straightforward or as complicated as you want you can make one from an old oil drum , and while it may take some time and effort to get consistent results, it is entirely worth it. Learn more in our guide to the best charcoal smokers or the best drum smokers.

Offset smokers were initially created from unused oil drums and that heritage it pretty clear to see in their barrel-like shape. Big, bulky, and with enough room to feed an entire city block with beautifully smoked food, owning one of these monsters is on the bucket list of most pitmasters. When wood or charcoal is burnt in the firebox, the smoke and heat are drawn across the food in the cooking chamber and out of a chimney. Reverse flow offset smokers are relatively easy to spot as they have the chimney mounted above, not opposite, from the firebox.

Offset smokers are an excellent buy for someone who wants to put the time and effort into getting the best from a fantastic, but not easy to use, smoker. Just make sure you actually have enough room in your yard before you buy one. They are not small! Learn more in our guide to the best offset smokers. Pellet smokers are a comparatively high-tech combination of oven and smoker.

They combine the extra smokey flavor of actual combustion with the supreme convenience of an electric smoker. Pellet smokers use sawdust compressed into what looks like chicken feed. These pellets sit in a hopper on the side of the smoker and are fed into a firebox by an auger drill. Inside the firebox is a heated metal rod which causes the pellets to combust, creating both smoke and heat in the cooking chamber above. Pellet smokers use built-in thermometers to keep the temperature stable, changing the airflow and amount of pellets being fed into the firebox to create a consistent heat.

If you are reasonably serious about smoking but want a high-tech solution that will let you actually burn wood without the babysitting of a charcoal smoker, then the pellet grill is a great option. Goldwyn prefers to use wood as a supplement to coals, using them to add flavor rather than a main source of fuel.

As he writes, "Wood fires are too hard to manage in a [smoker grill], and they can easily spoil the meat with too much smoke, creosote, soot, or ash.

Oxygen is one of the fuels that your smoker uses to create heat, so controlling the intake of oxygen through the grill's vents is a simple way to control your grill's temperature. Most smoker grills have both an "intake baffle" located near the firebox and a "chimney baffle" located at—you guessed it—the chimney. Set both baffles so they're fully open before adding the fuel—you'll adjust the intake baffle later, after the smoker heats up.

Be sure to keep the smoker and firebox doors closed as much as possible, since opening it triggers temperature fluctuations and allows heat and smoke to escape.

When the temperature probes indicate that the smoker has reached your desired temperature, add the meat to the smoker and close the door again. At this point, you'll want to adjust the intake baffle to start controlling the heat, since this baffle controls the flow of oxygen to the coals and thus has the greatest effect on cooking temperature. The chimney baffle, on the other hand, controls the smoke and the temperature differential in the cooking chamber—to a certain degree.

As the cooking continues, the temperature will eventually drop because of coals fading out. Replenish as needed with fully lit coals from the chimney starter. BA's Chris Morocco recommends large chunks of wood instead of chips, since they smolder more slowly and consistently. Hardwoods, fruitwoods, and nutwoods, specifically intended for smoking, burn best and deliver the best flavor.

Save Pin FB More. Smoker sitting outdoors. Credit: Blaine Moats. Propane Gas Smokers. These vertical smokers look a bit like a heavy-duty safe with a temperature gauge on the outside. Charcoal Smokers including cabinet-style, firebox, barrel and drum, and bullet. These can be either vertical or horizontal. Vertical charcoal smokers come in a variety of shapes like large drums, heavy-duty safes, and large eggs.

Horizontal charcoal smokers look much like a grill with a chimney. Pellet Smokers. These horizontal smokers look much like a grill with a chimney. Electric Smokers.

These vertical smokers may resemble a small fridge with various shelves, a heavy-duty safe, or a big drum depending on the brand. Heavy-gauge metal, usually steel Smooth porcelain enamel inside and out for durability Tight-fitting lid to hold in smoke and heat Built-in temperature gauge to monitor heat inside Access to lower half of barrel for ease of adding wood, water, or charcoal as needed Trays for catching and disposing of ashes Sufficient vents to help regulate heat and smoke.