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#1 “Low and Slow” is the key for the simple creation of incredibly juicy, smoky meats!
SCHEDULING:
Long, slow smoke cooking is such a change from our usual hurry-up way of life that it may take some gettin’ used to. Food and
recipe choices can be as simple or as time consuming as you wish but the cook time will always be longer than normal grilling or
even oven cooking.
It is a good idea to set yourself a countdown so your food will nish cooking before your scheduled meal time. Cooks that do not
plan ahead may nd themselves with a yard full of hungry guests if the food comes out of the smoker two hours after they were
ready to eat.
Base your countdown on the longest cooking time shown on the Quick Glance Cooking Chart or recipe. Count backward from the
time you want to eat then add another hour to start the charcoal (or plug in and warm up the electric model), take the meat out of
the refrigerator to take the chill o and generally get everything ready to cook. This rst hour of preparation is the most work you
will have to do when smoke cooking.
TIMING:
Notice that there are ranges of one or two hours in the recipes on the Quick Glance Cooking Chart. This is because there are so
many factors that can speed up, or more likely slow down the rate of smoke cooking. Wind, the starting temperature of the food,
outside temperature, relative humidity, the number of times you lift the hood, the temperature of the water in the pan, the thick-
ness and weight of the food can all have an eect on the cooking time so recommended cooking times are approximate. The only
way to be sure the food is done is to check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Another of the many great things about
smoke cooking is that there is VERY little risk of overcooking in a water smoker. When the water pan is in place and lled with water
it keeps the heat low and even so that at the end of long cooking sessions the food will stay hot and moist for hours.
If the outside temperature is below 55-60 degrees F, you are cooking above 4000 feet or it is windy, allow extra time for smoking. If
you forget to take the meat out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so to remove the chill, allow extra cooking time. Meat must be
completely thawed before putting it in to smoke cook.
TESTS FOR DONENESS:
ALWAYS USE A MEAT THERMOMETER TO TEST FOR DONENESS! Refer to your recipe or the Quick Glance Cooking Chart to deter-
mine the minimum cooking time and temperatures for doneness. Only at the end of the recommended minimum time should you
lift the hood to check the temperature of the meat. DO NOT LIFT THE HOOD except to check for doneness as heat will be lost and
the cook time will be lengthened. Add at least 15 minutes to the recommended cooking time for each time you lift the hood. Al-
ways be sure to insert the meat thermometer into the meat so the tip is in the center of the largest muscle, away from bone or fat.
Smoked foods do look a bit dierent from oven or grill cooked foods so your eye can not always judge doneness. This and the long
cooking time make it essential to use a meat thermometer. Smoked poultry, for instance, will usually look slightly pink especially
around the joints and just under the skin while the skin will be a crispy dark brown. Pork will also show a pink color even though it
is done. Dierent rubs and glazes will produce a range of surface colors from gold to a black “bark” on long smoked pork butts.
FOOD SAFETY:
• Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
• Cooking utensils (spatulas, forks, tongs) that were used to handle/ip food while cooking should be thoroughly washed before
using to remove cooked food from the grill. Bacteria transferred from the uncooked food could be transferred to the nished
food during this last step. Any bacteria transferred during the cooking process will be killed by the heat of grilling.
• Smoke food to a safe minimal internal temperature. See the Quick Glance Cooking Chart.
• Do not place cooked food on the same plate that was used to take the raw food to the grill unless the plate was thoroughly
washed.
• Keep meats hot in the smoker for second helpings.
• When no more meat will be served, Chill Promptly. Refrigerate meat and poultry within 2 hours of removing it from a smoker.
Cut the meat or poultry into smaller portions or slices, place it in shallow containers, cover, and refrigerate. Use it within 4 days
or freeze for later use.
• Cook turkeys unstued. If stung is desired, prepare and wrap in foil to cook along side of the bird.
Basic Keys to Successful Smoke Cooking
