Smoking Meat (11 page)
SMOKING LINGO AND TERMS
ABT (ATOMIC BUFFALO TURD)
A jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese and any number of other ingredients, such as meat, cheddar cheese, and onions, then wrapped in bacon and smoked for three hours or until the bacon is crispy.
CHIMNEY (or STACK)
The round (or square in some cases) tube-like device coming out of the smoke chamber that allows smoke to escape from the smoker.
DAMPER
The vent in a smoker that allows air to enter and escape, thereby affecting the airflow within the smoker.
FATTY
A chub of breakfast sausage rolled flat, stuffed with cheese, vegetables, and other ingredients, rolled back up, and wrapped with a weave of bacon. This roll is smoked for about three hours or until the sausage is cooked and the bacon is crispy.
FIREBOX
The area of the smoker where the fire is built. This is most generally found on horizontal offset smokers.
INTAKE
The damper on or near the firebox that can be adjusted by the user to allow more or less air into the firebox. More air equals a hotter fire; less air equals a cooler fire.
LOW AND SLOW
A term used to describe the low heat and slow cooking method used to produce tender, juicy, and flavorful food in a smoker or other indirect cooking device.
NAKED
A term used to describe ribs that are served with no sauce on them. Most naked ribs are coated with a dry rub prior to smoking, and are served with sauce on the side. (The next time you’re in your favorite “Q” joint, order ribs and ask to have them served “naked.” Hopefully you’ll get ribs with no sauce instead of wet ribs served by a naked waiter or waitress!)
PITMASTER
A person who is highly skilled in the art of using a pit or a smoker to produce perfectly prepared and barbecued meat or other foods.
RAIN CAP
A cap on the top of the chimney that can be opened or closed in varying degrees to allow more or less smoke to escape. It’s aptly named because it also keeps rain out of the smoker.
RIB RUB
A concoction of spices made especially for ribs to flavor them and/or complement the sauce. Most rib rubs also work great on other meats, such as Pork shoulder and brisket.
SMOKE CHAMBER (
or
cooking chamber)
The large bottom chamber in a horizontal offset smoker. This is the area where the smoke and heat do their job of smoke cooking the meat.
TBS (THIN BLUE SMOKE)
A term used to describe what proper smoke looks like. It should be very thin and so pale that it almost has a bluish tint to it. This is the type of smoke that produces the best and cleanest flavor.
WATER PAN
A pan for holding water in some smokers, particularly the bullet models. The steam released by the water as it heats helps to regulate the temperature of the smoker.
WET
A term that normally applies to ribs when they are basted with sauce or marinade during smoking.
TIPS FOR SMOKING POULTRY
Brining
I highly recommend that chicken and turkey be brined before smoking. Follow the instructions for briningin the
Smokeology
chapter. for the best results.
Crisping the skin
So you like crispy poultry skin but have noticed that smoking chicken or turkey tends to produce rubbery, thick skin that is pretty much inedible? Poultry skin needs high heat to get crispy, but low and slow is where the flavor happens, so you have to find a balance between these two worlds.
To crispen the skin on a chicken or turkey, simply smoke it until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 145°
F
. Transfer the bird to a hot grill preheated to 350°
F
to 375°
F
, and finish it off to 165°
F
.
You can also smoke cook the bird at 275°
F
to 300°
F
to obtain crispy skin, but the cooking time will be much shorter than what is listed in the recipes that follow. This method really cuts the time a bird spends in the smoker, and for me that translates to cutting flavor. I recommend you try several different ways to crispen poultry skin to see what works best for you.
Removing the skin
It is fairly uncommon to remove poultry skin, but if you desire to do so, wait until your bird is finished smoking. The skin protects the meat as it cooks, while still allowing plenty of smoke to get through. Furthermore, even if you burn the skin, the meat will, in most cases, still be very good. Once a bird is cooked, the skin can easily be removed and discarded if that is your wish.
Dealing with the neck and giblets
You will want to remove extra parts from the cavity of the poultry before making any of these recipes. The neck and giblets are not necessary in most cases and can be discarded. If you are planning to use these parts in a different recipe such as gravy or dressing, place them in the refrigerator or freezer for safekeeping.
Smoked Whole Chicken
Chicken is one of the easiest meats to smoke, immensely delicious, and a good meat to hone your smoking skills on. If it doesn’t turn out the way you want, your loss is fairly negligible in terms of cost and time (compared to more expensive and time-consuming items like brisket or Pork butt).
RECOMMENDED WOOD
Pecan and mesquite at a 50:50 ratio
ESTIMATED COOK TIME
3 to 4 hours
SERVES
8
2 whole chickens (about 4 lb each)
1/3 cup
All-Purpose Rub
¼
cup yellow mustard
PREPARATION
Brine the chickens, if desired (see the
Smokeology
chapter).
Rinse the chickens in cold water, making sure also to rinse the cavities thoroughly. Pull the skin up as much as possible without tearing it, and use your fingers to push about 1 Tbsp of the rub under the skin of each chicken so the rub is in direct contact with the meat.
Apply a thin layer of the mustard to the outside of each chicken, then pour half (2 Tbsp) of the remaining rub on each bird and massage it in. The rub will mix with the mustard and will leave a really nice crust on the outside of the chicken. Leave the chicken on the counter to bring it up to room temperature while you set up your smoker.