| If you're looking to make the meat you cook taste | | | | The Do-It-Yourself Approach |
| better, there are plenty of techniques that can be | | | | Some people want dedicated meat smokers, but |
| applied to it in order to improve it. Marinating, brining, | | | | aren't willing to shell out the money for one, or have a |
| even just a pinch of salt can all help bring out the | | | | fondness for tinkering. There are different methods of |
| potential of meat. One method that's not practiced as | | | | creating meat smokers yourself, but one can be made |
| much as it used to be is the use of meat smokers to | | | | using things as simple as a hot plate and a metal |
| add flavor from burning wood. Smoking is historically a | | | | garbage can, among other items. The benefit from |
| method to aid in food preservation, since combined | | | | making your own smoker is that you can make a fairly |
| with the curing process, smoked meat is very resistant | | | | decent one for not a lot of money. Depending on the |
| to spoiling. If you are interested in learning to smoke | | | | design, you can create a smoker that's appropriate for |
| meats, you will of course need to look at meat | | | | both hot and cold smoking; the only limit is the work |
| smokers. There are several different types of | | | | you put into it. However, most commercially made |
| smokers to choose from, and each has benefits and | | | | meat smokers will have more sophisticated equipment |
| drawbacks. | | | | and more precise controls. |
| The Basic Approach | | | | Purchasing A Smoker |
| The most basic way to smoke meat is to use some | | | | If you're sure that you're dedicated enough to smoking |
| wood chips at the bottom of your grill and to close the | | | | foods that you will make frequent use of a smoker, |
| lid. This is the easiest of meat smokers to practice | | | | purchasing a meat smoker is the way to go. |
| with, since most homes already have a grill to work | | | | Commercially made meat smokers have solid |
| with. The amount of equipment that you need to | | | | construction and controls that can control temperature, |
| accomplish this is small, merely a small metal box to | | | | the smoking time, even the amount of smoke. Many |
| hold the wood chips as well as the wood chips | | | | will have designs that are appropriate for hot and cold |
| themselves. By using grills as meat smokers, you can | | | | smoking. The only real drawback to these meat |
| practice smoking without much of an investment in | | | | smokers is that they cost more money than using |
| complex equipment. However, because your meat will | | | | your grill or making your own. However, whichever |
| be close to the heat source, the effect will be closer to | | | | method you choose to try using meat smokers, a little |
| barbecuing than smoking, and cold smoking is | | | | practice and patience will result in creating food that |
| impossible. | | | | tastes great. |