How to Smoke Food Like a Pro Using an Electric Smoker?

You love smoked food but don’t have any experience of making it, well, this isn’t a problem anymore. There are some techniques which will make you a pit-master in no time. The good thing is, you can use any type of smokers, i.e. electric smokers, charcoal smokers, gas smokers and grills. Smoking equipment like electric smokers works on “set and forget” operation so you don’t have to tend your food always. All that required is to set the time and temperature controls, and then leave this appliance to work its magic.

Here are some valuable tips to avoid the expensive mistakes of overcooking premium cuts of meat or delicate fish… Let’s dive straight into it…..

1. Pre-Seasoning of your Smoker

You need to cure and season it for maximum performance and flavor. In this way, you can remove the odors and residues left behind from previous smoking. It also gives an oil layer to your appliance that will protect your food in subsequent smokes. Now, turn on your smoker and set the temperature at 270 – 275°F for 2 – 3 hours. When the time is completed, turn off the smoker and allow it to cool. You only have to season your appliance once. If you want to check some great electric smokers, you can always go at the following link: https://bestelectricsmoker.co

2. Controlling Smoker Temperatures

It is a bit of a challenge to find perfect vent positions. In case of electric smokers, they have a control panel which makes it pretty easy to control temperature settings. It also has built-in temperature probes and monitors to aid this process. They will monitor the internal smoker temperature and check the gauge temperature accuracy. A simple trick is that if you are aiming for an internal temperature of 220°F than you should set the temperature between 205°F – 210°F. You can also leave the vents fully open as you smoke food to avoid the risk of creosote build-up on your food.

3. Using the Right Wood Chips

Electric smokers and charcoal smokers are built to accommodate wood chips and charcoal. This helps in imparting some excellent flavors on smoked foods. Don’t ever use scrap wood or treated wood in your appliance as they can produce harmful gasses on burning. Use a specially manufactured and bagged wood chips that are perfect for smoking. There are a lot of flavors of wood chips available that you can use. You can improvise as well in the placement of wood chips. You can place them in a disposable aluminum pan with holes. This pan is than placed just above the heating element to provide perfect smoke.

Many BBQ guides recommends soaking the wood chips for about half an hour before placing them in a smoker. It is not that important of a thing. Wet wood chips doesn’t produce smoke at first rather steam. This steam only delay the actual combustion stage of the wood chips to produce flavor-inducing smoke. It is a personal preference but to us, it is better to go with dry wood chips. At Carnivore Style, you’ll find smoker reviews and cooking tips using wood pellets in an electric smoker.

4. Correct Temperature Settings

The ideal temperature for smoking meat is 200°F – 225°F. The type of meat and food you are smoking greatly influence the temperature settings. If you smoke at low temperatures, it greatly tenderize and penetrate the meat to a larger extent. It also preserves the natural connective fibers in tough cuts of meat like chuck and brisket. Poultry has the best taste when smoked at a higher temperature of 275°F. In this way, every food has its own optimum temperature range for best flavor. You need to know the safe internal temperatures for every food you wish to smoke for determining when they are ready to be served.

5. Brine the Poultry before Smoking

If you want your meat to have ton of flavor, you better brine the meat and soak them in brine solution for perfect taste. For that matter, mix salt and sugar in cold water, and add seasonings like celery salt, whole white or black peppercorns, fresh parsley, bay leaves, carrots, clove-studded whole onions, and citrus-fruit slices, and then soak overnight or preferably for 24 hours. Brining tenderizes and moisturizes the meat while adding a lot of flavor and giving your meat a delicious taste. This tip might be the one tip that differentiates your BBQ from a run-of-the-mill BBQ.

6. Post Smoking Clean Up

You have to line the cooking racks of your smoker before smoking. The aluminum helps protecting the drip and deflector pans. This also makes the whole cooking process cleaner and healthier. Oil and grease free racks yields better tasting food. The leftover grease can stick to your food and can cause the food to produce the excess and bitter taste smoking. Also, regularly clean your smoker like any other home appliance. You can use certain detergents, cleaning cloth, and warm water for this purpose. Gently scrub the interior with a plastic bristle brush or soap sponge, and physically remove any water pans, drip trays, wood chip pans, and cooking racks. Soak them in warm soapy water for some time before scrubbing clean, rinsing, and drying.

7. Final Views

You BBQ skills will develop gradually when you use the electric smoker more. This will certainly help you in smoking your meat and other foods like a pro. The above mentioned tips will guarantee your success. These tips will guarantee a difference in the quality and flavor of your BBQ, and mark you out a lot more than just a beginner.