Tag: Restaurant Meat Smoker

If you have ever traveled to the Southern United States in the spring or summer, you already know what smells you are most likely to find around restaurants, fairs and carnivals, and proliferating like a tasty haze from the backyards of grilling aficionados.

Smoked meat is proudly proclaimed as a ‘Southern Thing’ and mastering the art of smoking can take years; it’s a complicated and painstaking process to supervise a smoker.  From the seasoning to the marination process beforehand, and the long and drawn out process of slowly (and safely) smoking meat.

In this article, we pay homage to the way meat is prepared and smoked predominantly in the deep south of the United States, where smoking is more than a cooking method; it’s a competitive art.  One that can draw customers from miles around to a food truck or restaurant too.

What You Will Need

Rudimentary or early smokers were often made out of metal barrels.  Today we are lucky to have a number of smoking appliances that can be used indoors, and the traditional grill design with a tray for seasoned wood chips and charcoal.  Why charcoal? It infuses the meat with a rich organic flavor, and it is safer than using a gas grill, which would be a hazard considering that most smoked meat can take up to 24 hours or longer to prepare.

It takes a lot of charcoal, so make sure you have a good quantity on reserve to keep those embers hot over the slow smoking process.

You will also need a mop.   No, it’s not a cleaning tool you would use on your floor but rather the name for a big, soluble brush that can slather on large quantities of sauce.   If you are planning to smoke ribs or a whole chicken, there are racks available to help you get an even cooking temperature on all sides, without laying the meat flat on the surface of the grill.

Wood smoking chips are where expert Chefs and adventurous grill masters at home get creative.  There are so many different varieties of seasoned wood chips to choose from, and the flavor of the chips directly impacts the marinated taste of the finished smoked meat.

Here are some of the most popular seasoned smoker chips:

• Mesquite
• Pecan
• Cherry
• Fig
• Lemon
• Hickory
• Olive
• Maple

Check out this article on Wide Open Eats, for suggestions on pairing certain smoker woods with seasonings for more detailed recommendations.   Remember when we said that smoking meat was a competitive sport? Thankfully there are many online resources that can provide you with gourmet tips and suggestions to help you pair the right meat, with the correct wood chips for a delicious result.

What Kind of Meat Can You Cook Using the Smoked Method?

The good news is that you can smoke most cuts of meat (and fresh seafood too!).  The trick is really knowing what cuts to select from because that is a science too.

While many southern states may dispute it, Texas has laid claim to become the official expert in smoked brisket.  Texas style brisket involves a special rub called “South of the Border” or the SOB rub.  Texans like their barbecue meat spicy in the Southwest tradition, and marinating rubs strongly favor chili pepper to add that deep heat.

Make sure to choose U.S.D.A. choice grade packer-trimmed brisket for best results.  To enhance the flavor of the rub, many suggest a constant mopping with a beer to keep the meat moist and braising slowly.  Hickory is a popular choice for brisket, followed by mesquite and pecan wood smoking chips.

Chicken is another popular choice and easy to prepare inside a smoker.   One of our favorite recipes is applewood smoked chicken, which involves preparing a whole chicken (butterflied for the grill) and a selection of seasonings including brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and salt.

Amanda is the food blogger at Recipes Worth Repeating, and she shares her passion for preparing smoked meat, along with a great recipe for Applewood smoked chicken that we tried (and loved).  Some people prefer to stand up their chicken on a specialized rack within the smoker, for a more even flavor dispersion and coloration.

One of the most famous types of meat for the smoker is of course pork.  And that can be in a large portion to be carved after smoking, or in lengths of fresh pork ribs that come alive with a light smoked flavor and a great barbeque sauce!  One of the other benefits of smoked ribs is that they require less time than other types of meat; most portions can be smoked successfully in under four hours.

Ribs are the cut of meat that is most common at competitive smoking events.  But there is a 3-step method involved to produce the tenderness and proliferation of flavor throughout the meat that most grill experts follow.

Here is the secret to 3-2-1 smoked rib grilling.

• 3 – The number of hours you should smoke your pork ribs on low heat and unwrapped (no foil).
• 2 – Remove from smoker, marinate again with sauce, and wrap in foil. Return the ribs to the smoker for another two hours on low heat.
• 1 – Remove the ribs again from the smoker and unwrap the foil. Add another coating of sauce or glaze (your finishing flavor) and cook on low heat (unwrapped) for another hour.

At Miami Beef® we are a family owned processor and provider of quality wholesale meats for the food service sector.  Ask us about prime and economical cuts, and sensational flavors you can add to your menu featuring quality beef, pork and poultry.