Smoking pork or beef requires patience, both in advance preparation of the meat and in tending the fire for long periods of sustained cooking. Barbecue enthusiasts often prefer larger and fattier cuts of meat -- such as beef briskets or pork shoulders -- as fat keeps meat moist during smoking. However, leaner, more healthful meats also make good candidates for smoking on your backyard barbecue if seasoned overnight before cooking in a process known as dry-rub curing.
Meat, Wood Chip and Fire Preparation
Step 1
Mix all dry-rub seasonings -- salt, pepper and other spices to taste -- in a small bowl until well-blended. Place the meat on a baking sheet and rub the seasonings into all surfaces of the meat until the roast is coated with a thick layer of dry rub.
Step 2
Cover the roast with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 3
Place wood chips in the large bowl or bucket one hour prior to cooking time and fill the vessel with water until all chips are either floating or submerged.
Step 4
Remove the cooking grate or grates from the grill and place five or six large handfuls of natural lump charcoal in the chimney starter. Crumple up two full sheets of newspaper into loose balls. Insert the newspaper balls into the lower compartment of the chimney starter and place the starter on the coal grate -- the lower grate -- of the kettle or barrel grill.
Step 5
Open all grill vents wide for maximum air flow, and light the newspaper using a long grill lighter or long stick matches. Allow the flames to spread to the coals for about 20 minutes until the charcoal lumps glow or possess a layer of gray ash.
Step 6
Grab the chimney starter safety handle and pour the lit coals into the side firebox, if using a barrel grill, or onto one far side of the charcoal grate, if using a kettle-style grill.
Step 7
Place the foil roasting pan atop the charcoal grate, on the side furthest away from the charcoal, and pour 4 or 5 cups of water into the pan to squelch any grease drippings during cooking. Replace the cooking grates.
The Smoking Process
Step 1
Place the cured meat atop the cooking grate, directly above the foil roasting pan, and through a handful of wet wood chips atop the burning coals. Then close the lid.
Step 2
Adjust firebox vents -- or the top vents of a kettle grill -- based on wind speed and outdoor temperature to maintain a temperature of between 250 and 300 degrees in the cooking chamber of the grill.
Step 3
Throw two handfuls of fresh charcoal atop the lit coals every hour and one handful of wet wood chips every 30 minutes to maintain heat and smoke flow throughout the cooking process.
Step 4
Smoke the meat for about five or six hours using the barrel and side firebox method or three to four hours using the kettle grill method. Use a digital meat thermometer every few hours to check internal temperatures of the roast to ensure the meat cooks to desired temperatures.
Step 5
Remove the meat from the grate when cooking is complete and let it rest on a platter for 20 minutes before carving and serving.
Tips and Warnings
- Resist constant opening of the grill lid during the smoking process to check the meat as it lets out precious heat and smoke. Choose your hardwood chips based on desired flavor. Hickory and fruit woods best complement pork while mesquite smoke blended with hickory complements beef. Don't skip the dry rub process, especially when smoking leaner meats. The salt blend locks in moisture, keeping the meat from drying out, according to grilling guru Steven Raichlen. Using natural hardwood charcoal enhances flavor, and the coals ignite easier than briquettes.
- Always use protective grilling gloves or mitts when opening hot grill lids or moving meat to or from the cooking grate, and use long-handled spatulas or tongs for handling meat. Use only hardwood smoking chips, never soft woods such as pine, which contain toxic resins that ruin the meat.
Things You'll Need
- Charcoal barbecue grill (kettle style or barrel style with a side firebox)
- 5-lb. beef or pork roast
- Large bag natural lump charcoal
- Charcoal chimney starter
- 2 sheets newspaper
- Foil roasting pan
- Large bucket or bowl
- Meat thermometer
- 2 lbs. hardwood smoking chips
- Dry-rub meat seasoning (salt, pepper and preferred spice mixture)
- Baking sheet
- Plastic wrap
References
- "BBQ USA"; Steven Raichlen; 2003
- Char-Griller Side Fire Box Owner's Manual
- Barbecue Bible: The Art of Smoking
Member Comments