Tips For Buying Or Building A Bbq Pit Or Charcoal Smoker.
When I cook over any kind of outdoor bbq pit, I like to use a charcoal smoker. I like the flavor that charcoal and wood put into the meat and there is no other way of duplicating that flavor other than using the real thing. Right now I use two different types of bbq smokers.
My main smoker is a barrel type charcoal smoker with an offset firebox. One of the main reasons I like this charcoal smoker so much is that you can use it as a smoker or as a grill. It has plenty of room to fit big cuts of meat such as beef brisket or ribs. Using the smoker is fairly self explanatory. If you are slow cooking a cut of meat, build your fire in the fire box on the end and place your cut of meat in the middle of the grill area. You will have to set the vents on the end and on the top to try and maintain a constant temperature. Basically, you want to create a "draw" that pulls the heat and smoke from the fire across the meat and out the top. If you are grilling hamburgers or steaks, just build your fire like in a normal grill in the main barrel.
The other smoker that I use is an upright barrel type charcoal smoker. I have found that this smoker works great for cooking chicken or smaller cuts of meat such as roast. It is rather difficult to cook larger cuts of meat such as brisket or ribs. Also, the meat sits directly over the fire, which I don't like to do for the larger cuts that have to cook slow. Chicken can cook a little faster.
There are also gas and electric smokers. Many people enjoy using these and have used them with excellent results. Again, my preference for a charcoal smoker is simply because of flavor. Check out http://www.offthepit.com for more information.
