Food cooked outdoors in the summer just tastes better, right?
Well, one cooking method that is really growing in popularity right now is smokers.
So, what makes a smoker different from a BBQ grill? We spoke to the experts at Lumberjack to bust some commonly held myths and learn a few facts about smokers.
Smokers are the same thing as grills - Myth
Unlike grills, where you use a bed of hot charcoal or a gas flame and cook your food, a smoker does what its name implies and smokes your food, cooking it with indirect heat. In a side compartment, wood chips will be burned so they create hot smoke, which then cooks the food.
Cooking with smokers is very complicated - Myth
This one is false, too. Some smokers, like the Traeger Smoker, give you oven-like controls so you can literally “set it and forget it.”
The Traeger Smoker has a mechanism that releases the wood in a controlled manner so you have optimal temperature control. You can even control the temp through an app on your phone or tablet.
The wood you choose affects the flavor - Fact
By changing up the type of wood chip, you can vary the flavor it imparts on the food. For pork and chicken, applewood is a favorite. It will give the meat a slightly sweet, fruity flavor. You’ve probably even seen applewood-smoked bacon in the grocery store.
For beef, hickory or mesquite is a popular choice because it gives the meat a more robust flavor.
You can cook a pie in a smoker - Fact
Believe it or not, this one is true! When the Lumberjack experts said a smoker has oven-like controls, they weren’t kidding.
For pies, cherry wood is a good option. Anything you can cook on a grill, you can cook on a smoker. The Traeger grill allows you to bake, smoke, roast and BBQ.
Smoking takes forever - Myth
While yes, if you want to make a nice smoked brisket, low and slow is the way to go, just know that you don’t have to cook everything that way. Using hardwood, you can also cook things hot and fast, as well.
Watch the video above for the full interview.
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