Need help?
1300 002 771
Playing with fire, awesome food, great social feel and more. Who wouldn't want to get into smoking as a hobby? It‚a step up from just BBQing though, so there‚a bit to learn, know and practice to become the revered pitmaster in your social circle. We've got you covered on this page with everything from choosing a BBQ smoker to slicing the meat for serving.
Before you do anything else, bookmark this page. There‚plenty of info here and links to other useful info you might want to review throughout your BBQ smoking journey.
Choosing a BBQ smoker Choosing the wrong BBQ smoker can really change your experience of cooking low & slow BBQ. If you buy the wrong smoker in your price range you risk spending more time and money than you need to on getting temperatures right and enjoying good results from your cooking. So how do you make sure you choose the right BBQ smoker? We've created a guide to help you make sure you choose the perfect smoker for you.
Best cuts of meat for smoking There is a huge variety of meats, cheeses, nuts and veggies you can smoke with different tools and techniques, but there are definitely smoker staples - especially when it comes to low and slow smoking. Fatty cuts are the go-to for smoking because the extended cooking time allows for the breakdown of fats and connective tissue in the meat, making the end result the fall off the bone, melt in your mouth feast we're looking for. Avoid lean cuts for low and slow - they'll dry out over the longer cooking times.
Here are the main cuts you're probably looking for when you're getting into smoking:
BEEF
Check out these handy beef smoking links:
Beef smoking times and temperatures How to prepare a beef brisket for perfect smoking (trimming video) How to smoke a brisket How to prepare beef rack ribs for smoking
PORK
Some handy pork smoking links:
Pork smoking times and temperatures How to prepare pork ribs for smoking Smoked Boston butt Baby back ribs Memphis style pulled pork shoulder
POULTRY
Poultry smoking links:
Poultry smoking times and temperature Spicy smoked chicken wings
LAMB
Lamb smoking links:
Lamb smoking times and temperature
Types of fuel for smoking You can choose to burn down some seasoned wood in your smoker if you want to, but generally speaking, some form of charcoal is the best option for BBQ smoking fuel. Charcoal generally comes in the form of (natural) lump and formed briquettes. Check out this video where one of our pitmasters, Cam, takes you through the difference between lump charcoal and briquettes.
Flavoured wood Adding wood chunks to your cook (usually during the first 1-2 hours while the meat will take on the most smoke) adds extra smoke flavour to your food. The flavours you prefer partly come down to your personal preference which is a trial and error process, but also partly down to the meat you're cooking.
As a general guide: Hickory, mesquite and oak are strong assertive smoke flavours Alder and fruitwood are sweeter, fruiter flavours Maple is subtle and sweet You can download a handy smoking wood selection guide
Rubs A rub is a blend of herbs and spices usually rubbed all over the meat before you start cooking it. Rubs are usually dry but can be wet too or in paste form. Rubs help to form the bark which is the cooked crust on the outside of the meat and add great flavour to the end result too. Many pitmasters add a layer of mustard to the meat before applying the rub to help it stick for more flavour. Doing this adds little to no mustard flavour to the food. The choice of rub is a personal preference thing, so grab a few and find the ones you like.
The meat thermometer - a pitmaster's essential tool If you're getting into smoking meat you'll need a good quality meat thermometer. You can find versions with leave-in probes as well as the type you push in, read and remove again. Aim to get the tip of the probe into the centre of the thickest part of the meat. Refer to the cooking temps in the links above and remember that when it comes to low and slow smoking the commonly accepted well done temperature isn't necessarily your target temperature.
Slicing the meat When you've finished the cook and rested the meat it's time to slice it (unless it's pulled of course). Find out which way the muscle fibres are aligned (the grain) and slice across it. This cuts through the long fibres of muscle and gives you a more tender piece of meat.
If you haven't chosen a BBQ smoker yet, don't forget to download your guide here.
You might also be interested in: Getting started with a meat smoker Check out our range of BBQ Smoker Here
Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern BBQ Spit Rotisseries’s relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.
The term ‘BBQ Spit Rotisseries’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is 59 Brunel Road, Seaford, VIC, 3198. Our ABN is 24633064311. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.
The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:
This privacy policy sets out how we uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
What we collect
We may collect the following information:
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system. Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Controlling your personal information
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen. If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.