Smokers">Offset Smokers

The main characteristics of the offset Smoker are that the cooking chamber is usually cylindrical in shape, with a shorter, smaller diameter cylinder attached to the bottom of one end for a firebox. To cook the meat, a small fire is lit in the firebox, where airflow is tightly controlled. The heat and Smoke from the fire is drawn through a connecting pipe or opening into the cooking chamber. The heat and Smoke cook and flavor the meat before escaping through an exhaust vent at the opposite end of the cooking chamber. Most manufacturers' models are based on this simple but effective design, and this is what most people picture when they think of a "BBQ Smoker." Even large capacity commercial units use this same basic design of a separate, smaller fire box and a larger cooking chamber.

The UDS

‎The Upright Drum Smoker (also referred to as an Ugly Drum Smoker or UDS) is exactly what its name suggests; an upright steel drum that has been modified for the purpose of pseudo-indirect hot smoking. There are many ways to accomplish this, but the basics include the use of a complete steel drum, a basket to hold charcoal near the bottom, and cooking rack (or racks) near the top; all covered by a vented lid of some sort. They have been built using many different sizes of steel drums (30 gallon, 55 gallon, and 85 gallon for example), but the most popular size is the common 55 gallon drum.

This design is similar to smoking with indirect heat due to the distance from the coals and the racks (typically 24"). The temperatures used for smoking are controlled by limiting the amount of air intake at the bottom of the drum, and allowing a similar amount of exhaust out of vents in the lid. UDSs are very efficient with fuel consumption and flexible in their abilities to produce proper smoking conditions, with or without the use of a water pan or drip pan. Most UDS builders/users would say a water pan defeats the true pit BBQ nature of the UDS, as the drippings from the Smoked meat should land on the coals, burning up, and imparting a unique flavor one cannot get with a water pan.

Smoker" vertical water Smoker

A vertical water Smoker (also referred to as a bullet Smoker because of its shape) is a variation of the upright drum Smoker. It uses charcoal or wood to generate Smoke and heat, and contains a water bowl between the fire and the cooking grates. The water bowl serves to hold the temperature down and also to add humidity to the Smoke chamber. In addition, the bowl catches any drippings from the meat that may cause a flare up. Vertical water Smokers are extremely temperature stable and require very little adjustment once the desired temperature has been reached. Because of their relatively low cost and stable temperature, they are sometimes used in barbecue competitions where propane and electric Smokers are not allowed.

Smoker">Propane Smoker

A propane Smoker is designed to allow the smoking of meat in a somewhat more controlled environment. The primary differences are the sources of heat and of the Smoke. In a propane Smoker, the heat is generated by a gas burner directly under a steel or iron box containing the wood or charcoal that provides the Smoke. The steel box has few vent holes, on the top of the box only. By starving the heated wood of oxygen, it Smokes instead of burning. Any combination of woods and charcoal may used. This method uses less wood.

Smoke_box_method" Smoke box method

This more traditional method uses a two box system: The fire box and the food box. The fire box is typically adjacent or under the cooking box, and can be controlled to a finer degree. The heat and Smoke from the fire box exhausts into the food box, where it is used to cook and Smoke the meat. These may be as simple as an electric heating element with a pan of wood chips placed on it, although more advanced models have finer temperature controls.

Smoke_house">Commercial Smoke house

Commercial Smokehouses, mostly made from stainless steel, have independent systems for Smoke generation and cooking. Smoke generators use friction, an electric coil or a small flame to ignite sawdust on demand. Heat from steam coils or gas flames is balanced with live steam or water sprays to control the temperature and humidity. Elaborate air handling systems reduce hot or cold spots, to reduce variation in the finished product. Racks on wheels or rails are used to hold the product and facilitate movement.

Preservation