Smoking a sizzling tender steak to perfect doneness is an art. It doesn’t require a higher IQ level to ace the art but some simple tricks that pitmasters suggest will make it easier to reach perfection. In this article, we are going to disclose some well-guarded tricks that are close to every pitmaster’s heart. These are quite simple for beginners to try food smoking. So, the next time you want to fire up your smoker, don’t forget these 5 magic tricks.
5 Pitmaster secrets to delectable smoking
Food smoking is not a method, it is a process that involves several steps. From meat to rub and even the wood, everything counts to give you that sizzling juicy steak. So let’s, start with the tricks.
Use fresh meat: It is important to choose the best cuts of meat to get good results. Steaks that contain a good amount of connective tissue will naturally preserve their tenderness after prolonged smoking. Also, fresh and raw meat has a higher potential to absorb the smoky flavor.
Start with a clean surface: Don’t forget to clean the racks and the inner walls of your food smoker before you start. Sometimes, leftover food from the previous use can remain stuck on these surfaces and will leave a toxic flavor to the food during smoking.
Go easy with seasoning: Use simple seasoning because good-quality meats have their own natural flavor. Going overboard with the rub or brine will give a dominating spicy flavor to the steak. This will spoil the real essence of the smoky flavor.
Maintain consistent heat: A simple fluctuation in temperature can affect the texture and flavor of the meat. So, it is important to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process. This will prevent the meat from drying out due to over doneness and also ensure faster cooking.
Use a quality smoker: A pro-food smoker can change your overall experience with food smoking. It will perform the most crucial tasks automatically without human intervention to give you the desired result. Thankfully we have the Bradley smoker that has the latest features like a wood auto feeder, dual heat elements, and a digital console to take care of feeding, cooking time, and temperature regulating automatically. Due to dual heat elements, Bradley smokers can perform both hot and cold smoking. The magnetic door and insulted body ensure faster cooking and user safety.
Bonus Tips on pro food smoking
Those 5 tricks are the ultimate pitmaster secrets to pro-smoking. They form the basics of good smoking to guide those who are less experienced with the art of smoking. However, we would like to highlight some bonus Bradley tips & tricks here that will make food smoking easier for you. With these tips, you will get the desired result almost every time you fire up the smoker.
Be patient: Food smoking is a low and slow process. The more patience you have, the better the results. Don’t hurry with the process by increasing the heat to shorten the cooking time. This will over-char the surface of the meat and make it dry and bitter.
Trust a thermometer: Don’t peep inside the smoker chamber frequently to assess the doneness of the meat. This can cause fluctuation in the temperature leading to prolonged cooking. Ditch the guesswork on meat doneness with a smoker thermometer. Generally, these thermometers are battery-operated and come with a probe. You can always check out the Bradley Digital Thermometer for all your meat temperature needs.
Just penetrate the tip of the thermometer deep inside the thickest part of the meat to read the right temperature. Remove the meat as it reaches at least 5 degrees below the desired temperature because it will still cook in the residual heat and reach the desired doneness.
Use clean flavored smoke: Fruit-flavored woods like applewood, cherry wood, etc. imparts a flavored smoke to further enhance the essence of the food. However, when the wood burns out, it generates toxic fumes that can affect the food imparting a bitter taste. Hence, it is imperative to ensure only clean smoke reaches the smoking chamber.
To avoid all these hassles, the easiest option is to use Bradley Bisquettes. These Bisquettes are specially compressed to form wood sawdust discs of uniform thickness that burn for the precise time. They produce consistent pure smoke and are extinguished before converting it to ashes. Bradley Bisquettes are available in 17 different flavors like hickory, pecan, apple, alder, oak, cherry, maple, etc.
Don’t serve immediately after smoking: Marbled meat contains intramuscular fat that melts to secrete juice during smoking. While you rest the meat after smoking, this juice will be reabsorbed in the steak making it tender and succulent.
Food smoking is an art that requires skill and experience to master. There is no end to food smoking tips. You learn by experience as you gain expertise. Here we have tried to share some basic pitmaster-approved tricks to make food smoking a relaxing experience for beginners. These tricks are simple and can be followed by anyone irrespective of age or experience with food smoking. For more great ideas on how to get the most of your Bradley Smoker, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Food Smoking Blog for more tips & tricks.
