If you love to fire up the barbecue for the unmatched aroma and flavour of grilled food, it may be time to expand your horizons and experience the pleasures of what most Southerners consider “barbecuing”. It’s smoking, and it may be the best addition to your back yard you’ll ever make!
Smoking involves cooking foods for a long period of time at a very low temperature (between 180-240 degrees) over a cloud of aromatic wood smoke. The results are unbelievably succulent! In addition, it is so easy and affordable. All you need is a smoker*, wood chunks*, food and some creative flair.
Today smokers come in all shapes, sizes and price points and Sobie’s carries an extensive selection along with a great selection of woods.
Tips on woods
For the serious smoker the best way to smoke is to use a 1/4-inch thick smoker with an offset fire box that burns wood or wood and charcoal combined. Achieving an even and consistent temperature used to take practice and patience but smokers like the Traeger line are making temperature control a set-it-and-forget-it thing. The following wood flavours are excellent for smoking: apple, hickory, pecan, alder, cherry, and oak. For smoking over long periods of time, mesquite is too strong. (All are available at Sobie’s) If you decide to mix in charcoal, make sure it’s 100% hardwood and 100% natural. Never, never use lighter fluid! Instead, we suggest a charcoal chimney and an all-natural firestarter. This is a much healthier, safer neater and faster way of igniting charcoal.
