Posts tagged ‘smoked salmon salad’

Here's how I get my smoker ready to go:

1) Lay down rolled-up newspaper in the bottom pan and cover with lump charcoal. I highly recommend lump because it burns hotter and cleaner than briquettes. Plus it doesn't contain nitrites, chemicals, fillers or additives. My preferred brand is Lazarri.

2) Light the newspaper. Leave the smoker door open and the top off until the charcoal catches. Close it up and let the smoker heat up to the necessary temperature.

3) Before putting on the pork, chicken, turkey, brisket, salmon, or whatever, fill up the drip pan with a cup of water and set it in the smoker.

4) Add wood or wood chips to the charcoal. The type of wood depends on what flavor of smoke you're looking for—apple, cherry, hickory, oak, pecan, mesquite, alder, maple, etc. Some are sweeter and more mild (apple, alder, cherry, maple) and work well with leaner foods (chicken, turkey, fish); while others are stronger and more pungent (hickory, mesquite, oak) and work better with fattier meats (pork, ribs, brisket).

5) When adding wood chips, make sure to soak the chips for a half-hour before putting them on the charcoal.