by Holle Abee

Created on: January 09, 2009

The easiest way to smoke meats is with an electric smoker. There's little fuss involved, and the heat remains consistent throught the cooking period. Since most electric smokers include a large water pan, you won't have to worry about the meat drying out, either. Most of these smokers are pretty large, with two racks, and they'll hold a surprising quantity of meat.

For that wonderful smokey flavor, place some sort of wood on the burner. You can use hickory chips, mesquite chips, or twigs that have been soaked overnight in water. Small branches about one inch in diameter seem to work best. Oak and pecan wood give the meat great flavor, and so does apple wood. You might want to experiment with other fruit woods, as well.

For more flavor, use apple juice in the water pan instead of water. Just be sure to check the pan about halfway through the cooking time to ensure that it doesn't get empty. If you like "bark" on your meat (you know, that crunchy brown crust), remove the water pan about an hour before you take the meat off the smoker. The longer the meat cooks without the moisture from the water pan, the more crust you'll get.

Use your favorite dry rub or infuser before cooking. Garlic, garlic salt, red pepper, rosemary, onion powder, black pepper, and sage all work well. Sometimes we use a mixture of spices and mix them with vinegar to make a paste. Rub the meat generously on all sides. If you're preparing a turkey, goose, or duck, be sure to rub the cavity. Quartered onions and apples placed in the cavity of fowl also embue a wonderful flavor.

Whenever we smoke a dry piece of poultry, like a turkey or a turkey breast, we smoke a fatty cut of meat at the same time. A pork roast or cured ham, when placed on the top rack, drips constantly on the turkey on the bottom rack, basting it with wonderful juices.

Cuts of beef and pork should be placed fat side up, while turkeys should always be placed breast down on the bottom rack.

When smoking a sugar-cured ham, try soaking it overnight in a mixture of cherry, apple, pineapple, or orange juice, or a mixture of different juices. If you plan to glaze the ham, wait until about two hours before the meat is done to do so.

For large slabs of meat like Boston butts, pork loins, and turkeys, we allow about twelve hours for smoking. Electic smokers with water pans are pretty forgiving, so it's hard to overcook the meat. Just check on the smoker every three or four hours, and add water, juice, or more wood as needed. Remember, the more wood you place on the burner, the more smoke you'll get, along with more smoked flavor.

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