When smoking food, you want to slow down the cooking process, so relax, it’s not like
grilling (constant turning and prodding) in fact, avoiding the temptation to “fiddle” with
your food when smoking, often results in better tasting food, also it affords the outdoor chef
more time to enjoy the company (don’t worry guys… you can still pretend to be busy by
tossing on a few wood chips every now and then…. A book on the art of “looking too busy to
do any chores” will be available as soon as I get a break from my very busy schedule! You
will want to cook food at temperatures of between 200°F - 250°F (Hot Smoking). You can
smoke any type of food…..from vegetables to large joints of meat, even whole turkeys and
on a relatively small unit you can cook a load of food (if we remove the feathers, we can get
8 chickens on a ProQ Frontier).
ProQ smokers incorporate many innovative features making them easy for you to use.
Some of the features and other food smoking terms:
Water Pan - A water pan positioned between the food & fire which acts as a buffer, making
it almost impossible to burn food. It also serves to stabilise the cooking temperature and
provides a moist cooking environment. Tip –Add beer, wine and/or herbs to your water
pan for extra flavour.
Rub –Dry or wet, a mixture of spices and herbs that is applied (rubbed) to the outside of the
food.
Wood –Wood for smoking comes in various forms, chunks, chips, dust and pellets, it also
comes in many varieties (flavours) from apple to Walnut, each imparting a different taste.
Tip –Use only wood that you know has not been treated, or better still buy from an outlet
that can advise you correctly…. DO NOT USE OLD FENCE POSTS OR ANY OTHER WOOD
YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE LYING AROUND.
Cooking Grill/ Rack –This is where you place the food on the cooker/ smoker.
Charcoal –Like wood, it comes in a confusing array of shapes and styles, Lump or
briquettes, some made from hardwood, some made from coconut husks and some made
from whatever the manufacturer could find that slightly resembles wood (avoid this one).
Charcoal provides the heat source and if used correctly should not impart any flavour to
your food… let it burn until the surface is covered with a layer of grey ash (once you’ve
become a seasoned BBQ’er, you can worry about using techniques like the “minion” method
to get longer burn times). Tip –Always use high quality charcoal, remember some contain
binders that may not be good for you.
Charcoal Chimney Starter –This is an excellent invention, it allows you to light charcoal
without the need for petrol, rocket fuel or firelighters, all it requires to get your charcoal
going quickly, safely and cleanly is some rolled up newspaper. It also allows you to top up
your charcoal basket easily. Tip –Wear closed shoes when handling hot charcoal… the
“BBQ shuffle” is a lot prettier than the “BBQ hop & wail”. Good quality BBQ mitts are also
essential.
Probe Thermometer –An essential tool for determining when the food is cooked. Insert a
probe into the thickest part of the food (be sure to avoid hitting a bone as this will give a
false reading) you can then use the reading to see whether the food has reached the desired
temperature, a chart can be found further on in this leaflet. Tip –The smoking process
makes some meats turn pink, so don’t mistake this for being raw.
There are many more terms used for BBQing, but don’t panic, you’ll learn about them as you
go along.
Brines
Brines are generally used on white meats such as fish or
poultry and are used to produce a juicier and more flavorful
end product. The brining process will enhance food that is to
be either “Hot” or “Cold” smoked.
Before you start brining, there are a couple of basic rules to
follow:
1. Containers –As a brine is basically a salt solution, the
containers need to be clean and made from a non-
reactive material. Plastic tubs or Stainless Steel or glass
containers are fine.
2. Before putting your meat into the brine, the temperature
of the brine must be about 3 -4 °C (38 - 40°F) this
temperature needs to be maintained throughout the
process. The best way to achieve these temperatures is to
either refrigerate, or by adding ice cubes to the brine
mixture. A good quality digital thermometer will help with
monitoring this.
3. Make sure the meat is fully covered by the brine.
4. Brines can Not be reused.
Basic Brine Recipe
¼ cup of Kosher salt.
¼ cup of Brown sugar.
4 cups of water.
In a medium bowl, combine the salt, sugar and water. Stir vigorously until
all the salt and sugar has dissolved. Then pour this mixture over the meat,
poultry, or fish that you are preparing. Soak for several hours, or
overnight. You made need to increase the quantities in order to ensure
that the meat is fully submerged.
* You may wish to add some herbs or spices to the basic recipe.