Cooking meat with smoke preserves in two ways, by dehydration, and by the curing properties of the chemicals in the smoke. Each prevents bacterial growth, making it possible to store the meat for extended periods without refrigeration. Smoke curing and drying meat were the only preservation methods besides salting that were available before refrigeration. Native Americans also used smoke to keep flies away from drying meats, and later realized that the meats and fish dried with smoke lasted longer than foods dried without smoke.

Smoked meats that have been become popular out of the Southern USA were developed to use the “cheaper” cuts of meats, as they were typically tough and deemed “undesirable”. The “low and slow” cooking methods tenderizes the connective tissues in the makes smoked meat a sought after delicacy. Usually done in a “low temp” environment (200 °F to 300 °F) (93 °C to 149 °C), they take a significant amount of time to prepare as it renders out of the fat.

It’s really easy to smoke meats at home without an expensive smoker just use a couple household items and your gas grill.

You need a pot that you don’t care about turning into your smoker.  I used an enamel pot that I found for $5 at the thrift store. I lined the bottom with about 3 layers of foil and put a large handful of seasoned apple wood smoke chips on top. I added 2 more layers and then put a vegetable steamer flat on the bottom and 1 layer of foil on top of that.

I placed the meat on top with rub and sauce and put the lid on. Wrapped the foil around the rim of the pot and over the pot top, you don’t want the smoke to escape. I even considered duct tape but the foil worked fine for outside. I would devise a better sealing technique if I were to attempt it indoors.

Turn the grill on high for about 10 minutes to get the smoke going and then reduce to lowest temp on the dial. The temp with the lid up on the grill will be about 225-250 degrees, which is perfect. Now leave it be for about one and a half hours don’t open the lid at all! You want all the good smoke in there. Now for beef or pork depending upon the thickness you will be checking it every 30 minutes or so after that until it falls off the bone and you know its ready. These pork ribs took 2 1/2 hours NOM!

Here is a comprehensive meat smoking chart I found on a crawfish-crawfish.com to gauge your potential success.

Amy Wexler ~