Smoking meat is an ancient practice that continues to thrill meat enthusiasts. It’s the process of preserving or cooking meat by exposing it to smoke. You can smoke meat by placing it on a rack or grill and then exposing it to smoke.
You can preserve meat through cold smoking or use high-temperature smoking to cook the meat. In cold smoking, the meat is exposed to low and regulated temperatures depending on the type of meat you are smoking. The goal is to preserve and add flavor to the meat, but not cook it.
Hot smoking is for cooking meat while enhancing flavor and tenderness. It’s a low and slow process that follows regulated temperatures, while the flavor of the fuel used infuses the meat. You can consult our food smoking temperature guide for accurate temperatures depending on the type of meat you are smoking.
The low and slow cooking process distinguishes smoking from all other methods of food preparation.
Can I Smoke Multiple Types of Meat Together?
The answer is an absolute yes. However, the challenge remains how to smoke multiple types of meat together. The plenty available space on most smokers is usually the number one temptation to throw in some extra pieces of meat. But most people, especially inexperienced pitmasters, seem to get easily overwhelmed by this process.
The good news is that we are going to share with you how you can quickly and easily smoke your favorite cuts of meat together and still have an incredible outcome.
Here are a few quick tips to help you smoke like a professional:
1. Get the best smoker
There are a variety of smokers on the market you can pick from to best suit your needs. The best smoker should always give you total control over the smoking process. But if you are unsure what smoker to go for, we recommend checking out the Bradley Smoker, which has been tried and endorsed by experienced pitmasters.
2. Clean the grill
A clean smoking grill should be the number one priority on your to-do list. Take your time to scrub the rack for a pristinely clean smoking surface. Ensure to remove any debris that might still be hanging on the smoker from your previous smoking sessions. Leaving this debris on your smoke might interfere with your meat’s flavor or even expose you to harmful substances.
3. Have different platters
Smoking different cuts of meat doesn’t mean you can put all your different meats on one plate. You cannot have your poultry, beef, or fish on one food smoking grid. Therefore, you have to lay out the different meats and ingredients on different platters.
4. Strategize how to place the meat
The grill does not receive uniform heat, especially the lower temperatures. You will need to plan how to add or place the meat on the smoker for even smoking across all the meats. Cuts of meat such as brisket need a longer cooking time than other meats, so they should go in the smoker first.
5. Ensure the different meats don’t come into contact
While smoking, ensure that the different meats don’t come into contact with each other. We recommend leaving a space between the different cuts, preferably an inch or more. Also, allowing the meat to touch limits the smoke from evenly infusing all the meats.
6. Have clean cooking utensils
Maintaining high hygiene standards is one of the secrets to properly smoking different types of meat. Your cooking utensils should always be clean, including the meat thermometer. We recommend cleaning and rinsing the thermometer with soap and warm water after testing each type of meat to avoid cross-contamination, which might influence its temperature reading.
Anyway, who wants to be served chicken breasts that taste like smoked shrimp?
7. Don’t use the same baster to marinade
Clean or ensure to have a different baster for your basting. You can also have new marinades, especially when smoking different types of meat such as chicken and ribs. Alternatively, just have a sanitized baster at your disposal throughout the smoking experience.
8. Monitor the temperatures
Different types of meat cook at different temperatures and take different times to cook. As a result, you will need to maintain an optimal temperature to accommodate the different types of meat and also save time. The size of your meat cuts and types of meat on your grill will also influence the cooking time and temperatures.
Also, work towards ensuring that all the parts of your smoker are well heated. You can achieve this by controlling the smoker’s ventilator and regularly checking to ensure optimal temperatures inside the smoker.
Remember, the secret to smoking like a pro lies in how well you regulate and maintain the temperature.
Interested in learning more about smoking different types of meat? Check the articles below:
Grilling 101: How to Grill Multiple Types and Sizes of Meat
How to Smoke Multiple Types & Sizes of Meat
For more great ideas on how to get the most out of your Bradley Smoker, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Food Smoking Blog for more tips and tricks.
