Propane, a fairly clean fuel, produces red hot and dry heat, and is also smokeless when burned. Cooking food with it is a long tradition for those reasons. You will see endless numbers of barbecues and other devices using propane to cook meals around the country.
So how do propane smokers actually smoke the meat? If you are using the regular cooking method, then the answer is - no, you cannot smoke the meat.
In a number of barbecue restaurants, moist wood chips are added to the propane flame to produce smoke, hence, in effect "smoking" the meat.
Barbecue experts are less likely to be satisfied by this method since they consider a smoker to be genuine only if it uses wood or charcoal. The genuine smoker also slowly cooks food for 10 to 12 hours at 180 to 250 degrees.
These days, grill dealers often label and sell propane gas grills as propane smokers. Unless you do plan to follow the cooking methods in barbecue restaurants, better choose the non-propane smoker.
However, the propane smoker does have several good qualities. It can actually produce good broiled or grilled food. The meat is roasted at temperatures that can reach up to 700 degrees, which is the ideal temperature for broiling meat. It gives the cook the same experience as when cooking with other types of grill.
It can be used to roast a whole chicken for just a little more than an hour, compared to cooking on charcoal grills that would definitely take more time. On the other hand, chicken cooked on a charcoal grill exude a wood smoke scent and flavor.
Traditionally, roasting and grilling has been done on wood fires that lend its flavor and smell to the food being cooked. Propane smokers cannot duplicate the chemical reactions that occur in food when it has been exposed to hot smoke for hours.
So how do propane smokers actually smoke the meat? If you are using the regular cooking method, then the answer is - no, you cannot smoke the meat.
In a number of barbecue restaurants, moist wood chips are added to the propane flame to produce smoke, hence, in effect "smoking" the meat.
Barbecue experts are less likely to be satisfied by this method since they consider a smoker to be genuine only if it uses wood or charcoal. The genuine smoker also slowly cooks food for 10 to 12 hours at 180 to 250 degrees.
These days, grill dealers often label and sell propane gas grills as propane smokers. Unless you do plan to follow the cooking methods in barbecue restaurants, better choose the non-propane smoker.
However, the propane smoker does have several good qualities. It can actually produce good broiled or grilled food. The meat is roasted at temperatures that can reach up to 700 degrees, which is the ideal temperature for broiling meat. It gives the cook the same experience as when cooking with other types of grill.
It can be used to roast a whole chicken for just a little more than an hour, compared to cooking on charcoal grills that would definitely take more time. On the other hand, chicken cooked on a charcoal grill exude a wood smoke scent and flavor.
Traditionally, roasting and grilling has been done on wood fires that lend its flavor and smell to the food being cooked. Propane smokers cannot duplicate the chemical reactions that occur in food when it has been exposed to hot smoke for hours.
About the Author:
Finally, even low temperature smokers get hot, so avoid burning your hands and wrists by using bbq heat resistant gloves. Learn more at the writer's site about bbq accessories.
