Many people are beginning to use electric smokers for smoking food as they are more convenient than charcoal smokers because they don’t require wood chips and charcoal, but also provide a consistent heat that allows for even cooking of your favorite meals.
These 10 tips could give you some ideas and motivation to get the most out of your electric smoker! Be sure to follow them when using your electric smoker for a much-alleviated experience.
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Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Electric Smoker
The following tips could be considered to reap all the benefits that could be derived from an electric smoker-
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Mind The Time
Electric smokers allow food to be smoked for less than an hour. This makes them ideal for casual cooks, students, and people who don’t have a lot of time.
If you’ve ever spent an hour cooking something and then only gotten to eat half of it, then you know how frustrating it can be.
If you’re going to use your electric smoker to smoke anything long enough that 45 minutes seems like too long, you might want to consider using it for something else.
You’ll get the most out of your electric smoker if you smoke something that will fit in there during the limited timeframe.
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Cut With care
Since electric smokers heat up quickly, they cool down just as fast. If you throw in a hunk of meat, it will immediately begin cooking and the time it smokes will be surprisingly less than expected.
If you wait until your meat has begun to cook inside to cut it, then you’re going to be left with undercooked pieces on the outside and overcooked pieces inside, which isn’t optimal for your meal.
Your best bet is to cut the meat before placing it in the smoker; this will help ensure that your food finishes at about the same time.
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Patience Is A Virtue
It can be tempting to open your smoker too often, but you don’t want to do that.
Electric smokers are meant for cooking with indirect heat, which means the temperature doesn’t get hot enough to cook the food quickly unless it’s directly in contact with the heating element.
Opening the door will disrupt the temperature of your smoker, which could make your food take longer than expected to finish, so try not to open it more than you have to.
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Do Not Overcrowd
The biggest mistake that new electric smoker users make is that they overcrowd their smokers.
This causes the food to smoke for about twice as long as it would have if the smoker had been filled with less food, and that can be a problem for certain items.
If you’re planning on smoking anything more than a pound of meat, plan on smoking it separately from other types of food.
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Use Cold Cuts Wisely
If you’ve got some salami or ham in your refrigerator that’s getting a little old, then you can use it to smoke without worrying about getting sick.
The problem is that a lot of meats will absorb some of their fat and flavor during the smoking process, so the drier your meat is when you cut into it, the less flavourful it’ll be after smoking.
So, if you’re planning to use a little bit of old meat to smoke, then cut it into small pieces and place it in the smoker at the beginning.
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Use The Right Heat
Some people like to tinker with their electric smokers by experimenting with different types of heat settings. While there are numerous types of heat for your electric smoker, there’s no need to change them.
The temperature range on your unit will be suitable for nearly all kinds of foods. If you want to experiment with other heat ranges, ask a friend or try looking online; otherwise, stick with the default setting and see how things turn out.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Wrap Meat
One of the most effective ways to smoke meat is to wrap it.
If you do get a little excited during your smoking process and accidentally leave the door open, you can take a quick break and cover your meat with foil until it finishes smoking.
Keeping your meat inside of the smoker will also help with temperature control since it’ll remain at about the same temperature as the rest of the smoker; this means there’s less chance that your smoked food will dry out prematurely by being exposed to the cold outside air.
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Get A Digital Thermostat
Since your electric smoker will turn on whenever the internal temperature drops below a certain point, you’ll want to get a digital thermostat so that it only turns on when it needs to.
Having your smoker on when you’re not using it is going to waste electricity, which isn’t good for your wallet or the environment.
Of course, if you plan on smoking more than one meal in a day, then feel free to use the default setting so that your smoker can heat up in time for the next meal.
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Smart Meat Choices
If you’re planning on smoking a lot of meats, then your best bet for convenience is to buy pre-marinated meats.
That way, you can just put them in the smoker and not worry about how long to smoke them for or make sure they come out tasty.
Marinating meat before smoking is only going to make the meat more flavourful; however, if you’ve got the time and patience to do it yourself, then go right ahead.
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Good Wood Is Good
If you’re going to smoke your food long enough that it’s going to take on the flavor of the wood you use, then you’ll want to make sure that it’s got a good flavor.
Oak and mesquite, for example, have been used for smoking because they give the meat an excellent flavor.
If you don’t know what kind of wood you should use or have access to, then try out a few different kinds and see which one works best for the type of meat you’re smoking.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to improve your smoking skills, an electric smoker is a fantastic way to do it.
As you can see, there’s a lot to know about how electric smokers work, so it might be a good idea to consult the manufacturer’s manual or ask your friends for advice before buying one of these units.
Electric smokers can be fun and easy ways to prepare food with no chemicals or preservatives. They’re also relatively inexpensive, so you’ll be able to afford one if you’d like to consider one in the future.
All of these tips about electric smokers have been designed to make it easier for you to understand how these units work and get an idea of their capabilities.
Take some time and study these tips so that you can plan out your next smoking experience! Your next smoke could be preparing your favorite meats or even roasting vegetables like Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes.
