The Best Meats to Use with Your Smoker

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If you’re new to the world of smokers or are looking to feed the whole family a succulent and delicious meal during a special occasion, then you can’t go wrong with smoked meat. However, there are various kinds of smokers to choose from and many different kinds of meat that you can cook, so it’s easy for beginners to become confused. Here, we share the ultimate guide that includes everything you need which includes the best cuts of meat and the best smoker recipes.

Why Use Smokers for Meats?

While there are plenty of ways for you to cook meat, nothing compares to a wonderfully smoked steak using a wood pellet grill. This versatile tool provides you with high temperatures needed for searing but also low temperatures for smoking. As a result, pretty much anything will taste better when it’s smoked but not all meats are created equal and you should always consider different factors when choosing the right one for you.

When you want to smoke meat, always remember that time and temperature are vital; most experts will recommend smoking at temperatures between 165ºF to 275ºF. How much time you should spend cooking will depend on the cut of meat you’re working with; the shape and size of the cut, the outside temperatures, and the kind of animal meat you’re cooking will affect the cooking time. For instance, larger cuts will usually take around 6 hours to smoke at a minimum.

It’s also important to keep in mind that the longer your meat cooks, the more time it can absorb the smoke flavor, so be sure to cook at a low temperature. Moreover, some of the most popular smoking meats such as pork shoulders, briskets, and ribs will need a long cooking time to ensure they’re tender. To make sure that your meat’s temperature is on point, be sure to use a digital thermometer rather than relying on the built-in gauges on your grill.

How to Season Meats for Your Smoker

There are many ways for you to season your meat to give it a delectable taste which we share below.

Rubs

Smoked meats are best seasoned using a dry rub; even a simple rub made from a blend of kosher salt and pepper can bring out the natural flavors of your meat. Other great ingredients to use include paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder — other alternatives include all-purpose barbecue dry rubs.

Brine

Some cooks will prefer to use a wet or dry brine to season their meat while adding more moisture to it. Chicken and turkey can be a great choice if you want to use a wet brine, while pork and beef will work well with a dry brine. Using this method, you will need to submerge your meat in a seasoned brine to give it flavor or cover the meat in salt or other seasonings to give it your desired flavor.

Injection

Both brisket and pork are a good choice if you want to try injecting meat; in this method, you will need to inject some seasoned liquid inside your meat to give it flavor and moisture.

Types of Smokers

While there are a wide variety of meats that you can work with, keep in mind that you also have different ways to cook them. No matter the type of smoker you use, you can be sure that you’ll get the mouth-watering smoked flavor you’re looking for. Below is a breakdown of all the options available to you, along with their pros and cons.

Offset Smoker

This is the go-to option for many pros and purists; it’s what most people visualize when they think about smokers. They come with huge, horizontal cooking chambers and a small firebox on one side as its heat source. The hot air from the firebox carries indirect heat into the cooking chamber which goes through the smokestack.

Pros

Has a big cooking area
Lets you add fuel without opening the cooking area
Offers the flexibility of grilling in high heat

Cons

Hard to control the temperature on cheap models
High-quality brands can be expensive
These are big and will need plenty of space

Drum Smoker

Also known as a barrel smoker, the drum smoker comes with a vertical cooking chamber with fire at the bottom, typically on a coal basket. The meat will either hang from hooks or sit on racks while the lid is sealed; vents located at the lid and the bottom help to adjust the temperature. While quality drum smokers will be user-friendly and will hold plenty of coal for a longer cook time, low-priced models that have been poorly made will be hard to use.

Pros

It can be budget-friendly, even the high-quality models
Generally easy to use
With a small footprint thanks to its vertical design

Cons

Comes with a limited capacity for bigger cuts
Provides a more direct heat source

Electric Smoker

An electric smoker works similarly to an oven and uses an electric heating element to create heat — just set your desired temperature and the built-in controller will do the work. A smokebox is attached to provide smoke, holding wood chips or pellets that give meat the smokey flavor. Because electric smokers aren’t able to produce high heat levels, they will usually max out at 275°F; this is great for most smoking needs but don’t expect it to sear or roast your meat.

Pros

Comes with electronic temperature control
Comes with minimal maintenance and is easy to clean
Uses up a small footprint outside the house
Perfectly maintains a low temperature that’s perfect for jerky and salmon

Cons

Produces less bark and a lighter smoke flavor
Only comes with a limited temperature range
Not the best option for wet conditions
Needs an electric power source

Pellet Grill

These have become highly popular thanks to their high functionality and similar design to offset smokers that make them easy to use. A pellet smoker comes with a hopper on the side to hold wood pellets used to give meats a smokey flavor while a fan provides enough airflow and circulates smoke and heat around the smoker. If you want an option that requires little effort to operate, then using a pellet grill is the best choice.

Pros

Models are reasonably priced
Can be easy to clean and use
Some models come with sear stations for more versatility

Cons

Comes with a lighter smoke flavor
Will need a power source

Charcoal Grill

If you’re looking for a charcoal grill, you can’t go wrong with the Weber kettle grill which is versatile enough to be used in a wide range of smoking tasks. Like many smokers, it controls heat by adjusting vests located at the top and bottom of the grill to control airflow. To make the most out of your charcoal grill, be sure to set up two zones by gathering your coal on one side and cooking food on the other.

Pros

This option is easy to clean and use
An inexpensive option that suits all budgets
Comes with a wider temperature range for smoking and grilling

Cons

Holds less fuel when set up for two-zone cooking
May not hold consistent heat for a long time

The Best Meats to Smoke

Now that you know more about smokers and how to use them, it’s time to decide which type of meat to cook. While pork, beef, and chicken are the most popular choices, beginners should work with fatty cuts which are more forgiving. Because they contain plenty of fats and collagen that will be rendered during the cook, the meat will stay tender and juicy.

Pork Butt

Also known as the Boston butt or pork shoulder, the pork butt is the best piece of meat to work with if this is your first time smoking meat. Thanks to its thick and even shape, pork butts tend to be forgiving; the hardest thing to get right about pork butts is the timing. Once the meat reaches temperatures of around 145°F to 150°F, its fat will start rendering out and slow down the cooking process.

This part of the process is known as the “stall” which can last for a few hours, so a 6 to 8-pound pork will take around 12 to 16 hours to finish.

Pork Ribs

Once you’ve mastered your smoked pork butts, the next best thing you can experiment with is baby back ribs. While they will take 6 hours to cook, both baby back ribs and smoked spare ribs are crowd favorites and will certainly be a big hit at the next family gathering. It’s best to get started with St. Louis cut spare ribs since these are a bit more forgiving, giving beginners some room for error.

An easy way to cook pork ribs is through the 3-2-1 method, a popular choice for pitmasters; with this, you’ll cook the ribs for 3 hours before wrapping them up in butcher’s paper for 2 hours. Finally, you’ll remove this wrap and cook it for another hour — using this method is the best way to get tender and juicy ribs that everyone will love. But don’t stop with ribs; a smoked pork tenderloin is another delicious cut of pork and a smoked ham is the perfect addition to a holiday meal.

Smoked Salmon

When you want to work with smoked salmon, the best wood pellet flavor to work with is mesquite, which will give you great wood-fired results. Make sure to marinade your meat for 2 to 4 hours then refrigerate it for another 2 to 4 hours — next, smoke your salmon skin-side down for 75 to 90 minutes. Start working at 180ºF for 30 minutes first then increase the temperature to 225ºF then cook it for another 45 to 60 minutes; your salmon will be cooked once the internal temperature reads 140ºF.

Whole Chicken

Chicken is another great meat to cook on the smoker and is a good choice if you want a quick cook; apart from pork and beef, adding chicken can be a great way to offer variety to your guests. If you do choose to work with chicken, make sure to use a whole chicken and always look for good chicken recipes to guarantee your chicken’s tenderness. Moreover, experts recommend removing the backbone of the chicken, which is the process known as “spatchcocking”.

Doing this will make it cook more evenly and quickly while helping it stay moist, which prevents it from drying out the chicken. However, if you don’t need to feed many people, you can always work with chicken legs and chicken wings, all of which are more forgiving than chicken breast.

Smoked Pork Belly

If you want to serve something that tastes just like bacon, then you’ll love making pork belly burnt ends. These will come with a crispy bark on the outside while having a moist and tender inside; with just one bite, it may quickly become your new favorite! When done, you’ll have delicious chunks of caramelized meats that can be served as finger food or served with slider buns and some BBQ sauce.

Smoked Prime Rib

While this holiday classic is typically cooked inside an oven, there’s no reason why you can’t put it inside your smoker. Just keep in mind that this big cut will need to be cooked using the reverse sear method which uses a low and slow process. You’ll want to get started with a low temperature that slowly rises before finishing it off with a hot sear to get a great crust.

Smoked Turkey Breast

When you’re not in the mood to cook a big bird for upcoming special occasions, then making a smoked turkey may just be up your alley. We suggest using a Texas-style rub that will add great flavor to your meat.

Smoked Brisket

Before getting started with your smoked brisket, we recommend using brisket blend wood pellets. You should also keep in mind that beef briskets are the best cut for a Texas barbecue, which is at the forefront of modern-day barbecue techniques. Smoking a whole beef brisket at the same levels as the world’s best smoke masters will require special equipment, skill, technique, and patience.

Because brisket is already flavorful on its own, it won’t need any kind of elaborate saucing or seasoning — the trick is to get more smoke to penetrate the meat without it overcooking. With a brisket, you’ll want to start low at 225°F then raise the temperature to 275°F once the brisket’s internal temperature reaches 160°F. Luckily, beef comes with a heavy taste that can withstand the strongest woods; opt for hardwoods like hickory, mesquite, and oak.

Chuck Roast

A chuck roast with good marbling can be a good option when you first get started, or if you’re feeding a smaller crowd. This comes with a similar beefy and rich flavor like a brisket but its smaller size allows it to cook quicker, making it less likely to get dry.

Seafood

Basically, there are two different ways to smoke seafood; cold smoked and hot smoked. As the name implies, hot smoking involves cooking food at a higher temperature between 150°F to 185°F. On the other hand, using a cold smoke to cook seafood should be kept between 70°F to 85°F.

While most home cooks will often choose a hot smoke, don’t be afraid of trying the cold smoke route. It’s best to get fattier fish such as trout and salmon which won’t dry out as quickly; mackerel is also a good option.

Smoked Chicken Thighs

Another great piece of meat to use on your smoker is chicken thighs which will usually cook quicker and more evenly compared to other parts of the bird. To get the best results, you should always marinate your chicken for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight to give it as much flavor as possible. You’ll also want to look up a good rub recipe to add to its overall taste and tenderness.

Conclusion

Now that you know all about the best meats to use with your smoker, the next step is to look for your favorite smoker recipes to ensure that every piece of meat is full of flavor. Don’t forget that you can always use barbecue sauce to add flavor to meats. The perfect dinner is only a few hours away, so what are you waiting for?

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