Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Water Smoker For Best Meals

A water smoker is a great way to prepare flavorful meals for friends and family. The smoker is used with different kinds of hard woods such as hickory, oak or mesquite that add wonderful flavors to foods. Each cook using a water smoker will want to learn about the different flavors that can be added to foods by using this appliance. Most smokers come with great recipe books and instruction manuals that provide guidance on smoking foods. Some of the water smokers come with packages of the most popular woods so a cook can try some of these to find the best combinations.

Some foods lend themselves to cooking with a water smoker. Pork, turkey and chicken can taste great when cooked with the proper woods in a smoker. Salmon and other fish can be smoked to keep the moisture and taste that might be destroyed with other cooking methods.

A water smoker can prepare these fish products with great taste and the highest nutritional values. A good cook can prepare vegetables with lots of flavor in a good smoker. The vegetables will also retain much of the nutritional value that is lost with other cooking methods.

A Water Smoker Is Easy to Use
A water smoker is easy to use to make the most flavorful meals for a great social gathering. The smoker should be set up with the wood that is best for the type of food that will be cooked. The woods should be heated for some time to get them nice and hot before the next step. While the woods are heating up, someone should get the water receptacle that comes with the unit and fill it with water. The water container should then be placed in the proper location. The water smoker is now ready for the addition of the food into the compartment for smoking.
The water smoker is a great way to prepare nutritional meals for friends and family. There is evidence that a smoker retains more of the nutritional elements than other cooking methods. The smoker should not add fat or cholesterol to the food that is prepared because there is no oil or fat necessary for cooking the food. The water smoker will prepare the food in the best way possible for optimum health values. Many of the water smokers available on the market can also be used for preparing other dishes without smoking them.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Homemade Meat Smokers

There are many ways to prepare all types of food which vary from culture to culture, country to country, even state to state. Some people like to eat only raw foods, others like only cooked foods. Some enjoy grilling, others like to bake, steam or broil. There is also another way to prepare foods, especially meats, fish and poultry, and this is by smoking them.

Smoking meats is a tradition that has been passed down through generations and continues to be enjoyed by many enthusiasts worldwide. There are many smoking connoisseurs who don’t just want to go out and purchase a pre-made smoker, but they want to create one themselves, for their specific use. T

his custom approach makes homemade meat smokers a fun and exciting venture for many, even a way to make extra money as well. Let us explore the world of smoking a bit further.

Types Of Homemade Meat Smokers

Manufactured meat smokers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with many styles and brands to choose from. There are electric-powered smokers as well as propane smokers. Yet, often a person who enjoys smoking their meats likes to build his/her own homemade meat smoker in order to suit their individual needs and tastes.

The homemade meat smoker can be assembled from a variety of materials, many of which can be found on-hand in one’s tool shop or barn. Depending on the smoking needs of an individual, smokers can be made very large or small enough to fit on top of a cabinet. Much is dependent on the wants, wishes and needs of the smoker him/herself.

One type of homemade meat smoker can be made from an aluminum trash can. A hole is typically cut in the bottom of the can and a hot-plate of sorts is placed on the bottom of the can with whatever type of wood one chooses to use. Apple and maple are two popular brands of wood that are used for smoking purposes.

This reportedly gives the smoked meat a special blend of flavors. Placing the lid with a grill rack near the top of the can be a wonderful seal for a delicious mix of flavors while smoking. Smoked meats generally take a bit longer to cook than other methods of cooking, such as grilling or broiling. The temperature is much lower, yet the outcome is one worth waiting for.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Great Barbecue Grill Secret

I like to share with you something about Barbecue Grill and what recipe make the best barbecue.

Everyone who has a backyard or even an outside patio probably owns a barbecue grill. The grill is as important as anything else lying around the house. Most men consider the grill and the area surrounding it “man land.” Cooking meat on an open flame satisfies the caveman part of the brain.

The smell of the meat on hot coals will make anyone hungry. A barbecue grill comes in many shapes and sizes. Small grills that can be placed on a table can cost very little and they work just the same as the big ones.

On the other end of the spectrum, one can find large stainless steel models that cost, in some cases, over two thousand dollars. When it comes down to the basics, a barbecue grill cooks meat. Everything else that is built into one is either a cooking aid or nice to have accessories. Some grills also come attached with smoker accessories so the unit can accomplish more than just grilling.

Whatever the customer wants, there is probably a grill that suits his or her taste. Something to consider when shopping for a grill is: What size does one want or need? Meat racks can be small, maybe enough to cook two steaks, or large enough to cook for a large party.

Tips To Aid The Cooking Of Meat

It doesn’t matter what kind of meat one is cooking. Whether its beef, pork, fish, or chicken, there are some things that can enhance the flavors. One way is to marinate the meat overnight in whatever one chooses. When it is taken out to the barbecue grill, the aroma is mouth watering.

Also, one can use spices while the meat is cooking. There are many spices available to the customer. Some even mix spices together designed for each type of meat.

Something else that will aid the cooking is to watch out for flare ups. They can very quickly ruin a nice cut of meat. Every barbecue grill has a lid. When cooking meat that drips often, keeping the lid closed while cooking will stop the flare up. One still has to keep an eye out for trouble, but with the barbecue grill lid down, flare ups are minimized. Finally, knowing the amount of time it takes to cook a specific type and size of meat, the individual can then cook the meat to whatever one likes.

All meat will taste bad if overcooked so have a rough idea of the time it takes to cook whatever meat one is having, and keep a knife handy to check the current condition of the meat.

Try it out yourself. Having a great barbecue with the whole family.