Meating Your Needs: How To Find The Smoker Fit For You

You're ready to take your usual grilling to the next level and want to use a smoker to make your meats perfect at your next barbecue. Whether you join the estimated 73% of consumers who grill on July 4, the 60% who grill on Memorial Day, or set out to grill on any day in between, make sure that the smoker you pick is right for you and your meats.

Offset Vertical Smoker

A vertical smoker is built with the heat and smoke source directly below the cooking area. As the heat is usually in the same chamber with the food and sits directly below it, the food tends to cook faster. Vertical smokers can be powered by gas, electricity, or charcoal, but the temperature is typically harder to control in charcoal models. An offset vertical smoker has the firebox attached to one end of the cooking chamber. The firebox has a top or side access door and an adjustable vent. The purpose of the firebox is to create heat and smoke that can enter the cooking chamber through a small hole between the two, efficiently smoking your meats. While the temperature of these smokers is a little more difficult to control, their vertical shape will save space in your outdoor area and give you amazing smoked meats.

Horizontal Smoker

These smokers look more like traditional BBQ smoker grills. This smoker typically has a top that lifts up like a toolbox and the heat source is not directly below the cooking area. These smokers usually come in charcoal or hardwood models. They are also made as offset smokers, with a smoke chamber mounted a few inches lower on the side of the cooking chamber. This design combined with the horizontal smoker's indirect heat source allows the food in the cooking chamber to cook slowly with a low temperature, a technique that is more suitable for certain types of barbecue. Although they provide this authentic cooking experience, the horizontal smoker's wider shape will take up more room in your outdoor area.

Your perfect smoker needs to fit your lifestyle, your meats, and your entertaining space. There are a lot of smokers on the market that all have their own selling points, but one like the offset vertical smoker saves you space while giving you the perfect food. Call today to pursue your wildest smoking dreams.