By Jim Hess

Vertical Smoker, photo by Justin

Have you heard the term vertical barbecue smoker and scratched your head and said, “Huh.” Basically, there are three types of barbecue smokers for making real smoked barbecue. The first is what is called the offset smoker. With the offset smoker, the firebox of the smoker is off to the side of the smoke chamber. A fire is built in the firebox, smoke and heat from the firebox travel into and through the smoke chamber, and out through a chimney ventilation system at the top of the smoke chamber. The meat that is to be smoked (and eventually, eaten) is placed on grates inside the smoke chamber. As the smoke and heat pass around the meat on the way to the chimney vents, the meat is flavored by the smoke. This is what makes for great smoked barbecue.

The second main type of smoker category is the kettle cooker (think Weber Kettle.) A kettle cooker can be set up for smoking by building the fire off to the side of the kettle, and placing the meat not directly over the heat source, but off to the other side. When the lid is closed, smoke from the charcoal and any added wood chips will flow around the meat giving it that great smoke barbecue taste before exiting the kettle lid through the vents. The third major type of barbecue cooker is what is known as a vertical smoker. With a vertical smoker, there is only one chamber for everything. The fire is built down at the bottom of the unit, there is a pan with soaked wood chips directly over the fire area, and then there are 2,3, or 4 horizontal racks above the smoke pan where the meat is placed. The smoke will rise in the smoke chamber, go around the meat giving it that great flavor, then exit out the top of the unit. Some of the vertical smokers also have a water pan directly over the smoke pan. This pan will hold water throughout the cooking process and will help the meat stay moist and not dry out.

A vertical smoker can use various fuels. Some burn charcoal or regular wood chunks. Some are fueled by propane, and some even use electricity to create heat, and burn water soaked wood chips to create smoke. The electric vertical smoker is often a good choice for the novice barbecue smoke enthusiast as they are very easy to regulate the temperature, and do not require a lot of attention while cooking.

These three styles of smokers will all have the barbecue enthusiast smoking good quality product, as long as they adhere to the basics of good barbecue preparation.

1. Rub the meat with a rub or marinade.
2. Cook the meat low and slow (low temperature–long cooking time)
3. Apply any sauces at the end of the cooking (last hour or so.)

For more free information on how to cook fantastic real barbecue click here: http://www.bbq-jim.com. Jim Hess is an expert author who loves to cook, eat and write about real barbecue (and meat grilling). Click here to see much more http://www.bbq-jim.com

By Jim Hess

Slow Barbecued Ribs are tender and tasty.

Everyone loves Barbecue Ribs! Did you know you can make great tasting, fall off the bone ribs with a piece of equipment you probably already own. Yes, the trusty Weber kettle, sitting in your garage, can be used to make great tasting barbeque ribs, and it is easy.

First, get the Kettle grill out of the garage, and blow the dust off it. Make sure you have all the parts, including the top. You must have the top to make real smoke barbecue. Take your kettle cooker, and set it up this way. Place one of those cheap aluminum baking dishes that you can buy for a buck at the grocery store in the center of the grill that holds the charcoal. Make two piles of charcoal on opposite sides of the aluminum pan. Light the charcoal, and let it burn down. Place the some soaked wood chips on the charcoal to make more smoke to flavor the meat. Place the grill rack back on it’s holders.

Have your butcher trim the ribs in what is known “St Louis Style.” He’ll know what you are talking about. If he doesn’t get a new butcher. Season the ribs liberally with a good quality barbecue rub that you like. Place the ribs on the center of the grill directly over the aluminum pan. This pan is to catch the drippings from the meat as it cooks. Place the lid on the bottom of the kettle, and adjust the top vents so that the internal temperature of the smoker stays around 250 degrees. Cook the ribs for about 4 hours or so. They are done when you can wiggle the rib bones and it fees and looks like the meat is going to fall right off the bone. This is about 3.5 to 4.5 hours. The last hour or so off cooking, brush they ribs with a good quality barbecue sauce. Most good barbecue masters make their own. There are numerous sauce recipes in many books on the Internet. When the ribs are done, serve with more barbecue sauce on the side, and whatever side dishes you prefer. Classic is coleslaw and potato salad.

For recipes and additional information on how to make real smoked barbecue, see http://www.bbq-jim.com which has a free review of a great barbecue information program and free links to barbecue cookers.

I am always looking for good barbecue chicken recipes. I like to experiment and make my own marinades. A good marinade has 5 basic ingredients:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Acid
• Aromatics
• Oil

Take one ingredient from each of the above categories and mix to make your own custom marinade. Most marinades work best with two parts oil to one part acid, but be careful not to add too much oil or you may get some nasty flare-ups on the grill.

This is one of my favorites chicken marinades. It is easy, but packs a lot of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 C. Soy Sauce
• 1/4 C. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 C Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Clove Garlic – Minced
• 1 Tsp Fresh Oregano – Chopped

Mix all of the ingredients in a plastic zip top bag until well blended. Add the chicken and refrigerate over night. I prefer to use bone in skin on chicken pieces because they tend to hold the moisture in better when grilling. You can use this marinade for as little as two hours, but for full flavor at least twelve hours is recommended.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Prepare your charcoal grill to cook over indirect heat and close the vents, both top and bottom, half way. Put the chicken over indirect heat and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Many people end up with dry chicken with skin that pulls off when you try to bite through it. This is caused by cooking over too high of heat. Cooking over direct high heat doesn’t give the skin time to render the fat out and become crispy. It also makes the meat dry out much more quickly.

For more BBQ Chicken Marinade recipes or for grilling recipes visit the Backyard Grilling Blog