Back To Commercial Smoker Ovens Home Page
Financing and Leasing Options Available OAC
How to Choose a Smoker for Genuine Pit Barbecue in a Retail
Foodservice Operation
36
Features to Look For in a Smoker
As
the popularity of barbecue and smoked foods continues to
grow, the marketplace makes room for more smokers and "smoking
contraptions." It is difficult to know whose claims
to believe.
This
is as a commonsense guide for people who are looking for
a smoker to use in a retail food service operation.
Excellent
quality smoked foods are surprisingly easy to prepare. If
you have the right smoker the job can be as routine as ordinary
oven cooking.
Almost
everyone likes that smoky taste combined with juicy, slow-cooked
meats, poultry, fish and game. Old-fashioned pit smoked
beef, pork, ribs ... chickens ... turkeys ... hams ... prime
rib ... fish ... jerky ... shellfish ... wild game ... fruits,
vegetables, sauces, oils ... these are just some of the
items you may want to smoke. You
deserve value for your money.
- Look
for quality of performance based on good design and construction
- Versatility
of use for greater profitability
- Support
from the manufacturer to help you use the product to increase
your profits and please your customers
Use
the following information to make an informed decision about
what will work best for you.
(If
you're thinking of building your own pit, see #38
and #39.)
Top
of Page
THE 36
FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN A SMOKER
- AUTOMATIC
OPERATION
Gone
are the days of the big pits that had to be stoked by
hand and watched like a hawk. Load the smoker, set the
temperature & time, latch the door, and leave it
alone. That's all you should have to do.
- EASY-TO-USE
CONTROLS
To
produce great barbecue you should be able to select
... at the beginning of the cook cycle ... a smoke-cook
temperature, time, and holding temperature. You or your
employees should be able to operate your smoker without
needing a degree in computer science.
- CONSISTENT
RESULTS
You
should get the same excellent quality product each time
you cook. A low, even temperature produces the richest
smoke flavor ... the juiciest meat ... the most tender
product. Thermostatically-controlled heat AND smoke
are a must.
Top
of Page
- LOW
PRODUCT SHRINKAGE
Your smoker should cook and smoke the
meat with minimum shrinkage. Consider the...
Clothes Dryer Theory
Hot combustion gases moving through a clothes dryer
pull the moisture from the fabrics. Those hot gases
moving through your smoker's chamber will pull the moisture
from the product.
As
the hot, dry, wood & gas combustion exhaust moves
out the smoker's vent, it carries with it the juices
that hold the flavor and make the product succulent
and tender. The result is
- Less
product to sell...
- Less
profit...
- Dry,
tough meat.
Look
for a smoker that has no hot, dry combustion exhaust
gas moving through it, and a cooking process that leaves
valuable juices in the meat.
Top
of Page
- FOOD
IS CONSTANTLY BEING EXPOSED TO FRESH SMOKE
Smoke
must escape from the chamber during cooking, or food
will have an unappealing gray color and bitter, "off"
taste from sitting in stale smoke for hours. Look for
a smoker that allows smoke to escape, and is constantly
exposing product to fresh smoke.
- VENTING
IS NOT AN INSTALLATION HASSLE
Choose
a smoker that can be used under your existing hood or
with an attached venthood custom-made for the smoker.
- COOKING
PROCESS IS SIMPLE
If
you have to do more than load the product, shut the
door, set the temperature/time control, and turn on
the smoker, there are too many steps! Busy kitchen employees
do not have time to remember elaborate procedures.
Top
of Page
- LOW
ENERGY COSTS
A
well-insulated chamber ... low cooking temperatures
... no air moving through the chamber ... each of these
contributes to low energy cost.
Remember
that gas is not necessarily a less expensive fuel source
for a smoker if the heat it produces goes straight up
a big chimney. Gas requires air for combustion ... that
air will shrink your product.
Gas
smokers usually burn wood, too ... and a lot of it!
They are Wood Hogs! Do you want to buy, ship, store,
and handle those big logs? Then clean up ashes and charred
remains?
- SMOKER
HAS HOLDING OVEN CAPABILITY
Be
certain that you can set your smoker to a low, accurate
holding temperature. Sometimes you will need a holding
oven and this feature is mighty handy.
- ADEQUATE
SMOKE PRODUCTION
Beware
of tiny "smoke boxes" added to conventional
ovens. They just can't put out enough smoke to flavor
the product well. At best you'll get a slight smoke
taste on the outside of the product, and no smoke flavor
inside, where it counts.
Top
of Page
- INSIDE
OF SMOKER CLEANS EASILY
Parts
and inner chamber of smoker should be easily accessible
and easy to clean. Complicated configurations of parts
will collect grease and smoke resins...almost impossible
to clean. Motor drives, fixed shelves, nooks and crannies
are bad news!
- DRIPPINGS
GO OUTSIDE THE SMOKER
And
that's during the cooking process ... not after. Both
food flavor and safety are affected by grease in the
cooking chamber. Hot grease fumes will give an "off"
taste to the product. The presence of large quantities
of hot grease is a fire hazard.
If
drippings stay in the chamber, they burn on to oven
walls, grills, and racks. This makes clean up a time-consuming
chore.
Fresh
juices make tasty gravy ... scorched drippings don't.
- SMOKER
USES REAL WOOD OR WOOD PELLETS
Chips,
sawdust, or charcoal just won't do the job. Chips and
charcoal quickly release all their flavoring resins,
leaving lignite, which does not flavor the meat. Charcoal
just puts out fumes. Small logs (2 - 3" x 6 - 10")
are just right. Fresh resin is constantly being exposed
to the heat source, and released into the cooking chamber
as sweet flavoring for your meat.
Top
of Page
- FAST
TURNAROUND TIME ON RELOADING
If
you are on a tight cooking schedule, any of your employees
should be able to quickly unload, clean, and reload
the smoker for its next batch.
- LOW
LABOR INTENSITY
Your
smoker should use as little of your time and your employees'
time as possible. Look for one that can be efficiently
loaded, cleaned, and maintained.
A
smoker that ... needs NO attention while cooking ...
is easy to load ... and cleans up fast ... is the ideal.
- WELL-INSULATED
COOKING CHAMBER
Choose your smoker with good insulation
for lower energy costs and safety ...
- Your
smoker will cost less to operate
- Your
building air-cooling costs will be less with a smoker
that stays cool on the outside
- Outside
of the smoker stays cool, no one gets burned
Top
of Page
- EVEN
INNER TEMPERATURE
An
even cooking temperature inside the smoker eliminates
the need for complicated mechanisms for rotating the
product as it cooks. A well-insulated smoker will have
an even internal temperature.
- LOW
COOKING TEMPERATURE
Sure,
you can cook faster with higher temperatures. But, you'll
get a tougher product with less smoke flavor. And, you
won't be making genuine, old-fashioned pit barbecue.
It's
that slow cooking that gives the meat a chance to tenderize
itself ... and gives the smoke time to permeate the
meat. That's real barbecue, done the right way.
- LOOK
FOR SAFETY FEATURES
Ask
about National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) listing.
Ask about Underwriters' Laboratories (UL) listing. Ask
about United States Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) approval.
Those credentials mean that the smoker has met high
safety, sanitation, and performance standards through
rigorous testing.
- SMOKER
SHOULD NOT ADD TO INSURANCE COSTS!
Your
insurance company will notice credentials like UL, NSF,
and USDA, too. A safe smoker can reduce building insurance
costs!
Top
of Page
- SMOKES
A WIDE VARIETY OF FOODS
Use
that smoker to add life to your menu!
Your
smoker should be able to produce items that require
different cooking temperatures and times. Choose a smoker
that gives you the flexibility to produce different
foods.
These
are some of the items
you may want to smoke ...
Beef Brisket
Top Round
Pork Butts
Shrimp
Oysters
Venison
Prime Rib
Trout
Chili Meat
Fish
Pheasant
Cornish Hens
Sauce
Fajitas |
Pork Ribs
Turkey
Pork Shoulders
Hamburgers
Duck
Goose
Jerky
Meat Loaf
Beef Ribs
Quail
Game Birds
Apples
Soup
Cheese |
Chicken
Ham
Salmon
Steaks
Oil
Lemons
Pineapple
Peaches
Tomatoes
Sausage
Salt
Peppers
Mushrooms
Mussels |
You
can probably think of more. (If in doubt, smoke it!)
Times
change. Do not get stuck with a piece of equipment that
will not change with your needs.
Top
of Page
- YOUR
SMOKER SHOULD BOTH HOT (BARBECUE) AND COLD SMOKE
You
may want to hot smoke (or barbecue), and cold smoke.
Buy a smoker that will allow you to do both.
- CHOOSE
A SMOKER THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ADJUST SMOKE FLAVOR
You'll
want to control the amount of smoke flavor added to
various products. Choose a smoker that allows you to
portion wood according to the amount of smoke flavor
desired.
Remember
that it should be as practical to delicately smoke shrimp
as it is to put lots of smoke into a load of ribs.
- SMOKER
SHOULD DO DOUBLE DUTY IN YOUR KITCHEN, WITHOUT WOOD
You
may want to use your smoker as a slow cooker for meat,
without wood.
If
you can get two pieces of equipment for the price of
one, that's good value.
- LOW
WOOD COST
If
your smoker uses wood logs as a heat source, you will be
faced with finding a supplier for large quantities of
wood, transporting it to a site near the smoker, storing
and handling big logs.
Wood pellets are easily stored, and are 100% wood.
This is a better choice of fuel than wood logs. If
you choose a smoker that uses another heat source, and
uses wood for smoke only, your expenses and hassles
will be considerably reduced.
Top
of Page
- INNER
ACCESSORIES REMOVE QUICKLY
Grills,
racks, inner parts should all pop out in a flash for
cleaning.
Any
person, male or female, of average size and strength
should be able to easily handle accessories and clean
your smoker.
- SMOKER
IS RELIABLE... REQUIRES LOW MAINTENANCE
Look
for reliability! Routine maintenance should be minimal
and simple to perform ... you should be able to care
for the smoker without expensive service calls. The
more moving parts it has, the more likely it is that
something will wear out and break.
Remember,
those big rotisserie smokers have motors to break, rotisseries
to go haywire, and many other ways to cost you money!
- LOAD
CAPACITY TO FIT YOUR OPERATION
It's
expensive to operate your smoker only half full. And
an overloaded smoker will not work efficiently. Estimate
how much and what kind of smoked foods you will be preparing.
Look for a smoker that is slightly larger than your
anticipated needs.
You
can handle a big increase in your smoked food business
one of these two ways...
*
Add a second smoker ... two small smokers give you more
flexibility than one larger smoker...
*
Or trade in your original smoker for a larger one.
Top
of Page
- YOUR
SMOKER SHOULD WORK WHILE YOU SLEEP
Many
products require slow cooking at a low temperature for
best results. Choose a piece of equipment that will
smoke overnight without your attention. Load it the
night before and remove the product the next morning.
Use it for shorter runs, such as chicken or ribs, during
the day.
- INNER
ACCESSORIES REARRANGE
Foods
to be smoked come in all different sizes and shapes
... your smoker should be flexible enough to accommodate
many of them. Be sure that you can adjust and rearrange
interior shelves.
You
may want to hang ribs, slabs of bacon, sausages. Look
for a smoker that allows for hanging as well as laying
product flat on shelves.
- OPTIONAL
ACCESSORIES ALLOW FLEXIBILITY
Your
smoker should accommodate a variety of accessories to
give you flexibility. For example, will available accessories
help you smoke shrimp? Increase capacity of large volume
items such as ribs? Hang product?
Top
of Page
- OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
Any
smoker that you buy should come to you with an Operator's
Manual ... including operating instructions
and cooking instructions.
- AVOID
ELABORATE INSTALLATION
DON'T
get caught with big installation expense and hassles.
Ask lots of questions of your dealer before your smoker
is setting in your kitchen.
DO
allow for adequate ... and reasonable ... space, ventilation,
and power requirements. Structural building changes
and ventilation other than the usual hood are NOT necessary.
- ANYBODY
CAN RUN IT
Make
sure your smoker can be used by anyone who might have
to run it in your kitchen.
Top
of Page
- SMALL
FLOOR SPACE REQUIRED
DON'T
waste valuable kitchen space.
DO
get yourself a smoker that will turn out as much product
as you need, in as little floor space as possible.
- STANDARD
EQUIPMENT COMPLETE
"Complete"
means whatever it takes to use the smoker. Grills, racks,
shelves, drip pans, whatever ... it should all be there
as part of the standard package.
Top
of Page
- SMOKER
COMPANY HAS BARBECUE EXPERIENCE
You'll get more back-up from a company
with BARBECUE experience. You want to be sure that you
get continuing support with service. A company that
does not specialize in barbecue, or is very new at it,
might not be around when you need them.
THINKING
OF BUILDING YOUR OWN PIT?
- DO
YOU WANT TO PAY FOR INSURANCE ON A HOME-BUILT PIT?
Whether
you add an open-flame, home-built pit to your existing
building, or locate it in a separate building, it could
increase your insurance costs. Your insurance company
does not want the liability for a big, greasy pit which
could burst into flames!
- WILL
YOUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT APPROVE YOUR PIT?
Requirements
for home-built pit smokers and the buildings surrounding
them get tighter every day. Health department approved
home-built pits are expensive ... so are the buildings
to house them in.
Save
yourself some time, money, and headaches by buying a
smoker that has credentials your health department will
approve without a second glance. NSF and UL listing
will satisfy even the pickiest inspector. If you are
a meat processor, of course you'll want USDA approval.
Top
of Page
Surprise
... we sneaked in four extra points more than the 36
that we promised you. We think you will agree that giving
your customers more than they expect is essential to
success. Your customers will appreciate that "something
extra" that you give them when you serve them truly
great barbecue.
Feel free to call us at 1-866 577-5656 toll free. we will be happy to talk with you about your.
SALES
& CUSTOMER SERVICE
1-866 577-5656
email us
©Copyright 1997 - 2010. The West Coast BBQ Store.com, all rights reserved. All content on this web site is the sole property of ©The West Coast Store DBA The West Coast BBQ Store. Send all inquiries about this web site to: General Inquiries
Contact Us - Returns - Shipping - General Policy - Internet Security - Privacy/Legal
|
