What is hot smoking?

Hot smoking is the method of smoking and cooking your food at the same time. Most commonly used to prepare meat and fish, hot smoking is an effective way to tenderise food that would usually be too tough to eat, whilst imparting it with delicious barbecue flavours. So, if you’re looking to improve the flavour profile of your barbecued food, hot smoking might be the solution for you.

What appliance is best for hot smoking?

Whilst the effect of hot smoking can be achieved with a standard barbecue appliance, you won’t achieve the same taste and texture that you would with a specific hot smoking barbecue.

We would recommend the ProQ Frontier BBQ Smoker, which can be used to grill, roast and smoke your food. With a built-in temperature gauge and silicone probe eyelets, you can easily plan your cooking times for a perfectly cooked meal. As the ProQ Frontier has been designed with hot smoking in mind, it even comes with a water pan, which helps to decrease direct heat and increase moisture content, making for a more even and succulent cook.

What fuel is best for hot smoking?

Charcoal is the most popular choice of fuel for smoking and barbecuing, as it produces that sought-after smoky flavour. Capable of burning at low and high temperatures, charcoal is a fantastic choice to use to get your smoking barbecue started. However, we would recommend using smoking wood alongside charcoal. With so many wood types available, from hickory to maple to apple, you can achieve a wide range of flavour profiles by hot smoking with wood.

If you’re using the ProQ Frontier BBQ Smoker, we would suggest using the ProQ Coconut Shell Charcoal and ProQ Smoking Wood.

What are the types of hot smoking?

There are two types of hot smoking you can try, depending on the time you have available and the results you want to achieve.

Low and slow

Low and slow is the traditional method of hot smoking and is where you cook your meat over a low temperature for a long period of time. It’s believed that this technique creates the most tender and succulent results, with the ability to transform even the toughest cuts of meat.

Hot and fast

Hot and fast is a more modern method of hot smoking and is where you cook your meat on a very high temperature for a short period of time. Whilst this method can produce similar results, it is often regarded as much more challenging and poses a number of risks. When cooking at such a high heat, you could easily overcook or burn your food, so it’s important to pay close attention when cooking hot and fast.

How to hot smoke using a ProQ Frontier

Before you can start hot smoking, you need to prepare your ingredients. Making sure any meat or fish is completely defrosted will allow it to better absorb the smoke, making for an enhanced flavour profile.

1. Fill your water pan and light your charcoal. Charcoal usually takes between 5 – 10 minutes to heat up. You can check the internal temperature of your ProQ Frontier barbecue using the temperature gauge.
2. Remove the lid and place your food on the cooking grates above the water pan. This is the ideal position for your food, as the water pan will act as a shield from direct heat.
3. Put the lid back on and adjust the vents to meet your desired temperature.
4. Once your food is in the smoking barbecue, open the lower hatch. Here, you can place smoking wood in with your charcoal. The more smoking wood you add, the stronger the flavour will be.
5. Set a timer and leave your food to cook. How long you a timer for will depend on what food you’re cooking and what hot smoking method you’re using.

Where to buy a ProQ Frontier BBQ Smoker

If you’re interested in purchasing a ProQ BBQ in the UK, look no further than Topstak. We stock a wide selection of ProQ products, providing you with everything you need to try hot smoking at home. Get in touch to find out more about ProQ BBQs and enquire about our delivery details.