Our Best Smoked Recipes (2024)

How to Smoke Mesquite Skirt Steak

Our Best Smoked Recipes (1)

Smoking meat and fish infuses must-have summer flavor like nothing else. Try these smoked recipes for dinner tonight.

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Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs

Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs

Our Best Smoked Recipes (2)

Credit: Coral Von Zumwalt

Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs Recipe

These maple-glazed ribs with a subtle touch of ginger are a mainstay at Odys + Penelope restaurant in Los Angeles. At home, chef-owner Quinn Hatfield smokes them using either a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker or a Pit Barrel Cooker. For versions of the recipe to cook on regular grills instead of smokers, go to Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs on a Gas Grill, and Ginger Rosemary Smoked Pork Ribs on a Charcoal Grill.

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Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style

Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style

Our Best Smoked Recipes (3)

Credit: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Smoked Salmon, Barbecue University-Style Recipe

This whisky-scented smoked salmon combines the virtues of hot smoking and cedar planking. The dry brine in a sugar-salt mixture seasons the fish wonderfully. Cedar planks are available at grill stores and cookware shops. For gas grilling, place drained, soaked wood chips in a disposable aluminum pan directly on the burner of your grill.

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Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream

Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream

Our Best Smoked Recipes (4)

Credit: Maren Caruso; Styling: Robyn Valarik

Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream Recipe

The chuck-eye roast, aka the chuck-eye roll, is from the beef shoulder, facing the rib-eye roast. It has many layers of fat and sinew that need to be broken down slowly with heat. Tracy Smaciarz, a second-generation butcher who owns and runs Heritage Meats in Rochester, Washington, cold-smokes this cut, then grills it over indirect heat for hours. You can achieve a similar effect by braising the roast in a covered pan with wood chips and onions, allowing it to bathe in a steam bath of onion and smoke until it's juicy. Make sure your wood chips are fresh--they fade with age.

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Smoked Mojo Leg Quarters

Smoked Mojo Leg Quarters

Our Best Smoked Recipes (5)

Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Smoked Mojo Leg Quarters Recipe

Use applewood chips to get the most out of this smoked dish.

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Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub

Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub

Our Best Smoked Recipes (6)

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub Recipe

Our savory smoked chicken is equally delicious served cold or at room temperature, so you can cook it well in advance of your get-together. If you have leftovers, shred the meat and stir into leftover Kamut salad--instant lunch.

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Applewood-smoked Spareribs with Paprika Chili Spice Rub

Applewood-smoked Spareribs with Paprika Chili Spice Rub

Our Best Smoked Recipes (7)

Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Applewood-smoked Spareribs with Paprika Chili Spice Rub Recipe

Right before the end of cooking, chef Tyler Florence likes to sprinkle his ribs with more rub—"like Cheetos dust," he says.

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Texas-Style Smoked Brisket

Texas-Style Smoked Brisket

Our Best Smoked Recipes (8)

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Texas-Style Smoked Brisket Recipe

Try barbecue Texas style, which is the beef brisket -- if there is any sauce, it is a thin, spicy pan sauce made from the meat drippings. Look for a flat-cut brisket, which will be a fairly even thickness, and leave the fat layer on for the best results.

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Smoked Lemon-Chipotle Chickens

Smoked Lemon-Chipotle Chickens

Our Best Smoked Recipes (9)

Credit: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Smoked Lemon-Chipotle Chickens Recipe

On a chilly day, the chicken will take longer to cook–up to 45 minutes more. Don't skip the step of tying the chicken with string; the more compact the chicken, the better the smoking results will be, according to Kevin.

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Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip

Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip

Our Best Smoked Recipes (10)

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip Recipe

Flavorful tri-tip steak is a cut of beef also known as bottom sirloin or sirloin tip. Compared to other styles of barbecue, this recipe for smoked tri-tip comes together quickly, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner.

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Fantastic Bourbon Smoked Chicken

Fantastic Bourbon Smoked Chicken

Our Best Smoked Recipes (11)

Credit: Levi Brown; Styling: Tiziana Agnello

Fantastic Bourbon Smoked Chicken Recipe

After Steven Raichlen sent us this recipe in 2011, we declared it the most beautiful and best-tasting chicken we’d ever had. To reinforce the whiskey flavor in the brine and basting butter, Steve says to use Jack Daniel's whiskey barrel chips for smoking--widely available in grill and gourmet shops. This smoked chicken recipe is so wonderfully moist and flavorful, it doesn't need added embellishment.

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Smoked Potato Salad

Smoked Potato Salad

Our Best Smoked Recipes (12)

Credit: Charles Masters; Styling: Alma Melendex

Smoked Potato Salad Recipe

This recipe will change everything you think you know about potato salad. In your grill, the potatoes cook in a covered aluminum pan next to another pan of mesquite wood chips. After they're smoked, the potatoes are topped with seasonings and herbs.

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Video: Using Wood Chips for Smoking Food

Wood chips add a smoky flavor to the fire and your food. Let Jamie Purviance show you the way to use them.

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Smoked Salmon

Smoked Salmon

Our Best Smoked Recipes (13)

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro

Smoked Salmon Recipe

This recipe gives you a moist smoked salmon - not the drier type (lox) that you purchase to serve on bagels with cream cheese. Start soaking the wood chips while the salmon brines.

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Smoked Pork Butt

Chowchow

Our Best Smoked Recipes (14)

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Prop Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Smoked Pork Butt Recipe

Our Test Kitchen took cues from the pros to bring pit-barbecue flavor to the backyard.

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Smoked Trout

Smoked Trout

Our Best Smoked Recipes (15)

Credit: James Carrier

Smoked Trout Recipe

For the most intense smoky flavor and deepest gold color, use a charcoal barbecue. To present smoked trout as an appetizer, serve on thin triangles of Westphalian-style pumpernickel bread with sour cream, chopped red onion, and lemon wedges. For a salad, combine chunks of smoked trout, hot or cold, with green salad mix and a vinaigrette dressing. As a main dish, serve trout hot with boiled small thin-skinned potatoes, melted butter, and lemon wedges. Chill smoked trout airtight up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

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Smoked Paprika Pork Roast with Sticky Stout Barbecue Sauce

Sticky Stout Barbecue Sauce

Our Best Smoked Recipes (16)

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Smoked Paprika Pork Roast with Sticky Stout Barbecue Sauce Recipe

We "dry-brined" the pork before grilling it. This method calls for rubbing a mixture on the pork and chilling it. This allows for salt to pull seasonings into the meat and improve juiciness and flavor. It's unusual, but you do chill uncovered to keep the rub "dry." (Otherwise, the rub dilutes in trapped moisture.)

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Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing

Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing

Our Best Smoked Recipes (17)

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing Recipe

Full of high flavors, Smoked Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Dressing will become your new favorite salad. Be sure to check out our innovative method for indoor smoking on your cooktop!

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Cajun-Spiced Smoked Shrimp with Rémoulade

Cajun-Spiced Smoked Shrimp with Rémoulade

Our Best Smoked Recipes (18)

Credit: Charles Masters; Styling: Alma Melendez

Cajun-Spiced Smoked Shrimp with Rémoulade Recipe

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Smoked Mullet

Smoked Mullet

Our Best Smoked Recipes (19)

Smoked Mullet Recipe

Disposable turkey roasting pans from the supermarket are great for brining the fish. If you can't find mullet in your area, try mackerel, bluefish, amberjack, or even salmon--lower the smoking time for fillets rather than split fish.

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Smoked Strip Steaks

Smoked Strip Steaks

Our Best Smoked Recipes (20)

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Smoked Strip Steaks Recipe

Strip steaks offer a lot of surface area relative to their total size, which allows them to absorb a maximum amount of smoke. Serve thin slices of the steak over rice pilaf.

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Smoked Trout Salad with Apples and Pecans

Smoked Trout Salad with Apples and Pecans

Our Best Smoked Recipes (21)

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Smoked Trout Salad with Apples and Pecans Recipe

Rainbow trout is a tender fish with pink flesh and a mild flavor. Substitute any other white fish, or even salmon. You can use other fruit in place of the apples, if you prefer; pears or berries would work nicely.

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Smoked Pork Shoulder

Smoked Pork Shoulder

Our Best Smoked Recipes (22)

Smoked Pork Shoulder Recipe

Serve hickory smoke-infused pork shoulder at your outdoor festivities throughout the summer. Serve the shredded pork on buns for sandwiches or use it to top salads and baked potatoes.

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Championship Pork Butt

Championship Pork Butt

Our Best Smoked Recipes (23)

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Championship Pork Butt Recipe

Injecting a Boston butt with marinade, coating it with rub, and slow-cooking on the grill will give you the juiciest pulled pork butt you've ever tasted.

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Sage and Thyme Smoked Turkey

Sage and Thyme Smoked Turkey on a Charcoal Grill

Our Best Smoked Recipes (24)

Credit: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon

Sage and Thyme Smoked Turkey Recipe

Brining and smoking turkey makes it juicy, moist, and fragrant, with a flavor that's infused with herbs and hints of applewood. This recipe uses a water smoker. A water smoker has a charcoal fire at the bottom topped with aromatic wood chunks, a pan of water, and racks for food.

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Video: How to Smoke Mesquite Skirt Steak

Jamie Purviance shows how to smoke quick-cooking mesquite skirt steak to perfection over a charcoal grill.

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Our Best Smoked Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the 3/2:1 rule for brisket? ›

First off, you'd smoke or bake the brisket at 225 degrees for 3 hours; then you'd wrap it in foil and keep cooking it for 2 hours. Finally, uncovered and cook for 1 more hour before letting it rest for a few minutes prior serving.

What is the most popular smoked food? ›

Meats and fish are the most common smoked foods, though cheeses, vegetables, and ingredients used to make beverages such as whisky, smoked beer, and lapsang souchong tea are also smoked.

What is the easiest meat to smoke? ›

Simple, quick, and easy-to-cook foods like beef ribs, pork chops, turkey, duck, and salmon are the finest meats to smoke for a beginner. This will give you a solid foundation on food smoking before moving on to more luscious and flavorful meats like brisket, lamb, pork butt, and tri-tip.

What is the best cut of brisket for smoking? ›

The fattier point cut, meanwhile, is preferred for pulled beef, beef sandwiches and smoked barbecued brisket. The whole brisket together is known as an “untrimmed” brisket or “packer cut” and is also frequently smoked and sometimes pickled for corned beef.

How long to smoke a 3 lb brisket flat at 225? ›

Cook brisket until it reaches an internal temperature of 160℉, about 5 to 6 hours.

What is the magic number for brisket? ›

There is no magic number for when briskets are done. I've had briskets be done anywhere from 200° – 208°. What are you looking for is for it to feel done.

What is the hardest meat to smoke? ›

Brisket is BBQ royalty and one of the hardest and toughest meats to smoke. It takes many hours, dedication and each brisket has a journey and a story to tell.

What meat tastes best smoked? ›

Best Cuts of Meat for Smoking

Our top choices are brisket, pork shoulder (for pulled pork), pork chops, and ribs. You can also give our St. Louis Ribs a try in your new smoker. Beef brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs are three cuts that offer sufficient fat to keep them juicy and tender when done.

Which smoker gives the best flavor? ›

Hardwood and charcoal are the fuel of choice for smoking purists. This combination creates a high smoke output that maximizes smokey flavor. Maintaining a consistent low temperature takes time to learn, though, and it makes more of a mess.

What is the best food to smoke for beginners? ›

The best meats to smoke as a beginner
  • Boston Butt (Pulled Pork) If you're new to meat smoking, this is what we recommend starting with first. ...
  • Whole Chicken. ...
  • Beef Brisket. ...
  • Pork Ribs. ...
  • Lamb Shank. ...
  • Beef Cheeks. ...
  • Tomahawk Steak. ...
  • We're all about low and slow.
Sep 29, 2020

What meat can I smoke in 3 hours? ›

Smoke Times & Temperatures Chart
Type of MeatSmoking TempTime to Complete *
Chicken Quarters250°F3 hrs
Whole Turkey 12#250°F6.5 hrs
Turkey Leg250°F4 hrs
Turkey Wings250°F2.5 hrs
18 more rows

Does brisket get more tender the longer you smoke it? ›

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it. Legend has it "The Texas Crutch" first came into being on the competition barbecue circuit. In these contests, smoked meat must be delivered to the judges at a specific time.

What cut is a brisket called at the grocery store? ›

When buying brisket at the grocery store, it is typically labeled as "beef brisket." It's a specific cut of meat that comes from the lower chest area of a cow. You might also find variations like "whole brisket", "brisket flat cut", and "brisket point," which refer to different parts of the brisket.

What happens if you wrap brisket too early? ›

Wrapping the brisket at this stage also helps keep it moist and tender by trapping the juices and preventing it from drying out. If you wrap a brisket too early, you may end up with a softer, less textured bark. If you wrap the brisket late, it may take a lot longer to cook.

What is the danger zone for brisket? ›

While smoking meat, you should pay special attention to the temperature danger zone because there is a higher chance of bacteria growth in the meat. Therefore, you need to find the optimum temperature for meat. As mentioned above, the temperature danger zone is 46°F -140°F (8°C-60°C).

How long does it take a brisket to get to 160 at 225? ›

How Long Does It Take to Smoke a Brisket? Place it fat side down on the grill grate and smoke for 4-6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches around 160° F.

At what temperature should I wrap my brisket? ›

Then, when the internal temperature of the meat gets near 165°F, it seemingly stops cooking. That's when to wrap brisket—a critical moment that helps push through the stall and ensures your meat finishes cooking to tender perfection.

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