With a pellet grill, you have two options for smoking: hot or cold. These methods refer to how high the temperature of smoke is at any given time during that process and they give very different results overall in terms of taste as well as tenderness qualities when using them inside your home cooking space.
Our site provides a wide range of recipes for both hot and cold smoking. It’s conveniently organized into categories so you can find the perfect one with just one search.
Table of Contents
Cold Smoking
Cold smoking is a technique used to create unique flavors and textures. This process usually takes place at temperatures between 80°F and 120°F, in an enclosure separate from the actual heat source. This permits easier control of airflow as well as enhances smoke development for more complex tastes without burning or scorching your food.
There are two types:
- short cold smokies which last about three hours (think reverse sear);
- long smokes can go up to 24-48+ depending on how much you want them seasoned.
They’re great when paired with hickory pellets because of these wood flavor amplifiers.
Cold smoking has been used for thousands of years, all over the world to preserve meats in times when hunting and fishing were less an option. This process is still going on today.
Cold smoking is a great way to add flavor without cooking food. Cheese and nuts are primary examples of this, with Cheddar being an especially good choice because it’s usually only lightly smoked before being aged longer in order for the subtle smokey qualities from cold-smoked ingredients like almonds or cashews to come through more clearly than if they were just heated up at high temperatures until all that was left was burnt tastes on your palate.
Some pellet grills come with a standard cold smoke option, but they can be purchased separately. Traeger and Louisiana Grills both offer attachments for their smokers that produce great results when smoked over an open fire or wood chip bedding supplements like apple juice to help tenderize food flavors during cooking time.
Hot Smoking
The hot smoking process creates perfectly smoked food with an amazing flavor profile. It’s done in the same chamber as your smoke source or, for us fire – it goes up above 120° Fahrenheit.
Classic Low-and-Slow Smoking
Classic low-and-slow smoking is where we will focus much of our time on this site. Low and Slow means that you need to maintain a constant temperature for the meat throughout its exposure, which can be done by fatty tissues burning off or via other methods such as immersed heat sources like liquid charcoal. Straightforward L/S style grillers often purchase pellet grills because they offer more control over their cooking process than traditional gas appliances do; reading about what makes someone an enthusiast might also make them interested enough to try out one yourself.
Low and slow smoking is done at temperatures between 180°F to 250°F, with the most common being a temperature of 225 degrees.
Low and slow smoking is what produces spectacular brisket, pulled pork, or even whole chickens. Just writing this has me visions of a plate full of sauced ribs with slaw on the side for good measure.
Barbecue
Barbecue is a method of cooking that dates back to ancient times. The original meaning was fire-building and it has since come to mean any food cooked over an open flame, but in modern usage specifically refers to those who use hardwood fires for their desired temperature profile – usually below 400° F (200 °C). Just like there are many different types/brands within this category these days so too does its definition vary across regions with some including lambics or wild fermentation among other things. For our purposes, though we’ll define barbecued as anything requiring low heat sources such as gas-fired smokers where you’ll find meats being smoke conditioned before finishing off on whatever wood flavors best suit your palate.
