Instant BBQ expert – How to smoke food in a kettle BBQ

Our quick guide to using a kettle BBQ to smoke food

You’ve set your heart on a kettle BBQ. Good idea. It’s a funky look, the design means you always get great performance and if your garden is on the small side, it’s nice and versatile with no need for a separate smoker. How to smoke food in a kettle BBQ? Read on.

Smoke like a pro using your kettle BBQ

• Set your BBQ up to cook indirectly – Either create a distance between the food and the heat or block the heat by putting an obstruction between the food and the heat. This lets you keep the temperature low enough for smoking, in other words 100C for hot smoking or 160C for a smoke-roast
• Close the lid – This turns the barbie into an oven
• Light a small amount of fuel and set them to one side until they’re needed – this is your indirect heat source
• Put scented smoking wood chips or pellets on top to make the smoke itself. Too small and the chunks of wood will burn too fast. Too big and they won’t burn well enough. You can always soak big chips in water for an hour to moisten them and slow the burn
• Take it to 80-100C for hot-smoking delicate food like fish
• Take it to 110-120C for hot-smoked meats so they’re properly cooked all the way through
• The amount of fuel you burn, the airflow and the amount of smoking wood you use all affect the amount of heat and smoke you get. More fuel and airflow means more heat
• Don’t go mad on the heat – A low-key smoke works best and helps you avoid the food tasting like an ashtray. Too much smoke flavour is just nasty
• Add herbs for an even richer flavour experience – Think bay, thyme and rosemary, but don’t overdo it because the flavours are powerful

Is it just a smoke thing? As it turns out there’s more to smoked cuisine than meets the eye. It isn’t just about smoke scent sticking to food. The fats in meat and oily fish in particular absorb the smoke at a molecular level then pull the flavour deep into the food, which is why fatty meats and fish tend to be the best for smoking – along with cheese. You can smoke fruit and veg but you won’t get the same depth of flavour – which is actually just as well. The result is lovely, milder and more delicate.

Now you know how to smoke food in a kettle BBQ. What will you smoke first?