Step-by-step guides to smoking brisket, ribs, pork and more
Smoked beef short ribs — also called “dino ribs” for their prehistoric size — are the most showstopping cut in BBQ. A single plate-style beef short rib can weigh 2–3 pounds, with a thick cap of rich, buttery meat sitting on top of a massive bone. They cook like a mini-brisket but are more forgiving … Read more
Smoked salmon is one of the most impressive things you can cook on a smoker — and one of the easiest. Unlike brisket that takes 14 hours, a salmon fillet smokes in under 2 hours and produces restaurant-quality results that make people think you’re a professional chef. The sweet, smoky, buttery flavor of properly smoked … Read more
Smoked chicken wings are the ultimate game day, party, and backyard BBQ food. They take just 90 minutes on the smoker, cost almost nothing, and produce crispy, smoky, addictive wings that blow away anything you’d get from a restaurant fryer. Once you’ve had real smoked wings, you’ll never go back to deep-fried. ⏱ Cook timing: … Read more
Smoked turkey is the upgrade your holiday table desperately needs. Forget the dry, flavorless oven bird your family pretends to enjoy — a properly smoked turkey has crispy mahogany skin, juicy meat infused with wood smoke, and a flavor that makes people go back for thirds. And it’s easier than you think. ⏱ Cook timing: … Read more
Smoked chicken is the perfect bridge between easy weeknight dinners and weekend BBQ. Unlike a 14-hour brisket or 12-hour pork shoulder, a whole chicken takes just 3–4 hours on the smoker and is almost impossible to mess up. Crispy skin, juicy meat, and deep smoky flavor — all from one bird that costs $8 at … Read more
If you’re looking for the perfect first smoke, smoked pork shoulder is the answer. It’s cheap ($15–25 for 8–10 pounds), nearly impossible to ruin, and produces incredible pulled pork that feeds 12+ people. The high fat content makes pork shoulder the most forgiving cut you can put on a smoker — even your first attempt … Read more
Smoking a brisket is the holy grail of BBQ — the cook that separates backyard grillers from real pitmasters. Done right, you get tender, smoky, melt-in-your-mouth beef with a crisp peppery bark. Done wrong, you get dry, tough shoe leather that wastes a $100 piece of meat. ⏱ Cook timing: Need to know exactly when … Read more
Choosing the right wood for smoking brisket can make the difference between a legendary cook and a forgettable one. Since brisket spends 10–16 hours absorbing smoke, wood selection has an outsized impact on your final flavor. In this guide, we’ll break down every major smoking wood, explain how each one affects your brisket’s flavor profile, … Read more
Recommended Gear For your first ribs cook, these two upgrades make the biggest difference: → Best BBQ Rubs→ Best Wireless Meat Thermometers Why Smoked Ribs Are Worth the Wait There’s nothing quite like pulling a rack of perfectly smoked ribs off the grill — the bark crackling, the meat pulling clean from the bone, and … Read more