Easiest Meat to Smoke: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

If you’ve bought yourself a smoker, you’re likely really eager to start trying things out and seeing what meats are best to smoke. We were so excited to smoker the first few things that we just launched in with no idea what we were doing. I ended up smoking a salmon for my first time.

Choosing the right meat to smoke can be daunting, especially if you’re a beginner. The irony of having too many options to choose from is getting easily lost in the process of choosing.

Don’t worry, though. This post will highlight the easiest meat to smoke and why they’re easy to smoke. And as a bonus, I also listed the best meats to smoke for complete beginners.

Why You Need to Choose Meats Carefully

While grilling is all about that high heat and fast cook, smoking is the opposite, and low and slow cooking is the name of the game, requiring patience, finesse, and an appreciation for the deep, complex flavors that emerge over hours of gentle heat and wood smoke.

As a first-time smoker, you’re about to embark on an exciting journey that will open up a whole new world of outdoor cooking and elevate your culinary game to new heights.

Choosing the right type of meat for smoking is crucial for achieving the best flavor, tenderness, and overall results.

The smoking process is a slow and gentle cooking method that imparts a rich, smoky flavor to the meat, making it perfect for certain cuts.

» You might also like How Long to Smoke Burgers at 225° F.

How to Choose Meat for the Smoker

Cuts with higher fat content

The long, slow cooking process in a smoker allows the fat to render and gradually melt, resulting in juicy and tender meat. Because of this, you want to opt for cuts with marbling or a good fat cap, such as Prime Rib, beef brisket, or baby back ribs.

Meats with lower fat content, like pork tenderloin and a whole chicken, can be cook on the smoker as well, even though they are lean. It will take a lot less time and you’ll probably want to opt for a lighter type of wood smoke to make sure you don’t overpower a more delicate piece of meat.

Tough cuts with connective tissue

Smoking can transform tough cuts with a lot of connective tissue into tender, melt-in-your-mouth delicacies. The low and slow heat breaks down collagen, turning it into gelatin and making the meat tender.

Great examples of these types of cuts include tri tip steak, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and lamb shoulder.

Size and thickness

Larger and thicker cuts of meat benefit from the prolonged cooking time provided by smoking. Smaller or thinner cuts may dry out or overcook.

Consider smoking larger pieces of meat, such as whole chickens, turkey, or Prime Rib, verses smaller meats like steaks or pork chops. One great illustration of this principle is smoking a whole tri tip roast rather than smaller tri tip steaks.

Alternatives to Meat

Don’t be afraid to try smoking different things other than meat, like vegetables (brussels sprouts) and cheeses (like this awesome smoked cream cheese). How about smoked biscuits or smoked jalapeno poppers? While these might not be the conventional choices, they can provide a fun and unique smoking experience.

The Easiest Meats to Smoke and Why

The easiest meats to smoke are the ones that fall into the categories we mentioned above, that have a high fat content, are large cuts with connective tissues to break down. That being said, here are some specific means you can easily smoke, and why.

Chicken

Chicken is an affordable option for smoking. It’s also a versatile protein that you can smoke in various ways.

• Whole smoked chicken
• Smoked chicken wings
• Smoked chicken thighs
• Smoked chicken breasts

Brining the chicken before smoking will help to keep it moist and add flavor, though it’s not necessary. We always use a delicious chicken dry rub on all our chicken to give it extra flavor beyond the smoke.

Fish

Fish, like salmon or trout, are also easy to smoke. You can compliment their delicate flavors with simple seasonings like lemon, salt, and pepper.

Depending on the texture you want to achieve, you can smoke a salmon or trout filet in two ways:

• Smoke them at 170°F (77°C) for about 5 hours for a robust smoke flavor
• Smoke them at 220°F (104°C) for 1 hour for crispier skin.

The ideal cooking temperature for most fish, salmon, and trout included, is 145°F or 63°C.

Ribs

Baby back ribs, to be specific, are a classic option for both seasoned cooks and beginners.

You can use store-bought BBQ rub or a simple salt and pepper combination to season it since it’s naturally flavorful.

Ideally, you should smoke baby back ribs at 225°F or 107℃ for 5-6 hours. They’re done once they reach a temperature of 203°F or 95℃.

Pork Shoulder

Pork shoulder or pork butt is another cut of meat that’s easy to smoke. It’s a cut of meat that has great marbling, making it ideal for long smoking times without drying out.

You can smoke a pork shoulder for 8-10 hours at 250°F (121℃) or until its internal temperature reaches 199°F (93℃). Just like baby back ribs, you can also use a pre-mixed rub of your choice to season a pork shoulder.

It’s important to note that the smoking instructions here are general guides. Recipes on cookbooks or the internet may have slight variations.

The Best Meats to Smoke for Beginners

If you’re a beginner in the meat-smoking game, you should try the following meats, as they’re more forgiving than most other meats and are difficult to overcook.

Brisket

Brisket may seem intimidating to smoke and takes a longer cooking time. However, it’s difficult to overcook because it’s a tough cut of meat with a lot of connective tissue and fat.

It only requires a simple combination of salt and pepper as a seasoning because of its distinct and delicious flavor.

You can smoke a brisket at 225°F or 107℃ for 10 to 16 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 210°F or 99℃.

Beef Cheeks

Another cut of meat that’s naturally fatty, beef cheeks are also easy to smoke even for a beginner.

To cook it, set your smoker at the lowest temperature possible, then smoke for 30 minutes. This step is crucial to give a nice flavor profile to your meat. After 30 minutes, set your smoker to 300°F (148℃) and cook the beef cheeks for 2 hours.

For the final step, use a sauce of your choice and braise the cheeks in a tray, then leave it in the smoker for another 3 hours or until you reach an internal temperature of 205°F (96℃).

Sausages

Sausages require no further seasoning since they already come packed full of flavors.

All you have to do is smoke them at 250°F or 121℃ for 2-3 hours or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F or 74℃

Sausages are also cheap, so if you don’t get them right the first time, they won’t break the bank.

Tips on How to Smoke Meats

Here are some tips to keep in mind for a successful meat-smoking process:

Preparation

Smoking meat takes hours to complete, so start early and be prepared for it to take most of the day. You’ll want to have extra wood pellets on hand too, in case you need to reload the pellet hopper.

Trim excess fat or bits that are too small because they’ll end up burnt and affect the overall flavor of your finished product.

Low and Slow

The aim of smoking meat, especially tougher cuts, is to break down its connective tissues and collagen for a tender finished product.

Also, following the cooking time allows the smoke to infuse with the meat, resulting in a robust flavor. With that in mind, make sure to cook low and slow.

Temperature Control

Cooking at a lower temperature than necessary will result in a longer smoking process.

On the other hand, cooking the meat at a higher temperature than necessary increases the risk of drying out the meat.

You should aim to smoke the meat at a specific, non-fluctuating temperature. It’s also important to note that keeping the lid of your smoker closed to avoid temperature fluctuations.

Control the Moisture

Controlling moisture while smoking meat is crucial to avoid a dry finished product. Put a tray of water inside your smoker to control the moisture and avoid your smoking meat from drying out.

Let the Meat Rest

After hours of hard work, it might be tempting to devour that smoked meat right after it comes out of the smoker. However, for a truly satisfying experience, allow the meat to rest for 15-20 minutes so it can reabsorb the juices.

Before You Go

Hopefully, this article has helped make smoking meat a less daunting culinary process for you. Since you made it all the way through this article, we thought you might also be interested in a few of our easy smoker recipes to get you started.

• Easy Smoked Brisket
• Delicious Smoked Tri Tip
• Smoked Pork Belly