8
SEASONING
Before cooking in the Oven Smoker, it is important
to “season” the Oven Smoker. Seasoning seals the
paint and interior of the Oven Smoker to enhance
flavours, durability and overall performance. This is
also referred to as the “break-in” process.
To season the Oven Smoker, simply use it as
normal; only do not cook any food. Let the Oven
Smoker cool and clean out. Once seasoning is
complete, the Oven Smoker’s interior will have a
durable, seasoned coating.
CONTROLLING THE FIRE
A fire needs three elements: fuel, air flow and heat.
Learn to control these elements in order to control
the fire.
FUEL TYPES
The Oven Smoker is extremely versatile in that it
can use a few different types of fuel. All three types
of fuel – briquettes, lump charcoal, timber – can
be used for all styles of cooking, yet some will give
better results.
The type of fuel used should complement what is
being cooked in the Oven Smoker. For example,
a timber fire produces a much higher heat for
cooking pizzas or searing a steak, whereas it will
be much more work to keep a low fire burning for
the length of time to cook a brisket if using timber.
Briquettes
work great as they are uniform in size
so give a very consistent temperature and burn
time, which can be replicated each cook, as the
beads burn for a long time. A disadvantage is that
briquettes don’t give off a whole lot of flavour or
smoke to the food. The solution is to add chunks
of smoking timber to the beads, which smoulder
slowly producing a flavourful smoke. Choose a
wood that enhances and complements the food
being cooked.
Lump Charcoal
is a great alternative to briquettes
and while being similar, it also has advantages and
disadvantages. Charcoal, unlike briquettes, can
vary greatly in size and burn times. Look for a good
quality hardwood charcoal with large fist sized
chunks. Charcoal, being 100% timber, gives much
more heat, smoke, and flavour than briquettes
but generally doesn’t burn for as long. As with
briquettes, adding chunks of smoking timber will
also give the food a delicious smoky flavour and
aroma.
Timber
fire is great for wood fired pizza, reverse
searing steak, pork crackling and for higher
roasting temperatures. It gives great flavour and
allows for quick temperature changes and higher
temperatures. The downside is it’s more work to
keep the fire burning at the right level for long, low
‘n’ slow cooks. Different types of timber will give
the food subtle flavour differences. Timber such as
ironbark and hickory are strong flavoured timbers
best for red meats such as beef. More subtle
timbers like pecan, apple and citrus are perfect
for white meats like pork and chicken. A mix of
different timber can be used to create different
flavours and aromas.
GETTING STARTED
