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AUTOMATIC OPERATION Gone are the days when barbecue pits
that had to be stoked by hand and watched like a hawk. All you should have to do is load the smoker,
set the temperature and time, close the door, and leave it to get on with the job. |
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CONSISTENT RESULTS Thermostatically-controlled heat is a
must. You should get the same excellent quality product each time you cook. A low, even temperature
produces the richest smoke flavour, the juiciest meat, and the most succulent
product. |
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EASY TO OPERATE To produce great barbecue you should be
able to set a cook/smoke temperature, a cook time, and a subsequent holding
temperature. |
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COOKING PROCESS IS SIMPLE If you have to do more than
load the smoker, set the temperature/time control, and turn it on, there are too many steps! Busy
kitchen employees do not have time to remember elaborate procedures. |
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FUEL SOURCE HAS BEST FLAVOURING PROPERTIES Woodchips,
sawdust, or charcoal just won't do the job. Chips and sawdust quickly release all their flavouring
resins, leaving lignite, which does not flavour the meat. Charcoal just releases fumes. Food grade
hardwood pellets or small wood chunks do none of these things because fresh resin is constantly being
exposed to the heat source, and released into the cooking chamber as flavouring for your
products. |
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FUEL IS EASY TO STORE Gas smokers (“stick-burners” or
“log-burners”) burn wood and lots of it! Do you have the space to store and handle a lot of big logs,
ensuring they don’t contain or attract insects or other contaminants?
If not, look for a smoker that uses wood chunks or wood pellets. They are small and don’t take up much
space. |
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FOOD IS CONSTANTLY BEING EXPOSED TO FRESH SMOKE Smoke
must escape from the chamber during cooking or food will have an unappealing grey colour and a bitter
“off” taste from sitting in stale smoke for hours. Look for a smoker that allows smoke to escape and is
constantly exposing product to fresh smoke. |
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DON'T COMPROMISE ON SMOKE Beware of tiny "smoke boxes"
added to conventional ovens. They just can't put out enough smoke to flavour the product well. At best
you'll get a slight smoke taste on the outside of the product, and no smoke flavour inside, where it
counts. |
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SMOKES A WIDE VARIETY OF FOODS Your smoker should be
able to produce items which require different cooking temperatures and times, even cold-smoking.
Optimise your menu and maximise your investment by choosing a smoker that gives you the flexibility
to produce different foods.
These are just some of the many, many items you could smoke:
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Pork Butts
Beef Brisket
Lamb Shoulder
Chicken
Duck
Salmon
Mussels
Aubergines
Jalapenos
Lemons
Cheese
Carnitas Meat
Steaks
Salt
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Pork Ribs
Beef Jacob's Ladder Ribs
Mutton
Turkey
Ham
Prawns
Mushrooms
Peppers
Corn-on-the-Cob
Apples
Nuts
Jerky
Soups
Garlic |
Pork Shoulders
Lamb Shanks
Venison
Goose
Trout
Oysters
Tofu
Tomatoes
Shallots
Peaches
Oils
Burgers
Sauces
Whole Spices
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SMOKER HAS HOLDING OVEN CAPABILITY Be certain that you
can set your smoker to a low, accurate holding temperature. This means not needing to have additional
staff on-hand post-cook and this flexible feature is very handy on occasions you need a holding
oven. |
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YOUR SMOKER SHOULD WORK WHILE YOU SLEEP Many products
require slow cooking at a low temperature for best results. Choose a piece of equipment that will smoke
overnight without your attention. Load it the night before and remove the product the next morning. Use
it for shorter runs, such as chicken or ribs, during the day. |
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LOAD CAPACITY TO FIT YOUR OPERATION It's expensive to
operate a half full smoker; an overloaded smoker will not work efficiently. Estimate how much and what
kind of smoked foods you will be preparing. Look for a smoker that is slightly larger than your
anticipated needs. You can handle an increase in your smoked food business one of two ways. Add a
second smoker because two small smokers give you more flexibility than one larger smoker, or trade in
your original smoker for a larger one. |
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DRIPPINGS GO OUTSIDE THE SMOKER And that's during the
cooking process, not after! Both food flavour and safety are affected by fat in the cooking chamber.
Hot fat fumes will give an "off" taste to the product. The presence of large quantities of hot fat is a
fire hazard.
Fresh juices collected outside of the heat zone make tasty sauces and gravy; scorched drippings
don't! |
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SMALL FLOOR SPACE REQUIRED DON'T waste valuable kitchen
space. DO get a smoker that will turn out as much product as you need, with as small a footprint
as possible. |
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VENTING IS NOT AN INSTALLATION AGGRAVATION Choose a
smoker that can be used under a commercial hood or with an attached vent hood custom-made for the
smoker. |
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AVOID ELABORATE INSTALLATION DON'T get caught with big installation expense and problems. Ask lots of questions
before your smoker is sitting in your kitchen. DO allow for adequate, and reasonable, space,
ventilation, and power requirements. Structural building changes and ventilation other than the usual
hood should not be necessary. |
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WELL-INSULATED COOKING CHAMBER Choose a smoker with good
insulation for lower energy costs and safety. Your smoker will cost less to operate, kitchen
air-cooling costs will be less with a smoker that stays cool on the outside, and a cool exterior means
no one gets burned. |
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LOW LABOUR INTENSITY Your smoker should use as little of
your and your employees' time as possible. Look for one which can be efficiently loaded, cleaned, and
maintained. A smoker that needs NO attention while cooking, is easy to load, and cleans up fast is the
ideal. |
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ANYBODY CAN RUN IT Make sure your smoker is simple to
operate and can be used by anyone who might have to run it in your kitchen. |
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INSIDE OF SMOKER CLEANS EASILY Parts and inner
chamber of smoker should be easily accessible and easy to clean. Complicated configurations of
parts will collect grease and smoke resins which are very difficult to clean. Motor drives and
fixed shelves can also be bad news.
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FAST TURNAROUND TIME ON RELOADING If you are on a tight
cooking schedule, any of your employees should be able to quickly unload, clean, and reload the smoker
for its next batch. |
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INNER ACCESSORIES REARRANGE Foods to be smoked come in
all different sizes and shapes, your smoker should be flexible enough to accommodate many of them. Be
sure that you can adjust and rearrange interior shelves.
You may want to hang ribs, slabs of bacon, sausages. Look for a smoker that allows for hanging as well
as laying product flat on shelves. |
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INNER ACCESSORIES REMOVE QUICKLY Grills, racks, inner
parts should all pop out in a flash for cleaning. Any person of average size and strength should be
able to easily handle accessories and clean your smoker.
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EASILY ACCESSIBLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT Does the manufacturer
have a knowledgeable and experienced representative in the UK? Does the manufacturer have its own
customer service that's contactable by phone and a user forum with useful
information? |
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