Smoker

A closed chamber of wood smoke: the American hearth that turns a tough cut into a Saturday.

Also called barbecue smoker, pit · From The United States

A black offset smoker with a wisp of wood smoke, a split log, and a pan of sauce.

The journey

American barbecue is a box of smoke more than a sauce. Offset pits, upright drums, and kettle smokers all do the same work: low heat, wood, and time that makes pork, brisket, or fish taste of the fire without burning it. The vessel is a region as much as a tool.

A grill with a lid can hint at it. A smoker is built to hold a cloud.

A 1779 map of the United States — kitchens that still keep a box of smoke in the yard. — Phelippeaux, map of the United States (1779) · Public domain. Source

In the kitchen

Hold a steady low temperature. Use wood the region knows — hickory, oak, pecan, or apple. Rest the meat before you slice.

The American volume's pit pages assume this patience. A covered grill is the backyard stand-in.

Used in these ComidaTime kitchens

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