FIRST, what they are not ....
Before going too far, let's make some distinctions. When discussing wood smokers, they are to be distinguish from gas grills, wood burning grills or the more modern water smokers. Additionally, we would distinguish them from meat cooked in a smokehouse. Smokehouses are quite often large walk in rooms where meat is smoke cooked at low temperatures in a smoky atmosphere for 24 hours or more. Real wood smokers use higher temperatures and cook for shorter periods of time.

Wood smokers use as fuel wood or charcoal. Either is acceptable and each has their own plusses and minuses. These smokers are most commonly used for cooking larger pieces of meat. Examples would be briskets, pork shoulders & butts, slabs of ribs, pork loins, whole chickens and turkeys. We should point out that when outdoor cooking these types of meat are generally referred to as "Smoking", what is actually being done is actually "Barbecuing".

Welcome to the world of Real Wood Burning Smokers. For generations, even millions of years, 'man' has been using wood as a source of heat to cook meat. Now that is not to say that those of us who spend a lot of their waking lives next to a barbecue pit are Neanderthals, but there is something primitive, earthy and just plain grounding cooking meat over a wood fire.

Photos by Klose Fabrication. Caveman by Gregg Harbison, Great American Barbeque Instruction Book (C. Clark Hale), © 1985

There are many components to a smoker. The basics center around the cooking chamber, the firebox and the chimney.

All three of these parts work together to produce the correct cooking environment. When properly heat controlled, it is possible to produce award winning entrees that will win cookoffs - or the praise of your friends and neighbors. The main responsibility of the cook is to maintain proper heat, consistent flow through the cooking chamber and adequate exhaust.

Smokers are rather large, usually weighing in excess of 200 pounds, are not very portable (unless trailer mounted) and require much longer cooking times to turn out a finished product.

If considering the purchase of a smoker, we suggest one large enough to handle a good sized party. It is more than just a little frustrating not to have enough room to cook everything you want. A large smoker also assures you will have sufficient room for your normal cookouts.