Smoking methods using smoking chips - Wood-fired ovens tips

Smoking in a Wood Fired Oven.

Smoking different meats, vegetables, seafood or fish is a great way of cooking in your wood-fired oven. There is nothing better than some melt in the mouth smoked ribs, lacquered in BBQ sauce with some crisp salad and an ice-cold beer!

Although perfect smoking in a wood-fired oven requires many years of expertise, patience and practice will soon allow you to reap the benefits of delicious wood-smoked food. We recommend hot smoking in our Fuego wood-fired ovens, thanks to the heat retention that our special fire-clay and insulation materials give you every time. Here’s our step-by-step guide to hot smoking in your wood-fired oven:

Step 1. Light up your wood-fired oven.

Follow the instructions on how to light a fuego wood-fired oven and get your oven up to a temperature of around 225-250°C using kiln dried wood that has a moisture content of less than 20%.

TIP: Why not use the residual embers and heat after a barbecue or pizza party to smoke your favourite foods.

2. Prepare your foods.

Whilst your wood-fired oven is cooling down in temperature, you can prepare the foods you are going to smoke with your favourite seasonings, rubs, spices and herbs and place in a heat proof casserole dish, tray or plank.

3. Starting the smoke.

Using your metal peel or spade, move the hot embers to the back or to one side of the oven and allow your oven’s temperature to drop down to 100-150°C ready for smoking. The embers should not have a flame.

We recommend using hardwood chips which have been pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes prior to using. Then, simply place the chips on your embers and they will slowly start to give off smoke.

4. Types of smoke.

The choice of hardwood varieties available these days and the combination of flavours you can make are literally endless. We recommend that you experiment with hearty flavoured woods like oak and hickory and blend them with fruiter or milder style woods such as apple or pecan for a balanced smoked flavour.

Here’s our favourite choice of hardwoods and flavours, perfect to cook in a wood-fired oven:

• Oak: A popular hardwood, strong but not overpowering, perfect with Salmon.
• Hickory: The most famous hardwood for smoking, infuses a hearty flavour into meats such as ribs and pork shoulders.
• Apple: Subtle, sweet flavours, perfect with pork dishes.
• Alder: A light flavour wood, ideal with fish and poultry.
• Maple: Traditionally used with poultry, fish or seafood.
• Pecan: Sweet and mild flavours, similar to hickory but not as strong.

5. Starting the smoke.

Now that your wood-fired oven is ready for smoking, simply but your heat resistant casserole dish or tray beside the embers, close the door and let the smoke, flavour your foods and do its magic!

Cooking times will depend on the type of food you are smoking and its size. Make sure you keep an eye on it, occasionally turning the dish with the help of your metal peel.

Once your food is ready, you will be able to see a delicious smoked outer layer where all the wood flavours have blended with your chosen rub, seasoning or marinade.

6. Serving.

Smoked foods can be served hot or cold. There is nothing better than a slow-roasted piece of pork shoulder, smoked for the last hour in your choice of hardwoods and placed in the centre of the table for your guests to help themselves or why not try as piece of hot-smoked Scottish salmon served with brown bread, pickles and sour cream. The options are endless!