that depends on what you are using. people that use the style of smoker shown above normally always use wood. When you are using a Weber-style grill or any other where the fire is directly below the grill normally use charcoal since they allow for a consistent heat source. re: moisture pan. That is a personal decision..some people do..some dont. I only use a moisture pan when Im doing water smoking...see in the picture the little red smoker beside the big one is my water smoker..it has a lower pan for the fire, and a water pan directly over that..and then the grill on top of the water pan....the turkeys I have done on it come out soo juicy and tasty.
Totally personal choice. In my personal slice of barbecue heaven, I only use a moisture pan when I am smoking fish. I never use one otherwise.
I have decided to postpone my first smoke until next weekend but I have some more questions before I venture into this. I have ordered some apple wood and will use that and I will let you all know how that works out as a smoking wood. What is a good wood for smoking fish/seafood? I have heard there are only a few kinds of wood that can be used with seafood because most woods give seafood a bitter taste so what are the good woods for fish/seafood? Is there a such thing as too much smoke? I mean once I get my fire lit and my smoke going can too much smoke make the meat taste bad? My is the tenderloin the best part of everything from chickens to deer? What makes that meat so good and tender? (I have never had beef tenderloin and I believe that steak are the best parts of beef but I may be wrong, am I?) When smoking how often, if ever, do I turn the meat over? If I choose to add a moisture pan can I flavor the liquid I put in the pan, will it have any effect? That's all for now but I may have more questions later, thanks.
OK, I will do my best. 1. For smoking fish and seafood, I have used mesquite and pecan. Both are excellent. The only one I wouldn't use for fish would be oak. 2. No such thing to me as too much smoke....the more, the merrier, and the better the meat will taste. 3. The tenderloin of any meat is the most tender and therefore usually the most expensive. You don't want to smoke tenderloins, IMHO. Smoking is for less expensive cuts, like brisket, to make them taste good. 4. For turning...fish=never. Brisket=never. Everything else=one turn, halfway through the bake. 5. Adding flavor to the water in the water pan definitely adds taste. I only use a water pan when smoking fish, and I often put lemon slices and peeled garlic in the water.
I think you need some edumacation on beef. There are four different main cuts of beef: chuck, round, rib, and loin. From these, many different sub cuts can be made. For instance, if you've ever had filet mignon, porterhouse, or T-bone, then you HAVE had beef tenderloin....as beef tenderloin is cut into steaks to make filet mignon. For Porterhouses and T-bones, the tender (smaller) side of the bone is tenderloin. The larger, tougher side (if it's cut and sold separately) is usually called NY strip, or strip, or depending on where you live, a few other names. Obviously, if you butcher a cow in such a way that you get a whole beef tenderloin from it, you can't have any filet mignons, T-bone's, or Porterhouses from it. If you butcher the cow in such a manner as to get T-bones and Porterhouses, only four of the steaks will be porterhouses (Porterhouses are just T-bones that have a large portion of meat that is tenderloin). Obviously, if you're going to butcher a whole cow, and you only get four of a certain kind of steak out of it, you can see how it can be such an expensive steak. You also get sirloin from the loin, but it's about two steps below the other cuts mentioned. From the rib cut, you can get ribeye steaks, and these are usually considered to be between sirloins and the tenderloin steaks. There's no steak worth mentioning in the chuck area....it's usually reserved for roasts and ground beef. You can get round steak from the round cut, but it's barely worth mentioning itself....except for the fact that it's used to make chicken fried steak. There's many other cuts of beef, but that's about enough for today. Your apple wood should be just fine for smoking fish.
