Smoke Ovens Key Terms

Learn smoke ovens terminology to get the best equipment to prepare smoked foods
By Denise Ryan Whether you run a barbecue restaurant or a food service establishment with a few smoked foods on your menu, a commercial smoke oven is a vital piece of equipment to impart a mouth-watering hickory-smoked flavor. Before you purchase a commercial smoker or even small-scale smoking indoor smoking equipment, brush up on key terminology to ensure you order the unit to suit your establishment’s needs. Distinguishing terms like “cold smoking” and “rotisserie,” for example, will help you buy a smoke oven with the options you’ll use the most.
 

Channel pan slides

If you'll be smoking or holding multiple trays of food in your smoke ovens, ensure you find a version with channel pan slides that can hold the large containers securely. If centered properly, you'll be able to move the pans in and out without tipping the entire unit.
Try: Instawares discusses channel pan slides in its product descriptions and also offers a downloadable version of the unit’s spec sheet for additional details.

Rotisserie

Ensure the maximum smoke and flavor in your barbecue offerings with a rotisserie smoke oven. Because the foods are contained in rotating racks, the smoke oven will provide even heating so meats don't need as much tending during the cooking process.
Try: BBQ Bonanza discusses the benefits and operation of a rotisserie smoker. The site also discusses other rotisserie and smoker models.

Cold smoking

Although hot smoking adds smoky flavor throughout the cooking process, cold smoking can also become a simple flavor enhancer. Some smoke ovens allow you cold smoke foods like fish or chicken for a short time, and then complete the cooking process in the oven or on the grill.
Try: Zesco describes available cook and hold ovens that also offer a cold smoking feature for flavor and tenderizing.

Wood chips and chunks

The key to flavoring meats with a smoke oven, wood chips and chunks feature additional flavors (like whiskey, apple or mesquite) to create new smoked taste sensations. The smoking chips are also available in different forms like pellets or logs and selected based on the size of the smoker.
Try: Barbecue University discusses the different types of wood chips and chunks and how to use them with smoke ovens and grills to give your foods the best smoked flavor.

Dry rub

Although some barbecue enthusiasts swear by wet brining or marinating their meats before cooking in a smoke oven, others stand behind the dry rub as the best flavoring technique. Experiment with a variation of ingredients in the dry rub to complement the flavor of the wood chips and chunks you use in your smoke oven.
Try: Avalon Wine discusses the benefits of dry rub coating over a wet marinade and offers a recipes and cooking instructions to use with your smoke oven.

Smoke box

If you want to test smoked items on your menu before investing in a large smoke oven, consider a smoke box that can impart the same flavor on an indoor or outdoor grill. Using wood chips similar to those used in a smoke oven, a smoke box can go from the grill to the oven to finish the cooking process.
Try: Get photos, descriptions and cooking tips for barbecue smoke boxes through Camerons Products.