A duffer's guide to smoking game

What do you do with your brace of pheasant or partridge a day’s shooting? If you’re anything like me, you’ll prep and the first few birds, excited to have game back on the menu after a few months, but thereafter you might start freezing them for later use. But what if I told you that by doing that you’re missing out on some fun ways to use game that are as old as time, but perhaps somewhat forgotten? I’m talking about smoking, more specifically, hot smoking. If you’re looking to get into low and slow barbecue or just fancy adding some smoke flavour to your favourites, this quick guide will help you achieve those great results.

What’s the difference between hot and cold smoking?

In the simplest possible terms, the difference is, duh, the temperature. Being a little more helpful, the difference is that hot smoking is a cooking process, whereas cold smoking is a preservation process where curing is involved that also adds a delicious smoky flavour is added in a cool environment. Because cold smoking is a somewhat more involved process, we’re going to stick to the simpler hot smoking method. Broadly speaking this is a ‘low-and-slow’ cooking process that also uses smoke to add flavour.

I have been speaking to Dan Cooper, the chief BBQ chef at Weber, about using smoke to make game extra delicious. “Some of my favourite food is hot smoked, from baby back ribs cooked for 4 hours or reverse-seared ribeye steak,” he told me. “But recently I have been smoking game. Teal, duck or partridge smoked are my all-time favourites.

Do you need to brine game meat before hot smoking?

Hot smoking is actually pretty simple, but there are a few key points to remember. One is that game is naturally very low in fat, so when cooking using a low temperature, long time method, it can easily dry out. This is where brining comes in. “The idea of brining,” says Dan, “is to add moisture to your meat, and ensure that it stays nice and juicy. You can also use aromatics and herbs to add some flavours.” While it is not necessary to brine your game before hot smoking it, you may find that it delivers better results. 

“A simple brine is basically 24g of salt per 1l of water,” explains Dan. “Just make enough that you can cover whatever it is that you are brining. For breast fillets, leave the meat in the brine for about three hours, for whole birds, its more like 24 hours, though for smaller birds like partridge you may want to reduce that. The final key thing to remember if you are using a brine is to rinse the meat after you’ve brined it.”

Is it possible to hot smoke game using a barbecue?

In short: yes, says Dan. “It’s possible to hot smoke on any style of barbecue, he says, adding “Getting wonderful smoke flavour and texture into your meat using a barbecue is dependent on a steady low temperature of around 90C - 125C.”

When using a charcoal kettle barbecue, Dan explains that you need to add more briquettes if the temperature drops below 90C, and make sure that you’re always using an indirect heat source. “Use just a small amount of lit briquettes,” advises Dan. “Around 16 Weber briquettes should give you the required temperature for up to 3 hours. You can extend this cooking time by half closing the air vents.” 

Can you hot smoke game meat using a gas BBQ?

Smoking on a gas barbecue also works well, says Dan, although achieving very low temperatures can be more of a challenge. To create the smoky flavour, Dan suggests adding wood chips to a gas smoker box, and then placing that box directly on top of the cooking grates and crank up the heat. It can take up to 20 minutes for the smoke to start. Avoid placing any meat or veg into the barbecue until the smoker box is producing lots of smoke. Once you’ve got a good amount of smoke, reduce the temperature of the barbecue then add the meat.

Can you get BBQs specifically designed for hot smoking?

“If you’re starting to get serious about smoking not just game, but all kinds of foods, there are some great pieces of kit designed to help,” says Dan. “The Weber Smoky Mountain solid fuel cooker is designed to maintain low and slow temperature over extend periods of time. The Cookers have large water pans which act as heat shields, protecting your meat or veg from the direct heat of the coals while maintaining a steady temperature inside. They are great for overnight cooks as they can be left for long periods without intervention, producing beautiful low and slow results. They would be ideal for doing whole venison haunches, that sort of thing.”

Pellet smokers are another option, designed for easily controlled smoking. Weber’s Smoke Fire is a remarkable piece of kit that can smoke meat, fish and vegetables to perfection as well as reach searingly hot grilling temperatures. Check out the video to see how they work!

Wood for hot smoking game

When it comes to wood, Dan gives this advice: “As a general rule of thumb, add wood chunks for long cooks and chips for quicker smoked items.” It is advisable to soak wood chips for 30 minutes before adding to the barbecue, this will allow them to smoulder instead of burning away instantly. Due to their size, it is not necessary to soak chunks.

Your choice of wood - from which the flavour is drawn - is really down to personal choice, according to Dan. Weber produce four different varieties of wood chip - hickory, whisky (oak barrel), apple and beech. Hickory and whisky produce the strongest; beech is a medium flavour, and apple wood is very mild and sweet. When it comes to chunks, there are two varieties available, hickory and apple. Weber also produce some smoking ‘blends’, that employ a variety of different woods. “Although these are intended for beef, fish and pork respectively,” says Dan, “it could be fun to experiment with them, and see what results you get!” When it comes to game, which is comparatively strongly flavoured, lighter flavoured woods like apple, cherry and hickory might give the best results.

Always add the chips or chunks at the beginning of cook. “Remember meat in its raw state is much more receptive to taking on the smoke flavours,” says Dan. He also recommends being somewhat tentative when it comes to adding chips. “Less is more,” he says. “Start with one or two handfuls of chips and taste the results.  If the taste is not strong enough, add more next time.  Too much smoke can lead to bitter tasting food.”

Another hot smoking technique is to use planks of wood. These are a great way to hot smoke whole fish, like in this trout recipe that we shared recently. To prevent the wood from catching fire, planks should be soaked in water for at least four hours before placing onto the barbecue.  It is preferable to use the planks on indirect heat, however, if you want to achieve more colour to your food cook directly.  Keep a water spray handy, in case the plank catches.

It is also possible to smoke using items from the garden, for example, rosemary, lavender or seasoned fruit woods. Soak these in water before adding them directly to the coals. However, Dan sounds a note of caution. “Avoid using willow, pine and any manufactured or treated woods,” he warns, “as these can be harmful to your health.”

So, as we head into Autumn, don’t put your BBQ away just yet! Smoking game is an ancient technique, and there is some evidence that we are evolutionarily programmed to respond to the smells and flavours of smoking meats, so it's a properly primal way of cooking, to go with a primal way of acquiring food! What’s more, says Dan, damper, cooler weather lends itself well to this style of cooking “so get your wood chips soaking and give it a go!”

Top tips for hot smoking game

• Brine your meat for extra juicy results
• Soak your woodchips to slow the burn
• If using a charcoal grill, create your fire on one side of the grill, and place your meat on the other side. Add your wood chips or chunks directly to the coals. Do not use charcoal infused with starter fluid-it can add an unpleasant taste to your smoked foods.
• If you are using a gas BBQ, put your woodchips in a smoker box placed on the grill bars. Use the gas to heat the chips until they start smoking, then reduce the temperature.
• Use a wood plank to hot smoke fish.
• Use a meat thermometer to ensure that your meat is properly cooked through. See here for recommended temperatures. Smoke-cooked foods look different to other grilled or oven-prepared foods. They may be pink or red when completely cooked (apple wood especially will make chicken look red, for example).