The Propane or Gas Smoker
This newer smoking technique was designed to smoke meat and fish in a more
controlled environment. The smoker is like a large upright oven with 2, 4
or 6 racks and a sealed front door with air vents in the top to draw the smoke
upwards. The heat is generated by lighting a gas burner from underneath the
smoker on top of which is a steel or iron box that contains wood or charcoal
or both to provide the smoke. The box has a few vent holes on the top only
so by starving the heated wood of oxygen it will smoke and smolder instead
of burning in a flame. This method uses less wood.
The Electric Smoker
This type of smoker is similar to the
gas smokers but uses an electric hotplate to burn wood chips or bisquettes
usually fed on some sort of conveyor belt to keep new chips or bisquettes
going to the hotplate without heat lost by continual opening of the door.
With this system you load it up and leave it for 2, 4 or 6 hours depending
on what you are smoking.
The Charcoal Smoker
This type of smoker is very similar to the gas and electric versions but uses
charcoal to supply the heat and wood chips to supply the smoke.