Smoking meats with wood produces the most flavor, but the process is very labor-intensive. But correctly done, it results in irresistible BBQ.

Earth Oven
An ancient cooking structure that is simply a pit dug into the earth. Wood is inserted and then burned down to a smolder. Meat
is placed in the pit and then covered to cook.

Traditional Drum Smoker
A large cylindrical cooking chamber with a smaller firebox chamber attached. This is where the wood is smoked. Airflow is tightly controlled in order to achieve the proper temperature in the cooking chamber. Variations include an upright drum and vertical water smoker.

This method cooks using a combination of wood and charcoal to achieve the desired smoke effect. Less work is required, since charcoal burns longer than wood.

Using these smokers, there’s no need to constantly monitor temperature because the flame burns in a more controlled environment at a constant pace while the wood chips smolder. Heat comes from a gas burner at the base. Just above the burner is a box that contains wood or charcoal – small holes in the box starve the wood or charcoal of oxygen allowing it to smoke instead of burn.