Hi!
Any hot-smoking connoisseurs using smokers with rocket cores?
Does the super hot secondary burn destroy the subtle oak, apple wood etc flavours?
And the desirable smokey compounds (guaiacol and syringol)?
I realise that a hot smoker shouldn't actually be smokey - "The most desirable smoke is almost invisible with a pale blue tint".
So I'm not worried that a rocket core won't produce obvious smoke.
More worried about the subtle flavours surviving an intense secondary burn...
What do you do?
Stick to a regular offset smoker for smoking meat and a rocket oven for bread?
Somehow regulate rocket burn temp down to a certain range for the first part of the session, during which the smoke ring is formed?
Add smoking chips to the cooking compartment, rather than the fire box, to add back some of the lost flavour?
Context:
I have several oak trees plus wild cherry, apple, pear, hazel.
Not felling them, but they provide finger-thumb thick branches each season...
I'd like to make a combination hot smoker / pizza oven / grill.
Will buy local lumpwood charcoal for the bulk of the fuel and use oak and fruit tree prunings for flavour.
I'm drawn towards a batch box rocket core - ceramic fiber board and fire bricks - for fuel efficiency and for the fun of it.
I'm experienced at barbecuing / grilling / braaing over lumpwood charcoal.
Have only used an offset smoker a handful of times though.
Have not used a rocket core yet, but love the concept...
Main thing I struggled with, with the offset smoker is topping up the wood or charcoal during the session.
Temperature and smoke levels are then all over the place again after each topup.
Keeping a second fire going and topping up using the hot coals from that works great, but seems very inefficient on fuel...
Thanks!
