Quick tips for water smoking.

Use hot water in the water pan at the start, this will allow the unit to come up to the desired temperature a lot quicker.

Make sure that the air vent in the lid is kept fully open during use; failure to do so will disrupt the airflow and may result in the fire going out.

If you’re looking, the food’s not cooking. Every time the lid is lifted to inspect the food, it will take up to 30 minutes for the smoker to come back up to the required temperature. Familiarity and the use of probe thermometers will reduce the need to inspect the food visually.

Start with a small amount of wood to create smoke on your first few attempts, as it is very easy to "over smoke" food and remember, to get a smoke flavour all that is required is a wisp of smoke, smoke billowing out of the unit is not desired and will often leave a sooty deposit on the food which doesn’t taste good.

Use a good quality lumpwood charcoal, or charcoal briquettes. Some brands of fuel have unsavoury fillers and may impart an unpleasant flavour to the food.

Buy good quality ingredients, as this makes all the difference.

Allow the food to come up to room temperature by taking it out of the refrigerator at least 30 mins before you intend to cook it. Meat at room temperature allows smoke to penetrate more.

Use only non-resinous woods, there is a chart of tried and tested woods, stick to these.

Try to source wood that has no bark on it, as the bark can contain bugs and other nasties that may be poisonous.

Most importantly… Experiment! Try different woods, rubs and sauces until you come up with the combination that suits your taste buds