Most UK BBQs are all about sausages and burgers over hot charcoal — classic grilling. That’s hot and fast cooking: food sits directly over the heat, cooks quickly, and picks up that lovely char.

However, this type of cooking is useless for tougher cuts or bigger bits of meat. The high heat will burn the outside and you'll run out of fuel well before the inside of the joint even begins to cook and tenderise. So why are cuts like brisket an American BBQ staple when it's so unsuited to the basic grilling techniques most of us in the UK use?

Enter Smoking

The American barbecue tradition centres around smoking, which is a completely different style of BBQ. This approach to BBQ is much more suited to larger cuts of meat, and opens up a new range of recipes and techniques that just aren't possible using the hot and fast style of typical UK barbecues. 

🌡 Low & Slow

Smoking uses indirect heat — the food sits next to the fire, not directly above it. The temperature is lower, the cook is longer, and the result is tender, juicy meat with deep smoky flavour.

As smoking can require many hours of tending a fire, the cooking process has developed into a social activity in itself. Friends chat, drink and snack while keeping the fire fuelled and building the anticipation and appreciation for the feast at the end.

🌬 Smoke = Seasoning

The wood or charcoal you use on the fire becomes part of your seasoning. Different woods = different flavours. 

Think of smoke as an ingredient, not just a heat source. A bland cut can be transformed with punchy oak or hickory smoke. Beware of overpowering more delicate dishes with heavier flavours, so you'll need to opt for a milder wood for those types of recipes.

🍗 Why It’s So Good

• Breaks down tougher cuts into melt-in-your-mouth BBQ
  

• Adds rich, complex flavour
  

• Gives you crispy bark + juicy centre
  

• It’s a more mindful, ritual-like way to cook
  
  

🔥 Can You Smoke on a Normal BBQ?

Yes — absolutely!

Many native cultures around the world use smoking techniques over open fires, so you don't need any fancy equipment to achieve this type of cooking. 

With the right fuel (wood chunks) and the right set-up, you can smoke on an ordinary kettle BBQ. Just manage your vents, place your coals to one side, and use indirect heat.

Add a thermometer and a heat deflector, and you’re basically running a mini-smoker!

We'd also recommend booking in to a BBQ smoking class. Our Beginners Guide to Smoking is our most popular course, and will teach you how to achieve that classic smoky flavour on a variety of grills.

💯 Levelling Up 

If you want to invest in a dedicated smoker, we recommend Traeger. These pellet-fired grills combine classic design with modern technology to give you precise control over temperature. This makes even long and complex cooks really straightforward to manage, so you can focus on getting your ingredients and smoke flavours just right. 

Another great way to develop your smoking skills is to join us at BBQ Skool for one of our advanced classes, such as Texan-style BBQ. All our classes have limited numbers so you can get real 1-2-1 attention and feedback on how to develop your skills.